Now that processors and graphics cards have gotten more powerfulwhile running cooler tooand most people can get by with just a single SSD, a lot of gamers are ditching the big and unnecessarily bulky mid-tower for something smaller; a Mini ITX build.These mini-PCs have exploded in popularity recently, and its easy to see why: if you pick your parts carefully, you can fit everything you need into something barely larger than an Xbox One X or PS4 Pro…but with a lot more horsepower. I’ve already listed the best Mini ITX motherboards, so now I’m going to break down the best Mini ITX cases to consider for your next gaming build.TL;DR These are the Best Mini ITX Cases:
1. Fractal Design Node 202
Best Mini ITX PC Case
When you’re on a mission to build a gaming pc that’s more powerful but smaller than a console, there’s no substitute for the Fractal Design Node 202. It’s a 10-liter chassis that can fit full-sized graphics cards inside and keep you on budget with its $70 price tag. Better yet, it’s has a very clean, modern aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place in your home entertainment center.There are only two mounting points for two 120mm case fans, but they’ll have to be low-profile and the same goes for your CPU cooleryou can forget about liquid-cooling your CPU. However, even without any additional fans, the Node 202 offers plenty of ventilation for the CPU and GPU areas, which are also all protected by dust filters.
2. Thermaltake Core V1
Best Budget Mini ITX Case
For a smaller cube-style case that can still pack a lot of hardware, the Thermaltake Core V1 has a lot to offer. At a dirt-cheap price of just $45, the Core V1 provides a smaller footprint than Mini ITX towers, while still offering enough room for a full-size graphics card, an ATX power supply, and even water cooling.A closed-loop liquid-cooler would fit easily, but a small custom loop would require you to get creative. At around 22-liters, its still on the larger side of medium ITX cases, but its still much more compact than a standard mid-tower case (and has steel construction, to boot).
If you want something a bit smaller on a similar budget, the 19.8-liter Cooler Master Elite 130 and 15.4-liter Elite 110 are both great alternatives. Their smaller size means youre a bit more limited in terms of airflow and cable management, but the trade-off may be worth it if youre looking for a more modest footprint.
3. Silverstone ML09
Best Console-Style Mini ITX Case
If youre looking for something of similar volume to the SG13 but with a more slim, entertainment center-friendly shape, you have a few options. Its tough to pick a favorite in this category, but the Silverstone ML08 is a good balance between looks, size, and cooling.You can fit a full-size GPU in it pretty easily, and while its bigger than a typical gaming console, itll fit in your living room very similarly, either horizontally or standing vertically on its optional feet. It also has a handle for easy carrying to LAN parties and the like. Its pretty reasonably priced too.
For similar alternatives, check out the Silverstone RVZ01B, RVZ02B, and RVZ03B cases are similar to the ML08 but with more of that gamer look. All of the cases in this category are built with a mix of steel and plastic, but thats to be expected given the design.
3. NZXT H210i
Best Big Mini ITX Case
Mini ITX isnt always about building the smallest PC imaginable. Sometimes, its just about having a PC that’s smaller a tower while packing as much gear as you can. The NZXT H210i isnt tiny, and some might argue it approaches the size of a microATX case, but all that extra room makes it a versatile chassis thats easy to build with.Itll fit a full-size ATX power supply, a custom water cooling loop with dual radiators and two 3.5 hard drives if you are stockpiling data. It also brings some unique styling with its punched-out side ventilation areas and an integrated RGB strip. The H210i also comes fitted with a smart hub, which works primarily with NZXT’s array of Aer2 RGB fans and Hue2 lighting peripherals. Of course, if you don’t need any of the lighting or connected smarts, you can go for the stripped-down NZXT H210.
If you want something a bit snazzier (albeit larger and more expensive), you have lots of other options like the 34-liter Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX. You could also go with the case that started it all: the BitFenix Prodigy, orif youre a Portal fanits newer turret-shaped cousin. All of these cases provide different looks and configuration options for a larger, stuffed-to-the-brim Mini ITX build.
