The best mini-ITX PC case is about being able to build a powerful gaming PC into the sort of footprint normally given to a games console. It's a challenge for sure, and the need for more expensive micro motherboards can make such a build pricey, but it's oh-so-satisfying once you have your mighty mini rig humming away on your desk.
The best mini-ITX case overall is the NZXT H1 V2, as its inclusion of a powerful PSU and a liquid CPU cooler makes it excellent value, along with plenty of clear labelling to help make your mini-PC build a resounding success. The best budget mini-ITX case is the NZXT H210i, as it's a small and very reasonably priced version of our favourite mid-tower case, the NZXT H710i. What can we say: NZXT has been knocking it out of the park with cases for some time now, and these mini models are no exception.
I've spent a serious chunk of time jamming components into a wealth of mini-ITX cases to test airflow, cable routing, and support for motherboards and radiators, among other things. You'll find my recommendations below. If you're more of a 'go big or go home' PC builder, check out our favorite full-tower PC and mid-tower PC cases.
Dave's built more PCs than most people have had hot dinners, and is a master of all things cabling, cases and more. That makes him the ideal person to guide you in your next teeny-weeny chassis purchase, as he's crammed some seriously powerful hardware into very small cases and lived to tell the tale.
The quick list
Best overall
The H1 V2 looks great and comes with a decent 750 W PSU and liquid cooling already installed, taking a lot of the hassle out of a mini-ITX build. It's a great all-rounder, with excellent cable routing that makes creating a tiny powerhouse as simple as it gets.
Best budget
Balancing affordability with a surprising amount of room to fit some full-sized components, the H210i is the smart pick for those building a mini-ITX machine on a budget with the minimum of compromises.
Best for LAN parties
Thanks to a clever built-in handle and headphone stand, the Hyte Revolt 3 is perfect for a mini-ITX build that you can throw in the back of the car and take wherever. It's a little cramped, mind, but it's about as portable as they come.
Best ultra small
With the ability to scale between three different sizes (the smallest of which is very small indeed), the Evolv Shift XT is perfect for those looking to create a properly small build, with room to grow to fit bigger and more powerful components.
Best compact case for big builds
While it's bigger than the rest of the cases here, the capacious flexibility of this mini-ITX and Micro ATX-supported case makes it a worthy addition to this list. The 300 mm GPU length limit is a little restrictive, but it's still got more room than you expect.
Recent updates
This page was updated on October 3, 2024 to bring it in line with our new guide style, including the addition of a quick list section, some "buy if" and "don't buy if" boxes to help you make the best purchasing decisions at a glance, and an also tested section.
Best mini ITX PC case
✅ You want to build small with the minimum of hassle: NZXT has taken a lot of the strain out of building a miniature system, thanks to some clever cable routing and design.
✅ You don't want to hunt for an appropriate mini-PSU: That's already taken care of here, with a decently powerful 750 W unit. The liquid cooler's included too, and both are already routed for you.
❌ You're on a budget: At a $400 MSRP, the H1 V2 is pretty expensive. Given you get the PSU and cooling as part of the package though, it's still pretty reasonable if you ask us.
The original NZXT H1 was a brilliant case, but it did have an initial problem with, err, catching fire, at least until NZXT replaced the PCIe risers. This V2 model, you'll be pleased to find, has no such issue. In fact, it's so good at what it does we have no hesitation in crowning the NZXT H1 V2 as our best mini-ITX case overall.
One of the biggest hassles with building a teeny-tiny PC is routing all the power cables, liquid cooling hoses and more around such a tiny frame. That's not a problem here though, as the NZXT H1 comes with a 750 W PSU preinstalled, along with a liquid cooling unit that's already routed through the chassis. That's easily the most complicated part of the build taken care of for you, and that makes this case worth its weight in gold.
Everything here has been set up to make building a mini-ITX PC inside this case as easy as possible. There's a huge cutout on the rear of the motherboard tray, so rear-mounted SSDs are easy to install, and plenty of little details that make a difference when you're constructing a build this small.
Cooling-wise, it's not just that pre-installed liquid unit that keeps things chilly. There's an improved CAM-supported fan controller and a 92 mm rear-mounted fan that makes cooling a breeze (awful pun, I know). Plus it's covered in venting, so all those components squished together are less prone to heating themselves into oblivion than some mini-ITX cases we could mention.
The NZXT H1 V2 gets just about everything right about a mini-ITX case and simply goes about the business of taking care of a lot of the difficult stuff for you. It's pricey, but given you get a properly powerful PSU and some liquid cooling thrown into the mix, you could actually argue it's very good value, too.
That makes the NZXT H1 V2 the obvious pick for miniature builds, and the best mini-ITX case overall. It's just a clever customer all round.
Read our full NZXT H1 V2 review.
Best budget mini ITX PC case
✅ You don't want to hunt around for mini-components for everything: While you'll of course still have some size requirements to consider, really only the motherboard needs to be ultra mini.
