Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
For most getting into the mini-ITX cases, you can't go wrong (and may not go any further) going with the NR200. It's much smaller than the big cases you may have been using, and it's easy to build in. You don't necessarily have to get the Max version if you weren't planning on going with an AIO build. However, if you were, then it doesn't get much easier than the Max with the large 850W PSU and AIO already installed. However, you can fit a PC in here. There’s no AIO support, nor air filtration. So yes, there are sacrifices, but it offers among the easiest build processes – chances are you’ll be done building within the hour and have a very tidy end result. It will also happily fit huge triple-slot graphics cards, despite its ultra-compact 12-litter frame, and with a fancy ‘Cobalt’ PCIe 4.0 riser cable, there’s hardly a thing about this case that isn’t ultra-premium. It even has a carrying handle. Air Temp is measured by the mobo, and it's obviously high. This is because the cooler is blowing hot CPU air right on the mobo sensors, but it's still useful for relative measurements.
top exhaust fan - I, and many others on Discord thought this fan mounts on the interior of the case. It doesn't. You have to remove the top lid and mount the fan on top of the shell, which ruins the looks of the case (did anyone really buy this case for a reason other than looks?). It's also a giant pain to wire up because you either have to connect it after the shell is on or have a really long cable. The reason feels deceptive is that none of their pictures show it! They all have the top lid on. The CPU Cooler Test - I'll get to this in more detail, but it convinced me thermals are acceptable which is not really the case. Louqe's CPU Cooler Test and their support recommend adding an A12x15 fan on top of the NH-L12 GE cooler to achieve silent performance. You can get extra 120mm fan clips from Noctua for free to mount it, and you should get "silent" full performance!
The Louqe Raw S1 is more than just a case – it’s arguably a functional work of art.
GIGABYTE B550I AORUS PRO AX gave me a bit of headache. CPU cooler clearance is perfect, plenty of room at all sides, however I struggled with CPU-less bios flash. I had to flash the bios to get support for Ryzen 5000 and I couldn't make the flash work. Eventually I googled out that it only works with USB 2.0 thumb drives. Granted I was using USB 3 thumb drive. So I replaced it with older USB 2.0 thumb drive and then the flash went through properly. Another problem with the board is that PWM fan speed regulation sometimes does not work. I have created separate post about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/gigabyte/comments/r79tra/pwm_sometimes_failing_on_b550i_aorus_pro_ax/ . Not sure if it's issue with my concrete piece or if it's general problem with all these boards. This was resolved by removing Gigabyte software (SIV and EasyTune Engine). This increase in size can be found across all specs comparing the two cases. CPU Heatsink height support also increases from 66 mm in the Ghost S1 to 75mm in the Raw S1. This is, of course, largely thanks to the extra 4 liters of volume that the Raw S1 comes equipped with. It is important to note, however, that it is still an extremely small case. This does make me wonder a little about Louqe's quality control, and what kind of awful drill press their manufacturer is using. I have noticed a pattern of occasional QC issues like this popping up on Discord, but to Louqe's credit, their support does a great job of taking care of any issues.
Now is a good time to mention my goal: maximum performance with silent fans. That means running all fans at around 50%. Eventually I'll set up a proper fan curve, but for now, and most of the rest of the tests, the fans are all just pegged at 50%. There's only a slight performance reduction here, again indicating sufficient airflow, and this is our CPU thermal performance target. The smallest DIY PC cases from just a few years ago have often been thwarted by the increased cooling needs and size of today's components – particularly graphics cards like Nvidia's RTX 4090. But at 10.4 liters, the Mini-ITX Fractal Design Terra case has (just) enough room for most big GPUs, while delivering eye-catching aesthetics thanks to an aluminum exterior with some real wood trip up front. As compact cases go, this is one of the prettiest around. Considering the total size of this offering and its support for some of the largest graphics cards on the market, thermal performance holds up extremely well. There are not many fan formations – only two fans can fit in the case – but it is clear that airflow was a major consideration during design. For completeness' sake, I ran a set of tests with all the mods. The vented top fan still doesn't really make much of a difference. As an experiment, I tried to figure out the minimum fan speed required to get close to maximum performance. It turns out that with every fan at 75%, I can get within 1% of CPU performance. It's extremely loud, though, and it still doesn't get the GPU Temps down. An anemometer is a device that measures air speed. I measured air speed at 9 points around the exhaust vent and multiplied the average by the approximate area of the vent openings to get an airflow number in CFM. It's not perfect, but it will get us some ballpark numbers.An important note: the Corsair One case is only available in prebuilt configurations, severely limiting GPU and CPU options. Meanwhile, the Raw S1 will support most graphics cards and CPUs on the market thanks to its construction. The Raw S1 is a more subtle design than the Corsair One, opting for simple sides and vents instead of the Corsair One’s LEDs and large vents. Instead, the Raw S1 looks much closer to its smaller brother, the Ghost S1. There are almost no markings or features on the outside of the case. In fact, the front only features one small button for power, and I/O options are limited to a single Type-C placed on an angled panel. As for looks, the Ghost S1 is most similar. In fact, it looks quite a bit like the same case stood vertically if a few inches were added all around. This is not an issue; the design of the Ghost S1 is a major selling point for many buyers. However, people who were not fans of LOUQE’s last offering are unlikely to change their minds here. At 50% with no gasket, the air speed was below the resolution of the anemometer (0.1 m/s), so I had to bound the calculation. We see a 2X improvement at max fan speed and a >4X improvement at silent fan speeds. What sets the Louqe Raw S1 apart from the crowded world of PC cases is that it isn’t afraid to go in a totally different direction and limit your options. There is no tempered glass, no watercooling support, no RGB, nothing that falls into the typical trends of today’s day PC case design. And that, I applaud. It takes courage as designers to swim against the current and try something like this. And when all said and done, the Louqe Raw S1 is hands-down the nicest ITX chassis I’ve ever had the honor of working with. From its stunning, elegant single-piece external shell to the simplicity with which a system inside it pieces together, the Raw S1 is a chassis that I’m going to remember.
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