Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact
Don’t let the stealthy aesthetics of Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact fool you, while it may seem like a standard compact ATX case, its wide range of features will leave you in awe. The sophisticated design makes the building more fun and its all-black exterior brings in tons of positive vibes. The front mesh grill with mountainous terrain coupled with a side-tempered glass makes for a sophisticated-looking chassis. Overall, the case has a spacious exterior for all kinds of components and would be a decent choice for anyone looking for a compact chassis.
The whole case can be taken apart, making it extremely easy to mount every component and manage the cables with ease. Various mounts for exhaust fans provide an easy solution for keeping the temps cool inside the case. Furthermore, 3x pre-installed fans, compatibility for Type-C, and customizable tint on the tempered glass are also some positives from the case.
A bit pricey
Lian Li O11 Dynamic Air Mini
Compact in size but with enough space to build your dream battlestation, Lian Li O11 Air Mini combines a solid chassis in a medley with a front mesh grill and side tempered glass to make a stunning display. Especially for clean builds, it offers proper channels for cable management and the spacious interior naturally supports an ATX-sized motherboard along with a gigantic graphics card from the RTX series.
Above-par quality at a reasonable price, Lian Li O11 offers everything and more. Spacious interior, modern aesthetics, more than enough expansion slots, and support for AIO coolers and radiators, on top of it, 2x140mm and 1x120mm fans come pre-installed inside the case, making Lian Li O11 Air Mini the complete package and worthy of every single dime.
Hard to assemble.
Phanteks Eclipse P300A
Hidden bays for PSU and expansion slots makes it an ideal choice for those who like to maintain a clean build. Moreover, despite the dimensions of the cases, it can readily support an ATX-sized motherboard and also offers clearance of 355mm for GPU. If you’re eyeing an RTX 4080 for the build, you won’t have any problems whatsoever.
A bit noisy due to the lack of insulation.
Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L
A budget-friendly small ATX case with a strong metallic chassis, side-tempered glass, and room to install a handful of fans, Cooler Master MasterBox Q500L is one of the best smallest ATX cases currently selling on the market.
Sophisticated design backed by a spacious chassis capable of holding an ATX-sized motherboard, up to 7 expansion slots, magnetic dust filters, movable I/O panels, and much more. Cooler Master Q500L is priced quite cheaply and it is one of the strongest selling points of this chassis.
Weird mount for PSU.
NZXT H510 Compact
A fan favorite of all time, featuring a matte-black exterior with a blend of red, making this case a dream come true for every PC enthusiast. Compact design with more than enough space for all the cable management, external storage drives, and simple assembly, NZXT H510 isn’t only the best compact ATX case of 2023, but of all time.
Apart from its superior design and spacious compartment that readily supports ATX motherboards and high-end graphics cards, NZXT H510 is also a fan-favorite for its compatibility with water-cooling setups. Cheap price, removable filters, easy to build, and support for Type-C are some prominent features that shouldn’t be overlooked either.
Poor Airflow
We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that’s designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.
In recent times, people used to purchase PC components, throw them into a decent-looking metallic box and call it a day. These days, however, the PC case is one of the most important parts of the build.
As technology advances and a passion for building PCs increases, enthusiasts find innovative ways to customize their PCs. Choosing a PC case is one of the most crucial aspects of building, and everyone has their own peculiar requirements depending on various factors.
Keeping the cost, measurements, and many other factors in mind, people often look for the smallest ATX cases or mid-sized towers that would fit their needs. Generally, PC cases are classified into F-ATX (Full Sized), ATX (Mid-Sized), mini-ATX, and micro-ATX cases.
Today’s round-up includes a detailed buying guide for the smallest ATX cases that offers the best bang for the buck.
Everything from the size of the graphic card to the AIO cooler that you’re going to choose will be dependent on the size of the case. For those with desires to get their hands on the smallest ATX case out there on the market, it’s vital to keep a few aspects in mind.
There’s no point in purchasing a PC case unless your motherboard fits perfectly inside the case. Going with a small ATX casing means that you also have to choose an ATX or micro-ATX-sized motherboard to fit inside the case. In the event that the dimensions aren’t lining up and you ended up having a motherboard that is a bit too large, it wouldn’t fit inside the case.
Most of the chassis mentioned in our brief guide support ATX-sized motherboards but if you have any doubts, make sure to go over the specifications of the case, just to be sure.
Keeping things cool inside the case is vital and it’s advised to use a PC casing that has various fan and radiator mounts for proper air circulation. No one wants to build a PC that gets hot as you play your favorite game and hence, keeping the temps on the down-low is an important aspect when purchasing a PC case and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Modern cases these days readily support 360mm and 240mm radiators and if you have the budget, opt for such options to keep the temperature within safe limits. Corsair iCUE H150i and NZXT Kraken X53 are decent options if you’re on the lookout for 360mm and 240mm AIO coolers for better ventilation.
Purchasing cheap knock-off ATX casing to save a few bucks won’t do you any good because sooner or later, the casing would start to fall off. Especially in PC cases with side-tempered glass, there’s always a risk that you will accidentally crack the glass and the whole thing would come crumbling down.
When purchasing a PC casing, it is vital to choose a case that has a solid chassis and offers additional mounts for the various PC components which include a bay for PSU and expansion slots. In most modern builds, people often prefer minimalistic builds that can only be achieved with cases that offer proper space for cable management and mount for 3.5’’ HDDs and 2.5’’ SSDs.
On our recommendations, readers will find that all the casings have a strong metallic chassis and offer tons of space for proper cable management.
Despite the compact size of the chassis, the PC case must have a spacious interior where you can fit all the desired components. Since the whole build will be revolving around the size of the case, it is vital to choose a PC with enough room for you to install all the essentials, even if it is the smallest ATX case on the market.
An expensive case doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the best smallest ATX case on the market. Mid-range and budget-oriented casings can also offer the best bang for the buck and it’s really about the personal preferences of a person at this point. Some people can pay a bit extra to go for the minimalistic-looking casings while others could choose the simple yet cunning case that would do the job for them.
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Small ATX cases can feature between 3 to 5 mounts for 120mm fans. Investing in the cooling setup inside the case is worth every single penny and if you have the chance, make sure to install fans on all the mounts to keep the temps cool and prolong the life of the components.
Some ATX cases support AIO cooler while others have a compact design and won’t be able to fit an AIO cooler. In our round-up, we have mostly mentioned the smallest ATX cases and these cases don’t support large-sized AIO coolers.
All the graphics cards in the Nvidia RTX 4000 series are gigantic in size and it would be impossible to fit them inside an ATX case. If you are going to use a graphics card such as RTX 4090, you will need to reconsider your choice and go for an E-ATX case that can readily support the graphics card.