5. Silverstone SG13
Best High-Airflow Mini ITX Case
Once you get smaller than 12-liters, youll need to start making choices about what hardware is crucial, and what you can live without. Thats especially true when youre on a budget, since the 11.5-liter, Silverstone SG13 (and its slightly smaller sibling, the 10.8-liter SG05 450) dont have quite the flexibility of more expensive options like the M1. For the money, though, theyre great cases, and you can still fit a solid PC inside if youre willing to deal with a few limitations.For example, while the M1 (previous entry) fits graphics cards up to 12.4 inches, the SG13 is limited to 10.5 inch long cards (10.0 inches for the SG05), which means it can hold any Nvidia Founder’s Edition card (including the GTX 1080 Ti), but only midrange AMD GPUs.
CPU air coolers will need to be more compact, water cooling radiators will need to be smaller, and youll have to choose between two 2.5 hard drives or one 3.5 hard drive (and if you have an ATX power supply, that choice is made for you, since it butts up against the hard drive mounts). Again, that still leaves a lot of room for a decent build, as long as you dont expect the world. At $45, its hard to complain–especially when the M1 is four times as expensive.
6. Lian Li TU150
Best Portable Mini ITX Case
Going with a smaller Mini ITX PC case to help you save room is nice but what if it also helped make your PC more portable. That’s exactly what the Lian Li TU150 sets out to do as a relatively compact chassis with a retractable carrying handle. This case is a bit larger on the Mini ITX spectrum, but it has enough internal space to let you install an SFX power supply and a triple-slot graphics card.Despite its small size, there’s plenty of places to move air in this chassis as there are mounting points for two 120mm fans on the bottom, then another spot on the front and back of the case. The Lian Li TU150 also features clever cable routing areas behind the motherboard tray and in the roof of the case.
7. NCase M1 V6
Best High-End Mini ITX Case
There isn’t a more diehard group of PC enthusiasts than those in the SFF community and if you want a Mini ITX case made for the people by the people, you need the NCase M1 V6. Unlike most PC cases made by manufacturers, the NCase M1 V6 was crowdsourced using ideas of ardent small ultimate Mini ITX PC fans to create the ultimate case of their dreams. The result is a small chassis that surprisingly large enough to hold almost any sized graphics card, dual 240mm liquid-coolers, and more.The NCase M1 v6 is insanely impressive when you consider its size. The M1s versatility also comes with top-notch build quality too, with aluminum construction, tool-less panels, and sleek aesthetics. It’s also highly tuned for maximum cooling with its over 6,000 ventilation holes while a couple of well-placed dust filters will keep your PC components clean. That all said, the NCase M1 is pretty darn expensive at $210 and it’s only available in limited edition runs, but if you want the smallest case possible without making big compromises, this is as good as it gets.
What to Know Before Building a Mini ITX Case
The main selling factor of Mini ITX cases is they’re much smaller and don’t waste any space, but that’s also what makes them so challenging to build in. There isn’t a single square inch of wasted space inside a Mini ITX case, which also means each square-inch will be essential to you for squeezing in a larger GPU, a second solid-state drive, or even what would seem like a simple power cable in a larger chassis.With that in mind, you’ll want to pre-plan your PC build before you even start buying parts. Measure the GPU and main compartment twice to ensure you can actually fit your desired CPU cooler or graphics card inside the case. Considering how small these PC cases can be, you might even want to buy some custom cables with shorter lengths, so that they don’t take up any more space than needed.
Lastly, you should rehearse your PC build beforehand. It can be all to easy to start installing your motherboard, CPU cooler, and other components only to realize that you’ve blocked off access to your storage mounting points several steps ago.
Building a Mini ITX system is tricky work, but they’re some of the most rewarding puzzles you can solve as a PC builder.
Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn’t get grease on his mechanical keyboard.Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