❌ You can afford the H1 V2: Make no mistake—this is an excellent case. Still, if you don't mind spending up, the H1 V2 above takes a lot of the hassle out of a mini-ITX build.
The NZXT H210i is essentially a tiny version of our favorite mid-tower, the H710i. Built to only support mini-ITX builds, the H210i still does a great job fitting a high-end system into a compact, minimalistic package. That does mean that it still looks like a mid-tower, but also that it will be able to take full size components when it comes to everything else.
Most mini-ITX chassis require you to look at small form factor parts, such as specific CPU coolers, or power supplies, and that can mean there's an added price premium on top. You may also need low profile memory to fit, too.
There's none of that with the H210i, however, where it's only the motherboard that needs to be of a specifically diminutive stature. Where that is most keenly felt is in your choice of PSU and the cable routing of your power brick. This chassis gives you a lot of space to build into and a lot of space for your high-performance rig to breathe.
Like its bigger brother, the case comes equipped with NZXT's smart hub and includes two fans and one RGB LED strip. Available for around $110, the H210i is the same price as most mid-sized towers, but I still think it's worth it. The case has many features you'd find in a high-end mid-tower, including excellent cable management and a full-sized tempered glass panel.
Thanks to NZXT's CAM-powered Smart Device V2, the H210i features intelligent digital fan control and offers plenty of room to expand the built-in RGB lighting with additional strips. With added support for liquid cooling and large graphics cards, the H210i is the perfect solution for those who want to make a small but powerful gaming PC.
It's also worth stating that the NZXT H210 is almost identical, except that you don't get the RGB strip and fan controller support. But given that makes the H210 a more reasonable $70 I think I'd happily forgo those extraneous luxuries if I was building my own mini-ITX gaming machine. And at that price, this excellent chassis absolutely becomes the best budget mini-ITX case.
Best for LAN parties
✅ You're looking for portable: An integrated carry handle means transporting this case around is easy, unlike many.
❌ You're not sold on the aesthetics: Some will love it, some will think it looks like a miniature cheese grater or a small air-con unit. Taste is subjective, ey?
The Hyte Revolt 3 is a very industrial-looking design, and that'll put some of you off immediately. But there's a lot to stick around for here, and when it comes to portability the Revolt nudges itself ahead of all others. That makes it the best mini-ITX case for LAN parties, or really for lugging around in general.
A lot of that has to do with its integrated carrying handle. It might sound odd to say, but even a regular, super-tiny mini-ITX case is an awkward object to move around, as it's essentially a pointy metal box that'll dig into your chest or the inside of your elbows if you lug it about. Plus it's got a little pop-out headphone holder, which sounds unnecessary at first but is actually pretty darn convenient.
You can also cram a full 280 mm AIO liquid CPU cooler into its miniature frame, along with some proper full-height memory, although it must be said that it's still cramped inside. You're still likely to make some compromises on component sizes, but what you'll end up with is something ultra-portable for your next trip.
You can buy it straight up for an MSRP of $130, or $250 with a 700 W PSU. That seems a bit pricey, but when you factor in the cost of buying your own high-capacity SFX power supply, it's actually a pretty good deal.
Our favourite mini-ITX case, the NZXT H1 V2, is a full $400 with PSU included, although you also get a pre-installed liquid cooler that evens out the price differential somewhat.
Whether the Revolt 3 is the case for you really comes down to two things—the aesthetics and the portability. If the industrial angles and carrying handle float your boat, then it's an excellent choice for a super-portable build. If not? There are other options on this list that are worth considering. Still, it's an excellent case regardless, and easily our top pick for some LAN party fun.
Read our full Hyte Revolt 3 review.
Best ultra small mini-ITX case
✅ You're looking to go seriously small: At its minimal setting, the Evolv Shift XT is genuinely compact. And it can grow, should you decide that super-small isn't quite the way.
❌ You're looking for an easy build experience: Despite being tool-free, it's still an ordeal squeezing components and cables into a case this small.
Looking a bit like a futuristic ammo tin, the Phanteks Evolv Shift XT is quite the impressive object. Then you learn that it can shrink itself down really, really small. And then expand (or Evolv, natch), to fit a variety of coolers. That makes it the best ultra small mini-ITX case, and in many ways, one of the best mini-ITX cases overall.
Thanks to the length of the chassis (even in its smallest configuration), you can fit a lot of full-sized GPUs into this clever design, which means your graphics card options should be much less limited here than most. But the really smart bit is the ability to adjust the frame to pack in up to a 240 mm AIO CPU cooler, meaning that you're options widen all the way up the scale.
It's also a tool-free design, which makes adjusting it a screwdriver-less procedure. If we have a major critique of the Evolv Shift XT, however, it's that it's a cramped, knuckle-scraping procedure despite the lack of need for tools. That's far from a unique issue for mini-ITX builds but be prepared to curse and sweat as you fiddle your components around to get them to fit in its diminutive walls.
