Mini Itx Tower Black with 150W Ps

I ordered this for an HTPC build using an AMD A6-3500 with 4GB of ram (2x2). Needless to say, for the cost, I did not expect much from this case. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see a well packaged (double-boxed) and well made case.

The size is pretty good for a mini-ITX case it's not too big and not too small. The proportions are perfect for an HTPC it is wider and shallower than a typical PC case. It resembles the dimensions of an Xbox console being wider (or taller) than it is deep. Overall, I think it's a great size that will fit in almost any situation. It can also be situated horizontally or vertically using the adhesive rubber feet.

The quality of the sheetmetal is definitely a little higher than your normal budget case. It has an excellent "brushed" finish that resembles brushed aluminum from a distance. It feels like it's of good quality. The only slightly cheesy part is the cover. Closed, it looks fine (almost like a cable box or VCR or something) but it opens up to reveal the slim optical bay and power and HDD LEDs. The door on the left hides two USB ports and audio jacks (mic+headphones). The silver border between the two areas is the power button (pretty clever design element). All those plastic bits (the two covers and the power button) are a little cheap, but from a few feet away, look totally fine.

The top cover of the case comes off easily and it is actually very solid which might have something to do with the fact that it's so small. Then there is a top cover that can hold a 3.5" HDD (I think) or a 2.5" drive (or SSD) as well as a slim optical drive. There is a very quiet 150W PSU on the right side and a loud 40mm(I think) fan on the back left which uses a 3 pin fan connector). I used an ASRock A75M with an A6-3500 and the OEM CPU fan JUST BARELY fits under the optical drive bracket. I might add some ventilation holes because it covers half the fan and makes it a little louder than without. If you are not using a slim optical drive, it might even make sense to try mounting an SSD without the bracket in another area so there's more space to maneuver. The bracket itself slides into place without clunky hinges or stops. It is a very solid, simple, and elegant way to add drives to the system.

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. I would purchase this again for sure if I were to build another HTPC or small system.

BTW, so far this runs XBMCUbuntu very well without a discrete graphics card. I've played 1080p MKVs, BD images, Airplay videos from iPad and others.

It is wonderfully constructed and very sturdy. I can not comment on the power supply becuase I am using a micro supply and not hte one that is supplied. The case fan is loud so I did not use it. I did not need it anyway. This build was with a Zotac ION motherboard. The CPU fan hits the slim DVD slot so I cut away some of the metla to make room. Works great. I would by again in heartbeat.

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