Small form factor computers have been growing in popularity the last few years, and offer the benefits of lighter weight, a smaller footprint, less ambient noise, and lower heat and power requirements. This makes them the favorite of many consumers who are looking for a new PC, but don't want, for a variety of reasons, a standard tower case. This is especially true in today's era of slim LCD displays, and the ability to utilize PCs in ever-smaller desktop spaces.
Of course, there is a negative with most SFF systems, as the standard concession with a smaller space is a corresponding drop in performance, features and flexibility. Many times these systems come with the motherboard already installed, usually of a proprietary size and design, limiting both peripheral and platform upgrades. Ultra Products has got around this limitation in a very interesting way, and that is by simply shrinking the MicroFly case dimensions, while maintaining the majority of features and options present in a standard mid-tower case.
Ultra offers a few different designs with their MicroFly brand, but these can be separated into models with power supplies, and those without. The MicroFly Case w/ 400 Watt V-Series, as its name implies, ships with a 400W V-series power supply, while offering the standard features of the MicroFly case line. This case format comes in three different models, Black, Blue, and Black with Side Window. The case we received was the MicroFly blue case, although the standard features remain consistent between the three models.
The MicroFly case looks extremely nice, and features a liquid gloss finish that emulates an enamel-like outer coating. It is constructed of high-grade aluminum, and is almost unnaturally light with the PSU removed. Even with the 400W PSU installed, this is a very easy case to handle. With case dimensions of 15" depth, 11.25" width & 9" height, the MicroFly is a bit larger than a standard SFF, with the width and length extended to handle standard Micro-ATX motherboards and PSUs. But this is also a key feature of this case, as it can handle any mATX motherboard you can throw at it, from base models to high-end powerhouses.
The front of the MicroFly case features two open 5.25" bays and one open 3.5" bay. This is more than enough flexibility for current mainstream systems, and we utilized it to include a high-end DVD writer + DVD-ROM with no problems at all. There is also a front-mounted temperature display along with 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Firewire, 1 x Headphone, and 1 x Microphone ports. There are also power on/off and reset buttons, along with hard drive and power LEDs. Each of the case doors features a lower-mounted grill (not pictured), for enhanced airflow. The MicroFly cases also include an easy-to-use carrying handle, which folds down flush at the front (and very well disguised) but can easily be lifted up and set in place.
The MicroFly case is extremely easy to work with, and the top plate and both side doors can be totally removed. This allows an incredible amount of flexibility during the installation, especially when combined with the removable motherboard tray. This last part is a great feature, and very unexpected in a case of this class and price. Keep in mind that it too is aluminum and because of its diminutive size, care should be taken not to bend it. The side-mounted hard drive bracket makes perfect use of the available space, and keeps these out of the way from the floppy and DVD/CD drives. The MicroFly allows room for four PCIe/AGP/PCI expansion slots, and includes a removable mATX I/O shield, but this can be replaced with the one included with your motherboard.
System cooling is also surprisingly robust for a case this small, and it includes a front-mounted 80mm fan pulling in the cold air and a 120mm fan in the back, pushing hot air out. This is more than most standard mid-tower cases ship with, and the back 120mm cooling fan is a nice plus, as it can really push the air without raising ambient noise levels. This is certainly true in real-world usage, as the MicroFly is a surprisingly cool-running, nearly-silent case during standard operation. We slapped a hot-running Pentium D 840 + Radeon X1800 XL combination into this case, and it handled it with no problem whatsoever.
The power supply is another nice surprise, and a retail Ultra V-series 400W model is included with the MicroFly Case w/ 400 Watt V-Series models. This PSU sports some very nice specifications for a small form factor PC, such as mainstream-level power rails and a 120mm internal fan. It also and features one 20/24-pin motherboard connector, one 4-pin +12V connector, eight 4-pin Molex connectors, four 4-pin floppy connectors, one PCI Express graphics connector, and two SATA connectors.
Other features include short circuit protection, in-rush current protection and thermal overload cutoff protection. For mATX motherboards and the available internal real estate, this PSU is actually a bit of overkill, but high-end users will certainly appreciate it. The MicroFly w/ 400 Watt V-Series case does allow the PSU to be upgraded, but you do pay a slight premium for the bundled 400W unit.
