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Help picking a Micro ATX Case for a beastly small Matx rig.

post #1 of 16
Thread Starter 
So I wanna move all my sig rig over to a new case. The antec 300 is solid but I hate not having a black interior and its to big.

So what I wanna do is have a smaller case but still be able to crossfire another 7870 in there someday, and also I will be going to water cooling for my first time in this rig. I wanna have a super clean look so cable management is a must, as well as having no LEDs or very minimal. I like the flat colors and brushed metal look as well.

I have been looking at these cases:

Fractal Design Mini

Fractal Arc Mini

SilverStone SST-PS07B

Those are the three I am torn between. My only issue is are they small enough, and I wanna do a custom loop with out it looking messy. I also like the bitfenix prodigy look but thats ITX. mad.gif

This is not only my first water cooled rig, but my first beastly small build. I want suggestions from you guys, what do you think? Any suggestions on a better or smaller case are also welcome. My budget is $100 maybe a tad over with shipping but the cheaper the better.

Thanks again for any help.
Cerberus
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Cerberus
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post #2 of 16
For watercooling, the Fractal Designs are the best. The PS07 and the TJ08 are essentially the same internal layout. If you're going to want to use a front 240 on the PS07, you'll be extending into the 5.25" bays. The front 180 on the TJ08 can fit up to a 200mm rad. They both can fit a 120mm on the back.

The Fractal Designs are some of the largest mATX cases on the market.
    
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post #3 of 16
you can install 5x 120mm radiator in the arc mini
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post #4 of 16
The arc mini is the best matx out there

Sent from my GT-I9070 using Tapatalk 2
post #5 of 16
I would recommend the TJ08-E with a 200mm front rad and a 120 rear.
You can hit their case club and check out some of the WC setups they've got in there.


A 200x200mm with a 180mm fan adjacent would be just about equal to a 120x360mm rad with 3x120mm adjacent fans (no shrouds) in terms of usable rad space, which puts a 2 rad setup in the TJ08 at about the same level of a 1x480 rad setup.

TJ08's/PS07's are much shorter than most cases, only sacrificing width.
post #6 of 16
the Fractal Arc Mini is a good choice especially it has your watercooling option
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simple sandy
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post #7 of 16
Thread Starter 
Im thinking Im gonna roll with the Define Mini. I love the clean look. The TJ08-E looks nice but just cant go that far over budget. Ill sleep on it though.
Cerberus
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~Trinity~
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Cerberus
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~Trinity~
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post #8 of 16
I'd pick the define mini. I'm thinking of getting that as a upgrade over my core 1000.
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post #9 of 16
Thread Starter 
So I settled on the Define Mini. Thanks for the help guys, and suggestions, +rep.
Cerberus
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Cerberus
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~Trinity~
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Skiller Corsair 650w Elite 120 Advanced 
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post #10 of 16
Surprised that you ended up with the FDM when one of your priorities was small size. The Define Mini is practically a mid tower..

The Define Mini will have poor watercooling performance in comparison to the Arc Mini FWIR. The Arc Mini has design specifically suited for mounting of larger radiators without significant compromises and has sufficient ventilation for optimal radiator performance.

The Define Mini, conversely, is designed to be a quiet air-cooled case.
Edited by friend'scatdied - 9/17/12 at 10:39am
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