What expensive indie SFF case is the best?

At the end of last year I backed the Louqe Ghost S1 on Kickstarter, with only the minimum pledge.
It's now available to order and will cost me $500 to order which is a lot of money, and add to that there are a bunch more SFF cases just shown off at computex which are comparable.

So I wanted to have a poll on what people think is going to be the best case for ITX builds that incorporate at least 1 240mm radiator or better and cool both CPU and GPU in a single loop.

The contenders are:

Louqe Ghost S1
Chimera Industries MachOne
Dan C4-SFX
Streamcom DA2
NCase M1

Some of these support 280mm rads, some support more than 1 240mm rads with add ons, so what are peoples thoughts on these cases as right now, looking at cases available these in my opinion offer the best blend of design/quality and compatibility with a range of cooling options.

Please vote and discuss, as I'm genuinely interested in people's thoughts and I'll probably end up buying one of these.

 

Well, as someone who owns the NCase M1 and the Chimera Cerberus, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the M1 any day of the week. I don't know if Chimera have announced who their build partner for the MachOne will be, but if it's Sliger, I wouldn't recommend it. Build quality between my Ncase and my Cerberus is totally chalk and cheese, with the M1 being far out in front by at least a few furlongs. The Cerberus was much easier to build in, but that's at least in part due to being M-ATX instead of M-ITX, and using itx parts in it. The cost of landing the two cases to me was very close to each other. (EDIT: no, it wasn't, the Cerbeus was nearly double the cost)

Of the other cases, my pick would go to either the Ghost, or the Dan. The Streacom looks interesting, but reminds me of the Prodigy which was not a case I particularly liked. I don't have any experience with the other cases on the list though, so I'm not over much use

 

Thanks for the input! My best mate has an M1 and I helped him set up his LC loop in it and it was challenging at times.. Part of the issue with side mounted rads I guess.

I think i am probably leaning towards the Ghost as well, but $500 including shipping to Aus for the case and 2 tophats is pretty high

 

If shipping is a concern, then the Ncase gets another vote from me:
Shipped cost of my M1 was $308 AUD, admittedly in May of last year.
Shipped cost of my Cerberus was $598 AUD, admittedly in November of last year.

It also comes down to what you want/need from your case, eg Cerberus has no provision for any optical, yet the M1 does. M1 is a challenging build, but satisfying when you get it together, Cerberus was much easier in build, but less satisfaction if that makes sense.

 

And another M1 vote.
Hands down best case I’ve ever had - so easy to work on.
Have done rigid and Flexi tube setups, and air. And there’s a big community on hardforum SFF etc so plenty of ideas and help with what does and doesn’t fit.

 

so what DID you get for your pledge?

 

Like, a $40 discount on the final thing... which is what I already paid... So sort of nothing xD

 

Can you tell if there is enough space in the bottom for a 25mm rad, 2 25mm fans and a single slot GPU? It looks like it but can't really tell...

 

I don't think so...
From memory I test fitted a BlackIce Nemesis 240GTS (29mm) and needed to use slim fans (Coolermaster Xflo Slim - 15mm).

Didn't end up using a bottom rad in the end as I needed to place the pump there. Also turns out a single 240GTS was enough to run a 5960X @ 4.5 and R9 Nano.

 

So with a 26mm rad and 2 25mm fans, it won't fit? Cos I have a Vega 64 I thought there might be JUST enough space for 51mm under the GPU but I feel like I'm probably wrong..

 

I can take a couple of quick measurements tonight.
It's worth having a look on the Ncase thread on HardForums also

 

Yeah sweet, that'd be good, cos I can actually get an nCase shipping in a couple of days if I wanted, the Louqe is sold out and none of the others are available until at least August/September... So I'm running out of watercooling compatible super compacts.. I could go bigger and get a CaseLabs Bullet BH2? But that's a big jump in terms of size... Any other cases that are actually purchasable I am forgetting? It has to use an SFX PSU is pretty much the only criteria..

 

I have the silver A4-SFX case. Unfortunately I am not going to build anything so just sitting in the garage

 

Why not build in it?

 

Coolest I've seen is the Dr Zaber Sentry. But I don't think it's in production atm.

 

Many reason,
I dont have time to play games anymore because of work and young family.
I have been holding out for Cannonlake 10nm.
Ivy bridge + GTX 980 meets all my need, since I now just use it for work.

So the case is still in the box. Will be selling it to Gumtree.

 

How much you gonna sell it for? Might be interested.

 

I have one of these in my storage. They're a bit niche. If you ask Hirwan (IMJP) nicely, he will probs sell you a prototype. They're about $180 pick-up iirc.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...itx-computer-enclosure-final-development.623/

One day, I'll grab a Swiftech H220-X (not an X2 or X3 kit) and put a loop together in mine, but I'm in no real rush to work with it.

 

That is nice, and Melbourne based too is a plus! Love that solid wrap around look.
Is the side panel glass?

Is Hirwan his OCAU tag? Cos I might throw him a message

 

Side panel isn't glass, although it is steel, so you could potentially modify it to your tastes. Hirwan is his real name, don't think he has an account here. Best to swing him a PM on SFFF instead