For decades, PC gaming meant owning a monolith: a giant, blinking tower that dominated your floor space. But in 2026 the era of the giant box will be over. The components have become so efficient that you no longer need 60 liters of air to cool them. The Small Form Factor (SFF) movement has now gone mainstream, proving that you can fit an RTX 5080 and a top-end CPU into a case the size of a shoebox.
It’s minimalist, sophisticated, and looks much better on a desk than on a plastic tower. If you’re ready to downsize without sacrificing performance, this is where you should start.
The short list
The cases
Fractal Design – Terra Jade
The Terra changed the game by proving that a PC could look like mid-century furniture. With a real walnut front panel and anodized aluminum panels, it is designed to be seen. The “sandwich” layout puts the GPU on one side and the CPU on the other, keeping it incredibly small (10.4 liters) but still able to accommodate full-sized graphics cards.
Fractal Design – Era 2 Silver
While the Terra is rustic, the Era 2 is pure modern elegance. The sculpted silver aluminum exterior feels like a high-end audio device. It is optimized for airflow and features a unique chimney design that draws in cool air from below and releases it upward. It is the perfect case for a professional creative workspace.
Lian Li – A4-H2O
This is the reference standard for water-cooled SFF builds. In collaboration with DAN Cases, Lian Li has developed a case with a capacity of less than 11 liters that somehow fits into a 240mm AIO liquid cooler. It is an industrial, linear aluminum box that maximizes every millimeter of interior space. If you want the smallest possible footprint with liquid cooling, this is it.
Cool Master – NR200P MAX V2
Building in a small enclosure can be intimidating. Cooler Master solves this problem with the MAX V2. It comes pre-installed with a custom 280mm AIO cooler and an 850W Gold PSU, with cables already routed and managed. You simply insert your motherboard and GPU and you’re done. It’s designed for next-gen performance and is officially ready for cards like the RTX 5080. It’s also currently 12% cheaper.
Power and cooling
ASUS – ROG Loki SFX-L 850W Platinum
Small designs used to mean low power consumption, but that is no longer the case. The Loki delivers 850W of platinum efficiency, enough to power premium silicon. It uses the slightly longer “SFX-L” standard to accommodate a larger 120mm fan, making it quieter than traditional small power supplies. There’s also an RGB fan included if you want a subtle glow.
CORSAIR – SF750 (2024)
Ask any SFF manufacturer which PSU they should buy and they will say “Corsair SF750”. The 2024 update brings ATX 3.1 compliance and native PCIe 5.1 cables for modern GPUs. It’s incredibly tight, reliable, and has a zero RPM mode so the fan doesn’t spin even during light work. You can grab it now with a 20% discount.
SCYTHE – Large Shuriken 4
A large liquid cooler cannot be installed in cases like the Fractal Terra. You need powerful air cooling that stays low. The Big Shuriken 4 is designed to do just that. At just 67mm high, it fits where standard coolers can’t, but can handle up to 200W of heat thanks to its dense fin stack and high static pressure fan.
The end result
If you’re looking for a PC that doubles as home decoration, the Fractal Design Terra is the clear winner. For first-time builders who don’t want to worry about cable management or part compatibility, the Cooler Master NR200P MAX V2 has a cheat code that will save hours of frustration. However, if you need absolute maximum cooling for high-end components in the smallest of spaces, the Lian Li A4-H2O remains the gold standard.
