The Apollo SE is a 17.4L reference layout mATX / ITX case. The case is constructed of CNC aluminium for exterior panels and stainless steel for internal frame. It supports reference and inverted reference layouts. Case priced between US309~359 inc delivery, depending on configuration and colour. See McPrue webstore for more details.
SPECIFICATIONS
MODEL | Apollo SE |
MATERIALS | CNC Anodised Aluminium (panels), Stainless Steel (internal frame) |
DIMENSIONS | 360×186.6×265mm (L×W×H) without case feet |
VOLUME | 17.8 Litres |
CASE I/O | Power Button, USB 3.2 Type-C (Type-E Male), USB 3.0 Type-C (USB 3.0 20pin) |
MOTHERBOARD SUPPORT | Mini-ITX / Deep-ITX / Mini-DTX / Micro-ATX (mATX may limit hardware compatibility) |
COOLER CLEARANCE | 158mm (75mm pump block height with side 280 radiator installed) |
RISER CABLE | N/A |
GRAPHICS CARD COMPATIBILITY | 342×81×165mm (143mm max GPU height is recommend to allow for safe 12VHPWR cable clearance) |
DRIVES SUPPORTED | 1x 3.5″ + 1x 2.5″ or 2x 2.5″ (based on components) |
CASE FANS SUPPORTED | Top/Bottom: 2x 120/140mm (inverted reference/reference) Side: 2x 140mm (inverted/references) Rear: 1x 92/120mm (120mm not compatible with side radiator bracket) Note: Case fan compatibility may be reduced based on hardware configuration and case layout |
LIQUID COOLING SUPPORT | Side: 1x 280 (240 radiators not supported. Dual radiator configs possible with custom water cooling.) |
POWER SUPPLY SUPPORT | SFX / SFX-L (SFX-L not recommended as this limits max GPU length or requires extremely tight cable bends) |
MANUAL | Y |
NVIDIA SFF CERTIFICATION | Y |
BUILD #1
MOTHERBOARD | Rog Strix B760-I Gaming WiFi (paid link) |
CPU | Intel I9 13900K (paid link) |
CPU COOLER | Noctua NH-U12A chromax.Black or PS120 (paid links) |
GPU | RTX 4080 Super FE (paid link) |
RAM | 32GB Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5, 7600MHz, CL38 (paid link) |
PSU | Extreme 850R (paid link) |
CUSTOM CABLES | 24pin (240mm), EPS (400mm), 12VHPWR (200mm) |
STORAGE | 1TB + 2TB NVME (paid links) |
CASE FANS | Top: 2x Arctic P14 Slims (paid link) Side: BeQuiet SWP4 140 (paid link) Rear: NF-A9x25 chromax.Black (paid link) |
BUILD #2
MOTHERBOARD | Rog Strix B760-I Gaming WiFi (paid link) |
CPU | Intel I9 13900K (paid link) |
CPU COOLER | EK AIO 280 + 2x BeQuiet SWP4 140 (paid links) |
GPU | RTX 4080 Super FE (paid link) |
RAM | 32GB Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5, 7600MHz, CL38 (paid link) |
PSU | Extreme 850R (paid link) |
CUSTOM CABLES | 24pin (240mm), EPS (400mm), 12VHPWR (200mm) |
STORAGE | 1TB + 2TB NVME (paid links) |
CASE FANS | Top: 2x Arctic P14 Slims (paid link) Rear: NF-A9x14 chromax.Black (paid link) |
CONCLUSIONS
The 17.8L Apollo SE is probably the one of the best constructed Mini-ITX/mATX case we’ve tested. BOLD! I know, but no joke.
The case is constructed using CNC aluminium panels and a stainless steel internal frame that is built like a tank. All panels are push-pin secured (including the front), with extremely tight tolerances, near perfect. If the Apple style front panel isn’t to your taste, it’s also available with slotted front panel design. The case supports both references and inverted reference layouts, so the graphics card can be installed at top or the bottom of the case. This isn’t covering the small details you notice when using the case for the first time.
While the Apollo SE is great case, it is not without its faults. The side radiator bracket doesn’t support 240 radiators or 120mm fans. 280 radiators and 140mm fans only. The radiator/fan bracket is also very difficult to install with max clearance air coolers or AIO and required removing the front/top of the internal frame in order to install. This wouldn’t be so bad, but there are alot of screw involved and some are under located under the case feet. SFX-L power supply support is limited, but this is the case with most Mini-ITX cases. There was a small amount of play with the front panel, which caused it to sit a fraction out of alignment with the top panel, this can however be solved with little ingenuity. The developer will look to address these issues as best they can in future revision.