SilverStone Sugo Series SG05B-USB3.0 Black SECC / Plastic Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX 300W 80Plus Power Supply with 2 x USB3.0 ports (Black)

Pros: airflow/cooling

Cons: PSU fan noise

Other Thoughts: - The 80mm PSU fan is very noisy: 39.4 dB(A), 3400 RPM. A clearly audible hiss, an order of magnitude louder than anything else in the system. No idea why other reviewers rarely mention it (maybe because of all the dual- 80mm fan GPU cooling, quite popular recently?). Reportedly, has been successfully replaced by modders with Noiseblocker BlackSilent Pro PC-P.

- A modular power supply recommended. Otherwise, the only possible space to store all the extra cables without disabling the positive airflow is an (empty) topmost CD/DVD drive compartment (routing all the cabling through the top).

- The front anti-dust filter is garbage: plastic mesh, glued to a plastic frame over a ~2mm edge. Replaced with aluminum 0.5mm mesh on an aluminum frame, mounted through 120mm fan holes. The front panel locks-in properly despite the extra ~3mm thickness inside.

- Front-panel power and reset buttons feel el cheapo and flimsy: when pressing one even lightly, the other one wiggles.

- The bundled front 120mm fan is (at least initially) not worth replacing with Noctua 120mm PWM, because it gets completely drowned out in PSU fan noise anyway. Otherwise, working at half-speed (~700 RPM) through a 3-pin motherboard fan controller, it is about as quiet as the Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM CPU fan at high speed, thus about (?) 20 dB(A), without any whining noise.

- Right-angle SATA cables recommended if you plan to install a full-length, ~200mm GPU.

- If your motherboard HD Audio header is placed toward the back of the board (close to the I/O shield), you will need an HD Audio extension cable. Otherwise, the rather short front-panel cable has to be partially routed over the CPU intake and under the PSU intake.

- For motherboards with an ATX 24-pin main power connector right in the middle of the board (i.e. Asus P8H61-I), a right-angle ATX (24-pin) adapter (if you can find one!) would be very useful to clear the wiring an extra inch down, for a direct airflow corridor to the CPU/RAM area.

- The underside of the case has no markings for rubber feet placement, so prepare to design some kind of a cardboard offset frame to get this done (aesthetically) in a symmetric manner :).

- Other reviewers mention insanely bright front-panel LEDs. I find them just average brightness, so perhaps the newer USB 3.0 SG05 versions have been updated by the manufacturer.

- With careful cable management, the case features great cooling. Even with a 3.5" drive installed (partially obstructing the 120mm intake fan), a 95W i7 CPU idles at 32C (with CPU and chassis fans at 50% capacity) and torture tests at 70C (with a 37mm-high Noctua NH-L9i cooler). The motherboard: 29C, the 3.5", 7200 RPM drive: 35C.

Pros: Lots of space, long cable reach, good cable mix, well marked cables, clean design.

Cons: No slimline SATA connectors, despite having a tray for a slimline optical drive. no thumb screw chassis screws.

Other Thoughts: I enjoyed working with this case, and it is spacious enough to allow the use of full height DIMMs and open enough to run pretty cool.

Pros: The exact size I was looking for.

Cons: I wish the actual removable outer shell wasn't a single "U" piece, if it was 3 separate "walls" this would be 5/5.

Also the front and back material is quite flexible and thin, but the supports are sturdy enough.

I would like to see this sans a PSU as I used another one with higher output -- this would help lower the cost!

Other Thoughts: I have a z77 mini-itx board with liquid cooling block, an SFX PSU, and a gtx 580 in this little guy and it all fits, run quite cool and is very quiet.

Cabling was a mess, and my 2 SSD's are just kind of sitting there strapped down with wiretires and sticky tape but it all fit.

Pros: Great space-saving case. No problems at all so far, have built several rigs in these cases, all good!

Cons: Slim-DVD drive required

Pros: Plenty of room to work with inside. All of the wires from the front panel connectors and power supply are long enough to reach anywhere in the case. PSU seems to be quiet. Lots of space between the PSU and motherboard, although not enough for a tower cooler.

Being able to remove the optical drive and 3.5 HDD cage is an important feature. I ended up removing those since I have no intention of using an optical drive. I do have a 2.5 SSD, but had nowhere to put it. I ended up drilling a pair of holes along the top rail of the case to install the SSD there. Everything worked out perfectly.

Cons: Could have used some fan mounting holes along the side or top to allow the installation of extra fans. Power button feels really cheap. Bright blue LEDs are annoying.