I am looking to build a new PC to replace my old AMD tower. So far I have settled for this outline:

• Mini ITX board
• CPU probably AMD 8 core
• SFX power supply
• 3060 GPU (maybe 2070S)  (with riser cable)
• 16 GB RAM dual channel
• no water cooling, 3.5" drives etc

Main problem are small cases that fit that description without being too large. Example: Fractal Era ITX is 17l with support for water cooling, ATX power and non-riser GPUs. Thermal are quite bad too it seems.

Some obscure, high priced kickstarters seem to offer something but I'd like to get something from retail.

10l MJOLNIR: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thorzone/mjolnir-the-minimalistic-but-not-boring-pc-case?ref=project_link

This is just too small it seems with 3.9l and some weird micro power supply: https://www.velkase.com/products/velka-3

Are there any good retail cases with 7-11l at maybe max. 120$.

You'll have a hard time finding a case so small, and mini ITX boards are also scarce nowadays.

Cases of that volume... try looking for Silverstone. Their SG13 makes less than 12 liters and they have other M-ITX models besides that. And Fractal also has the Node 304, but I don't know its volume.

Yes this is getting surprisingly difficult. The old Fractal Design Node 202 is about 10l for 80$ and has a flat pizza layout but I would prefer a sandwich layout instead.

I have found this thread with a lot of recommendations but most of them are boutique 200-300$ cases or obscure single person manufacturers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/fe2rp0/sub_10l_itx_cases_full_length_gpu_support/

Example: Sliger SM550 (220$) or Dan A4 (215$)

Why have you decided on mini-ITX? I went mini with my last PC but I have returned to full tower.

Just to be clear, what do you mean with "sandwich layout"? It's like the old shoe-box design but on one side so it's taller than wider?

Also, they may be on bigger end of what you're looking for, but CoolerMaster has the Masterbox NR200 and there's a company called Parvus that makes PC cases out of acrylic that have many color combinations. The downside is that their cases come disassembled and you have to build them like an Ikea piece of furniture.

Well, after years of building my cute ITX systems I gave up. I don't know what you need it for, but they're simply impractical and apart from the small form factor, come with zero benefits. If this is a system to be hooked up to your TV, you'd be much better off with the full-sized home theatre case. It has better airflow, it's easier to build, has plenty of room for expansion, it's not limited to ITX MOBOs and it fits perfectly in most TV units.

I do have a mid-tower and its quite bulky and heavy to carry if needed. I don't want a big empty box anymore. Modern components have gotten so efficient that I don't need large ATX power supplies and 14cm fans anymore.

One more case I've found is the Geeek A50 for 90$ but it seems out of stock now (and I don't like plastic sides).

https://www.geeekstore.com/shop/a50-plus-mini-itx-case/

Yes shoe box style is preferred. The Masterbox NR200 and Parvus are 18l-20l and a bit too large. I believe that larger case manufacturers are shying away from riser cables so that they require a full wide case.

It's $120, but this one is 7.8l https://caseend.com/case/zs-a4-v2/

Don't know the exact internal volume, but it should be around 7liter:

https://www.alternate.de/SilverStone/ML05B-USB-3-0-HTPC-Gehäuse/html/product/1088276?

Plenty of airflow for the 3060 and a cheap pricetag. Just keep in mind it uses an STX PSU, not an ATX or ITX one.