Overview of the Chieftec FI-03B Case

Ever since with the light touch of the VIA Technologies the Mini-ITX motherboard standard has entered the consumer market, ample opportunities have opened up for fans of compact computer systems. However, the main problems of the still new form factor were quickly identified then. The most painful among them were issues of components compatibility (which were all produced for a more common ATX format), the problem of their cooling and, of course, the complete absence of sane small cases capable of taking such systems in.

In solving problems with the chassis, the industry initially chose two parallel paths. On the one hand, tiny boxes supplied with an external power supply were put into production. The maximum that they were able to accept was the processors from VIA and Intel with TDP not more than 20 watts. On the other hand, cases where it would be possible to assemble a good game system based on the Mini-ITX motherboard were created. But in size, they often reached the dimensions of the usual Mini-Tower, and the satisfaction of that was still not enough.

And only after the Slim-Tower and mini-Tower chassis (coming from the corporate market segment), equipped with power supplies SFX and TFX (adapting power supplies from the servers), has been release4d into the market. As one example of this approach, let’s now consider the Chieftec FI-03B chassis equipped with the Chieftec GPF-250P power supply.

Features

Case type: Mini-Tower
Dimensions, mm: 265 (H) x 100 (W) x 310 (D)
Material: ABS plastic, steel
Weight, kg: 1.8
Color: black
Form factor: Mini-ITX
Devices 5.25": 1 (Slim ODD)
3.5" external devices: –
3.5"/2.5" internal devices: 1/1
Supported number of expansion slots: 1 (Low Profile)
Fans: –
Interface sockets: 2 x USB 3.0, mic input and headphone output
Other: Pre-installed TFX Chieftec GPF-250P 250W power supply; the case can be used in a vertical or horizontal position by gluing the complete legs

Packing and Equipment

The packaging of the case is the most usual small box with monochrome polygraphy depicting the front panel of the chassis, its name and availability of the power unit. All the rest of the information will be of interest only to the logistics service, since there are no technical characteristics here. Protection from damage during transportation is basic – a plastic bag and two foam dampers.

The delivery kit consists of the following:

• • illustrated instruction for assembling the system;
• • brochure with warranty information;
• • power cable with plug for euro standard outlet;
• • 4 adhesive rubberized legs;
• • 14 case screws;
• • 2 miniature screws for a thin optical drive;
• • metal shim;
• • 2 small flat-head screws;
• • 3 medium screws (suitable for 2.5" drives);
• • mounting plank for PCI expansion cards;
• • bracket for a pendant lock.

Outlook

Chieftec FI-03B has a fairly simple and utilitarian outlook with relatively small overall dimensions. In thickness, this model is not wider than 100 mm taking into account the bulging side handle. The front panel is plastic. At its top there are two spaced apart from each other USB 3.0 ports. Between them there are two 3.5-mm audio jacks for headphones and a microphone (their color scheme does not coincide with the purpose, for some reason). Below to the right a red drives activity indicator is placed, under which there is a square system start button (a white power indicator is built into it). There is no restart button. On the left side there is a slit for installing a thin optical drive closed by a solid plug. The plastic grid at the bottom has small holes, but its role in the ventilation of this chassis is more decorative than efficient.

The left (or upper – depending on the case orientation) panel is removable. It has a vent located just above the motherboard processor socket. In the middle of the rear part there is a rotary plastic handle. In the closed position it does not allow to open the case sidewall. And in the open one it is convenient to use it as pawl for the dismantling of the door. However, the panel itself is held by two knurled screws, and an external lock can be hung on it from the rear. Such a set of fasteners seems to be clearly excessive here.

On the inside, the door is not painted, however, like the rest of the case. The mechanism of the lock extensively protrudes above the plane of the door, reducing the permissible height of the processor cooler if it falls just in front of it.

The right (or lower, again, depending on the case orientation) panel is solid and non-removable. In its corners there are round grooves where it is possible to glue the legs in case a user decides to use the chassis in a horizontal position.

At the rear part of the upper case panel there is a ventilation grid. However, there are no seating holes for a fan here.

On the left panel (which may be a bottom one when the case is oriented vertically), there is another ventilation grid in its front part. But it is not possible to fix a fan here as well. In the corners of the panel round grooves are made where, if necessary, one can glue rubber legs.

