Cases

If your only requirement of an HTPC is that it be as small as possible, then it might be time to take a look at the Antec ISK 110 VESA case. The ISK 110 VESA takes the Mini-ITX platform about as small as it can go and still remain a complete enclosure. There is room for a Mini-ITX motherboard and a couple of 2.5" hard drives, and heaven help you if your CPU cooler is taller than the motherboard backplate once mounted. The result is a case that not only has a small footprint, but as the name implies, can be mounted to the back of a TV or monitor using the supplied VESA mounting brackets. Selecting components for a case this small does mean paying close attention to the thermal characteristics of the components. There is little to no room for active cooling and heat issues can quickly become exacerbated if mounted behind a TV that generates a fair amount of heat.

This case is about as small as it gets, and includes the necessary hardware to actually mount it to the back of a monitor. Antec has trimmed about as much fat as you could conceivably hope to trim; there's enough room for a Mini-ITX board, two 2.5" drives, and that's it. It includes an external 90-watt power supply and just enough internal power circuitry to drive low-to-moderate power hardware. 

 Anandtech

This summer proved exciting for fans of the Mini-ITX form factor with a number of intriguing new cases including the BitFenix Prodigy and the Fractal Design Node 304 grabbing some time in the spotlight. I was also a bit taken with the new Cooler Master Elite 120 as it reminded me of a smaller version of my once-beloved Antec Aria. However, in the midst of these exciting new releases, it can be easy for one to overlook the classics that have withstood the test of time, so it is fantastic to see a site like Anandtech choose to run a review of a Mini-ITX chassis standby like the Silverstone Sugo SG05. The Sugo SG05 has been around for a couple of years, but as they are wont to do, Silverstone has continued to refine the case with new revisions to keep it up-to-date. The SG05 was the first Silverstone case to catch my eye and, along with SG06, remains one of my favorite cube-style designs and it sounds like it Silverstone got a lot more than the look right with the SG05.

Meanwhile, in the background, SilverStone has been campaigning for us to take a look at one of its older cases, the Sugo SG05. They're of the opinion that the SG05 is capable of producing stellar performance while being smaller in volume than the competition. This case has been around for a little while, but was it ahead of its time?

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Cooler Master has announced the Elite 120 Advanced Mini-ITX case, joining BitFenix and Fractal Design in pushing new designs geared not just at SFF and HTPC enthusiasts, but also performance enthusiasts. The Elite 120 Advanced is the latest Mini-ITX case to tout a design intended to house a full-size gaming-grade graphics card without giving up the diminutive footprint that makes mini-ITX so attractive. The new case also includes space for a full-height 5.25 drive, multiple hard drives, and an ATX power supply. Perhaps the most aggressive spec is the price at only $50. It will be interesting to see if this little beast can truly provide the cooling it suggests it can without screaming like a banshee.

The case also supports processor heatsink assemblies measuring up to 2.5 inches (65mm) tall as well as full size ATX power supplies. Despite such cramped quarters, Cooler Master claims the Elite 120 Advanced offers best-in-class cooling, which includes a 120mm front intake, an 80mm x 15mm slim side fan, an optional 120mm x 25mm hard drive fan, as well as perforated side panels for improved ventilation.

TechSpot

I've long been a fan of Antec's P180/P280 series of cases for use as home server cases. Even though the P180/P280 cases are targeted at the performance market, they are designed with a focus on quiet performance. Combined with the right hardware, these cases are perfect for building a silent high-end home server. Corsair made a big splash when they entered the computer case market a few years ago and have consistently refined their offerings to target different segments of the market. With the Obsidian 550D, Corsair is quite clearly aiming for the territory that Antec has staked out with the P180/P280 series. The Corsair Obsidian 550D has room for 6 internal 3.5" drives and 4 5.25" bays just itching for a 5-drive backplane, so there is plenty of room for drive expansion. It is a bit disappointing that some of Corsair's design decisions might lead to vibration noise over time, but if long-term feedback proves positive, then Corsair may have a winner for home server enthusiasts.

By explicitly engineering their enclosure for silent running, Corsair has taken a major first step in producing a specialized design as opposed to a more fundamental ATX case like the 550D's predecessors. There's still a lot of experimentation going on here, and the case is designed with flexibility in mind, but the insulating foam should be a dead giveaway that the 550D was designed for silence first and foremost.

Anandtech