my mini review of supermicro CSE-731i-300B mATX server case

[hans007]

so given what i'd call a dearth of micro ATX "high quality" options I stumbled across this case when looking for a new case for a build and wow its actually quite nice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811152123

is its newegg link. There is a slightly different version the CSE-731d that has a media reader/front audio and usb instead of just 2 usb ports (i didnt get it because i bought the case at superbiiz.com with a 15% off coupon and the usb only one had free shipping....which made the total cost $20 less)

that said, this case is quite nice. very very well made, which is the type of thing you'd expect from super micro.

that said, the included power supply is even nice. 300W but its a 80plus bronze "ablecom" that is 86%+ efficient. the included 92mm case fan is even pwmm and mounted with those zalman style rubber things. and outside of the motherboard screws everything is screwless.

now its about $90-100. but worth it. i've had an antec nsk3480 before and i think this is a better case. plus it has 4 3.5" bays and 2 5.25" which is more than the antec (the antec has one bay on the bottom floor of the case which is well... awkward). its not a particularly huge case either so its not almost full atx size.

anyhow, just wanted to give people a heads up who are looking for a higher quality micro atx case given the lack of choices generally. seems like usually its always some very expensive htpc desktop case, or something without full size slots, or something really cheap and flimsy like all the coolermaster RC3xx cases.

[atmartens]

Is it quiet/silent?

[hans007]

Is it quiet/silent?

very much so. it doesnt have a ton of vent holes in the side panels so its basically inaudible. power supply is very quiet too.

[ntavlas]

Nice find, it`s refreshing to see an unpretentious and straight to the point product from time to time. The 300 watt bronze psu is also a nice bonus. While I`m not completely sold on the looks, I`ll take functional design over "Darth Vader`s helmet mated to a pc" anytime

[Cantello]

Do you still have this case? Looking for a replacement for my unpractical Lian-Li Q08 but was wondering if the Supermicro case can be modded to prevent dust from entering the system. Do you have long-term experiences?

[quest_for_silence]

Looking for a replacement for my unpractical Lian-Li Q08

Just a side note: I'm wondering how a pedestal almost fully fledged mATX enclosure can practically replace a mITX cube case...

[Cantello]

Just a side note: I'm wondering how a pedestal almost fully fledged mATX enclosure can practically replace a mITX cube case...

It's just that the Q08 is way to cumbersome to use if you frequently change drives. Sure, it looks great and is rather small, but the side pane can only be opened after unscrewing six screws (tiny, anodised ones, that lose their color after touching them with a driver) and unscrewing and removing the drive cage and removing the propietary rubber grommets.

The SM case, in contrast, can be opened and drives can be removed without touching any screws or screwdrivers. It might be a little bigger (28L vs. 21L) but seems to be much more practical to me.

When I first bought the Lian-Li, I was only looking for a quiet and most of all stiylish case. Now that it resides under the desk all the time, this is no longer that important and I would like to go for something easier to handle. Additionally, the openings in the Lian-Li cannot really be dust-proofed, and I don't want to clean the fans and interior every month, therefore my question.

[matt_garman]

Throw in a "+1" from me for this case. I have the model with the built-in media reader.

My only minor complaint is that it doesn't have a 120mm rear exhaust fan, but a 92mm one. I think there's probably room for a 120mm fan, if someone wanted to mod the case; I wish SuperMicro would make a new revision with a stock 120mm fan.

My informal tests suggest that the included 300 watt power supply is pretty efficient. This power supply gave me lower idle power consumption than a Seasonic SS-300ET and also a Seasonic S12II 430B... but only by a watt or two, so it could easily be within margin of error.

One thing to note, is the included power supply has an 80mm fan, and uses the "straight through" airflow pattern, as opposed to the now more common 120mm PSU fan design, which has the "right angle" airflow pattern. My gut feel is that a 120mm PSU is better, since it would aid the 92mm chassis fan for exhausting duties.

My build with this case is pretty simple: Intel H67 MB, i5-2500k CPU, 16 GB RAM, 1 SSD drive. I don't have a discrete graphics card. I shuffled through a few power supplies as mentioned above, and also played with different 92mm case fans. I never had heat problems under any configuration, so my concerns about the PSU's airflow pattern might be irrelevant. But if someone were to stuff a big, power-hungry GPU in this case, it might become more of an issue. More testing would be needed.

My build is completely silent at idle. When all cores are cranking away 100%, then the PSU makes some noise, but it's a gentle whooshing. Note that I ultimately settled on the SS-300ET PSU (I used the Ablecom in a build for my parents). I was thinking about trying an S12II 380B, but the noise doesn't really bother me. Also, note that the case literally sits on my desk next to my monitors, so any noise is immediately noticeable.

Overall, I really like this case. I even love the way it looks---I'm big on the "utilitarian" aesthetic. To me it seems pretty high quality; when you consider that the included power supply is solid, I think it ends up being a good value as well. I'm slowly accumulating a lot of SuperMicro stuff at home, and in general, I'm pleased with their products.

[hans007]

well i dont have this case anymore. went laptop seeing as i dont game and it saves even more power.