MITXPC MX500-USB3 Compact Mini-ITX Case, Fanless, USB 3.0, Wall & VESA Mount

Mini-ITX cases are surprisingly expensive, so I was happy to find a relatively cheap one that was easy to build in. The wall mounts came in handy too. The front panel is removable to aid in getting everything in which I was happy about. Good purchase.

This is a great little case for the price. It feels VERY solid and rigid with the fan/SSD plate. The case does NOT come with a power supply, even though theres one in the picture. 40x20mm fans will be a tight fit on the PCIe side of your motherboard, they should fit on the other side just fine.

I just received this case. It is generally looking good. But the internal mounting bracket that is swaged in place but was lose at one end. The way of joining the sheet metal is very questionable and I fear it will loosen up even more. I shall return it and look for something else.

Tough little case. The paint is high quality, with a rough matte finish. The punch outs for the antennas are perfectly spaced and come out easily with a screwdriver and a solid whack, but are otherwise firmly attached for the ones you intend to leave in. There are holes allowing the drive tray to be mounted more toward the front or back, helping a bit with air flow to/from the CPU. Also, the drive tray doubles as a fan mount, allowing for 2 60mm fans to be attached instead of drives. There are 2 40mm fan mounting points on each side, but with a motherboard and power supply board installed, only 10mm thick fans will fit. Without the internal power supply, you can fit 20mm thick fans on one side though. One down side is the lack of an drive activity light (The only status light is labeled PWR and a mini ITX system runs so quite it would be hard to tell if its on without it). Also, be sure to remove the punch outs for the VESA mounting holes BEFORE you install the motherboard if you intend to use them. You may be able to get them off afterwards, but you may risk damaging the board if you leave it in while doing it. Rather then having to take everything apart again, its easier to do it beforehand. Even if you dont have any immediate plans to mount it that way, every other mounting option covers the holes so it doesnt hurt to be prepared (I punched them out for that reason). Overall, its a nice case and easy to work with. Would definitely get a second one if I decide to do another mini ITX build down the line.

Complaint 1: The USB3.0 cable, to connect the motherboard header to the front panel, has 1 straight and 1 angle connector. But the case is so small that the straight connector cannot plug to the front panel, and puts stress on the header when on the motherboard. Amazon doesnt seem to carry a female-to-female plug either, let alone one with two angle plugs. Complaint 2: The rear has 3 indentations for SMA plugs on one side. Well, theyre not punch-outs. I had to drill them out, then took a rat-tail file to smooth the hole. Even so, the holes are close enough that my antennas cant rotate freely - Though there are many angles at which I can have them at 90-degrees to each other. Maybe a more experienced builder knows how thats supposed to work? Id have preferred an SMA hole on either side of the back, rather than the small cluster. Complaint 3: The mounts for the HDDs/SSDs are upside-down. Because of the exceedingly low clearance, no down-angle connector (SATA data or power) or through connector (SATA Power) will work without stress. Either get 270-degree or straight connectors. Positive 1: The RS232 punch-out is a punch-out, and exists. I chose this case over the M350 because I wanted that RS232 connection. Positive 2: The case seems well dimensioned, fitting the thinITX board with room for internal cables, and the top slides nicely when unscrewed.

I could stand on it, it is built solid. Has mounting points for 6x 40mm fans. Note that USB on the front panel appears to be 3.0 only

I have a low-power AMD system in this case with a 2.5” SSD and it’s a great low profile case if you don’t need active cooling. I also had to purchase a pico power supply as there isn’t enough room in the case for a traditional power supply, but that’s kind of the point. The are a couple of holes in the back of the case where a barrel jack can be screwed into place and sit flush. Overall I’m very happy with this case.

I agree with everything Derek LaHousse mentioned in his review. Nice case and does the job with enough wiggle room (just enough). I took 2 stars off because there are other M-ITX cases I like better. Also, every time I have worked with this case I end up with a few cuts on my hands from the sharp edges on the interior. For $50 they should have cleaned up the edges.

Pleased with this case. It is a tight fit for a mini it’s motherboard, which is what I was looking for