APEX MI-008 Black Computer Case

Comment:
If it functions, it's a great deal. Energy supply died within 2 months of ownership. Technical support is lacking. Regrettably, while any number of circumstances can lead to a dead power supply, the end result is still a non-functioning method. Immediately after speaking with Apex technical support to swap the energy supply, the company's technician was not obtainable on the day I called. The CSR I did speak with was pleased to swap the unit, supplied I shipped back the faulty one 1st, at my expense. I've by no means been particularly fond of organizations that won't do an advanced exchange, and worse, still, time was a main problem - my return shipment would expense a lot more than the acquire price of the item to attempt a 1 or two day delivery. So though I'm not taking concern with the item itself, I remain entirely unimpressed with Apex consumer service in a time sensitive situation.

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Couple this case with the ASUS atom 1.6 GHz motherboard and you have a good HTPC. Sent photos of the create to Maximum PC and they stated they wanted to utilized the pictures in either their magazine or internet site. Purchased a Logitech wireless keyboard/mouse combo which has a 30 foot range and your superior to go! Had to take case front to slip in the DVD writer into it. Tough drive does bump into the ram. Everybody that sees this create wants 1.

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I purchase this case for an HTPC. It had everything i needed, quiet psu , size fits in my Ikea Ent center , looks great next to my receiver.

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Low-cost The included power supply just barely clears the CPU fan on a zotac gf6100 motherboard. Even so, the CPU fan and power supply fan blow air in opposing directions, causing heat concerns and high noise levels.I had to make some hardcore case mods (involving moving the motherboard tray) in order to solve this problem. Save your self the hassle. It's not worth the few dollars you save.

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I did a evaluation of this case practically two years ago when I did my initial Atom create and I'm pleased to say that this case is still going strong.Fits Intel Atom boards, a DVD and HDD perfectly.Super quiet and simple to function with (see below). None. Most recent create uses an Intel D525MW Innovation Series Motherboard with Dual-Core Intel Atom D525 Processor, two GB RAM, a 100 GB SATA laptop HDD and DVD Writer. I mounted the HDD beneath the DVD drive. Just two screws hold the lightweight drive in place securely. Removing front panel and the power supply in the course of assembly is a need to and pick up shorter SATA cables to lower congestion. I snipped off the extra molex connectors and cables for even far more room inside.

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Little Size, Energy Supply included, cost. Challenges related with obtaining components that fit. This is the list of components that I have in my HTPC. The CPU cooler has about .25" clearance from the energy supply and about .1" from the memory. The memory has about .1" clearance below the challenging drive. Points are tight. I also used 1 x 10" SATA straight to straight for the hard drive cable and 1 x 10" SATA straight to appropriate angle for optical drive cable.Case: APEX MI-008 Case Fan: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 LGA 1156CPU: Intel Core i3-540 CPU Cooler: SILVERSTONE NT07-1156 (needed for clearance issue) Memory: Kingston HyperX 4GB ƒ X 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz KHX1600C9D3K2ǚGX Optical Drive: LG 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM CH10LS20 Tough Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB OS: Windows 7 Residence Premium

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Good size, fits two HDDs, can possibly add another no problem. Use it as a WHS Vail server. Did not need external drives. May well eventually convert to HTPC, but for now perfect for a modest server - backs up 4 PCs. None. Would acquire once more. If son requirements a new PC, I may possibly take into account this smaller case.

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Attractive style to sit on a desk leading. Great cost. Adequate space for DVD drive. No troubles None. Obtaining several more for further requirements. Can't go wrong for the price.

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- Attractive glossy black bezel.- Included 250W power supply with two SATA connectors.- Sturdy steel construction.- Ability to add a standard 120mm fan.- Accepts standard 5.25" optical drives and three.five" tough drives. - Ventilation looks like it could be a problem if you use a desktop processor without a case fan installed.- Heatsink clearance is limited; Use a low-profile cooler. I utilised a SILVERSTONE NT07-1156 90mm CPU Cooler.-Cable management is tricky but I anticipate such from the Mini-ITX form factor.- My optical drive bay door was hanging open, requiring a RMA. This is my first case RMA. Ferociously inconvenient to discover Immediately after assembling your program (it comes with protective plastic on it). Check it just before assembly.-Motherboard installation reminded me of trying to fit a sofa by way of a narrow door. I angled it in from the side. - As a couple of reviewers mentioned, it is probable (and advisable) to snap a 120mm fan in the spot exactly where the instructions want the Difficult Drive.- The front bezel, especially the optical drive door, is extremely fragile. There is a tiny spring that keeps the door closed and on my case that spring was loose, leaving the door to hang open. The glossy black plastic is quite susceptible to scratching, leave the protective plastic on as long as possible. - Do not "pull from the bottom" to get rid of the bezel. Pop out the clips from inside the case. Do not jostle to bezel, that tiny spring will come loose!APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer CaseGIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 MotherboardIntel Core i3-550 Clarkdale three.2GHz LGA 1156 73W ProcessorSILVERSTONE NT07-1156 90mm CPU CoolerG.SKILL ECO Series 4GB ƒ x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 SDRAMWestern Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM Tough DriveENERMAX UC-12EB 120mm Case FanWindows 7 Property Premium 64

