Building with the mini-ITX form factor appears to be a popular avenue many enthusiasts are taking and as a result computer case manufacturers have their work cut out to combine quality, appearance whilst maintaining a condensed design. So how does Cooler Master’s attempt fare?

Well Elite 120 Advanced is very compact indeed. It’s much more condensed than the popular BitFenix Prodigy and almost as much as SilverStone FT03-Mini. Visual appearance is a mixed bag; Although Elite 120 Advanced does have a clean design on the outside, it also looks like a household microwave, but perhaps this doubles up as a bonus – causing would-be thieves to avoid taking the unit!



Whether you are looking at the inside of this chassis or the outside, build quality is very good and the cooling within this enclosure is also good and reasonably quiet – something which is essential for HTPC. It’s also nice to see that Elite 120 Advanced can house big graphics cards as this is undoubtedly going to be an area which some cases are constrained by.

There are a few niggles though, due to the PSU sittings immediately above the motherboard this causes a restriction on the possibilities for the CPU cooler. Likewise, the cable management also has its limitations, but then there is a compromise between space and features. You can’t have an extremely compact enclosure with every feature under the sun.

Pricing is very attractive. At just £35 / $50, Elite 120 Advanced offers great bang for buck and offers a good value for money solutions for those looking to get started with a mini-ITX build.

Elite 120 Advanced is one of the most compact Mini-ITX chassis we have seen. It has great build quality, decent cooling and should be on the enthusiast’s shortlist, especially since the pricing is so attractive.