A Closer Look - Inside

To access the chassis, simply remove the two thumb screws holding each in place. This allows you to swing the doors open and thus take them off their hinges.


The chassis features the sandwich layout, which places the motherboard on one side and the GPU on the other. Thanks to the layout, you are able to fit a 340 mm GPU within the Stratos Mini ITX.


The chassis comes with a little shroud where the PSU is installed. It also offers space for the ARGB controller and features a single 2.5" mounting location for storage. The Channel Well 650 W SFX PSU is quite alright with its 80 Plus Gold efficiency, so you should be able to throw anything at it the chassis can handle.


Above that is the PCIe slot for your GPU with the ribbon cable that leads to the motherboard. CUK also placed an ARGB strip here, so you may light up your graphics card in style. The 240 mm AIO with its thin radiator in the front fits well and has been installed with the tubing running along the bottom of the chassis.


On the motherboard side, all the power cables have essentially been pre-routed somewhat, with the block and pump assembly of the Cooler Master AIO also routed through an opening on the bottom of the chassis. The SSD mounting bracket has been put alongside the accessories mounts next to the motherboard, but you may also use this area for more elaborate liquid cooling setups if you like. In fact, Computer Upgrade King sells a fully configured, watercooled system with the chassis as well.


In the top, you will find the two additional 120 mm fans for a total of four out of the box. As they are identical to those in the front, you will have four 3-pin power and the same number of ARGB plugs to deal with. That means the cable mess within the Stratos Mini ITX is pretty bad out of the box and requires a bit of love before you even install any components within the case.


All the leads inside the Stratos Mini ITX are of the default variety, so you should have no issues plugging everything in nicely.