The 6.7 × 6.7-inch Mini-ITX motherboard form factor, which debuted in 2001, has been around for nearly a quarter century. While lots of other tech has continued to shrink in the last couple of decades, many builders and enthusiasts are still building PCs in big towers with full-size ATX motherboards. But that really isn’t necessary for most builders today, even if you’re assembling a cutting-edge high-performance rig with a huge, heat-generating RTX 5090 or a Radeon RX 9070 XT.
For years, opting for Mini-ITX meant trading performance for a smaller PC, requiring short, compact graphics cards and low-profile coolers. Choosing a small-form-factor SFX power supply is still often a requirement in the smallest cases, but most ITX cases released in the last few years also support full-length two or three-slot graphics cards. And Nvidia is at least making a small effort to keep compact, high-performance card options around with its SFF-ready guidelines.
Still, GPUs have gotten larger in the past few years, and the 5090 Founders Edition notwithstanding, third-party SKUs of 50-series cards are at least as large as their previous-gen counterparts. So be sure to check clearances before buying a case to fit your GPU or a GPU to fit your case.
Obviously, don’t neglect cooling. Shoving high-end parts into a compact case without ample ventilation and fans will lead to throttling at best, and perhaps a shorter lifespan for your parts.
Recent Updates
Things have been fairly quiet on the SFF case front in recent months. But we expect to see some new models at CES in early 2026.
The Best Mini-ITX Cases You Can Buy Today
Best Mini-ITX Case Overall: Lian Li Q58
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | ITX Case |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 320mm (12.6 inches) |
| Storage Support | (1) 3.5″ (3) 2.5″ |
| Included Fans | None |
Reasons to buy: Tidy, pretty glass/mesh looks. Great thermals. Flexible build options, including ATX PSU. Affordable at just $130.
Reasons to avoid: Cable management is a bit tough. PCIe riser card needs additional support.
Lian Li’s Q58 makes 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.
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.
Best Design-Focused Mini-ITX Case: Fractal Design Terra
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | SFF |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 322.1mm (12.68 inches) |
| Storage Support | (2) 2.5-inch |
| Included Fans | None |
Reasons to buy: Stunning wood-accented looks. Extremely compact. Flexible spine to adjust cooling or GPU space.
Reasons to avoid: No front audio jacks. Cramped cooling, storage and PSU support.
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 to pick up a modular SFX power supply. You’ll need all the extra space you can get in this case.
Best Mini-ITX Case For LAN Parties: Hyte Revolt 3
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | ITX Case |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 335mm (13.2 inches) |
| Storage Support | (1) 3.5″ (2) 2.5″ |
| Included Fans | None |
Reasons to buy: Beautiful, minimalistic looks. Easy to build in, with some air filtration. Affordable at just $129 in base variant.
Reasons to avoid: Relies entirely on AIO for cooling.
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 means it doesn’t need a PCIe 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, this setup is perfectly adequate, even when throwing high-TDP processors and powerful graphics cards at it.
Best Looking Mini-ITX Case: Phanteks Evolv Shift 2
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | ITX Case |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 335mm (13.2 inches) |
| Storage Support | (1) 3.5″ (2) 2.5″ |
| Included Fans | 1x 140mm |
Reasons to buy: Small footprint, with beautiful panels. Straightforward interior layout. Fits big GPUs.
Reasons to avoid: Only fits 120mm AIOs for CPU cooling. Challenging to build in. PCIe 3.0 Riser cable.
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 any 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 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.
Best Mini-ITX Case for Novice Builders: Cooler Master NR200P Max
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | ITX Case |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 336mm (13.2 inches) |
| Storage Support | (2) 3.5″ (3) 2.5″ |
| Included Fans | 2x 140mm |
Reasons to buy: Includes pre-installed 280mm AIO, 850W PSU, PCIe 4.0 riser cable. Easy to build in. Great cooling. Includes mesh and glass panels.
Reasons to avoid: Expensive at $349, but that does include a PSU and AIO. Design and paint finish are a bit bland.
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, you probably won’t mind. And if you do, paint it.
