In Win Introduces Its A1 Series of Mini-ITX Enclosures

[loadedaxe]

Wow, Im shocked at the replies in this topic.

I actually own one. The airflow is nice, better than most ATX cases. 2x120mm in the floor under the GPU with alot of space in between. 1x120mm, rear and one side make for 4 fans with positive air flow.

My only complaint is no dust filter on the side panel, I had to buy my own, however, 10 bucks was worth it.

The case fits any mITX motherboard currently manufactured (sigh), I use that term for all the people that complain retiredly about the form factor. Really, its 2018 not 2000, its mITX ...

Easy to build in and the PSU isnt garbage, its made by Powerman (FSP version for OEMs) FSP is among the top manufacturers of PSUs with Superflower, Seasonic etc. Do some research.

It is a little pricy, but after 3 different mITX cases that are actual toaster ovens I have tried with a SFF PSU that costs $90 for 450w made by, guess who? FSP, ( the Silverstone RZV series, Fractal Design Node 202) it was well worth the cost and looks much better.

For those with a size issue.

20L = 273 x 216 x 355.5mm

As clearly stated on their website.

TLDR = Best looking, air flow featured mITX case on the market hands down. Ignore the basement dwellers above.

 

[Valantar]

Wow, Im shocked at the replies in this topic.

I actually own one. The airflow is nice, better than most ATX cases. 2x120mm in the floor under the GPU with alot of space in between. 1x120mm, rear and one side make for 4 fans with positive air flow.

My only complaint is no dust filter on the side panel, I had to buy my own, however, 10 bucks was worth it.

The case fits any mITX motherboard currently manufactured (sigh), I use that term for all the people that complain retiredly about the form factor. Really, its 2018 not 2000, its mITX ...

Easy to build in and the PSU isnt garbage, its made by Powerman (FSP version for OEMs) FSP is among the top manufacturers of PSUs with Superflower, Seasonic etc. Do some research.

It is a little pricy, but after 3 different mITX cases that are actual toaster ovens I have tried with a SFF PSU that costs $90 for 450w made by, guess who? FSP, ( the Silverstone RZV series, Fractal Design Node 202) it was well worth the cost and looks much better.

For those with a size issue.

20L = 273 x 216 x 355.5mm

As clearly stated on their website.

TLDR = Best looking, air flow featured mITX case on the market hands down. Ignore the basement dwellers above.

Good to know that the PSU is made by a decent OEM, but what platform is it based on? Is it a bargain-basement unit, or a quality one? Remember, even good OEMs make cheap products. And bronze efficiency is nothing to write home about. Has anyone done a proper review of this PSU? As it's not sold separately I'd be surprised, which means they could be getting away with bad filtering, voltage regulation, low-quality caps, and so on. You never know until it's been independently verified. I wouldn't be afraid that it'd fail or blow up (as with the cheapo PSUs included with bargain-basement ATX cases), but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it delivered noisy power with bad regulation, or if the fan was noisy due to low efficiency.

As for the airflow thing, it's good that it works decently. Have you looked into how much the narrow gap at the bottom impedes airflow, btw? (Say, by stacking the case up on some books or something else to increase the gap?) That ~1cm opening has to be a significant restriction even if it's not actually choking anything. The lack of a fan filter in a premium-ish case like this is a dumb omission, though (seriously, it's a $170 case and you have to buy separate fan filters? Even if that price includes a ~$50 PSU, that's not good.)

As for people complaining about the form factor, it seems like you're misunderstanding: they're complaining that it's too big, not too small, considering that it's not an ultra space efficient case like the Ncase M1 or DAN A4. Personally, I don't mind (hence me buying an NZXT H200i, which is 6l bigger than this). And as you point out, one of the pros of a design like this is that it fits fans. Which is ... kinda important Also, I bet building a system in this takes a lot less planning and optimization than fitting one inside of the A4 or M1. Which is useful, as most PC builders aren't willing (or able) to spend that time.

All in all, I'm glad ITX cases are a) becoming more mainstream (as 95% of PC builders and non-builder gamers don't need anything more!), and b) being designed more for accessibility and ease of building (to avoid the pitfalls of tight component clearances and the like). Solutions like this aren't for everyone, but they progress the DIY PC scene overall.