Wouldn't the CPU run cool enough in passive mode; the 180mm fan is situated just above the cooler?

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It would also be interesting if the case was tested in a negative pressure mode, with the big fan blowing upward (w/o the filter of course). Especially with a Accelero S1 (or equivalent) attached to the gfx-card som that the intake air would flow through the cooler.

Wow, this thorough review comes at the perfect time for me, I was already contemplating either a SG05 or a SG07 build after being disappointed by the awkward interior design of the Lian Li cases.

I was also thinking about using a "passive" heat sink for an i5 750. As Vetotat suggested, it's only semi passive with that huge fan sitting overhead. It seems redundant to arrange two fans so close to each other, wouldn't it be smarter to use the extra space for a larger heat sink?

The CPU socket in most ITX boards position further limits HSF choice, though, which makes it the most difficult part of my build so far. In most builds I've seen, people used a Thermalright AXP-120 (or a Corsair H50 watercooling setup) in the SG07. The AXP-120 is small enough to be used in the SG05/06, too, which (along with its prize) leads me to wonder about larger heat sink models -- does anybody have any suggestions?

With respect to the clicky fan -- I guess I'll hope for a quieter replacement turning up in the future. The increased volume of the GPU fan compared to other cases is a downside, but as usual, I think I can deal with that as long as the idle noise is bearable.

Thanks for the review!

Remove the 180 mm fan, and use a tower heatsink with a 120 mm fan in front of it, make a hole in the back, and a duct between the back and the HS.
I wonder how that would affect CPU cooling and noise.

I was thinking this too when I first saw this case, but now I like the idea of top down, with side to side airflow. How big can the fan be at the back the way the SG-07 is now? To get a decent fan in there you'd have to increase the case height. I personally like the case I have now, Lan-Gear's mITX(my build)case, but I was considering the SG-07. In the end, the Lan-Gear is cheaper even if it doesn't come with a PSU.

This kind of defeats the purpose of 9/10ths of this case's solutions. I think it will be much better with a large flat heatsink used passively, such as a Noctua C12P, Cogage MST-140 or Scythe Grand Kama Cross. I think this last one will particularly look good in there.

By the way, what's the duct diameter? It looks to be around 80mm, if so will it be enough to wrap around a large GPU fan like the one in a Sapphire 5850 Toxic?

I wonder if the new Scythe Rasetsu would fit... Its height is listed as 130mm w/ fan, ie. about 105mm fanless, which should (just) work. And the base is assymmetric, but whether it's enough to fit on a H55 board along with a dedicated GPU is anybody's guess, since I haven't found anyone who's tried it yet. Maybe I'll just order both a Rasetsu and a Samurai ZZ as a backup solution...

i wonder how this would do with a Thermalright Spitfire gpu heatsink?


only one way to find out.

I was about to mention the Lan Gear too. It's got the same general layout as the SG07, but manages to be smaller. Definitely looking forward to the launch of that case.

Looks interesting... but the brand's products look difficult to buy. Not exactly well distributed.

Am I the only one that thinks this is a giant step backwards ? I just can't make sense of needing a 600W PSU in a Mini ITX case.

I don't think there is enough slots for SLI or Xfire so why bother with the killer PSU ?

If you dump lots of money on a video setup would you waste your investment on an ITX board ? I think not.

The case looks good though.

I mean it's just a different point of view, a try to address a different need: have some gaming in a very compact way.

Maybe this shot might be far from a near perfect execution but it's not definitely a giat step backwards.

Regards,
Luca

It's made to fit a HD5970, there's no need to feel betrayed by the whole ITX concept if you don't need one.
These are great times for ITX enthusiasts: you can either get an astonishingly small and frugal PC, or a full-featured, quad core, dual GPU gamer dream machine, and any combination in-between.

Nice case. I like the ability to fit large-ish coolers and long graphics cards.

Well that case is only out to a selected few for beta testing. Im really looking forward to the retail release. Ill probably get one on the first day.

My comment refers to the whole brand -- hardly any resellers at all.

They've only been around since the beginning of the year, hopefully they'll gain some more production capacity.

Thanks for interesting review!

Couple of thoughts:

The GPU cooling obviously needs some work. With that plenty of volume and breathing space in case, it should be fairly easy to make it a lot quieter. Having silenced gaming graphics inside one of the early Shuttles this chassis seems very potent.

Two approaches:

1) Use large GPU heatsink like Accelero or Thermalright and install 2 92mm fans *outside* the chassis, blowing in. This way you can fit massive heatsink and still make it work. Fans on the outside obviously give minus points for looks.

2) Move the heat to the CPU side. There is plenty of room around CPU and CPU obviously does not need all the space to be properly cooled. Options are either to use heatpipes or water; the actual heatsink or radiator would then come in place of the 180mm fan and have fan attached to underside.

For 2a, heatpipe transfer, Thermalright Spitfire might work. Then use low-profile CPU heatsink like Big Shuriken and attach 140/180mm fan to the underside of the Spitfire.

2b, minimalistic WC setup would most likely work very well, too. Use 2*160mm (2*80mm fan each) radiators of one 140mm one. Pump would fit into the space between end of graphics card and PSU. Because waterblocks are tiny, you could then install hefty heatsinks for VRMs and have couple of 92mm fans at ultra low speed blowing over them. Or use waterblock that covers them, too - there are plenty of options that all take less space than 2 slots with the card.

With just one 140mm radiator you would not break overclocking records, but it should still keep both CPU and GPU reasonably cool. Might be good idea to change the top fan to blow outwards; 180mm fan blowing out, 140mm rad underneath, and then 140mm fan pushing through the rad, would eliminate hot air circulating inside.

That would of course lose you the benefits of positive pressure, but you can't get everything..