Best Premium Mini-ITX Case: Louqe Raw S1
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | ITX Case |
| Motherboard Support | Mini-ITX |
| Card Length Supported | 320mm (12.6 inches) |
| Storage Support | (1) 2.5″ |
| Included Fans | None |
Reasons to buy: Stunning minimalist design. Excellent build quality and thermal performance. Very compact, even by Mini-ITX standards. Easy to build in. No RGB.
Reasons to avoid: No front IO or air filtration. Expensive.
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 admire. 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 and you’ll likely 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-liter 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.
Quick Mini-ITX Case Shopping Tips
Triple check your parts compatibility When building in the best Mini-ITX case, compatibility becomes an issue more often than in bigger cases, so you’ll want to spend extra time planning your build around the case. The best strategy is to start with the case you want, and then find parts that fit accordingly.
Ensure adequate cooling Especially in small cases, cooling can become an issue due to limited fan and radiator support. If you’re building a mid-range system, this isn’t much of an issue as most cases can deal with that kind of thermal workload. But if you’re building a high-end PC with a high-TDP CPU and GPU, and especially if you’re going to overclock the CPU or GPU, it may be worth looking for a case that supports 240mm or 280mm AIOs, plus an extra intake fan.
Double Check PCIe 4.0 Support Many of the best Mini-ITX cases use PCI-Express riser cables so that the GPU doesn’t have to be slotted directly into the motherboard. But while PCIe 4.0 cables are on the rise, not every Mini-ITX case comes with one. When installing a modern graphics card and a motherboard that has PCIe 4.0 support, it may be worth the extra outlay, especially if you plan on upgrading your GPU again a few years down the road.
Follow your heart When it comes down to it, the best Mini-ITX case for your build depends a lot on what you like. Mini-ITX cases come in all sorts of weird and wonderful designs and shapes, so there are plenty of styles to choose from. Take the time to look at all your options and choose one that best fits your needs and aesthetic taste.
Other Mini-ITX Cases Tested
NZXT H3 Flow
Fresh from its debut at Computex 2025, this is NZXT’s latest Micro ATX / Mini-ITX chassis, the H3 Flow. The case continues the brand’s boxy, mesh-focused design that was seen with the H5 Flow, with a curved mesh bottom chamber and an appealing $79 price that was already selling for $69 at some stores.
The case’s size measures 15.75 x 8.86 x 15.31 inches, which leaves plenty of room for large GPUs up to 14.84 inches and four slots. Back-connector motherboards are supported, along with up to a 280 mm radiator up front and a 240 mm radiator up top. The steel case also has a solid, premium feel and supports up to seven fans.
But only one 120 exhaust fan is included, so you’ll want to add more if installing high-end hardware. And there’s no included PWM hub, which can be a problem given that many small motherboards lack more than two or three fan headers. And while the front panel connectors are fused nicely in a block, that cable isn’t long enough to work with all motherboards, and there’s no audio jack on the case, just a USB-A, USB-C, and the power button.
The bottom of the case is also solid metal and sits nearly flush with your desk or floor, save for the curved mesh on the bottom side, below the glass panel. This means you’ll need to mount the ATX power supply upside down, where its fan will likely be drawing at least some of its air from inside the case, directly below the heat-spewing graphics card.
During building in the case, some pain points emerged. The top of the case is permanently attached, with only a removable magnetic dust filter. That’s fine for installing radiators, but it made plugging in the PCIe power connector for the CPU, right up against the top of the case, difficult in a way that reminded of compact PC building from a decade or more ago, and not in a good way.
Plus, the cable routing, while adequate for a small case, basically consists of some tie-down points for the included plastic zip ties. And there’s not a single rubber grommet to be found around the many cable pass-through holes.
That’s not to say the NZXT H3 Flow is a bad case for those looking to build a PC that’s moderately compact. Its build quality feels better than the similarly priced Lian Li A3-mATX, which doesn’t come with any fans, but is smaller and more enjoyable to build in. Just know that you’ll probably want to add your own fans and either a fan hub or some splitter cables to the H2 Flow, which effectively makes the case significantly more expensive, unless you can carry those parts over from a previous build.
Lian Li A3-mATX
The A3-mATX is 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 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.
