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  • karasaj - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Thanks for the review! Fitting a 117mm HSF seems so strange, when 120mm could have accommodated for so many more.

    I've been trying to decide lately on a new build that I need to be portable. I'm aiming to fit something like a GTX 660 or smaller in it, and trying to decide between a Silverstone Sugo SG05 or the Fractal Design Node 304. Any opinions?

    Also, it would be awesome if you could review the Arc Midi R2! It seems to be getting great reviews everywhere. Any plans to do so?
  • vanwazltoff - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link

    i would go with the node 304, i bought one and with a bit of patience you can have a really clean cable management job inside of one
  • Grok42 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Great review, I almost purchased this case for my last build but it was hard to find good reviews for it or any of the other mITX cases I was looking at. Your review has me wondering if I should have used this case for the i7 3770k, GeForce 660 TI, 840 Pro SSD, 16GB workstation. I am happy with the Lian Li Q25B I picked but it's a good 30% bigger than the SG08. The larger space plus having no external bays is used to support a normal but short ATX PSU and 10 internal drive bays. I don't need all that drive space but I think I would still pick the Q25B because it doesn't have any external bays which makes for a much nicer build all around.
  • CloudFire - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I'm still waiting on Corsair to enter the mini-itx market. I really dig the Bitfenix Prodigy case but I can't really stand the handles (aesthetically wise) but the case itself is genius. Corsair, if you're reading this, please make a case somewhere between the size of this SG08 and the Prodigy, while having the build/quality look of your 300R, I would hop on that so fast.
  • Gigaplex - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I'm actually impressed the reset button is on the back. It's a button that shouldn't be used often, and I'm routinely accidentally hitting the reset button on my Prodigy when reaching for the power button.
  • Gigaplex - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Not sure why my comment ended up as a reply to this post...
  • DanNeely - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    A recessed reset button avoids the accidental press problem while keeping the button readily accessible when needed and avoiding cable routing/snarl problems.
  • rburnham - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I run into the same problem with the Prodigy. I feel like it's a good case, but not great. A revision would be great.
  • lever_age - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I think it's worth a mention that Silverstone somewhat recently released the SG05-LITE in white and black. It's SG05, but they don't include the SFX power supply, and it sells for $40 (!) on Newegg. I don't know of any other differences.

    SG08 certainly knows how to build upon the SG05's performance, but at that cost...
  • mcnabney - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Yeah, $40 case, $160 power supply. But the rubes need fleecing...
  • Sm0kes - Sunday, May 19, 2013 - link

    No other differences. I suspect they are offering the case sans power supply for those looking to go modular.
  • Uwanna - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I'm sorry, but this case is dammm ugly. Try again.
  • hughlle - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Or alternatively It looks great. Good job.
  • mcnabney - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    No, it's ugly. The ventilation grid on the side are a disaster. Might as well be a fan noise amplifier.
  • Hrel - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Fractal has an excellent one, that's still my go to.
  • hughlle - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    You clearly miss the pint then. Looks are subjective. It would seem clear that they liked the looks, and i like the looks. Just because the poster thought it was ugly was irrelevant to the notion that they needed to try again.
  • kallogan - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I built several SG05 based desktops and it's actually amazing what powerfull hardware u can put within a solid 300W psu like the fortron one in the Sugo. Putting a 77W quad and a 170W GTX 670 is no problem. Of course, don't count on overclocking the thing but still u have enough horse power already.
  • gopher1369 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Hi Kallogan,

    Can I just double check with you, you have the 670 installed with the 300 Watt version of the SG05? I was under the impression the max TDP for the 300 was 150 Watts.

    I have a Radeon 7850 in my SG05 (great case btw), was thinking of upgrading to the 7870XT but as put off by the fact I'd have to swap out the PSU for the 450 Watt model on top. If it will work with the current PSU...
  • DanNeely - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    For cases where the GPU is facing vents along most of it's length, the limiting factor is mostly total power draw on the 12V rail; the SG05's PSU maxes out at 264W continuous on the 12V rail (300W peak). 17W for everything else is within the realm of the possible; especially since the IGP won't be contributing to the CPUs TDP. I'd be nervous about trying to max both the CPU and GPU continuously though.
  • ven - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    is it possible to install the asus Z77 deluxe mini-itx board in this case?
  • flemeister - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Yes, the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe fits with no issues. The VRM daughterboard only covers the bottom half of the ventilation holes on the closest side panel.

