Tag Archives: Mini ITX

I get very excited when I get a new case in the lab for review. I get even more excited when the case comes from BitFenix. BitFenix has been quietly making some of the best computer cases out there. Their signature SofTouch Surface Treatment is simply amazing. Having gained popularity with their Colossus case, BitFenix has decided to bring all that style and pizzazz to the Mini ITX platform, and dubbed it the Colossus Mini-ITX.

There doesn't seem to be much that I don't like about the mini ITX platform. I get everything I want and need and compact platform. Motherboard manufacturers have figured out how to pack all the power, performance, and features into a tiny little package. What isn't there to like about it? I have used the mini ITX platform for building NAS and compact file servers, but I never really considered using the platform for a gamer or daily use machine. ASRock thinks they can get me to turn to the Dark Side and leave my ATX, bigger is better, roots for their Z97E-ITX/ac motherboard and the ITX platform.

My days of large full tower cases are slowly coming to an end. Although I love the behemoths of yesteryear, I see myself starting to look upon Mini-ITX motherboards and cases with more enthusiasm every day. I can get everything I want and need in a compact platform without sacrificing CPU and video card power. This transition seems to have been born from the latest round of case reviews that have been featured here lately. We have featured SilverStone, Fractal Design, Lian-Li and iStarUSA cases on the site but one company wasn't feeling any love and promised me they could sway me from the others with their latest Mini-ITX case. I have to admit, the competition is rough, but Antec feels as though their ISK600 is the case that steals the thunder.

There is seldom a time when I get more excited than when someone ships me a case designed specifically for storage. SliverStone told me they would be producing something that would get my fingers twitching in anticipation, and for the last couple of months it sat in a dark corner waiting for the day when I could break it open. Lonely and afraid, the SilverStone DS380 SFF NAS chassis waited, waited for its chance to woo me.

If you have read our guide to building your own NAS or our more recent Lian Li PC-Q28 Review, you may be ready to get your own personal NAS project started. The cases featured in both of those articles were great enclosures for a NAS Solution, but didn't really make accessing your drives easy. iStarUSA thinks they have the perfect case for the job, the S-915. This compact mini-ITX tower style chassis may not be an enthusiasts first choice in brand name or feature a sleek all aluminum exterior, but it does have a company with 20 years of experience in industrial computers behind it. Is that enough to seat it atop your list for cases in your project?

When we thought that we had the perfect case for our NAS build, Lian Li came knocking on our door and promised to change our minds. Our current build features the Fractal Node 304 and it has been a great small server / NAS mini-itx chassis that has plenty of storage space. Unseating it will be quite the challenge. Lian Li confidently accepts the challenge.