Jonsplus i100 Pro Review

The Jonsplus i100 Pro is a mini-ITX PC case that supports a 360mm radiator in the roof. In essence this chassis is a longer version of the Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P with an increased volume  of 23 litres which makes it rather large. Is this a case worth buying, or is it just too much work?

Main features

• Versatile Mini-ITX Case
• Elegant design made from aluminium and steel
• Two tinted side panels
• Modular construction with many hardware options
• Up to one 360/280 radiator at the top
• Up to six 120 or four 140 mm fans
• Boxed with riser cable for vertical GPU mounting
• Up to 1x 3.5-inch and 2x 2.5-inch drives

Specification:

• Motherboard support: Mini-ITX.
• Expansion slots: 2 in vertical mode, 3 in horizontal mode.
• Included fans: None.
• Fan mounts: 3x 120mm/2x 140mm roof, 3x 120mm floor.
• Radiator mounts: 360mm/280mm roof.
• 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None.
• Internal drive bays: 1x 3.5-inch/2.5-inch, 2×2.5-inch.
• Dimensions: 322mm H (with 15mm feet) x 435mm D x 194mm W.

Working with the Jonsplus i100 Pro throws up a fundamental question, whether you should stick with the default layout of a vertical graphics card and a PCI Express riser cable or move things around and opt for a traditional horizontal graphics card.

As we show in our video, this choice of layout is closely tied to the question of whether you are using air or liquid cooling on your CPU and GPU with pros and cons for each approach.

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an Intel Core i9-11900K, Palit RTX 3080 and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Jonsplus i100 Pro ‘s cooling capabilities.

Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i9-11900K (10 cores/20 threads)
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z590I Aorus Ultra BIOS F5d
• Memory: 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4-3200MHz
• Graphics card: Palit RTX 3080 Reference
• Power supply: Corsair SF600 600W Gold
• SSD: 500GB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe
• OS: Windows 10

Custom Loop Cooling

• CPU Block/Pump/Reservoir: Barrow combo unit
• GPU Block: EK Quantum Vector Full Nickel
• Radiator: Alphacool 280mm ST30 Nickel
• Radiator fans: 2x Noctua NF-A14 Chromax
• Case fans: 3x Noctua NF-F12 Chromax
• Fittings: EKWB Quantum 10/13mm
• Soft Tube
• Coolant: EK Cryofuel Clear

Cooling Performance

Cooling Performance Overview

We pummelled the test system with a combination of Time Spy Stress Test and Cinebench R23 to produce a system power draw close to 600W, which was right on the limit of our SFX Corsair SF600 power supply. We used five Noctua fans in the build and were intrigued to see significant changes in temperatures after we increased fan speed and also when we increased the pump speed. These figures suggest the Jonsplus i100 Pro is working effectively and is flowing a decent amount of cooling air.

Closing Thoughts

KitGuru's Editor chose the title ‘Leo Goes A Little Crazy' after he watched the Jonsplus i100 Pro video and it looks like a very fine choice.

As you will have seen in the video, the broad sweep of the case is fine and relatively straightforward, but once you dig into the detail you find it is indeed slightly maddening. Using the default vertical graphics configuration introduces the risk the PCIe Gen 3 riser will cause problems, but provided you overcome that hurdle and provided your vertical graphics card isn't choked by the glass side panel you will find the heavily tinted glass obscures the interior very effectively. In other words, you have built your PC to display your graphics card and will then find it is pretty much hidden from view.

Around the other side of the case you have the opposite situation which is that cable management is problematic, however the mess is thankfully hidden from view by the tinted glass. People, please, can we simply have clear glass on the pretty side and an opaque cover on the other side.

We instead opted for a conventional layout with a horizontal graphics card and could have used a regular air cooler or AIO on the CPU, however we instead chose to build a custom loop so we could fully test the Jonsplus i100 Pro.

We're not sure we would recommend this course of action as it created a significant amount of work but the point that drove me crazy is that we went round all the options and ended up with a PC that does a decent job, and yet we are not the least bit sure this is how Jonsplus intended us to use the i100 Pro.

If you choose to buy this case you are effectively buying a blank canvas that limits you to a Mini-ITX motherboard and that steers you towards an SFX power supply. After that, you're pretty much on your own and while that may give you a frisson of excitement it might also cause you some frustration.

You can buy the Jonsplus i100 Pro for £156.95 from Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

• Quality hardware, good component fit.
• Easily supports a 280mm radiator.
• Supports a huge air cooler inc. Noctua NH-D15.
• Support for multiple storage drives.

Cons:

• Cable management requires work.
• 26 Litres is large for an ITX case.
• Only supports dual slot graphics in vertical mode.
• No fans included.
• ITX hardware adds expense.

KitGuru says: The Jonsplus i100 Pro requires work and careful thought, but the finished result can be satisfying.

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