Let’s toss out some numbers. SilverStone’s Alta G1M did it at 12.1 by 7.9 inches, Raijintek’s Ophion Elite pulled it off at 12.1 by 6.9 inches, and Corsair’s 2000D RGB Airflow managed just 10.7 by 7.9 inches. These are the small footprints of today’s “vertical cubes,” tall, thin, and roughly square tower PC cases all extended to mid-tower height to accommodate graphics cards that are over 13 inches long. The $380 NCore 100 Max gets there at only 6.1 by 8.3 inches, and it includes a method to extend the graphics card , too, by just under 5/8 of an inch. That means this narrow case can take graphics-card coolers that are more than three slots thick. If you’re looking to build a powerhouse Mini-ITX PC outfitted with the hunkiest possible card, the Ncore 100 Max could be your perfect match. Plus, its inclusion of CPU cooler and power supply in the box make it a great starting point for Mini-ITX first-timers: Two of the trickiest bits to buy are sorted out for you in advance. ...

Prioritize compactness in a high-powered DIY PC? It's hard to minimize the desktop footprint as effectively as Cooler Master does with its NCore 100 Max Mini-ITX chassis.