Assistance Needed! Torn between ITX and mATX.

J

JohnnyGrey86

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Oct 8, 2011
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Right now I am using:

Case: Antec Mini P180
PSU: Silverstone strider 700watt fully modular.
CPU: Phenom II X4 955 (3.2ghz, no O/C)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
RAM: 4x2gb DDR3 1600mhz 9-9-9-24
GFX: EVGA GTX 570
HDD1: OCZ Agility2 60gb SSD
HDD2: WD Caviar Blue 640gb
HDD3: Samsung Ecogreen F2 1.5tb

I was able to pick up a 2500k from Micro Center during the $150 sale, and wanted to build a new rig. I will be reusing the PSU, GPU, and all three harddrives. I also have two optical drives, but I might only reuse the BluRay/DVD burner combo drive. This mini P180, although a truly amazing design when it comes to silence, cooling, and cable management, it is not by any means a mini case. It is heavy as well. My goal is to have more of a portable rig. I don't like having two seperate systems, so my main rig will always be my LAN rig.

I keep going back and forth between mATX and mini ITX. The only two ITX Z68 choices are the Zotac, and the Asrock. The Zotac has a terrible BIOS, with lacking features, terrible coil whine, and reports of boards dying within weeks. The Asrock suffers from overheating VRM's, resulting in an inconsistent, albeit stable overclock.

If I were to stay within the mATX form-factor, I was looking at the ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z.

I'm looking for a case that has decent airflow, is lighter, and isnt hindered by cpu cooler choice. I'd like to carry over my GeminII cooler, which doesn't require much clearance to begin with. I swapped out the fan on the GeminII to an Akasa Viper PWM fan, that moves much more air. I'm willing to buy a larger, better cooler, to allow a higher overclock. I'd like to try overclocking my 2500k with as little a voltage increase as possible. I don't want to fry a 32nm CPU.

I've always liked the cube style cases for LAN parties, and i like the horizontal mobo orientation, especially for a system being moved around, but I have only found ONE that I truly like, and unfortunately, that case is currently impossible to find new in the states. This case, is the famous Lan-Gear Da Box 100.

Since I cannot find a suitable cube case, I am leaning towards the Silverstone Temjin TJ08E. This case looks very nice, has some amazing airflow via positive pressure from the 180mm fan, has a CPU cooler support brace, and a rubber pad Graphics card brace, both amazing for a case getting brought to LAN parties. This case will shave off 9 pounds from my system JUST from the case alone, and reduce the size by a fair amount.

I own GearGrip harnesses for everything I bring to LAN Parties, the back pack, widescreen LCD harness, and the tower harness, so having a handle is not necessary.

Budget for Case, Mobo, maybe new RAM kit, and any case accessories: around $400, not including shipping and tax. Was thinking of adding in a Scythe Kaze Master Ace 2-channel 3.5' fan controller for an awesome looking finishing touch, to control the front, and rear fans.

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Heavy gaming, LAN parties, internet browsing, possibly ripping/transcoding videos

2. What's your budget? $400 roughly. Needed hardware isn't much

3. Where do you live? Chicago Suburbs. Fry's and Microcenter are both an hour drive. Friends and family are nearby, so I'm in the area frequently.

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget? Case, Case Accessories, Motherboard, and maybe new RAM Kit

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? GTX 570, 1x 2.5" SSD, 2x 3.5" HDD, ODD, 700 watt fully modular PSU.

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard? Z68 Chipset. SATA3.0 for SSD, Overclocking, SLI possibly for future use.

7. What resolution output do you need? 1080p, using an ASUS LED-LCD 24' monitor

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space? None required, sits on desk. smaller and lighter, the better, given my hardware requirements.

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring? Rather not mod a case, but if necessary, I'll do it. No soldering equipment here, but know how. Father has all tools needed and then some.

10. How important is the noise/silence of this sytem? Everything that has sound I use a set of Logitech g930's for, so as long as it's not a typhoon/tornado, It's good.

11. How mobile does this system need to be? Have GearGrip harness for mini-mid towers. Will be main rig and LAN party rig.

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Windows 7 H.P. 64bit

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Immediately
 
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having had many ITX rigs, im actually going over to to mATX
ITX is great for simple functionality.
If you want highend OCing, SLI/CFX, and other enthusiast features, go mATX
 
Thanks for the reply. I think I am going to stick with the mATX form factor. Especially considering the near-nonexistant selection of itx Z68 boards.

The only question is, which case?

Anybody using the TJ08E? I'm digging the features, and the 180mm fan. I may swap out that fan for silverstone's white version. It is not an "Air Penetrator" fan, due to not having that fancy grill built in, but it does use ball bearings as opposed to a sleeve bearing, so it should be quieter, and last longer.

I may also replace the 640gb for a faster drive. This is my game drive. I can't remember, but I could have sworn it was a Black model, not a Blue. But a Google search of it's model number from device manager shows it's a Caviar Blue.

I also forgot to mention, I have a PCI wireless card, due to the router being at the other end of the house, and I will still need to connect wirelessly, so I'll have to transfer that over. That ASUS board doesn't have a PCI slot, so I'll have to get something different.