What you're left with afterwards is a bit of a stunner, though. It's worth mentioning that you'll need an SFX power supply if you want to cram an AIO cooler in the mix, as SFX-L units take up just enough space to reduce the room for liquid tubing. Still, given the eventual size of what you end up building, it's impressively good at keeping the overall build small while still containing some genuinely powerful components.
Thanks to its modular nature, this is a case that can genuinely grow with you as your component choices become more sizeable. Of course, you're still limited by size. But if you want to build really small, with relatively few component compromises, the Evolv Shift XT is an excellent choice.
Read our full Phanteks Evolv Shift XT review.
Best compact case for big builds
✅ You want a compact build, but with room for sizeable components: While this is nowhere near as small as some on this list, you'll be able to cram a lot more hardware in here while still keeping things compact.
❌ You need something truly mini: Break out the tape measure, and decide how much room you really need. If super-small is your goal, this is possibly too much case.
The Corsair Crystal 280X is the largest of the cases on offer here, and that's because it will not only cater for mini-ITX motherboards but can also support the larger Micro ATX specification, too. It's still an impressively compact case, but means you get a huge amount of support for full-size components.
Outside of the motherboard restrictions you can go for almost anything else that takes your fancy, from ATX power supplies to large graphics cards and extra PCIe boards, such as sound cards, SSDs, or networking interfaces.
As with the other Crystal Series cases, the 280X features three smoked tempered glass panels that allow you to easily show off your RGB interior. The case offers a wide assortment of cooling options with support for radiators up to 280 mm in length. I had a 240mm AIO liquid cooler installed in the roof of my build and my cat loved sitting atop the toasty glass panel, warming her belly.
And because of the glass, she wasn't obstructing airflow either. So, it's the best compact case for those who share their homes with felines, too.
The dual-chamber design works a treat in the 280X, allowing you to show off the core components to their fullest while hiding your mess of cable management on the opposite side with a host of storage bays and your PSU.
The only real issue you will find, in these days of ever-expanding graphics cards, is that there is actually less room for a big GPU in this chassis than in many of the smaller, dedicated mini-ITX cases. With a hard limit of 300 mm in terms of graphics card length, despite the potential for it to expand over four slots, there will be many a GPU that simply won't fit inside the Corsair case.
But I love the design, the ease of building into it, and the final look once you've got your powerful system humming away inside. I only moved away from the case when I shifted my rig to build into my desk, and the Crystal 280X still has a place in my heart.
Read our full Corsair Crystal 280X review.
Also tested
FAQ
What are the main considerations when thinking about a small form factor build?
There's a lot to consider when choosing a mini-ITX case. Space will be scarce, as you won't have room for multiple graphics cards or a stack of SSDs. Proper cable management is going to be your friend through the entire process, and you'll need to be careful when it comes to component selection too. If this is your first build, a mid-tower case will give you more room to work with—but that's cheating.
If you want to build a budget gaming PC, you're better off with a full-size ATX motherboard, as they are much cheaper, but a compact Mini-ITX case with an included PSU can save you a few pennies. Think about the lifespan of your components, though, as you'll have much less room to expand in the future. If you've got some cash to spend, though, consider liquid cooling to address any thermal issues that come with working with a smaller case.
We want to note that your choice of graphics card is far more critical with a Mini-ITX build. It's not just about length either, as cooling is a far greater concern when dealing with cramped interiors. Generally speaking, mini-ITX is one of the few times where using a GPU with a blower cooler is often the best decision. Unless you get a bigger mATX case with more airflow, you want your GPU to vent all that heat outside the case.
A little research should eliminate most potential problems and ensure your machine can handle demanding games and storage expansion for the next few years.
Why should I choose a mini-ITX case?
When it comes to building PCs, the mini-ITX form factor is where we've seen most design innovations.
While a mini-ITX build takes a little more patience and experience to do well, the rewards are much higher. Having a small, clean build in an interestingly compact package makes you feel good. Mini-ITX rigs make it easier to take your platform to a LAN party or play PC games in the living room (if that's your thing).
Veteran gaming PC builders looking for a challenge might want to take a crack at seeing what they can cram into a mini-ITX case and keep everything running without throttling.
Big PC power really can come in small packages.
Do I need a SFX PSU for a mini-ITX PC case?
A SFX, or Small Form Factor, PSU is not always required with a mini-ITX case. Many offer compatibility with standard ATX PSUs nowadays, which means you don't have to buy special parts. How they fit a full-size PSU in there with your other components, I don't know. It's all pretty incredible how these cases are designed.
That said, you may need to buy a SFX PSU for the smallest of mini-ITX cases. Especially the sort that don't offer space for a discrete GPU and must be fitted with a CPU with onboard graphics instead. In these cases, you'll want to find an SFX PSU that is safe and reliable but don't worry, there are loads of those nowadays. Corsair, Silverstone, and Be Quiet! offer multiple SFX options.
There is also the slightly larger SFX-L configuration, which is something to bear in mind, as we've had issues with some mini-ITX chassis dealing well with the broader SFX-L dimensions.
