Mini-ITX Cases

What is a Mini-ITX case?

While some full sized cases do support the Mini-ITX form factor along with other motherboard sizes; ITX cases are largely accepted as cases built around this form factor specifically. Unlike many other cases, you will often see the size of the case reflected in litres of capacity, to provide a better overall indication of the total volume. This is helpful as ITX cases are more commonly found in a wide variety of shapes and sizes due to the manufacturers approaching the challenge of hardware support vs capacity in a huge variety of ways compared to traditional ATX cases. While some Mini-ITX cases do resemble traditional tower PCs, others look more like games consoles or high-end hi-fi components. This means Mini-ITX PCs are a great addition to the living room, whether you want to game or stream video.

Building in a Mini-ITX case

Designing your own Mini-ITX PC build can be challenging due to the compact nature of most of the cases. The main issue being fitting all the components you want into a comparatively small case, and the research involved in the dimensions of each individual component to ensure compatibility. While this is a consideration in any PC - it requires serious forward planning for small form factor builders as the allowances are generally much smaller. For this reason, most small form factor enthusiasts are experienced builders looking for the challenge and reward of such a powerful system in a tiny size.

Many component manufacturers now offer smaller versions of their hardware designed for use in these systems - particularly in the cooler, power supply and graphics card categories. Compact or low profile GPUs and SFX PSUs are common, and in many cases offer excellent performance and efficiency despite their smaller size.

Why build an SFF or Mini-ITX based system?

Small Form Factor (SFF) cases are an enthusiast favourite, and a thriving movement within the PC building community. With innovation and more boutique manufacturers pushing internal volumes of less than 10L for ITX systems still allowing GPU support - the interest and investment in this space is continuing to grow every year. The appeal here is partly the aesthetic and convenience of having an extremely compact system, but also the challenge of fitting everything in and keeping your system running cool is appealing to many advanced builders.

With continued popularity and an active and helpful community; the small form factor computing movement will continue to grow and enjoy further innovation each hardware generation. Building an ITX based system is a fantastic creative and challenging way to build your next PC.