Looking for Advice on SFF Cube Case

merlin · Post by **merlin** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:51 am

I've been thinking about possibly refreshing my old sff system a low budget amd. The main thing I'm wondering is what the best recommended microatx cube systems are currently which come closest to spr standards? I'd prefer cube over rectangular form factor. I'm also leaning away from barebones systems just to have more flexibility on my configuration if possible.

It's always been pretty clear what some of the best full size cases, psu's and whatnot are, but with SFF it seems really hard to determine what the best combination of size, price, airflow and quietness are.

stromgald · Post by **stromgald** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:38 am

The only cube cases I know of (other than shuttle) are the updated Antec Aria (now called the NSK 1300) and the ChenMing mATX-118, which is the OEM version of the Aspire/Apevia X-Qpack. The Aria/1300 has sound dampening panels, but doesn't have good airflow. The X-Qpack/mATX-118 are cheaper (no sound dampening panels), but it does feature a quite 120mm fan in the back and decent airflow. Both of these cases are acutally quite big (~10.5x12x14) compared to a Shuttle. My ChenMing mATX-118 hasn't turned out to be as portable as I would've liked.

If you want more choices you might want to look at Sfftech.com

merlin · Post by **merlin** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:09 am

stromgald wrote:The only cube cases I know of (other than shuttle) are the updated Antec Aria (now called the NSK 1300) and the ChenMing mATX-118, which is the OEM version of the Aspire/Apevia X-Qpack. The Aria/1300 has sound dampening panels, but doesn't have good airflow. The X-Qpack/mATX-118 are cheaper (no sound dampening panels), but it does feature a quite 120mm fan in the back and decent airflow. Both of these cases are acutally quite big (~10.5x12x14) compared to a Shuttle. My ChenMing mATX-118 hasn't turned out to be as portable as I would've liked. If you want more choices you might want to look at Sfftech.com

If you notice my sig...I've got an Aria, definitely not low noise and certainly isn't great for cooling either. It's also very constrainted in terms of space. I still like the case a lot even with the flaws, but I'd like to get something much quieter for my cube/htpc/lan party system. I'm fine with the size disadvantage as it's still a lot smaller than a tower case and relatively easy to carry. The chenming seems like an older model too sadly, I remember seeing that around for a while.

I remember seeing a few recommendations in this forum, but a lot are pretty old and I was wondering if there were any updates on better cube factor systems that have come out recently. I'm a little jealous there's some awesome htpc systems like the nsk-2400 in other factors

stromgald · Post by **stromgald** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:08 pm

Yeah the ChenMing's been around for awhile. It has better airflow than the Aria though, so with the right components it can be very quiet. Mines is fairly quiet when idling, but when gaming it ramps up pretty loud. But, that's mostly because of my faulty motherboard temp sensor.

DaveSimmons · Post by **DaveSimmons** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:03 pm

The Ultra Microfly is like the X-QPack but a little deeper so standard PSUs fit better. Reviews say the build quality is a little better though still flimsy. In the US TigerDirect is the only vendor I know of that sells it.

Reviews at Sudhian.com (compared to Silverstone and QPack) and at www.sffclub.com.

nightmorph · Post by **nightmorph** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:47 am

Try the Hoojum Cubit. Very pretty, though somewhat limited in terms of internal components. You'd want to switch fans right away for example, as the chassis design doesn't look inherently silent.

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:11 am

http://www.aero-case.com/
Sell a modified Antec Aria with big passive heatsinks.

Well, they will be after november 1st.

Steeeeve · Post by **Steeeeve** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 6:48 pm

You have plenty of choices for a SFF case that takes a mATX board (or ones that don't). The shuttles are obviously very popular and who wouldn't love one of those? My site, www.sffclub.com, has a list of all the mATX box type cases that are available for purchase. The AeroCool AeroCube just came to life which you might want to look at. I believe the quietest case is probably the NSK1300 (I'll confirm this tomorrow) but the Silverstone SG01 and Qmicra are both very quiet as well.

So depending on what you want, there is something out there for you. Since you want size, quiet, price, and airflow...I would go with either the SG01 or the MicroFly (which is not made by Chenming for all of you that think it is). The PC-V300 by Lian Li is also a good case but has some drawbacks with compatibility with 9" video cards.

I hope this helps and if you need anything you can ask here or check out my site...or email me

merlin · Post by **merlin** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:09 am

Steeeeve wrote:You have plenty of choices for a SFF case that takes a mATX board (or ones that don't). The shuttles are obviously very popular and who wouldn't love one of those? My site, www.sffclub.com, has a list of all the mATX box type cases that are available for purchase. The AeroCool AeroCube just came to life which you might want to look at. I believe the quietest case is probably the NSK1300 (I'll confirm this tomorrow) but the Silverstone SG01 and Qmicra are both very quiet as well.

So depending on what you want, there is something out there for you. Since you want size, quiet, price, and airflow...I would go with either the SG01 or the MicroFly (which is not made by Chenming for all of you that think it is). The PC-V300 by Lian Li is also a good case but has some drawbacks with compatibility with 9" video cards.

I hope this helps and if you need anything you can ask here or check out my site...or email me

Ah good times, I just found your site a little while ago too. It's great to see more good review sites, especially when you actually have some regular updates.

I'm really surprised the NSK1300 might be the quietest. My issues with the Aria I currently own are the relatively loud psu fan and the very poor cooling in certain areas due to the design. I would figure the NSK1300 is about the same case, except in steel. I'll certainly take a look at your suggestions, so far the Silverstone SG01 has sounded most interesting to me.

DaveSimmons · Post by **DaveSimmons** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 9:31 pm

The user reviews of the Antec NSK1300 are mostly negative at Newegg, it will be interesting to see what your testing shows.

Right now based on everything I've read I'd buy an Ultrafly or Silverstone.

Edit: cases & damping has this thread, and it includes a review link in the last post: http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=30665

Steeeeve · Post by **Steeeeve** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:38 pm

they were all negative but the NSK1300 is silent as anything...making the case hotter though (trade off). They really wanted this case to be for a business platform so thus the slight changes.