Case Cooling
Air Cooling
The Cooler Master Elite 110 mini-ITX case comes with one 120mm intake fan installed behind the front grill and offers several options for increased cooling if you need it.
(Courtesy of Cooler Master)
The Elite 110 case relies on the pre-installed 120mm intake fan in front to bring cool room air into the case and uses the power supply fan to help push warm exhaust air out the back. This basic configuration should provide adequate airflow for modest builds.
The bundled low speed fan is very quiet. The following table lists the noise generated by the fan while operating at different speeds. Sound Pressure Levels were taken 3’ from the front of the case. The ambient background noise level was approximately 27 dBA in a quiet room.
With the fan running at full speed the noise is barely noticeable but while providing adequate airflow into the case. Slowing the fan down by reducing the voltage (by adding your own fan speed controller) still keeps air flowing but virtually silences the fan.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a good idea to use a power supply that incorporates a quiet fan that runs all the time to assist airflow through the case.
If you want more airflow than the pre-installed 120mm fan provides, you have several options:
• Replace the 120mm intake fan with a higher speed 120mm fan
• Replace the 120mm intake fan with a 140mm fan of your choice
• Add one or two 80mm fans on the left side panel
Depending on what hardware you install, the optional 80mm fans can be configured to blow cool room air into the enclosure or exhaust warm air out (however, the side vents do not have dust filters).
Liquid Cooling
The Cooler Master Elite 110 case also supports installing a 120mm radiator behind the front panel if you want to go with water-cooling.
Here are a few photos of a Corsair Hydro Series H80i Liquid CPU Cooler installed into our build. Cooler Master also offers a couple CPU water-cooling systems in their Seidon Series that will work in the Elite 110 case.
The Corsair H80i and Cooler Master Seidon 120XL coolers both use dual fans, which as you can see is doable. Installing a water-cooling system with a full size PSU can be a challenge – it can be done, but cable management quickly becomes very difficult the more hardware you pack inside the cube.
This is a case that really
This is a case that really tempts me. The Asus GTX 760 fits (based on forum feedback at http://www.overclock.net) so a decent gaming machine is possible in such as small package.
I used the CM Elite 120 for
I used the CM Elite 120 for my HTPC build a few months back. I went with it for two reasons, low cost ($35.00) and I could put a Blu-Ray drive in the front. It’s been a great case for me and it’s very quiet too.
To Bill, I was wondering how
To Bill, I was wondering how your got a Blu-Ray drive into this case? Any pics you could share? Thanks.
He’s using a bigger case, the
He’s using a bigger case, the Coolermaster Elite 120, not the same as the case in this review. It’s longer and has a 5.25in bay. I can say for certain that there is no way to fit a full size DVD drive in the Elite 110.
Thom, as pws said in his
Thom, as pws said in his replay to you already, I was using a different case (CM 120) than the one in this review. It was all for naught though as I eventually gave up on trying to watch Blu-Rays through Win7 as I wasn’t about to spend $50 on software to be able to play a Blu-Ray disc.
I bought this case a month
I bought this case a month ago, and it’s very small for a case that fits regular ATX components. Mine was for an H81/Pentium G3240 build, and for that it’s great, but I wouldn’t build a high-end system in this case, not enough airflow. A video card would finish the job of blocking the airflow. It’s longer siblings, the Elite 120 and Elite 130, are both longer cases which can fit a larger graphics card and have better airflow, but they don’t look as cool as this little monster. I like the case, but going by the build quality and material thickness, it should be about half the price – it’s only this high because it’s “mini-ITX”, and the market needs to mature. It’s very light and flimsy, and with the cover and drive bracket removed it flexes all over the place. Solid enough when put together, but still very light and cheap feeling. All 3 cases go for the same price, $50, but should drop considerably after more choices appear. Still, it always elicits positive comments (and disbelief).
I agree that $50 is too much
I agree that $50 is too much for this little case. That being said, these do go on sale occasionally, and it was one of those sales that I picked up my CM 120 for $35. I really liked the look of the 130 better, but decided it wasn’t worth an extra $15 at the time.
With a SFX psu installed,
With a SFX psu installed, will a tall tower cpu cooler fit?
Looking at the picture, it seems that a slim tower cooler can fit in there?
Could be a tight fit but
Could be a tight fit but something like…
Masscool 7WA868
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150122
or Titan TTC-NC95TZ(RB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835192031
I love mini-ITX cases, but I
I love mini-ITX cases, but I would much prefer it with a larger fan.
Of course Mini-ITX means compromise but what you can do with a little bundle is amazing
I like the fact that it
I like the fact that it includes a beeper / speaker, too many builds as of late haven’t been and that adds 5-15 bucks to a individual build.
What model and brand of SFX
What model and brand of SFX PSU is that? Silverstone?
SilverStone ST45SF-G V1.1,
SilverStone ST45SF-G V1.1, 450W, 80Plus Gold
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What is the height of the
What is the height of the Kingston RAM???
I bought this case and fitted
I bought this case and fitted it with:
Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini-ITX BLCK
MSI Z87I Gaming AC, Socket-1150
MSI GeForce GTX 760 Gaming ITX 2GB
Corsair H60 Hydro Series CPU Cooler
Intel i5 4690k
Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB 2.5″ OEM
WD® Desktop Black 1TB
HyperX Fury DDR3 1600MHz 8GB Black
Cooler Master B500 VER.2, 500W PSU
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Corsair SP120 Quiet Edt. 120mm fan
Fractal Design R2, 80mm silent fan
Great review, thanks for the
Great review, thanks for the tips i didn’t think a push pull would be possible but using a SFX PSU with the bracket is a great idea and gives much more room and more airflow. I want this for my next build and if you use a m.2 SSD then there is even more room for cable management!
My ideal build:
Cooler Master Elite 110
Asus Maximus VII impact Socket 1150 W/ M.2 SSD Slot
Corsair H80 Hydro W/ Push-pull Config
Intel i7 4790K
Kingston Digital HyperX Predator 480 GB PCIe Gen2 x4 M.2 SSD
Corsaid H80 Push Pull
Silverstone 600W SFX PSU + Short Cables
Zotac GTX 970 – 8.03″ will fit!