SUMMARY

If you are looking for an ultra compact Mini-ITX case, you really can't do much better than this. The features and build quality make this one of the best cases I have ever used.

91

Overall
Score


BUILD QUALITY95

FEATURES90

SIZE & WEIGHT100

VALUE80

WHERE TO BUY

NFC Systems S4 Mini From $155


PC cases can be very basic and bland.  Especially if you are in the market for a small form factor PC.  The NFC Systems S4 Mini looks to change that.

Case Design

Looking at the case front you are greeted by the 16mm power button nestled into a 5mm anodized black aluminum strip, which travels along the entire front fascia.  The piece then curves and wraps around both top edges of the case, providing an ultra premium look and feel.

nfc s4 miniAround back you will find a hole for your power plug, dual GPU slots, ventilation holes, and of course the cutout for your motherboard I/O.

The top panel is almost entirely covered in air vents, along with 7 screws that connect it to the main frame and back plate.

The back plate looks identical to the front at first, but you will notice the 3 bottom screws are missing. That is because this piece wraps around to form the sidewall and/or base depending on which way you align the case.

Size & Dimensions

nfc s4 mini vs xbox one

The S4 Mini measures 13 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches.  The case is significantly smaller than an Xbox One which puts it firmly on the radar for anyone looking to build the ultimate console killer.  The case is small enough to be easily tucked into a backpack and taken wherever you need go.

Specifications

MaterialAluminum
PSU SupportHDPlex
Pico PSU
G-Unique
Realan
Pico-Box
Fan Mounts1 x 120mm x 13mm (CPU)
1 x 120mm x 13mm (GPU)
Volume4.3L
Dimensions330 x 63 x 215 mm

Features

nfc s4 mini internal layout

With the lid popped off you will immediately notice the dual hard drive bracket.  Removing the hard drive bracket exposes the spot for mounting a 120x12mm fan in place of your stock GPU fan.  This is a very clever and useful feature if you have a GPU with a housing that is too long, or with really loud fans.

There is also a 2-screw bracket that allows you to mount another 120mm fan over your CPU heat sink and motherboard chipset.  Depending on which cooler you use, this can either replace your CPU fan or add additional air flow to your system.

On the interior front of the case you will see the 16mm power button (called a Vandal Switch).  It is important to note that the switch doesn’t come with the case, you will need to pick one up separately for around $10.  You will also see Velcro strips pre-mounted for use with an HDPlex PSU.

Moving to the left side you will notice more cutouts.  They provide additional ventilation for your GPU.  They are also cleverly hidden by the S4 Minis natural design elements

The right side wall next to the Motherboard is part of the extended back plate.  This was done to make modding the case easier.  I could potentially see this being cut out and used for custom cooling loops and other similar mods.

Building In The S4 Mini

nfc s4 mini components vertical

The case is layed out perfectly for its recommend components.  It does require a little more planning than a standard full sized case would.  You can install full height dual slot cards up to 8″ in length, and coolers up to 45mm tall.  Check out the video below for a full system build.  You can also see a full installation guide on the NFC systems website linked above.

Conclusion

The NFC Systems S4 Mini is a fantastic case.  In fact it maybe be the greatest compact case every made.  Building a system inside of it is a breeze with a little pre-planning.  The case is flexible, so you can run all sorts of clever configurations from basic, to powerful editing or workstation rigs.

At $150 it certainly is not a cheap.  If you are on a tight budget SFF systems in general aren’t a good idea due to the higher component cost. If you can afford it I would definitely recommend the S4 Mini.

Learn More
To learn more, check out the full video review above, or follow the links. You can also see a updated Skylake build here.

Build Part List

Intel Core i7-4790SFrom $289.00

Noctua NH-L9iFrom $39.95

Samsung 850 EVO M.2From $69.94

Samsung 850 EVO SATAFrom $73.49

Gigabyte GTX 960 4GB OCFrom $184.99

16GB EVGA DDR3 RAMFrom $80.00

Asus H97I-PLUS MotherboardFrom $99.00

Pico 160-XT PSUFrom $44.50

192W Power BrickFrom $49.95

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