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Nov 03, 2024

Best Mini-ITX Cases 2024: Our Picks for Compact PC Builds | Tom's Hardware

You can build a compact, attractive, powerful system with one of the best Mini-ITX PC cases. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The

You can build a compact, attractive, powerful system with one of the best Mini-ITX PC cases.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The 6.7 × 6.7-inch Mini-ITX motherboard form factor has been around since 2001. But while lots of other tech has continued to shrink in the ensuing decades, many builders and enthusiasts are still building PCs in big towers with full-size ATX motherboards. That really isn’t necessary for most people at this point, even if you're assembling a high-performance rig with a huge, heat-generating RTX 4090.Opting for Mini-ITX used to mean trading performance for a smaller PC, requiring compact components like short, compact graphics cards and low-profile coolers. Choosing a small-form-factor (SFF) SFX power supply is still often a requirement in the smallest cases, but most ITX cases released in recent years also support full-length two- or three-slot graphics cards.

Still, that's not always the case. Cards have gotten larger with the proliferation of Nvidia's 4090, and they may get bigger still in early 2025 when we expect the RTX 5090 to arrive. So be sure to check clearances before buying. And don't neglect cooling. Shoving high-end parts into a compact case without ample ventilation and fans will lead to throttling at best, and a shorter lifespan for your parts at worst.

Below are our favorite tested picks for the best Mini-ITX cases you can buy today.

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Our expert review:

Lian Li’s Q58 blew us away, making it an easy pick as the best Mini-ITX case for most people. This is a 14.3-liter Mini-ITX case that costs just $130 in its base variant, and it packs great looks, excellent cooling potential, and a flexible internal design.

The basic frame is made from steel, and each side houses half-glass, half-perforated steel panels. The front and the top plate are made from fancier aluminum, altogether giving the case a very premium look and feel. The GPU can draw fresh air straight from the side, but you can still see its pretty RGB through the glass, and you can squeeze a 280mm radiator in the case’s roof.

But, the case can be reconfigured to sacrifice some AIO and storage options in favor of fitting an ATX power supply, which is a great way of achieving some cost savings, in combination with opting for the plain PCIe 3.0 riser cable. Throw another $30 in, and you’ll get a PCIe 4.0 riser cable, ready for RTX 3000 and RX 6000 graphics cards. There are few things not to like about the Q58.

Read: Lian Li Q58 Review

Our expert review:

The smallest PC cases from before the likes of the RTX 4090 and modern high-end CPUs are now basically obsolete because they can't handle huge graphics cards and the demanding thermals of modern components. But the Mini-ITX Fractal Design Terra case has (just) enough room for (most) big graphics cards, and is prettier than other cases thanks to an aluminum outer shell and some striking wood trim up front. Like the larger Fractal North tower, this case is a welcome departure from the aggressive lines and RGB of most gaming-focused cases.

The Terra's flip-up doors and adjustable spine also make this case fairly easy to build in considering its tiny size. Just make sure o pick up a modular SFX power supply. You'll need all the extra space you can get in this case.Read: Fractal Design Terra Hands-On

Our expert review:

When iBuyPower said that it would be opening the Revolt 3’s chassis for purchase as a standalone chassis, we were excited. And now that it’s here, we’re quite impressed. The Hyte Revolt 3 is a compact ITX case that doesn’t cost much at $129, but offers a wonderfully practical design with plenty of mesh, two click-away headphone holders and a carrying handle that sits flush into the top when you don’t need it. Of course, the build quality isn’t quite top-notch at this price. It’s all just painted steel, but the paint finish is nice and with its sleek, tidy looks, will fit in well in almost any gaming setup.

Internally, the Revolt 3 can also house almost any Mini-ITX system you throw at it, with room for large GPUs, up to a 280mm AIO, two 2.5-inch SSDs and one 3.5-inch drive. Better yet, its layout meanst it doesn't need a PCI-e riser cable, so you won’t have to worry about reduced bandwidth on an RTX 3000 or RX 6000 series graphics card.

The only real catch to this chassis is that it relies entirely on the AIO for airflow. But in testing, we found that this setup is perfectly adequate, even when we threw our high-TDP i5-11600K and RTX 3080 Ti graphics card at it.

Read: Hyte Revolt 3 Review

Our expert review:

The Evolv Shift 2 stands out at first glance for its towering, small footprint design and beautiful anodized aluminum panels. Priced at $100 for the mesh version and $110 for the variant with TG and an addressable-RGB fan, it easily earns a spot on our Best Mini-ITX PC Cases list.

With a small footprint and beautiful finish in both the tempered-glass and mesh variants, the Evolv Shift 2 is perfect as an SFF PC for use in the living room, or moving around the house wherever you need it. The easily accessible top IO makes plugging devices in a breeze too. Building in it was tight, and came with the typical frustrations associated with Mini-ITX systems, but I still managed a build within about 3 hours, and the end result was well worth the effort. The overall size is a bit bigger than most Mini-ITX cases would be, but the tempered glass side panels do wonders for creating systems to show off, though keep in mind that its single-fan radiator support may be too thermally limiting for some systems.

Read: Evolv Shift 2 Review

Our expert review:

Cooler Master’s NR200P Max is an excellent, ready-to-go chassis that comes from the factory with a powerful 850w power supply and 280mm liquid cooler. Top that with the inclusion of both mesh and glass side panels, a PCIe 4.0 riser cable, PSU cables and AIO tubes that are fit to length and pre-routed, and the NR200P Max is extremely simple to build in and an easy recommendation for those looking for simple setup.

All you need to bring is a motherboard, CPU, graphics card, memory, and a boot drive, letting you focus on the important things. The only real catch to this case is that its paint and finish are a bit boring. But with the glass panel showing off your fancy internals, we doubt you’ll mind. And if you do, paint it!

Read: Cooler Master NR200P Max Review

Our expert review:

It’s been a common complaint that Mini-ITX cases are expensive. And if there’s one chassis that makes this statement true, it is the Louqe Raw S1. But this is a Mini-ITX case to gawk at. From its elegant design to its thick, one-piece aluminum outer shell, the Louqe Raw S1 is more of a work of art than a case.

However, you can fit a PC in here. There’s no AIO support, nor air filtration. So yes, there are sacrifices, but it offers among the easiest build processes – chances are you’ll be done building within the hour and have a very tidy end result. It will also happily fit huge triple-slot graphics cards, despite its ultra-compact 12-litter frame, and with a fancy ‘Cobalt’ PCIe 4.0 riser cable, there’s hardly a thing about this case that isn’t ultra-premium. It even has a carrying handle.

Just keep in mind the case’s $330 price point and limited availability.

Read: Louqe Raw S1 Review

We recently took a look at Lian Li's A3-mATX, a compact and affordable case that starts at just $69 (or $84 for the model with a wood front panel). It supports both Micro ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards, so it's not as small as most of the cases on this list designed solely for ITX boards. But it's well worth considering if you don't quite need the smallest case possible and you are installing a large graphics card -- basically any card should fit in this case, as it has 16.34 inches of of GPU clearance. It also can support a 360mm radiator / AIO up top and full-size power supplies. That said, you might have to go with an SFX model if you are installing a very long graphics card. Also note that the standard model with the plastic front has no front airflow, while the A3-mATX-WD model has ventilation between its wood slats, backed by a mesh dust filter.

MORE: Best PC Cases

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After a rough start with the Mattel Aquarius as a child, Matt built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends.

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