While you may not have heard of DarkFlash, they have been around since 2016 and tend to offer some pretty solid ATX cases. With the DLH 21, the brand is going after the growing ITX segment as well. The result is a case that has some surprising attention to detail—starting with how the top I/O melts nicely into the panel alongside the beautiful power and LED buttons, and there is the grommet-covered opening in the back to make it look great from that angle, too. On top of that, it is one of the few ITX cases out there that is both compact and offers built-in ARGB elements. DarkFlash even added a bit of design flair to the air vents on all panels with differently sized holes.

On the interior, you find a functional layout that doesn't require you to compromise on any major components when installing a long GPU and liquid cooling or going for the maximum allowable with an SFX-L PSU. This means you have the utmost flexibility in picking the parts that work for you within the constraints of the ITX chassis. While there are a few tight nooks here and there, the result is a fairly easy build with clean looks and unblocked components—great signs of a good SFF case.

It would have been nice to see a few more cable hooks on the floor, however, especially since DarkFlash strategically placed some in other areas within the DLH 21. Interestingly enough, the frame on top is held in place by a plastic instead of metal frame, so DarkFlash does not use as many rivets as possible, which give the DLH 21 just a little bit of play when all bare. Luckily, that is a non-issue as soon as the panels are back in place. The biggest drawback is what ITX cases have been fighting for the longest time: thermals. While the DLH 21 looks great, the openings with the metal mesh further restrict airflow, which has it get pretty toasty, and thus makes the air coolers of the CPU, GPU, and PSU work overtime to keep it cool. That said, at no point did the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti thermal throttle. An AIO liquid-cooling setup should really help here, as it adds a bit of airflow to the case, and having some fans to push air though an ITX case is generally a good idea as the laws of thermal dynamics are the same for every brand.

To end this on a positive note, the DarkFlash DLH 21 does not require a PCIe ribbon cable, which saves you quite a bit of money as PCIe 4.0 riser cables are expensive, leaving you with additional budget for that AIO over a compact air cooler. In the end, the DarkFlash DLH 21 is a solid case that will work quite well as long as you add fans and go with liquid cooling—it is priced quite alright to boot.