    I'm using an SG07 (identical to the SG08 apart from the front fascia), and have managed to cram a buttload of goodies inside it, with some modding: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php...
  • ven - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Nice build.
  • HardwareDufus - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Yes,
    I am using this board with an i7-3770k overclocked to 4.2Ghz. Using HD4000 for graphics...

    I wish they had designed the cage to support 2 2.5" drives right below the 5.25 slim dvd... Instead of the clumsy 1 3.5" & 1 2.5" cages. My only gripe.
  • HardwareDufus - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I should add.. I have the SG05BB... not the SG08
  • flemeister - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link

    If one of those two 2.5" drives is a SSD, then check if you've got a little space above the optical drive: http://oi48.tinypic.com/10fuuyp.jpg

    That's in an SG07, but the SG05 might have that space too.
  • HardwareDufus - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link

    The SG05 is much tighter above the Slim 5.25 bay than the SG07.

    Personally, I'd like to see a mini-ITX that doesn't permit anything other than 1 slim DVD 5.25 and 2 2.5" HDD/SDD drives. Scratch the FULL length PCI-x cars too.... (does anyone really expect to be able to cool a monster DUAL GPU video card in a mini-ITX case and still be quiet?). Also just support for the SFX Power Supplies.
  • JDG1980 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    It's interesting to note that Silverstone's biggest design wins - not just this case but the Fortress FT02 and Temjin TJ08 - all have one thing in common, the 180mm 'air penetrator' intake fan(s). I wonder how much of the performance we're seeing is due specifically to those fans. Few other cases have a 180mm input, but NZXT's upcoming H630 has two front 200mm intakes that might be able to be modified for the Silverstone fans. I suspect that would provide excellent performance.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I don't think it's the 180mm AP so much as where it's positioned. In each of the cases you mentioned it's blowing almost directly onto the CPU.
  • creed3020 - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link

    Don't forget the AP technology though. This fan is pushing air down in a column, e.g. ||| and not a cone /// \\. Re-test with a traditional 180mm fan and the thermals won't be as impressive. Likely the thermals will still be competitive but not the same figures you're seeing now which are excellent.

    I do own a 120mm AP and use it on a Samuel 17 heatsink in my HTPC. Works wonder and with a LNA it works wonders for temps and acoustics.
  • extide - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    If any of you guys are interested in this case, but perhaps want to do things like watercool, or use a large/dual slot GPU, etc, then you will probably be interested in the NCase M1. http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1039867428

    Check it out, it is a case designed by the community in that forum link and will go into production in the next few months. They already have a few prototype cases made and they looks AWESOME.

    To the editors, will you guys be reviewing the NCASE M1?

    Thanks!
  • gandergray - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    The NCase M1 looks like it is well designed. It may become a top choice for enthusiasts who are building small form factor performance oriented computers.
  • Mr Perfect - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Any idea if the included PSU is Haswell compatible?

    Also, side note here, but didn't there used to be a post title box?
  • karasaj - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I would be astounded if it wasn't.
  • DanNeely - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    A lot of current PSUs aren't. Haswell is bringing ultra low power sleep states from mobile computing to the desktop. This potentially drops 12V current draw to levels much lower than was possible with current chips, and a lot of PSUs have minimum loads higher than what it can drop to (to make things more fun; this number isn't normally published). The expectation is that most LGA1150 mobos will ship with the deep sleep states disabled in UEFI.
  • rburnham - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    This is a pretty neat little case. I am using a Bitfenix Prodigy case, and the one problem I ran into with that is the same one that is mentioned here regarding video card fan noise. In both cases, the fan points outward, with air being pushed through the holes in the side panel. My Radeon 6850 in the Prodigy is louder at full load than I prefer.

