**Building a Compact Case with Limited Configuration Options**

When it comes to building a computer, one of the biggest challenges is finding a case that can accommodate all the necessary components without sacrificing too much space. The "Five and a Quarter" case from Xigmatek is an attempt to address this issue by providing a compact design that still offers decent cooling options and enough space for a power supply. However, as we'll see in this review, the limitations of this case can be quite restrictive.

The Five and a Quarter case has a 5.25-inch bay that allows users to install either an SSD or a hard drive, but not both at the same time. This limited configuration option is due to the compact design of the case, which makes it difficult to accommodate multiple drives or other components. While this may be beneficial for some users who prioritize portability and ease of use, others may find themselves limited by the lack of flexibility in the case's design.

One of the notable features of the Five and a Quarter case is its ability to cool graphics cards. The case has an 80mm fan on the back that can help keep temperatures under control, although it's worth noting that this may not be enough for more powerful GPUs. Additionally, there is space for a 120mm fan on top, which can provide even better cooling performance. However, if you remove the dust filters and take out some of the components, you can fit a 240mm GPU in the case as well.

Despite its compact design, the Five and a Quarter case still manages to accommodate an ITX motherboard, a power supply, and other essential components. The power supply is mounted at the front of the case, and there's even a cable that runs through the back of the case and plugs into the PSU. This can be a bit tricky to set up, but it shows that the designers are willing to think outside the box when it comes to layout.

The case also has some unique features, such as dust filters on the bottom, top, and sides, which help keep the case clean and free of debris. Additionally, there are rubber feet on the bottom of the case that can't damage your furniture. These features are certainly convenient, but they may not be enough to make up for the limited configuration options.

Unfortunately, the instructions that come with the Five and a Quarter case are woefully inadequate. The manual is riddled with errors and is completely useless for anyone who doesn't know how to build a computer from scratch. However, the included rubber feet can damage your furniture if not used properly.

In conclusion, the Five and a Quarter case from Xigmatek offers some unique features that set it apart from other compact cases on the market. While its limited configuration options may be restrictive for some users, others may appreciate the portability and ease of use that this case provides. However, with its lackluster instructions and limitations when it comes to cooling and component installation, we can't fully recommend this case without caution.

**Specifications and Features**

* 5.25-inch bay capacity

* Limited configuration options due to compact design

* Can accommodate ITX motherboard, power supply, and other essential components

* 80mm fan on the back for cooling graphics cards

* Space for a 120mm or 240mm fan on top

* Dust filters on bottom, top, and sides for keeping the case clean

* Rubber feet on the bottom to prevent damage to furniture

* Poor instructions that may be useless for inexperienced builders

**Pros and Cons**

Pros:

* Compact design makes it easy to transport and store

* Can accommodate ITX motherboard and power supply

* Has good cooling options with 80mm fan and space for larger fans

* Dust filters and rubber feet help keep the case clean and prevent damage to furniture

Cons:

