CM Elite 130 ITX

Noticed that as well the other day then I saw the shipping information..."Usually ships within 1 to 3 months". Pretty sure it's not officially released.
 
Looks like the drive rack is removable, instead needing to hack it off.

Also, the front mesh will do wonders for airflow.

Hell, i think i will buy it just for the improved airflow.
 
Looks like the drive rack is removable, instead needing to hack it off.

Also, the front mesh will do wonders for airflow.

Hell, i think i will buy it just for the improved airflow.

Good catch. Not just improved airflow. I think this is a worthy replacement for the 120. $42 shipped is pretty good - too bad no stock yet. I guess this is why there are rebates going on the 120, to clear them out.
 
Also, by the pics, it might have the necessary holes for different install options for SSD.

That's how you improve a product.
 
I still don't get it they'd have this PSU extension bracket. After all it should fit a PSU and ODD "behind" each other with about 40cm total case depth (~16"), shouldn't it? Or can one mount the PSU without the extension?
 
I'm not in front of my 120, but if i remember correctly, you can remove that bracket.
 
CM rep confirmed over on OCN, the ship date from the factory is the 27th, Amazon should be getting theirs in the first/second week of Sept.
 
Hi guys

Excellent news, so from sept onwards looks like they are going to be available.

I am building a watercooled mini itx and trying to squeeze a 240 mm rad and atx psu into a sg 05 and my components wont fit, my pump/cpu block is too tall. this CM 130 looks like it has space to acomódate 280 rad, or 240 + 120, it might even be posible to squeeze a 280 + 140 combo although that would be very tight. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea, at this price its hard to beat,

You could buy one of these and platinum psu for the same amount as an SG08, food for thought, and its nice to have some choices.

Regards

Joe Rubido
 
I'm eyeing this case because the Ncase has been seriously delayed from shipping in September to shipping in December and I'll want to play BF4 on something else than my Radeon HD 7770. I have a Lian-Li PC-V352 which has about 12mm from the top of the card to the non-removable top shelf, so that means I can only use cards with the power connectors on the side of the card (like my HD 7770) or on the top if they allign with the 40mm hole that is ofcourse seldomly useful.

But this case seems like a good bargain at 45€ / 50$ for an mITX case with enough room for a large GPU and ATX PSU (for now). I'm hoping this is released worldwide in September.
 
i recently did a build on a 120, i think the 120 looks better IMO
 
I have the 120 and i prefer the look of the 130, not to mention, the internal layout is a million times better.

If the price is 50 or less, i will replace my 120.
 
After watching the video it looks like the PSU bracket is required to the person who asked earlier in this thread.
 
Hi guys

For those in Europe, it looks like Alternate will be selling this box for aprox 45€ at present its status is awaiting stock, hopefully it will be available shortly.
 
I'm getting this as soon as the new AMD GPU's are tested, I'm waiting to see if they can come up with something better than a GTX780 and then I'll assemble my current system in there and post pics, if someone else doesn't fully document the case before I get the chance :)
 
I'm also looking to help a family member out with a new gaming PC, based on this case. After looking into a CPU cooler, it's max height according to the CM website is 65mm. I found a very nice CPU cooler that is around 66mm, namely the Noctua NH-L12 with one fan. I say "around 66mm" because I've seen websites mentioning 65mm. I'm wondering though if it really is 65mm and not the designer's curtousy of being just a smidge more, it would make an excellent cooler for this type of setup with the PSU above the heatsink.

I'm going to order this case soon anyway for myself and I'll be able to answer my own questions but I'd like to address this possible issue or blessing, depending on the success.
 
Phuncz, I have the exact setup ordered from Newegg. I'll let you know if the Noctua NH-L12 fits under my PSU.
 
Nice, you'll probably beat me to it :) If it fits, it will probably be the best air cooler for this case as it seems to be the best performing heatsink at 65mm.
 
Just got the case from Newegg. Definitely needed to remove the top fan but it fits! Seems like there are a couple mm left between the PSU and NH-L12. I tested it with my old Corsair TX650 but I need to pull out my Seasonic modular PSU from my main rig (should be the same size). Hopefully I can post pics tomorrow.

Seems like Amzn increased the price from $44 to $50. (The $44 was probably a preorder price?)
 
Here are some pictures. MB: ASRock B85M-ITX, CPU: 7-4770S (I couldn't find the 45W T version). HS:Noctura NH-L12, PSU: Seasonic 760W modular, RAM: 2x8GB Patriot Viper, Drives: 256GB Toshiba Q series SSD, 1TB Toshiba 2.5", 4TB HGST 3.5".

Average temp for the CPU is ~42C idle with a peak around 58C (didn't do any stress tests yet).

The heatpipes of the NH-L12 hit the bracket of the side case fan but fit. If you rotate the heatsink 90 degrees you'll need to remove the side fan (but otherwise it should fit in either orientation.
10003759905_71183f1b23.jpg


I replaced the front fan with the 120mm fan included with the NH-L12 (I needed to remove the back rubber pieces). I didn't check to see which fan was louder.
10003760475_7900f60871.jpg


Here you can see there there's some space between the PSU & heatsink (almost forgot to turn the bottom fan upside down).
10003760645_bf41a020ec.jpg


I may upgrade to a 7950 but for now I recycled my old 6870. I cleaned up the rat's nest a little but I suppose it could use a little more tidying. However, most of the cables are up in the drive bay so they don't get in the way of the airflow.
10003761065_c91c6528e4.jpg
 
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Nice, good to see the NG-L12 is a good fit, I'll be putting that on my buylist. Your PSU (Seasonic X-760 ?) seems to be 160mm long, it appears to be that an 180mm long PSU would totally cover the CPU block. Would it be possible to mount the heatsink differently so it would be more towards the rear ?