Comment:
It was a little difficult to work in but it was to be expected considering it's small size. It's better not to screw anything in until everything is connected and in place.The HDD LED indicator is red and the power button lights up green and are fairly bright. I prefer to have minimal LEDs and if they do have them, I prefer blue. Again, small complaint.The power supply fan isn't the quietest but it's not loud either. If you want a completely silent case, this may bother you a little.Other than that, it's a nice little case. Great value. This review was modfied by poster @ 07-22-11 01:25 AM

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Works great looks great for a small htpc build!*Fit the extra 2.5 ssd on the left side(sideways) using the holes that I think are meant for an extra fan-although -no vent holes?

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Looks good. Includes a PSUQuite inexpansive Runs rather hot with any Mobo and any CPU.Flimsy CD door I have built quite a few mini ITX computers in my life and this 1 was the most challenging. most of the issues had to do with incredibly poor ventilation an Intel CPU other then Celeron was running incredibly hot no matter what heatsink I threw on best of it. Cooling AMD CPUs was pretty much impossible. 1 heatsink that worked was NT07 and the other is from a company that the egg stopped stocking. Any dual core is running comparatively hot so the solutions were either to use the E140 or a water cooler (Like H50) which defies the purpose of utilizing Mini ITX..... other then a extremely hot pc (literally) there are no issues....

Comment:
The case is relatively durable, uncomplicated to take apart, and has a reasonable cost point. The power supply only makes it possible for for low profile heat sinks, the plastic face panel attracts dust, the ventilation is poor at greatest, and there are only two sata power connections. It's a reasonable compromise. The size indicates items will be tight, but not this tight. Half an inch taller would allow a decent heat sink, and the minimum of sata connectors indicates you either will need to have older equipment (cd/dvd drive presumably) or a molex to sata adapter.Despite the complaints, it is an adequate case with a couple of adjustments and a couple of high flow fans.

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I purchased this case for a small itx build, the case is very strong, easy to install all the parts, not too compact to be a pain. I would strongly suggest to anyone looking for a small easy on the eyes build.

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I was reluctant to purchase this case after I saw some of the reviews, but it is a great case.I have an I3 with a Gigabyte motherboard, SSD drive, DVD burner and harddrive in it and it all fits fine. The power supply sits on top of the cpu fan but it really doesn't affect anything.With all the low power settings on, you can hardly hear the fans, and it only draws 23 watts while idle.With the hardrive on the side there is still air flow in the case, there are vents on both sides of the case.

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I tried to like this case but it turned out to be complete garbage. The PSU rests right on top of the stock i5 760 cooler I used for this build. The nonstandard PCI slot makes it just about impossible to install your video card and even harder to remove. The case is flimsy and reeks of cheapness.Worst of all, there are no proper motherboard standoffs, so good luck with proper grounding. I returned it. The PSU runs hot. If you buy this case, make sure you get express RMA so you can ship it back right away.It looks nice but that's about it. Good Ideal, Flawed design. Oh Ya, and the motherboard lined up a couple of centimeters to far forward of the rear I/O plate.The optical drive door would not close after the first use.Gee. my review is to short still. How many bad things can I list. This review system is flawed because bad reviews are not getting listed any more after being reviewed by NCIX staff. This site has gone down hill at the same rate that NCIX grew bigger. Bigger is not better.To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...vvTo short...To short...To short...To short...vTo short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...vvTo short...To short...To short...To short...To short...To short...vTo short...To short...To short...To short...To short...vvvTo short...To short...To short...

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used this case with a Gigabyte 1156 ITX motherboard and i3 540 cpu. The stock heatsink has about .5mm clearance from the bottom of the powersupply, any taller and there is no chance it would fit. Stock PSU runs somewhat hot, there is no fan inside to vent exhaust heat, but doesnt seem to affect the CPU temps so far.Great little case so far, has a very small footprint. There is room inside the case to add 120mm fans if you want to vent some case heat out of the case. You can install HD's on the side of the case as well. Cable management is actually pretty good for such a little case, although DVD/CD/Bluray drive connectors are VERY close to the PSU, almost pinching wires to get them connected. Regardless, they still connect and its better than you can expect for a case of this size.Would buy again for sure without hesitation.