* Limited configuration options due to compact design

* Poor instructions that may be useless for inexperienced builders

* May not provide enough cooling for more powerful GPUs

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right so sitting next to me here is the heiress from Xigmatek this is a mini ITX case designed for home theater pcs or for maybe small media servers but it could potentially uses a mini ITX gaming rig I probably would recommend it due to the cooling but let's talk about it I'll let you decide that so first of all let's go over the specs real quick it's pretty darn small it's got a fake aluminum front steel on the rest it's got fully perforated sides on both sides and the top has dust filters and you know the same type of perforations same thing on the bottom also perforated as a dust filters in there they're not magnetic dust filters they're not slide in dust filters they're kind of just stuck on there with glue I think over time will probably kind of lose its stickiness and then you'll have to do something about those those filters but they are there in case you need them right in the front you do a five a quarter inch bait but here's the thing inside of that you can either put a 500 quarter inch drive and hang one drive underneath it or you can take out the five and a quarter and put an SSD inside of that Bay and then have a hard drive underneath so your options are a little bit limited you basically have the option of two SSDs two hard drives or you can do one hard drive and one SSD or you can do one hard drive and one five and a quarter but you can't have all the different options on it's one or the other you gotta pick that's kind of a downside as far as sizing goes you can't fit a pretty good size graphics card in here I'll actually take a 300 millimeter length of GPU so that's gonna be not everything but a lot of the gaming card they're gonna fit in there this thing may or may not cool the steps of graphics cards it's a little bit limited it's only got an 80 millimeter fan on the back and then it's got space on the top for a 120 and if you don't use anything in the five and a quarter you can actually fit a 240 on there but if you take this off to here your dust filters and if you look at this part if you were to unscrew these four screws right here pull this out you can actually get a 240 in there and then what you would do is you'd mount your 240 to the top of this and lower it in building this thing is not gonna be the most pleasant experience it's a little bit cramped it's a little bit of a weird layout but the power supply goes in the front and there's actually a lead you can see right here that goes through the case and goes all the way to the front plugs into the PSU so that's really weird so PSU in the front mini ITX motherboard in the back and then potentially a 120 millimeter here or a 100 there's air cooling space and then you have your PCI Express is gonna run this way 300 millimeters all the way to the back and then you have two uprights lots back here for expansion so it's definitely a weird layout it might take some getting used to us a little bit inefficient it's a little bit just too much going on it's almost too small even for mini ITX it's just a little weird you know just to prove that you can get it in here I'm gonna do it a little bit backwards and upside down but basically if you were to take this out right there you could fit 240 in there and then what you do is you'd melt it the holes out line up perfectly mat at the top it'd have to be a push or a pull configuration I guess in this case everything is dust proof has dust filters on the bottom on the top of the sides don't so you probably want a positive airflow set it would keep the dust out so it'd be sucking in and then pushing out so big nothing here and then have all your fans pulling in and that would keep your case nice and free of dust those are all things to consider also included in the bag you have the worst set of instructions I have ever seen they are so ridiculous I mean you know for people like most people watch this channel are gonna know how to build a computer ready but if you didn't know and you're just trying to figure out the instructions on what to do they're horrible like they're completely useless you do get some rubber feet in here you cannot damage your furniture like I'm doing right now this poor table and then you do have your three and a half inch bay adapter so basically these are an attach underneath here to the five and a quarter bay and then you're gonna be able to hang your hard drive where your SSDs from underneath the cage and then also include it is and random screws and they and the speaker so and another thing is you can actually take the whole thing apart and show you make it totally naked there you go the whole thing is naked so at least when you are building it you will have the ability to get it completely naked and you know make sure you can get in there and worry about stuff if you look in there you can see where your PSU mounts and then also I'll even show you I believe you can pop that off and then there you go you can see where the PSU actually goes in and mounts to the case and then now you have basically just a skeleton of the case yeah it does have two USB 3.0 SuperSpeed support that is there and then in photography and in your microphone one thing I noticed is that they're not labeled so you don't know which is your mic and which is your your headphones not a big deal you'll figure it out the first time you use it for I remember forever but that's pretty much it the heiress from Xigmatek you have any questions on it feel free to leave a note in the forums or comment on the video and youall right so sitting next to me here is the heiress from Xigmatek this is a mini ITX case designed for home theater pcs or for maybe small media servers but it could potentially uses a mini ITX gaming rig I probably would recommend it due to the cooling but let's talk about it I'll let you decide that so first of all let's go over the specs real quick it's pretty darn small it's got a fake aluminum front steel on the rest it's got fully perforated sides on both sides and the top has dust filters and you know the same type of perforations same thing on the bottom also perforated as a dust filters in there they're not magnetic dust filters they're not slide in dust filters they're kind of just stuck on there with glue I think over time will probably kind of lose its stickiness and then you'll have to do something about those those filters but they are there in case you need them right in the front you do a five a quarter inch bait but here's the thing inside of that you can either put a 500 quarter inch drive and hang one drive underneath it or you can take out the five and a quarter and put an SSD inside of that Bay and then have a hard drive underneath so your options are a little bit limited you basically have the option of two SSDs two hard drives or you can do one hard drive and one SSD or you can do one hard drive and one five and a quarter but you can't have all the different options on it's one or the other you gotta pick that's kind of a downside as far as sizing goes you can't fit a pretty good size graphics card in here I'll actually take a 300 millimeter length of GPU so that's gonna be not everything but a lot of the gaming card they're gonna fit in there this thing may or may not cool the steps of graphics cards it's a little bit limited it's only got an 80 millimeter fan on the back and then it's got space on the top for a 120 and if you don't use anything in the five and a quarter you can actually fit a 240 on there but if you take this off to here your dust filters and if you look at this part if you were to unscrew these four screws right here pull this out you can actually get a 240 in there and then what you would do is you'd mount your 240 to the top of this and lower it in building this thing is not gonna be the most pleasant experience it's a little bit cramped it's a little bit of a weird layout but the power supply goes in the front and there's actually a lead you can see right here that goes through the case and goes all the way to the front plugs into the PSU so that's really weird so PSU in the front mini ITX motherboard in the back and then potentially a 120 millimeter here or a 100 there's air cooling space and then you have your PCI Express is gonna run this way 300 millimeters all the way to the back and then you have two uprights lots back here for expansion so it's definitely a weird layout it might take some getting used to us a little bit inefficient it's a little bit just too much going on it's almost too small even for mini ITX it's just a little weird you know just to prove that you can get it in here I'm gonna do it a little bit backwards and upside down but basically if you were to take this out right there you could fit 240 in there and then what you do is you'd melt it the holes out line up perfectly mat at the top it'd have to be a push or a pull configuration I guess in this case everything is dust proof has dust filters on the bottom on the top of the sides don't so you probably want a positive airflow set it would keep the dust out so it'd be sucking in and then pushing out so big nothing here and then have all your fans pulling in and that would keep your case nice and free of dust those are all things to consider also included in the bag you have the worst set of instructions I have ever seen they are so ridiculous I mean you know for people like most people watch this channel are gonna know how to build a computer ready but if you didn't know and you're just trying to figure out the instructions on what to do they're horrible like they're completely useless you do get some rubber feet in here you cannot damage your furniture like I'm doing right now this poor table and then you do have your three and a half inch bay adapter so basically these are an attach underneath here to the five and a quarter bay and then you're gonna be able to hang your hard drive where your SSDs from underneath the cage and then also include it is and random screws and they and the speaker so and another thing is you can actually take the whole thing apart and show you make it totally naked there you go the whole thing is naked so at least when you are building it you will have the ability to get it completely naked and you know make sure you can get in there and worry about stuff if you look in there you can see where your PSU mounts and then also I'll even show you I believe you can pop that off and then there you go you can see where the PSU actually goes in and mounts to the case and then now you have basically just a skeleton of the case yeah it does have two USB 3.0 SuperSpeed support that is there and then in photography and in your microphone one thing I noticed is that they're not labeled so you don't know which is your mic and which is your your headphones not a big deal you'll figure it out the first time you use it for I remember forever but that's pretty much it the heiress from Xigmatek you have any questions on it feel free to leave a note in the forums or comment on the video and you\n"