At the rear panel there is almost nothing remarkable. Just below the opening for the motherboard back panel there is a PCI expansion slot suitable for low profile cards closed with a disposable plug. Still lower, there is the TFX power supply, for which only one orientation option is provided – with the fan oriented to the case inside. On the right side there are blanks for the installation of two long-obsolete sockets of COM ports and one LPT port, all of them are closed with disposable plugs.

Internal Organization

Chieftec FI-03B supports the installation of motherboards exclusively format Mini-ITX (170 x 170 mm) format only. The manufacturer’s declared processor cooler height is 65 mm. In fact, the maximum here is 70 mm point-blank to the lid, but room for air intake is still needed. The possible length of a low profile single-slot expansion board is within 175 mm. And from the manufacturer's point of view, its length should not exceed 160 mm. The length of the TFX power supply unit is the same as the allowable length of the expansion board – no more than 175 mm.

In the rear top part of the case there is a place to install the motherboard. Four racks for it are already screwed into the pallet.

The lifting damper covers the expansion board fixing point. It obviously has a purely vandal-proof designation preventing the board from being removed when the case cover is closed.

The TFX power supply is fixed here. Only one orientation option is possible – with its fan up. It should be noted that during installation the expansion board will be quite close to BP ventilation, therefore, it is necessary to select its dimensions carefully.

The case lower front corner can be used as a place for laying the wires. Although there is a ventilation grid here, no propeller can be fixed on it.

All the drive baskets are assembled in the upper front part of the chassis. One 2.5" and one 3.5" drive, as well as a thin 5.25" optical drive can be put here.

The drive has a spring-loaded latch for fast fixation, but if desired, it can be fixed with conventional screws.

The front plastic panel is easily removed after the side cover has been dismantled. From above it is held with two latches, they need to be bent firstly, and then the panel is to be pulled, releasing the two plastic «tulips» from below. The wires are attached to the panel, and care must be taken when dismounting it.

In the set of wires there is a USB 3.0 shoe, system start, drive and system activity indicator wires, as well as an HD-Audio shoe. The length of all cables is more than sufficient.

The drives basket is removable and held in its place by a screw with a plastic knurled head and a latch at the top right. Both fasteners are marked in red which makes it easier to find them.

After removing the basket, the entire case space becomes available for manipulations. The power supply and motherboard can be installed in it and connected without any difficulty.

The basket itself is not very even from the very start. Fortunately, it is quite soft and may be quickly restored to its original shape. Compartment of 3.5" drive is provided with a fast attachment system as well.

A proprietary TFX power supply is called the Chieftec GPF-250P. It has dimensions of 175x86x65 mm and weighs 900 grams. It is equipped with a sufficiently quiet fan 80h80h15 mm in size.

According to its characteristics, this power source looks quite good. For it a 85% efficiency is stated, the ability to work in networks of 100 and 240 V and the ability to produce up to 228 watts on the 12 V line are declared. Given that there is no socket for the video card, almost a double power margin for any system is gotten.

The set of wires looks modest, although in a small case it is rather a plus than a minus. The following are included:

• • 24-pin motherboard length 300 mm socket;
• • 4-pin socket for processor power supply, length 350 mm;
• • 2 Power-SATA sockets on one cord, 350 and 150 mm long respectively;
• • 2 Molex sockets on one cord, 350 and 150 mm long respectively.

Assembly

The system assembly in the Chieftec FI-03B case takes 10-15 minutes maximum. The procedure is simple and logical. First, the side and front panels are to be removed, the drives basket is extracted and the disks are installed there. Then the motherboard, processor, cooler and memory are mounted; and all the necessary sockets connected. And the final – the basket is returned to its place and the wires are managed in such a way that they do not interfere with anything.

Provided that the CPU cooler is not too big and exotic, the whole system turns out to be pretty neat, easy to clean and maintain.

The power button glows white and the drive activity indicator flashes red. They may seem too bright if one looks at them directly. But if looked at, at a small angle, then these indicators do not cause any particular irritation.

Conclusions

Compact Mini-ITX Chieftec FI-03B case is an excellent chassis for assembling a non-bulky, small-size system without a graphics card. Its three main advantages are small size, simplicity and speed of installation and maintenance of the system, as well as a nice quiet built-in power supply. In addition, the case can be used in both vertical and horizontal orientation.

The optimal scenarios for the FI-03B application are a mass office PC, a computer for specialized workstations, or a home multimedia center. Using a video card in this package is not particularly advisable, because more or less productive solutions will still occupy two slots, which are not present here, and low-power adapters are slightly better than the integrated graphics in modern processors. But here one can choose a good sound card if there is such a need.