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Overall I am very pleased with this case, it fits quite a bit for the form-factor and even masks drives (who uses beige drives these days anyway though). I didn't really have any issues with the case when it comes to space, I fully expected it to be cramped and somewhat difficult.Only a few things bother me about this case; for one, they could have fit 3 3.5" drive bays in the front and had them mounted sideways to accommodate more room by the front of the motherboards (where the RAM goes for me).I did accidentally bent the case a bit (it bent back without issue) but for this price that shouldn't deter you.It is also missing a Reset button (not always bad), however it comes with a mini speaker (but who cares). These trade-offs are kind of odd.I did make some modifications. I added a 120MM (generic Coolermaster one left over from my CM690) fan where the HDD rails are, as well I added a 92MM Scythe Gentle Typhoon (2150 RPM) that moves about 30-35 CFM at roughly 25dB (barely audible up close, not audible from far away).Other than those few issues this is a very very good case for the money (I pm'd to 43$ or so) and is highly customizable.

Comment:
I fit a mini itx board, 2 3.5 HDDs and an optical drive in this puppy. You may read other reviews saying this case gets too hot and the power supply is too hot but i haven't found that to be true. There are vents on both sides and although air doesn't flow that well it still isn't that bad if you have a case fan or heatsink fan. The power supply blows hot air down over the motherboard which is probably not the best thing. The case is pretty flimsy with the cover off so be careful not to bend anything. Also note the HDD led is REALLY BRIGHT!!!! I wouldn't plug it in. Also I really don't think there is enough room to make use of the PCI slot because of how tight it is in the case and if you have the 3.5 drive mounted on the side that would greatly reduce airflow. And while the PS fan is pretty quiet, the case doesn't block any noise at all, so if you have a loud fan or lots of IO to the HDD you'll notice it. Overall this is a good case

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This is my first ITX sized case. I was a little worried because you read all the horror stories about these size cases not being of good quality design in general. However, in the case of the Apex MI-008 there isn't a problem. I find the case to be simple and very well designed. You can fit a lot of hardware in a small space. Yes, you do need to plan what goes where and when while building it up. I essentially built from the center out (pulled the power supply out) and everything went in without too much fiddling or fuss. I like this case and will probably get another for a future HTPC project. This one was built for a NAS so I put in a HD and DVD. I still have room for another HD. No heating problems so far and is nice and quite too.

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I'm using this case for my Atom HTPC setup:Zotac Ion G-E (ITX motherboard w/ Atom CPU & nVidia GPU), 1x SSD, 1x 3.5" SATA HD.I decided for the time being to not use an optical drive, and instead, install my 3.5" HD in the optical bay using an adapter, and install the SSD in the 3.5" bay (using an adapter as well, since SSD's are smaller than 3.5").I also installed a 120mm fan on the railing side of the case (railing system for an additional 3.5" HD) to increase airflow in the case, feed the PSU fan and the GPU fan with cool fresh air.So far, I haven't been disappointed. The case is sturdy, lightweight and looks great alongside my home theater components.The case could offer more options though, because there is some unused space under the optical & HD bays.In my next re-build of this case, I will add a bluray burner in the optical drive bay, put my 3.5" HD in the 3.5" bay, and probably do a ghetto install of some drive bay adapters to the front bottom of the case to put my SSD and expand the drive capacity.All in all, a good looking, silent HTPC case! This review was modfied by poster i 02-01-10 09:32 AM This review was modfied by poster @ 02-01-10 09:46 AM

Comment:
Everything fits nicely. Had to drill on the side for an IR window, so I could fit the MCE receiver inside the case.. Tough to fit DVD Burner without taking the PS out. Had to buy some right angle SATA cables to make some room and not have the SATA cables touch the PS. Included Power cables are way too long for a case this size..

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Great product in general, small silent PSU. Perfect if you want to make a clone of the HP home server and you have a small budget. Works well and the green light make it look like a professional server. I recommand this product to any system builder.

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Worked perfect and fit perfect. Also installed a dual tuner card. The tuner card took a little work to fit, but I couldn't be happier with the setup. Fit a full sized br drive and two 3.5

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I purchased this along with a Zotac mini-ITX board and E1400 processor. Thankfully the CPU shipped with Intel's new low-profile heatsink and, I kid you not, granted me 1mm clearance between the top of the heatsink and the bottom of the PSU. However incase anyone is concerned, I did read a professional review that suggests using a PicoPSU as an alternative which seems quite viable.Other than that this case is quite good quality, the 3-sided removable panel is 1 piece and fits on snug with no give.One word of advice, have zipties on-hand, they'll really help keep wiring out of the way.