    I love the idea of a mini ITX setup. I plan to build on mini ITX boards going forward. I have yet to find the perfect case, but the Prodigy is pretty good and the SG08 seems like a great candidate.
  • KLC - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    This isn't a PC case, with all of the ventilation it's more like a PC doily. I'm still looking for the best case for my next build which will be mini ITX. It will be Haswell and will run integrated graphics so I have no need for a big, long shoebox that can fit a monster GPU. It could have an optical disk but doesn't have to. It will have an OS SSD and be connected to a home server for storage. I want something small and quiet. Still looking.
  • jtd871 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    KLC,
    You should check out Thin-Mini-ITX or NUC (both Intel "standards") builds for what you describe. As lots of Haswell SKUs will be soldered onto the mobo, I suspect Intel will produce a variety of 'embedded'-style products to keep their "standards" going.

    However, given Intel's penchant for squeezing every last $ out of their processors, you may be better served by going with one of these very small form factors on low-TDP Ivy Bridge.
  • KLC - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    NUC is intriguing, but like you said, Intel is squeezing its customers hard on that one. I forgot to add a third qualification, it needs to accept standard sized parts so I can purchase anything on the open market. You're right, I may end up with an Ivy Bridge CPU after looking at what Haswell offers.
  • lordmocha - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    This is my case! I have an Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe, Asus Direct CU II 660, 2.5" SSD, 2.5" HDD, Corsair H60 Cooler with 2 Noctua 120mm.

    The case is dead silent with the nocuta fans and the direct cu ii. The cable management can be annoying and buying a modular psu to replace it is nice but then you'll have a wasted psu..

    I think the M1 Ncase looks great and plan to migrate to that when it comes out - support their kickstarter guys cause what they are managing to do is awesome!
  • lopri - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    Excellent review very clear writing. Thank you for valuable evaluation I was looking to give another shot at mini ITX build.
  • Thud2 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    I may have missed it but did measure the max PCIe card length?
  • flemeister - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link

    From my experience, about 11"/280mm for a reasonably comfortable fit, and about 12"/305mm max before the video card bumps into the PSU cables, where they poke out of the PSU chassis.
  • Thud2 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    you. Canttyp
  • Thud2 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link

    e
  • AgeOfPanic - Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - link

    I'm still not sure about SFX power supplies. I owned a SG05 with a 450watt SFX PSU, but it was way too loud for me. It's too bad we cannot hear it ourselves.
  • caycep - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link

    How bad is the GPU cooling? I was surprised that it seemed so middling. I've had enough blown fans / overheating GPU cards to be nervous about it. I currently have a eVGA GTX 670 w/ a blower-style heat sink...hopefully that would work well w/ the side vents.
  • Sm0kes - Sunday, May 19, 2013 - link

    Blower style cards are most ideal with this case.

    I have the SG08 and an EVGA GTX 660Ti. The blower style fan works insanely well with the positive pressure design of this case. The air flowing down through the 180mm fan and out the sides does not inhibit the GPU's fan at all.

    Silverstone even included a foam shroud the size of the fan on my EVGA, but in my testing wasn't even necessary.
  • rvd2008 - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link

    $199 for a dummy box? Good luck selling 10 of these...
  • philipma1957 - Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - link

    I like my modded cooler master elite 120 more but it is bigger.
    16 by 9 by 9 vs 14 by 8.8 by 7.5.

    I have an i7 3770k , a hd7970, a seasonic , 650x gold psu, has an asrock z77-e mobo , Samuel 17 cooler. full size samsung blu-ray with 3 fan mods, a circle saw front panel cut and a pretty grill.
    Pretty much beats the snot out of a 1080p screen when gaming. These long shoe box designs are for gaming. my cooler master was 45 the seasonic was 100 on sale. the 3 fans were 40 so 185 for a better but bigger box.
  • mattlach - Friday, May 17, 2013 - link

    I like it, but it is 0.8" too tall to fit in my entertainment center, and thus I will have to find something else for my HTPC.

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