Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini-ITX Computer Case

First impressions
The Elite 110 is one of the most compact PC cases I’ve ever used. I daresay that it’s cute, even. It’s only 8.2″ tall by 10.3″ wide by 11.1″ deep, or 208 x 260 x 280 mm.

In the design department, the Elite 110 flies under the radar. Its clean black exterior has only one flourish: a blue LED-backlit power button in the form of the Cooler Master logo. This blue LED is mercifully subdued, unlike many that I’ve come across in various cases and peripherals over recent years. The case is available in one finish, which Cooler Master calls “Midnight Black.” Seems a bit redundant to me, but there you have it.

The outer cover and internals of the Elite 110 are steel, while the front panel is plastic covered with a metal mesh. The case is pretty hefty despite its size, weighing in at 5.9 lbs, or 2.65 kg.

The front panel is vented across its entire surface, which provides plenty of ingress for cooling air. The top and sides of the case are vented, as well. Save for a sheet of foam behind the front panel, the Elite 110 doesn’t have any filters, so I would expect dust to accumulate inside. Keep some canned air handy.

On the left side of the front panel, there are two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, a red drive activity LED, and a reset button.

At the rear of the case, you’ll find cut-outs for the power supply and the motherboard’s port cluster. The Elite 110 can handle ATX PSUs up to 7.1″ (180 mm) in length, although Cooler Master recommends a standard 5.6″ (142-mm) PSU length to allow room for cable routing. The case also has space for a dual-slot graphics card, as evidenced by the two expansion-slot covers.

Finally, the bottom of the case is dotted with four hard plastic feet.

As a whole, the design of the Elite 110 is what I like to see in a case: simple, understated, and purposeful. The only notable omission is a 5.25″ optical drive bay, but I doubt most people will miss it these days. If you really need an optical drive, you’ll have to grab an external one—or step up to the larger Elite 120 or Elite 130.

I’ve covered most of the Elite 110’s specifications already, but here’s a convenient table for comparison with our other case reviews:

Now that I’ve toured the Elite 110’s exterior and key specs, let’s take a look inside.