In the realm of small form factor PC builds, there are two cases, the Louqe Ghost S1 and the Dancase A4-SFX, that stand out and show what the small form factor PC builds are actually capable of.
Even though these are mini-ITX cases, these cases are high-end enthusiast grade small form factor chassis for the consumers who want to build a performance, yet elegant systems in the smallest case. These cases can hold a full sized GPU, just like the RTX 2080 Ti.
Both of the cases, the Ghost S1 and the A4-SFX are definitely not cheap and aren’t necessary easy to get a hold of, either. Through two highly successful Kickstarter campaigns, these mini-ITX cases began their inception and manufacturing. These cases are now performing better than ever before, with each case releasing new revisions that are built on the flaws of the last version of the case.
The expensive price-tag does not disturb the demand with usually large waiting lists and delivery times for the enthusiasts who want either the Ghost S1 or the A4-SFX case.
There were not many other high-end small form factor cases before 2019 which were as functional and capable and looked as beautiful as these two cases.
However, now there are many decent alternative small form factor chassis of the Ghost S1 and A4-SFX which are actually really good and are worth checking out, especially if you think the Ghost S1 or the A4-SFX are just too expensive, or you’re out of your budget or maybe you don’t want to wait so long to get the small form factor case for your PC build.
If you’re wondering that, “which mini-ITX small form factor PC case is the best alternative for the A4-SFX or the Ghost S1 which also shows a similar level of build quality as well?”, don’t worry, we will cover the best alternatives for these cases here.
Coming in at just 7.1L size, the Lazer3D LZ7 mainly focuses on cooling performance and is the smallest small form factor chassis in our list here is a great alternate option to the A4 SFX and the Ghost S1.
This case runs cool with the help of cooling configurations and the large number of vents that this case has. Lazer3D LZ7 case’s structure and orientation allows 360 degrees ventilation of the Graphics card.
This case comes in a standard brown box with the Lazer3D branding along with a case graphic. Lazer3D LZ7 case does not come assembled, but it is quite simple to build. Lazer3D LZ7 case comes well packaged, with the bubble wrapped acrylic pieces with protective sticky plastic sheets.
You can see that quite a wide range of hardware components will fit quite nicely in the Lazer3D LZ7 case. The only limiting points are the limits of the CPU cooler and the GPU length. However, Graphics cards options are available, even some of the high-end Graphics cards will fit in comfortably.
Using a CPU cooler that has a height of just 65mm or less could be a problem for the users who want to overclock their CPU. However, you can mount 120mm or 140mm slim fans on the Lazer3D LZ7 case’s side intake, this helps in decreasing the system temperatures significantly because it’s pushing cool air towards the CPU all the time.
The Lazer3D LZ7 case is very much customizable. Using the Lazer3D’s configurator you can mix and match colors, and panels to match almost any theme that you like.
If one of the panels gets damaged or you want to try a different color, you can also order single separate panels by themselves.
You can assemble the case by just screwing the side panels together. The support panels are 5mm thick, providing a nice foundation. The weight of the power supply and every component feels properly supported.
The Lazer3D LZ7 case features excellent airflow and smart venting which helps in decreasing the system temperature and helps it stay quiet. The build quality or the performance are not compromised in this case as the case stays fairly quiet and keeps the temperatures in check.
The Lazer3D LZ7 is a great alternative if you’re considering getting the A4-SFX or the Ghost S1 small form factor PC case.
The Kolink Rocket chassis has a 9.6L size and it is slightly cheaper than the Dancase A4-SFX. The Kolink Rocket case has an aluminum construction with a brushed finish and anodizing. The exterior of the case repels fingerprints.
The front I/O of the Kolink Rocket case has a flat, brushed aluminum panel having two USB 3.0 ports and a big, circular power button. On the back of the Kolink Rocket case.
There is a large space for the rear I/O panel, right next to it, there are two aluminum PCI covers with ventilation cut-outs and at the top, there is a 3-pin power supply connection because Kolink used an extension cable to provide the consumers with flexible power supply placement.
There is a perforated aluminum sheet on both sides of the Kolink Rocket case. These panels are secured to the case with four screws. Even though, these panels cannot be mounted to these panels, but they do provide ventilation for the installed hardware components from both sides of the case.
The inside of the Kolink Rocket case features a dual-chamber design. The Kolink Rocket is designed specifically for the mini-ITX motherboards and the case comes with four standoffs already attached to the motherboard tray. There is a pre-installed 80mm cooling fan at the top.
