micro-ATX cases - SFF ( <10L)
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:25 am
I'm looking for a tiny and minimalistic server case which can hold a µATX motherboard. Unfortunately mini-ITX is not an option because of a lack of finding server-grade motherboard which hold 4 DIMM slots on mini-ITX (except for Intel Avoton, which even at 8-core has too low performance for me).
PSU-wise I'd prefer to use an external notebook adapter + a DC-DC unit such as the picoPSU inside the case. Fanless is not a requirement, in fact, I'd rather have a fan-cooled setup as I prefer to keep the motherboard components somewhat cool with some small (but near-silent) forced airflow.
So far I've come up with the following results, and my observations:
Silverstone LC19S-R
Nice design, however at 9.2 L it contains a lot of unused and wasted internal space. It's also a tad expensive. Also includes a 1 full-height card expansion slot, which is very appreciated.
Streacom ST-FC5WS EVO
Beautiful case, 1 half/full height card expansion slot.
Con: horrendously expensive, probably due to passive CPU heatsink technology. I'm not sure if it contains enough air vents for sufficient intake of cool air when combined with a single 80mm or 92mm fan.
Also, at 8.5 litres, I feel there's still room for improvement. I'm sure the heatsinks for the fanless CPU cooling add up to the volume.
HD-Plex H5.S
Looks rather similar to the Streacom, and equally expensive. Is there some connection between these two companies?
iStarUSA S-0212-DT
Rather ugly front, but at 4.9 L, iStarUSA deserves some credit; however, motherboards are limited to 245*200mm to fit in this tiny volume.
Not clear if it is still in production (out of stock on newegg).
Does anyone have other recommendations, or comments on the list of observations?
PSU-wise I'd prefer to use an external notebook adapter + a DC-DC unit such as the picoPSU inside the case. Fanless is not a requirement, in fact, I'd rather have a fan-cooled setup as I prefer to keep the motherboard components somewhat cool with some small (but near-silent) forced airflow.
So far I've come up with the following results, and my observations:
Silverstone LC19S-R
Nice design, however at 9.2 L it contains a lot of unused and wasted internal space. It's also a tad expensive. Also includes a 1 full-height card expansion slot, which is very appreciated.
Streacom ST-FC5WS EVO
Beautiful case, 1 half/full height card expansion slot.
Con: horrendously expensive, probably due to passive CPU heatsink technology. I'm not sure if it contains enough air vents for sufficient intake of cool air when combined with a single 80mm or 92mm fan.
Also, at 8.5 litres, I feel there's still room for improvement. I'm sure the heatsinks for the fanless CPU cooling add up to the volume.
HD-Plex H5.S
Looks rather similar to the Streacom, and equally expensive. Is there some connection between these two companies?
iStarUSA S-0212-DT
Rather ugly front, but at 4.9 L, iStarUSA deserves some credit; however, motherboards are limited to 245*200mm to fit in this tiny volume.
Not clear if it is still in production (out of stock on newegg).
Does anyone have other recommendations, or comments on the list of observations?