Apex MI-100 4BAY Desktop Blk/Silver 250W ATX12V Mitx

by Apex

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 8.7 x 11.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000WCQYU6
• Item model number: MI-100
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #39 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Computer Cases
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 24, 2007

Product Description

Apex MI-100 Chassis MI-100 Computer Cases

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Case for HTPC, March 9, 2009

By 

DC in DC - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apex MI-100 4BAY Desktop Blk/Silver 250W ATX12V Mitx (Personal Computers)

Update (March 26, 2010):
I bought another one of these for someone else. The case that I have (purchased about a year after my initial review) now comes with 2 SATA power plugs, and both sides now have air vents rather than just one. Overall still very pleased with the case.

Original Post (March 09, 2009):
I bought this case and matched it with a D945GCLF2 MB, 2 GB RAM, 640 GB HD, and a 22x DVD burner, and added an 80mm fan to the vent hole side. Very tight fit, but if you plan things ahead of time you can run the cables where you need them, and tuck them away and tie them off with large twist ties, or small zip ties if you are feeling confident. Go with SATA for both DVD and HD to increase airflow (has only one SATA plug so you need to buy a MOLEX to SATA power adapter for more). I initially had an 80GB SATA and a 40GB IDE drive in the case (made room for the IDE in the open spot below the DVD and 80GB slots so that nothing would block the side vent). Does not seem to run too hot, all readings showed both cores and the HD running at ~38 to ~40 degrees Celsius while crunching DVDs into .WMVs. The case is a fingerprint and scratch magnet, but looks very nice and compact and does not seem too out of place in the living room.

Things I would change:
-Add a spot for a case fan.
-Get rid of the "mirror finish front" and just make it black
-Make it easier to open for upgrades
-2 SATA instead of 1

Things I like:
-Compact
-Place for everything
-Nice black finish
-Sturdy
-Comes with a power supply

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice mini-ITX case, with a few issues, February 6, 2009

By 

Greg A. Mefford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apex MI-100 4BAY Desktop Blk/Silver 250W ATX12V Mitx (Personal Computers)

First of all, the pictures of this item on Amazon are not very helpful.
The case is a very sturdy steel that slides off the back like an older tower-style case would.
The finish is a shiny powder-coated black.
The front of the case is a silver mirror over the optical drive cover and the 3.5" internal bay cover. The left side of the front face can be opened to reveal USB and audio ports.

This case has no fans in it or places to install fans, except the one built into the power supply.

The construction of the case is quite solid and easy to assemble. The only problem is that dimensions are REALLY TIGHT in this case. It is great that it is so small, and it should be possible to get your components in there, but don't plan on stuffing it too full with IDE optical drive and two 3.5" hard drives, because it will be a very tight squeeze and there ventilation is negligible.

I am using it with Intel's D945GCLF Atom-based motherboard and it works well, though it was difficult to get everything stuffed in there without removing the power supply while putting it all together.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Value Case for iTX, May 27, 2009

By 

J. Kletsky (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apex MI-100 4BAY Desktop Blk/Silver 250W ATX12V Mitx (Personal Computers)

=====> WARNING -- SHIPS AS BLACK w/ MIRROR/SILVER <=====

If you're used to Antec P180-series cases, take a deep breath. You won't find the airflow and cable routing, or the heavy gauge, damped sheet metal construction of the Antec. You will find a case that lets you build a complete dual-core Atom 330 machine with a pair of RAID (ZFS) 500 GB drives for around $300!

For my intended use, this case is more than adequate. The form factor is attractive and this MI-100 has a reset button and a "subtle" power LED (limited angle of view and non-blinding-intensity green) over its sister, the MI-008.

Space inside is adequate for the Intel D945GCLF2 Atom 330 (dual-core, 64-bit) I use, along with a pair of Seagate Momentus ST9500325AS(G) 5400.6 500 GB notebook drives.

The power supply is "quiet enough" for me and not worth going for something like the picoPSU (as I have enough space inside as well).

There is only one SATA power connector on the PS harness, so grab a Molex-to-SATA converter.

Definitely remove the PS when installing the motherboard. Between trying to plug in the 2x2 power and getting mounting screws in, its worth your while.

A 120mm fan can easily be added next to the power supply if you need more cooling. The power supply should be installed so that the air inlet is over the CPU -- pulling air from over the motherboard and exhausting it out the rear of the case.

There are slew of great photographs of the sister case, apex-mi008, at silentpcreview, including disassembled, with MB in place, and how they install a fan (I also like the Yate Loon as a great, quiet, and inexpensive fan, which I have been buying in lots of four from my local source).

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