PC Cases come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most popular of course being standard ATX format sized cases as they will fit pretty much all form factors of motherboards and can hold many components. The SFF or Small Form Factor case is a somewhat specialized case that is meant to have a small footprint and be portable if need be. SFF cases became popular with gamers so they didn't have to carry full-sized heavy cases with them to LAN parties, but with the popularity of Home Theater PCs, these same cases are finding a new use as the center of our home entertainment systems.

Today for review I've got the b-Envi SFF case from Bgears and it's a nice case overall packed with several cool features like a built in removable 2.5” hard drive enclosure, 58-in-1 card reader and quiet 120mm fan. The b-Envi is an all aluminum case making it very lightweight and portable with room for two hard drives and one optical drive. The first thing that struck me about this case was the fact that there are no buttons on it, it features a touch sensitive panel with 'buttons' that light up to be touched when you want to power of/off or reset the system, it even has an automatic locking mechanism so the 'buttons' can't be accidentally touched.

So, let's just jump right into this and check it out...

Bgears b-Envi SFF Case Review

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Sponsor: Bgears

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

(The Model I am reviewing today is the b-Envi which has two side windows, one on each side, there is a model, b-Envi-nw, that features solid sides or no windows)

bGears b-Envi SFF/HTPC Case

Model Description:

b-Envi

- 1 x120mm Blue LED rear Fan included

- 2 side windows top cover

Features:

- Compact Portable Stylish Design

- Touch Sensitive buttons (Power/Reset/Lock)

- Front built in 58-in-1 Card Reader

- Front built in 2.5” Removable Aluminum IDE HDD Enclosure.

 (SATA HDD PCB Card Sold Separately)

- External USB cable included for 2.5” HDD Enclosure portability

- 3 x USB 2.0 Ports. Audio/Mic.

- Flip Down Door to prevent dust

- Mirror finished Front Bezel

- Aluminum 1.0 Chassis

- Removable Motherboard Tray

- Include 1 x 120mm fan (Blue LED Fan or Black Fan. See Detail in Model Description)

Specifications:

Type: MicroATX Desktop

Case Material: Aluminum 1.0 Chassis with ABS plastic front panel

Power Supply: Not Included

Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX, Baby AT

With Side Panel Window: Optional (See Model Description)

External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2

External 3.5" Drive Bay.: Slot replaced by 2.5" Removable IDE HDD Enclosure.

 (SATA HDD PCB Card Sold Separately.)

Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 2

Expansion Slots: 4

Input Current: 0.3A (max)

80mm Fans: Not Included

120mm Fans: 1 x 120mm Rear Fan (See Model Description)

Side window: 2 clear Acrylics side window Top Cover

Dimensions: 9" x 11.2" x 14.7" (H x W x D)

Weight: 8lbs

58-in-1 Card Reader Spec:

CF I, CF II, CF 3.0, Extreme CF, Extreme III CF, ULTRA II CF, HS CF, XS-XS CF, CF ELITE PRO, CF PRO II, IBM MD, HITACHI MD, MAGICSTAR, MS, MS PRO, MS DUO, MS MG, MS MG PRO, MS MG DUO, MS PRO DUO, MS MG, MS MG PRO, MS MG DUO, MS MG PRO DUO, MS Pro parallel mode, Extreme Ms pro, Extreme III MS PRO, ULTRA II MS PRO, HS MS MG PRO, HS MS MG PRO DUO, HS MS PRO DUO, MS ROM, MS Select, SD, Mini SD, HS Mini SD, Extreme SD,SDHC, Extreme III SD, ULTRA II SD, SD-ULTRA-X, ULTRA SPEED SD, SD PRO, SD ELITE PRO, HS SD, MMC, MMC II, HS MMC, RS MMC, ULTRA RS MMC, DV-RS MMC, HS RS MMC, SM SM RAM, eXcellent Digital, eXcellent Digital 1.2, TranFlash, Micro SD, XD Ready.

Support - Compact Flash: Yes

Support - Memory Stick: Yes

Support - MMC: Yes

Support - SD: Yes

Support - SmartMedia: Yes

xD Ready: Yes

Accessories:

- Manual

- 2.5" HDD Enclosure

- External USB cable for 2.5" HDD Enclosure Portability

- Internal USB cable for 2.5" HDD Enclosure

- A Bag of Screws

- A 20/24 pin Power adapter cable with 2 pins cable connector for Front panel Touch buttons (Power/Reset/HDD/Lock)

Manufacturer Warranty:

Parts: 1 year limited

Labor: 1 year limited