EDIT: I made this in Photoshop, don't know for sure if this is very accurate:

W20E8Q6.png


9o7JdQ1.png

this might be the better orientation for a 160mm PSU.

For reference, the same orientation as the first picture but with the Asrock Z87E-ITX motherboard:

YOvpJe6.png
 
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There are only 2 option for directions due to the size of the case. The heatpipe end can either face/hit the side case fan (as I have it & your 1st picture) or you can put the heatpipe end towards the rear connector panel (doesn't hit anything in the back; however, you'll need to remove the side fan since the heatsink is so wide. I figured having additional air come in from the side fan would be better. For the 2 other directions, the heatsink passes over the rear connectors (your 2nd picture) or through the right side of the panel.
 
Just an fyi: the corsair h60 (and presumably all *similar* closed loop coolers) fits wonderfully in this case with a seasonic x650, aside from the hoses/tubes sticking up a little bit and pressing into the PSU.
 
I have a H60 in my 120 and the only issue is that the tubes are a bit stretched, would feel better with the tubes being a couple of mm longer.
 
I ordered one, from an ebay retailer in germany, will probably arrive either late this week or early next week, along with a antec platinum 650W psu. My intention is to watercool cpu and gpu.

When the case arrives, I will get my tape out and figure out how big a rad or rads I can squeeze in there to cool a 3770k + gtx 680 lightning
 
Today I received my Elite 130 case and also the Noctua NH-L12, I installed the following hardware in it:
● Asrock Z87E-ITX
● Intel Core i5-4670K
● Noctua NH-L12
● 2x 8GB Crucial VLP 1600MHz
● HIS Radeon HD 7770 1GB
● Samsung 830 256GB SSD
● Seasonic G-Series 550W

Here is the photo report:

GxQHUYc.jpg

I'm loving the quality of the Noctua heatsink, it's amazingly well done and has thick fins.

g5UtQql.jpg

Another quality shot. I believe the texture is aluminium oxidized.

QRadr7S.jpg

The CPU backplate isn't a millimeter too thick, look just below the RAM clip.

BLhT9Ve.jpg

Overview shot before installing the heatsink. BTW: this is a good time to screw your motherboard down :)

0dcV9Vs.jpg

You can clearly see this 66mm height cooler fits easily in the 65mm height cooler restriction. I measured it and Noctua seems to measure from the top of the CPU while Cooler Master seems to measure from the top of the motherboard PCB.

HPDFLKr.jpg

This is why I advocate VLP (Very Low Profile) RAM. It allowed me to mount the heatsink in the current way.

446Nbfx.jpg

Hello Mr. Clearance, nice you could come too.

lR1sV0G.jpg

Another overview shot, post-heatsink install :)

uHd8qpe.jpg

Here you can see the overlay of the heatsink in the current heatsink configuration.

qCYX3Kv.jpg

Clearly the CPU heatsink height can be higher than the 65mm Cooler Master advertises. I estimate a 72mm would also fit, just as long as your PSU's cooling is not protruding.

WimrD1t.jpg

Dodged a bullet on this one. The ATX+12V (or how it's called) plug is really badly placed on the motherboard and luckily the NH-L12 cooler allows the bottom fan to be moved just enough to fit this motherboard.
 
Fantastic photos, it is posts like these that help people figure out cooler orientation and true cooler max heights.

Plan on upgrading the GPU down the line?
 
Thanks for the compliments !

Yeah I'm eyeing the Radeon R9-290 / 290X or the GTX 770 / 780. But to install them, I needed another case as my retardly designed Lian-Li PC-V352 doesn't allow GPU's with the power connectors on top. Which is about all of em that use power connectors...
 
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ShgPvDe.png

@ 100% CPU and unknown % GPU stress-testing.

I guess I can't complain about these numbers, considering my GPU's coil whine is much louder than the fans. I need to set the fan below the CPU cooler to a profile, as I don't know if it even ramps at "Silent". The front fan wasn't even on at "Silent".
 
If you can identify exactly which coil it is that's noisy, try a blob of hot-glue :)
 
Thanks for the advice but I'm not going to give that card much more love than necessary. I could only hear it during the stress test, as it was running near 1,000 fps. Also, I'm planning to change the card very soon anyway.
 
Phuncz,

Did you crack open that 4670K or did you just get lucky and get one that has a good internal TIM job to begin with. Those temps are great for that chip even at stock.
 
for those that have the case, is it possible to fit ODD drive over the SSD drives on the top?

for silent closed loop water cooler, would a Cooler Master Seidon 120 (single fan) be enough for I3?

never had one of those closed loop water coolers, not sure how efficient they are.
 
Phuncz,

Did you crack open that 4670K or did you just get lucky and get one that has a good internal TIM job to begin with. Those temps are great for that chip even at stock.
It's still untouched, using Arctic MX-4. If you'd like, I'd confirm with another software package that is known to be correct with regards to reading Haswell temps, because I don't know how correct BurnInTest is.
It displayed the same result as AIDA64's "CPU Package" temperatures, the seperate core temps agree. Only the "CPU" readout is a lot higher (56°C at idle now). And I also heard the front fan reacting to the temperature changes when stress-testing.
 
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