The riser cable for the graphics card goes behind the motherboard tray in order to allow the graphics card to be mounted behind the motherboard. The color on the inside of the case has been matched by Kolink, so it won’t be as visible. Supporting PCIe 3.0 X16, this PCI slot can be equipped with a dual-slot GPU in this area.
The Kolink Rocket is a little bit affordable alternative for the high-end consumers who want the A4-SFX. The Kolink Rocket has a decent build quality and also features a few benefits over the Dancase’s A4-SFX like the additional 80mm fan which helps in keeping the temperatures of the hardware components inside the case in check.
All of this makes the Kolink Rocket a very good alternative choice for the consumers who want the A4-SFX or the Ghost S1 CPU case.
The Geeek A50 mini-ITX case is the cheapest alternative to the Ghost S1 or the A4-SFX by Geeekstore. This PC case has a 9.7L size and is made from aluminum and acrylic only, a simple and sleek design.
The Geeek A50 PC case features a rather distinct design than the traditional case designs which requires a factory to press, bend or cut metal. Using aluminum extrusions to build a skeleton for the PC case, Geeek uses laser to cut the acrylic panels for the case.
By using this method, Geeek manages to decrease the custom tooling time significantly and helps them to bring to the market cheaply and quickly. In order to provide the high-end consumers with a unique internal layout and design, Geeek uses simple standoffs which have different lengths.
The durability of the Geeek A50 PC case does suffer, since acrylic can be scratched quite easily and acrylic is also less durable than aluminum or steel.
Geeek A50 comes with two 92mm fan exhausts at the top of the case and a single 92mm fan intake at the bottom.
Since it is hard to know the exact placement of the hardware components that the consumers may use, it’s quite difficult to create a path for fresh air to reach specific hardware components like CPU or GPU.
The Geeek A50 has more of an open approach to provide airflow from different angles which is really helpful, especially in improving temperatures of the CPU and the GPU.
The Geeek A50 mini-ITX case makes a great alternate choice for the high-end consumers who want the Ghost S1 or the A4-SFX CPU case, as it is quite cheap compared to these cases and features a simple, yet sleek design. The Geeek A50 will definitely make your small form factor PC build look amazing.
However, it may not have the highest quality, but it does perform really good when using an AIO cooler as we can just put in in the front so that it can get fresh air directly.
The Thor Zone Mjolnir mini-ITX PC case having the name of the weapon that is wielded by none other than the mighty God of thunder, this case does aim high. But, it sure has a strong competition.
This PC case has a size of 9.7L and features 5mm aluminum panels which makes it feel super solid. The Thor Zone Mjolnir PC case is aiming for the high-end build quality with a very beautiful design.
The Thor Zone Mjolnir features a divided chamber design internally, quite similar to the Ghost S1 and the A4-SFX, but the Thor Zone Mjolnir PC case is bigger since we can mount a 120mm AIO cooler below the power supply and a 120mm low profile fan if one needs it at the same time.
It seems like you can go for a minimal custom loop in the Thor Zone Mjolnir PC case. Ofcourse, keeping in mind the maximum dimensions that the Thor Zone Mjolnir PC case can house.
TThis Pc case can hold long GPUs as well, without any problem. This case also features a premium Li-Heat PCIe Gen 3.0 flexible riser which they claim provides the consumers with the best possible performance.
The Thor Zone Mjolnir PC case comes in two colors, steel and dark, you can also choose between tempered glass panels or perforated aluminum side panels.
The case comes with tempered glass provides the consumers with 5mm standoffs to further improve the airflow by simply mounting the glass panels on the outside which adds 10mm of distance between them and the GPU and the CPU fans.
The Thor Zone Mjolnir mini-ITX PC case is a great alternate option for the high-end consumers who are looking for an alternative PC case to the Dancase A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 cases, as it has a very beautiful design, provides the consumers with a few options to choose from and provides great airflow. This mini-ITX PC case also supports an AIO as well as air cooling.
It is a quite popular high-end mini-ITX PC case, the Ncase M1 has a size of 12.6L, it is a little bit larger than the A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC cases.
Made with aluminum only, the Ncase M1 has a clean look without featuring any of the fancy lighting, this makes the Ncase M1 PC case quite suitable for many scenarios. The Ncase M1 PC case’s silver model has silver panels all around with a black skeleton.
Ncase M1 PC case has a brushed surface on the front as well as two identical bends. On the back of the case, you can see the black panel which provides you a little insight on the detail that went into engineering the Ncase M1 manufacturing process.
