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The Thermaltake SD100 Mini is a cool little computer case that is entering a market with very little competition. For us personally, the biggest drawback to building a Mini-ITX system has not been the performance, but rather the availability and pricing of supporting cases. Although it was possible to purchase the Gigabyte GC230D for just $95 a little over six months ago, a decent case looked to cost more than twice that amount. That said, recently a small number of Mini-ITX cases have become available at reasonable prices, and at the forefront we have the Thermaltake SD100 Mini. This new case is believed to cost around $95 US, though at this time we cannot confirm how accurate this pricing is. It is possible to purchase a new dual-core Atom 330 motherboard for around $140 US. This means that it is likely users can build a relatively powerful Mini-ITX computer for a little over $300 US, which is quite remarkable. There was nothing really remarkable about the Thermaltake SD100 Mini case itself, other than how small it is, which is of course made possible by the Mini-ITX form factor. Externally the case is very simple, with the only flare coming from a thin chrome strip on the front bezel. Still, we really like the styling of this little case, and the subtle design should help it look right at home just about anywhere.
The SD100 Mini is very quiet when operating, and we found that our Atom 230 processor remained reasonably cool when under 100% load for extended periods of time. Overall, the Thermaltake SD100 Mini is an impressive Mini-ITX computer case that can be had for a reasonable price. Reviewed By Steven Walton |
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