SilverStone TechnologyUltra Compact Mini-ITX Computer Case with Mesh Front Panel White & Black (SST-SG13WB-USA)

I've always been a fan of SFF gaming PCs. I don't even carry them to parties or anything often, but I still enjoy them. A few years ago, I built a small gaming PC in one of Silverstone Tek's other mini-ITX cases that was vertically arranged. It was a great case but was a rat's nest. Partly my fault for poor build order and cable management, but also just not a great layout. This SG13 case uses a better layout that allows for actual empty space and airflow if you assemble in the correct order and dedicate serious time to cable management.The case itself is not necessarily a steal at ~$45, but is certainly worth every penny. I got the mesh front and can honestly say that the waffle pattern seen in the picture is not nearly as prominent in person. The metal (the sides and top are one piece) is not very thick but does feel sturdy enough to hold up. It does tend to bulge out slightly, but that's a minor nuisance. When it comes to building, I felt that it was very easy to work with. I won't list my full build, but just what mattered for this case. The motherboard, CPU, ram, and storage are nothing more than preference, though if you can get away with a single 2.5" drive (I used a 250GB SSD), I'd recommend it to negate the need for the upper drive bay.Graphics: EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card 04G-P4-2983-KRThis is absolutely the longest Graphics Card that will fit without modification to the front. There is not a single millimeter to spare. Choose wisely.Cooling: Corsair H55 AIO Water Cooler Corsair Hydro Series H55 Quiet Edition Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060010-WW)I recommend water cooling regardless of processor or OC to keep CPU temps low. If air cooling, definitely use a blower-style graphics card.Power Supply: Corsair 600W Modular Corsair CX Series 600 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 552 Power Supply CX600MATX is fine but I recommend modular design to keep cable clutter down. If water cooling, I recommend having fan facing out so it gets cool air.Mount the 2.5" drive first, then mount the already fully assembled motherboard. Keep cables managed along the way. Graphics card should be last. Long graphics cards (like mine) will either need to be mounted through the front or at least have that side of the front popped loose so there is room to back it in first. The case is awesome, and I highly recommend it, just be conscious of its limitations. By following good steps and stuffing spare wire above the radiator, the actual center of my case is open space. No wires, just good airflow. As others have stated, a 140mm cooler will be problematic for the graphics card and drive bay if you end up using. Happy building.

For a long time, computers have not gotten much faster with newer-generation of CPU chips. CPU clocks have maxed-out around 3-4 GHz, and have got only slightly improved IPC (instructions per clock) efficiency and quad-core has been the norm since 1st generation Core ships. There was rarely any much reason to upgrade based solely on performance, and the only real improvements were in power efficiency with smaller and smaller lithography, although these days, it's proving difficult to shrink any smaller than 14nm.With the new 8th generation Intel chips, facing steep competition from Amd Ryzen, Intel has upped their game with the only thing left to improve, upping the core count. Now with 6-cores in a mainstream desktop chip, there is finally a pretty good reason to upgrade. There is also another trend in new system builds, the small-form-factor. More and more users are building systems that are small, low-power and lightweight, with today's Mini-ITX motherboards, that are without largely without compromise featuring high-end overclocked desktop CPU and high-end graphics.Today, there are some solid choices for tiny cases, from as small as 7 Litres to about 25 Litres in size. The smallest possible case has an STX power supply, and the graphics on a riser, making it parallel to the Mobo, and a low-profile CPU air cooler. The largest ones have full-size cooler, a 5.25" bay and room for 3-4 hard drives. At 11.5 Litres, the Silverstone SG13 allows a liquid CPU cooler, decent air-flow and room for a hard drive. It's about as small as you can go, without making heavy compromises on cooling and performance.Unfortunately, most tiny cases do not have room for an optical device, because the standard 5.25" bay is bigger than it needs to be for an optical device, and it takes up way more space than the drive itself, with wasted extra width, to fit the mounting hardware. Silverstone makes several cases that feature a slot for a "slim optical" device, found in laptops, and the SG08 is a great choice for this. But these tend to be for a "media center" style PC, which feature fancy front bezel, and not as good for air-flow and cooling. A better choice is a tiny USB external optical drive. So if you can live with that, you can get an awesome tiny case, without compromise.I finally decided onthe Silverstone Sugo SG13, after reading a lot of case reviews, and watching review videos. This case, is simply the best choice I could find. The SG13 incorporates design improvements over years of development of the SG series. It's suitably tiny at 11.5L, has all the right air-flow, allows liquid cooling, and a graphics card up to 10.5" fits a GTX 1080 if you want. The SG13 has either a solid front, which looks nice, or a grille for better air-flow. With a 120mm fan at front, this case can achieve excellent air-flow and cooling, surprisingly as good or better than the air-flow in a tower case.This layout seems to be the optimal one for tiny cases: graphics card right next to an external vent, pulling in fresh air, cools it better than most larger cases. The power supply pulls its own fresh air and exhausts it without involving warm case air, and the CPU and Mobo is cooled by relatively huge air-flow from the 120mm fan in front. It works amazingly well. For liquid cooling, the front 120mm radiator pulls warm case air and expels warmer air straight out the front.Finally, the price, at $44 is just amazing, leaving you extra cash to buy a better CPU than you normally would. I'm super-happy with my choice, and I know this case will last me for years, even surviving several upgrades -- until we can finally get rid of solicon chips, go optical, or bio-computing or whatever. Viva la tiny computer.

If you're looking for an affordable itx case that can fit in a backpack and is easy to build in- just get this one. The sandwhich style itx cases are all $150 minimum and all the other cases don't come in this form factor. I also love the white version - great style.This case is really easy to build in - I've build dozens of systems and this one was actually one of the least cumbersome cases I've worked in. Sometimes itx builds can be a nightmare, this was not one of those times.The build was uneventful, which is a very good thing. I could not fit a 120mm radiator in the case without screwing with the front IO and I ended up having to force the face back on to keep the front IO and now it sticks out a bit. It's not noticeable but it seems like quite the oversight on a case that specifically has room for a 120mm radiator not to have the wires compatible with a 120mm radiator. It is for this reason that I am removing a star.Otherwise, the case is very solid and is sturdy and logically laid out. Other than my specific grievance - I feel as though there is absolutely no better way this case could have been laid out and built, it's very smart with impeccable hardware compatibility at a shockingly great price - so this is largely a thumbs up from me.