The motherboard gets mounted vertically in this case, positioned so that the board is on full view through the front glass panel. With all of the glass panels removed, getting access to all of the various headers to get them connected up is made fairly easy; you have easy access from three directions. The same goes for the RAM slots on your board, and the PCI Express slot for your graphics card.

Today's PCs come in enough shapes to dazzle a dodecahedron, but in the realm of desktops, three main classes of aftermarket PC case reign supreme: full ATX, MicroATX, and Mini-ITX. These three case “form factors” make up the bulk of the market for modern desktop chassis, and you can simply think of them as big (ATX), medium-size (MicroATX), and small (Mini-ITX). Each of the form factors has its own strengths and weaknesses; in this guide, we’re going to go compact and focus on the Mini-ITX ones. The biggest one is whether you will (or will ever) install a video card. The absolute smallest Mini-ITX cases support no video card and assume your CPU’s integrated graphics will handle video output and acceleration. That factor will eliminate (or recommend) a whole swath of cases. Otherwise, look to the maximum video card length supported, as well as the number of lateral slots the card can occupy, and shop accordingly. Nvidia's newest top-end RTX 40 Series cards are huge and some occupy three slots across; Mini-ITX cases are generally not their friend. Setting the aesthetics aside, the case isn’t particularly difficult to work with; we've wrangled with far more difficult Mini-ITX cases in our day. The cooling options are quite limited, however, and the unusual rear I/O panel placement means you'll want to plug in what you must from the outset and mostly rely on your front USB ports from then on out. (Another reason to make sure your motherboard has that modern USB 3.2 Gen 2 header for the USB-C port.) There’s a cut-out in the SSD mounting tray right at the connector that (finally) allows for a real actual unconstrained use of a right angle SATA connector (middle picture below). How about that. Also, I cannot recall right now having an easier time getting power to an SSD. Or a GPU for that matter.The Tower 100 Mini Chassis is the newest member of The Thermaltake Tower Series. It features three 4mm tempered glass windows for a stunning view and two preinstalled 120mm standard fans on top and at the rear for exhaust. It is a much smaller version of The Tower 900 with dimensions of 462.8mm (Height), 266mm (Width), 266mm (Depth). Though it may not be the smallest Mini-ITX chassis on the market, it is a highly capable one that can fit high-end components like the RTX 30 Series Graphics Cards. The Tower 100 Mini Chassis is designed to target users who have a limited space at their workplace or at home, or those who simply do not want their PC to take too much space. No matter if you are a regular users, gamers, or content creators, etc. you will find it ideal and can place it almost anywhere in your room. Today, we are taking a closer look at their vertically orientated ITX style case that some would say resembles a partially glassed in 3D printer. Actually, I am not going to strongly disagree. But I also have to say, I think I like it. Thermaltake simply calls it: Tower 100. It’s a distant relative to their showy and legacy Tower 900, an E-ATX Super Tower Chassis. To make looking over Mini-ITX cases more manageable, we’ve opted to organize them into five rough design types. Not all Mini-ITX cases will fit into one, but most do, and this scheme gives you a solid idea of the options out there. Style 1: The Horizontal Console Style

The Thermaltake Tower 100 is a statement chassis that’s priced right. You get a lot of ITX case for the money – which comes across as a somewhat funny thing to say. The thermal design seems quite functional, and I definitely appreciate the unique looking visuals. There is room inside to get inventive. Mini-ITX motherboards measure 6.7 by 6.7 inches, with mounting holes in prescribed locations; Mini-ITX cases, then, are built around accommodating these board dimensions. That said, some Mini-ITX cases are much bigger than others in terms of height or volume. But by definition, a “true” Mini-ITX case won’t accommodate any board bigger than a Mini-ITX one, with the exception of a few that also support the slightly larger (and uncommon) Mini-DTX form factor. Mini-DTX boards are slightly taller than Mini-ITX boards, at 8 by 6.7 inches. (The next biggest size class for motherboards, MicroATX, is 9.6 inches square and defines the next-largest class of PC cases.) Now, what if you were to lay your pillar down? This third style uses a design that more closely matches a long, thin box. SilverStone Sugo 14: Shoebox dimensions At first, you could easily mistake one of these cases for a larger MicroATX chassis. These are in fact smaller, however, and can’t hold a MicroATX board. This design isn’t as space-saving as most others, but it also means more room inside for hardware. The building process may be easier, too, given the extra interior. Phanteks Eclipse P200A DRGBFor as long as I can remember, I've had love of all things tech, spurred on, in part, by a love of gaming. I began working on computers owned by immediate family members and relatives when I was around 10 years old. I've always sought to learn as much as possible about anything PC, leading to a well-rounded grasp on all things tech today. In my role at PCMag, I greatly enjoy the opportunity to share what I know.