HOW WE TESTED

The review process for console-sized PC cases considered factors such as design, construction quality, ease of installation, component compatibility, thermal performance, noise level, power supply unit compatibility, and value for the price. Additionally, the reviewers have compared the console-sized PC cases to other options on the market, including both compact and full-sized models, to provide a comprehensive analysis.

Buying Guide for Console-Sized PC Case

When buying a console-sized PC case, you need to get every part right in order to build the ideal system. With ITX or small form factor (SFF), every inch matters, and hence, every minor detail matters. Here’s a brief buying guide for anyone eyeing to get their hands on a console-sized PC case.

Key Considerations

Everything from the motherboard to the exhaust fan that you’re going to install inside one of these cases has to be the right size for you to complete the build. A single mistake could lead to massive issues but, here are a few key considerations that you must keep in mind to avoid mistakes.

Motherboard and CPU 

With a console-size or mini-ITX PC case, you need to be best gaming gloves with the components and only purchase the products that will fit inside the case. Firstly, choose a micro-ITX or mini-ITX motherboard, whichever is compatible with the case, and make sure that it supports the process that you’re going to purchase. 

Secondly, modern CPUs have large coolers which usually don’t fit inside compact cases. Considered a CPU that comes with a low-profile cooler, otherwise, you might have to find the cooler yourself. 

RAM 

Low-profile RAMs are recommended for console-sized or mini-ITX PC cases as they offer more clearance. It might occur to you to purchase high-quality RAM sticks. However, if they are taller, there might be some clearance issues, causing you to halt the build. 

Cooling Options 

With minimum heat dissipation, compact PC builds tend to get a lot hotter. And without an effective airflow inside the case, the internals is bound to heat up which can negatively impact the performance of the PC. When purchasing a console-sized PC, make sure the case has effective cooling options. 

Quality 

The quality of the case matters the most as all the products inside the case are mounted on different sorts of brackets. In the event that the PC case is using low-quality metal, you can expect a lot of hurdles in the long run.