Most people are looking to build a compact PC nowadays. Taking a limited space, compact systems are best suited for small setups or if you prefer to carry it with you all the time.
Today, we are going to talk about the PC case SFF Time. SFF Time is easily one of the smallest atx cases if you are not THE SMALLEST. The dimensions of this casing are compact, with enough room for an ATX form factor motherboard.
PROS
- Enough Space for Multiple 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard drives.
- Excellent Airflow Performance.
- Durable Quality.
- Enough space for GPU and radiator.
CONS
- Does not look good.
- Cable management and assembly are complex.
Specifications
Case Type: P-ATX, N-ATX
Material Used: Aluminum and Steel
Dimensions: 378mmx342mmx78mm
Motherboard Support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, Mini-DTX
CPU Cooler Limit: 79mm
PSU Limit: 160mm ATX Power Supply
Design & Build
The SFF Time is not the best-looking PC casing starting with the design. But, it does the job well and good. This casing is made to be highly compact while supporting an ATX motherboard and necessary internal components, so the looks and design were not the manufacturer’s primary concern.
When we talk about the body of this casing, it is made up of Steel and Aluminum material so you can expect a lot of durability and sturdiness from this casing. Being a size of a small backpack, this casing provides a lot of portability too. You can easily carry it if you ever plan to have a nighter party with your friends.
Motherboard Support
The SFF Time casing supports various motherboard form factors, including ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, and Mini-DTX. This casing provides adept internal room for your internal components to fit in, even with an ATX motherboard. However, if you go with a Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboard, you will have even more space to work with.
Internal Room & Compatibility
Let’s start with the GPU. SFF Time casing has space for three slotted graphics cards if you go with an ATX motherboard. This means you are open to using a bulky card, and it will fit perfectly, despite the smallest computer case. Moreover, if you prefer to use an ITX motherboard, you will have space for an even bigger graphics card.
As for the liquid cooling, the SFF Time is not very water-cooling friendly. Yes, it does support a 120mm AIO radiator. However, it will take space from your graphics card. If you install a 120mm AIO radiator, you will be left with the area of only two slotted graphics cards. Furthermore, you will not have enough space for the reservoir and water pipes. So, we recommend going with an airflow configuration.
As for the CPU cooler clearance, you can use up to 79mm high CPU cooler, enough for adept cooling. However, you will not have a good experience with overclocking. Adding more, it can only fit up to 160mm ATX power supply, so do keep it in mind as well.
As for the hard disk drives, you get more than enough, considering the size of the casing. You have room for up to eight 2.5-inch SSDs, with enough space for three more 3.5-inch hard drives.
Cable Management & Assembly
As you might have guessed by looking at the casing, cable management is not an easy task. You do not have enough space to work with and hide all the excessive cables. You will have to be extra productive and creative and work for a long time to properly manage the cables.
However, you can leave the cables as it is with managing them since there is no tempered glass to make them visible. Still, we recommend taking some time and working cables to the best of your abilities.
Assembling your internal components is not an easy task, just like managing the cable. It will take some time and effort to figure things out. Again, we recommend taking some time to assemble the internal components correctly.
Airflow Configuration
Unfortunately, The SFF Time casing has room for only a single 140/120mm fan. This fan is installed on the side. You can expect good cooling performance from average use, but you cannot expect to get enough cooling for overclocking at all.
On the other hand, Since this casing is small, with a 140mm fan, PSU fan, CPU Cooler Fan, and Graphic Card fans, the whole case will be covered with the fan. So, the airflow from inside to outside happens quickly. Warm air will sit inside for a long time; it gets flushed out immediately. So, you can expect some cooling performance from this point of view.
As for the dust, this casing can accumulate a lot of dust over a short period of time. Since it does not have dust filters, you might have to clean it up every month or two.
Conclusion
Small PC builds are amazing for portability and take less space on the desk. However, you will have to be creative with your internal component choice and assembly.
SFF Time is one of the smallest PC cases available on the market. And fortunately, it supports ATX form factor motherboards. You can fit a good-sized GPU with a good CPU cooler and Power Supply Unit.
However, since this is a small PC casing, it will take more time to correctly manage cables and assemble the setup.
The good thing about this casing is that it supports many hard drives and is portable enough to carry around with you when you like.