The Ncase M1 PC case has perforated side panels on both the sides which allow air to enter the small PC case, with or without the help of the fans.
The Ncase M1 has a power button, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and a microphone jack on the front I/O which is located at the bottom of the front panel.
The rear side of the Ncase M1 PC case has three expansion slot covers which ensure maximum compatibility according to the board that is being used.
Just above it, we can find two liquid cooling holes and a spot where we can mount a 80mm or a 92mm exhaust fan. Since the power supply will be mounted in the interior’s front, a cable is routed to the back of the case.
The build quality of the Ncase M1 is really great, very similar to the A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC cases. The Ncase M1 PC case is a little bit bigger than the two PC cases, but it does offer great cooling performance, even without seriously planning about where to put your hardware components.
The Ncase M1 is a great alternative to the Ghost S1 or the A4-SFX PC case, but It is not a cheap alternative though.
The Streacom DA2 mini-ITX PC case has a size of 17.5L, the largest small form factor PC case on our list
The Streacom DA2 PC case is a relatively compact PC case for supporting up to a full-size GPU. The Streacom DA2 PC case is really eye catching for the consumers who are looking for smooth, sleek metallic styling.
This PC case is quite unique since it is modular in the sense that every mounting bracket slides in the extruded aluminum rails, providing the buyers with flexibility in how you want to build the system.
The motherboard mounting is the only thing that should not be moved and it cannot be moved. The brackets for motherboard mounting can be moved, but just to align the motherboard correctly against the rear I/O cut out.
The Streacom DA2 PC case can be equipped with up to 145mm for a CPU air cooler or up to 280mm radiators with the brackets that are included.
The front panel of the case is a solid aluminum panel, they have kept the PC case’s design minimalist.
The case’s top is a wrap-around of the same aluminum panel that is on the front of the case and carries the design all around the outer plane. There is a gap inside the outer metal panel, this helps with the airflow along with the mesh on both panels of the case.
The Streacom DA2 PC case’s rear has a fan mount where a 92mm fan can be equipped along with the motherboard I/O which is a standard opening that one would expect. We can tell that the power supply will be located internally since there is a power cord connection on the rear side of the PC case.
The Streacom DA2 has a solid build quality with a minimalist design. The Streacom DA2 PC case can hold its own against such mini-ITX cases as the A4-SFX and the Ghost S1.
Streacom DA2 does not lack in cooling performance either. This makes the Streacom DA2 PC case a great option as an alternative to the Ghost S1 and the A4-SFX PC cases for the consumers.
All of the small form factor mini-ITX cases that were mentioned here, they all perform really well and are great alternative option for the Dancase A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC cases.
If you’re really looking for a very compact PC build then, we will recommend that you check out the Lazer3D LZ7 PC case. It can hold your hardware components just fine and provide good cooling performance.
If you’re fine with a slightly larger PC case, then we will recommend that you definitely check out the Kolink Rocket PC case. It can also hold your hardware components fine and give a decent look and great cooling performance.
If you’re fine with a very similar size to the Kolink Rocket PC case, but don’t have enough budget then you should check out the Geeek A50 PC case as it is cheaper, but it has acrylic which can be scratched easily. But, it does come cheaper and has great cooling performance.
Thor Zone Mjolnir, coming in at the same size as the Geeek A50, but with a more beautiful design and much better build quality. It surely is a little bit expensive but it will be a great alternative to the Dancase A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC cases, since it provides great cooling performance, has premium build quality and provides great cooling performance.
The Ncase M1 is a little bit bigger, but is a compact sized PC case. It will provide you with space to put your hardware components in just fine and provide good cooling performance while not going over the budget. This makes it a great alternative to the Dancase A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC cases.
Streacom DA2 PC case is a little bigger than the Ncase M1, still is a small form factor mini-ITX PC case that will house all your hardware components perfectly fine, since it is bigger. It has a solid build quality and a minimalist design with great cooling performance.
This makes the Streacom DA2 PC case a great alternative to the Dancase A4-SFX and the Ghost S1 PC case.
Zakriya is right from Pakistan. He was raised with a quest for gaming craze with an organization of specialized folks. This is the place he understood that computer games can grow your creative mind to unlimited universes. Gaming is no longer for him only a method for amusement, yet enthusiasm. From the youthful age of 8, gaming was simply the main method for communicating. At whatever point he got the opportunity to play computer games, he took it with two hands and played for quite a long time. Much to his dismay that gaming would turn into his closest companion.
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