SilverStone Sugo SG08 Mini-ITX Case Review
by Dustin Sklavos on May 13, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Mini ITX
- SilverStone
Introducing the SilverStone Sugo SG08
We've been looking at a lot of smaller enclosures lately, but some of you have pointed out, and probably correctly, that these Micro-ATX towers still aren't particularly small. They're smaller than the full ATX and super ATX monsters we've reviewed and certainly you could fit about thirty of them inside Corsair's gargantuan Obsidian 900D, but what if you want to go smaller? The BitFenix Prodigy is a popular option, but it's also on the large side for a Mini-ITX build.
As it turns out, SilverStone takes their small form factor designs pretty seriously. The Sugo SG09 we reviewed is a Micro-ATX case with roughly the same volume as the Prodigy, but how small can we go without sacrificing too much performance? The Sugo SG05 was a good start, but for those of you looking for a little more horsepower, the enclosure we have on tap today may be the way to go.
The SilverStone Sugo SG08 is deeper than the SG05, but it also has superior performance potential. Those of you who've been paying attention may notice the top-mounted fan as being similar to Thermaltake's design in the Armor A30, but SilverStone is opting for an intake here instead. Since liquid cooling and tower coolers aren't really an option in the SG08, SilverStone has to take slightly more drastic measures, resulting in a very different design from the more basic SG05. If you have performance Mini-ITX on the brain, the SG08 could be promising indeed.
SilverStone Sugo SG08 Specifications | ||
Motherboard Form Factor | Mini-ITX | |
Drive Bays | External | 1x Slimline ODD |
Internal | 2x 2.5", 1x 3.5" | |
Cooling | Front | - |
Rear | - | |
Top | 180mm intake fan | |
Side | - | |
Bottom | - | |
Expansion Slots | 2 | |
I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic | |
Power Supply Size | SFX | |
Clearances | HSF | 117mm |
PSU | N/A | |
GPU | 12" / 305mm | |
Dimensions |
8.8" x 13.9" x 7.5" 222mm x 351mm x 190mm |
|
Weight | 13.23 lbs / 6 kg | |
Special Features |
USB 3.0 Dual-speed 180mm intake fan Adjustable fan duct for GPU 600W 80 Plus Bronze PSU included |
|
Price | $199 |
I'll admit I was a little taken aback by the price tag on the Sugo SG08, but try to keep in mind that you're getting a solid 600-watt power supply specially designed for the enclosure with it. I won't say it's impossible for you to run into the limits of this PSU in an enclosure like the SG08, just keep in mind that you'd have to overclock the absolute daylights out of your CPU and put in an AMD Radeon HD 7990 just to get close.
When you get to an enclosure this small, though, you're definitely going to be making some sacrifices. Storage space is at a premium, but more enterprising users may opt to use an adapter to turn the 3.5" bay into a dual 2.5" bay, giving you space for four 2.5" drives. The slimline optical bay might have been a bigger deal in years past, but the larger PC industry has been gradually migrating to these drives, and a slimline DVD burner can be had for around $20 now. Honestly the worst thing about this bay could very well just be the freakishly tiny screws.
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Sm0kes - Sunday, May 19, 2013 - link
No other differences. I suspect they are offering the case sans power supply for those looking to go modular.Uwanna - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
I'm sorry, but this case is dammm ugly. Try again.hughlle - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Or alternatively It looks great. Good job.mcnabney - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
No, it's ugly. The ventilation grid on the side are a disaster. Might as well be a fan noise amplifier.Hrel - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Fractal has an excellent one, that's still my go to.hughlle - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
You clearly miss the pint then. Looks are subjective. It would seem clear that they liked the looks, and i like the looks. Just because the poster thought it was ugly was irrelevant to the notion that they needed to try again.kallogan - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
I built several SG05 based desktops and it's actually amazing what powerfull hardware u can put within a solid 300W psu like the fortron one in the Sugo. Putting a 77W quad and a 170W GTX 670 is no problem. Of course, don't count on overclocking the thing but still u have enough horse power already.gopher1369 - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
Hi Kallogan,Can I just double check with you, you have the 670 installed with the 300 Watt version of the SG05? I was under the impression the max TDP for the 300 was 150 Watts.
I have a Radeon 7850 in my SG05 (great case btw), was thinking of upgrading to the 7870XT but as put off by the fact I'd have to swap out the PSU for the 450 Watt model on top. If it will work with the current PSU...
DanNeely - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
For cases where the GPU is facing vents along most of it's length, the limiting factor is mostly total power draw on the 12V rail; the SG05's PSU maxes out at 264W continuous on the 12V rail (300W peak). 17W for everything else is within the realm of the possible; especially since the IGP won't be contributing to the CPUs TDP. I'd be nervous about trying to max both the CPU and GPU continuously though.ven - Monday, May 13, 2013 - link
is it possible to install the asus Z77 deluxe mini-itx board in this case?