I have, as my sig suggests, an ATX-sized motherboard (MSI p67-gd53) paired with a 2500K, in a bloody great big Coolermaster case. I'd like a mATX-sized case... The simplest solutions seem to me: 1. Replace ATX motherboard with mATX mobo. Cost: £75-150 2. Replace current mobo and CPU with new generation equivalents. Cost: ~£300 However, there is negligible performance benefit to be gained from buying an i5-4960K and it seems wasteful to buy an EOL z68/z77 mATX mobo. So a third option presents itself: 3. Keep current hardware, replace case with smaller case. Are there any suggestions for a small/very small case which can fit an ATX motherboard? Edit: 4. I suppose selling current mobo/cpu would net me about £120, so that would offset some of the cost of option 2. Still seems wasteful!
I know your problem all too well. Although in my situation, I've gone from a Q6600 to an i5-4670k which is a bit more of a jump. I've also gone from the enormous Cosmos to a Bitfenix Prodigy - I think I could actually put the Prodigy inside the Cosmos and still have room for a full ATX build Lian-Li did a A05NA a while back which looked good, not sure if it is still available. Cooler Master do the Elite 361 for around £31 from Amazon which can accommodate a full size ATX board - here
The mATX BitFenix cases are utterly gorgeous, though really bloody wide a/c their specs. Something with their styling/build quality, and the Elite 361's 150mm width - that I would pay good money for. The Elite is cheap enough that it might just be worth a punt, thank you for the suggestion.
You did not say what CoolerMaster case you have but your description suggests a "Full" tower which are huge. Note that most "mid tower" cases will support an ATX motherboard too and are considerably smaller than the Full tower cases. If you tell us the model number (or dimensions) of your current case, we will have a better idea of where to go from there. But I caution that the smaller the case, the greater the cooling challenges.
After a quick search the smallest full ATX case I could see was the Lian Li PC-A05 (£71.93 here: http://www.cclonline.com/product/17...inium-Tool-less-Chassis-Black-USB3-0/CAS2138/ ) The PSU is mounted at the front under the drives which means the motherboard can use the full height of the case. Or, if you're feeling flush: http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-o7s/
Note that Lian Li is a "Mid" tower, not full. You don't need a "full" tower case unless you have 10 drives or more. I like Lian Li cases. The are well know for some of the best aluminum cases. But they do tend to be pretty pricy. They usually don't have removable, washable filters either - a personal "must" for me. The Corsair Carbide 200R has received good reviews, is a little bit smaller than the Lian Li, has removable, washable filers, and is lot less expensive. I actually prefer Antec cases but cannot find any Antec mid-towers smaller than the Corsair.
Thank you all very much for your suggestions. As per signature, Coolermaster CM 690 II - a mid-tower, but frankly if that's a mid-tower I'd hate to see a full tower! Reducing the width is my primary concern, height secondary but also important. W: 215mm, H: 496mm, D: 530mm. I'm also quite keen that it be capable of damping the hurricane that is my GPU cooler. Cooling not a great issue, I've never been too concerned about reasonable temps. After looking at your suggestions I'm starting to think I'm going to have to go full mATX... The AO5 is gorgeous, very tall but very nice!
A look at the last line in my sig suggests I feel a bit differently. I am not a fanatic by any means, nor do I seek the coolest temps possible (I'm happy if my CPU temps stay below 60°C). But maintaining "reasonable temps" is critical for stable operation and normal life expectancy of your components. And actually a skinny case can present problems here because they restrict the size of the fans more than wider cases. Bigger fans (120mm or larger) move lots of air while spinning slower - thus making less noise. Is your concern with width due to desk space? If so, what about the floor?
The Corsair Carbide 200R is bigger than the Lian Li: 497mm x 210mm x 430mm vs 490mm x 210mm x 381mm I didn't pay much attention to what the case is referred to. Simply the layout. The Lian Li manages to be less tall by, rather than mounting the PSU above or below the motherboard (like the 200R), mounting it in front below the drive bays. Ultimately if you are using full atx components and typical orientations without overhanging the motherboard you limited by: a) The height/depth of the board b) The depth/width of the PSU. That in mind, baring cutting down on excess space, the Lian Li layout seems like more or less the best you can do:
Cooltek W2? I think it's one of the smallest around, though perhaps it's too wide for you since the PSU is moved behind the motherboard. I swore there was a similar narrower case that had the PSU mounted so it hangs over the CPU but I can't seem to find it.