I could always get one of these: BELKIN F7D2102 N300 Micro Wireless Adapter hadn't realized how small they have gotten.
 
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If you want a cheaper motherboard option, you can go with something like the ASRock Z68 Pro3-M. It is Z68 with USB 3.0 micro ATX, but no other frills like no extra SATA ports, no Firewire, no SLI/Crossfire, etc. Only useful thing it is missing are front USB 3.0 headers, but if you can live with that, it is a $110 motherboard that is suitable for overclocking.

Your RAM should be fine unless it is some old 1.8v stuff, as you don't want to go over 1.65v.

For case, how about a Lian Li PC-A04 or one of the Fractal Design mATX cases?

For HDD, there's the new Hitachi 1TB with single platter. Model number ends in D. It is likely the fastest consumer HDD on the market, and just came out maybe the past week or so.

For a USB WiFi adapter, I'm a fan of something like this. The reasons are that it has the USB extension with stand so you can position the device optimally, plus it has a better antenna.
 
i went for mini-itx on my nas / mediacenter / pfsense but deep down - i wish i'd gone for matx on them all
 
As always Zap, thank you for the suggestions. I'm sure you're wondering why I posted on a second forum. I just wanted the opinion of a much larger, SFF-focused audience :)

Zap said:
If you want a cheaper motherboard option, you can go with something like the ASRock Z68 Pro3-M. It is Z68 with USB 3.0 micro ATX, but no other frills like no extra SATA ports, no Firewire, no SLI/Crossfire, etc. Only useful thing it is missing are front USB 3.0 headers, but if you can live with that, it is a $110 motherboard that is suitable for overclocking.
Click to expand...

That is a very nice choice, and although the steeper price tag of the ASUS makes it harder to justify it's purchase, the lack of SLI, and the USB 3.0 headers are what's turning me off. If I stick with the TJ08E, the front panel USB 3.0 ports would have to be converted to a USB 2.0 header.

Zap said:
Your RAM should be fine unless it is some old 1.8v stuff, as you don't want to go over 1.65v.
Click to expand...

The RAM I have now is indeed 1.5v RAM. Two reasons why I wanted a new kit. First one is i didn't want to occupy all four slots with 8gb of RAM. The second reason is I wanted to keep that RAM with the Phenom and Gigabyte mobo. I may give it to my dad, out of the kindness of my heart, and although I won't make any of the money I spend back, he could use it. He's using an older, slow Core 2 Duo system, running at I wanna say 1.6ghz. So this will be a huge upgrade for him.

Zap said:
For case, how about a Lian Li PC-A04 or one of the Fractal Design mATX cases?
Click to expand...

That Lian Li is a viable alternative, and about two pounds lighter than the TJ08E, I will keep this in mind. The Fractal design cases are not much lighter or smaller than my mini P180, I would be better off sticking with my current case.

Zap said:
For HDD, there's the new Hitachi 1TB with single platter. Model number ends in D. It is likely the fastest consumer HDD on the market, and just came out maybe the past week or so.
Click to expand...

I will have to look into this, I especially wanted your input on this. Newegg reviews on hard drives are, vague, if that.

Zap said:
For a USB WiFi adapter, I'm a fan of something like this. The reasons are that it has the USB extension with stand so you can position the device optimally, plus it has a better antenna.
Click to expand...

I do like the one you suggested. Although it is a little cumbersome, I like the idea of being able to position it. I'll likely only need to use this when I'm home, not on the road at LAN's, so I could always leave it here.

I liked the one I chose, because it is tiny enough that I could "set it and forget it." And I'm not THAT far away from the router. This is a tiny house, so I would guestimate maybe 20-30 feet from the router, through a wall or two.
 
May I suggest the Silverstone GD05 as an option for a mATX case? I'm using this case right now and I love it. The case itself is smaller than TJ08E and also tad bit lighter, also has great airflow. Not sure you'll have the same opinion on it regarding the looks though.
 
JohnnyGrey86 said:
As always Zap, thank you for the suggestions. I'm sure you're wondering why I posted on a second forum. I just wanted the opinion of a much larger, SFF-focused audience :)
Click to expand...

You mean my phat azz isn't large enough for ya?

Heh, didn't even see the name.

JohnnyGrey86 said:
That Lian Li is a viable alternative, and about two pounds lighter than the TJ08E, I will keep this in mind. The Fractal design cases are not much lighter or smaller than my mini P180, I would be better off sticking with my current case.
Click to expand...

Hey, couple pounds is a couple pounds. All comes down to how serious you are about shedding the weight of your computer - and that goes for other parts too.
 
Zap said:
You mean my phat azz isn't large enough for ya?
Click to expand...

Hey, careful Zap, I have a sensitive picture of you in a hotel room that hasn't seen the public yet! ;)

And losing a DVD drive and using a lighter case is thebinly option I have, because I wish to continue using three hard drives. I could use a lighter PSU, but not if I plan to SLI.

Parts are ordered, Hitachi hdd, Asus mobo, and tj98e case :)
 
No one suggests silverstone FT03 ? I myself am actually leaning towards that if I give up on mitx, sg08 seems like it's never going to come out
 
I was already considering the ft03, but blueray slot loading drives are hella expensive, and the sides come off too easily to be a LAN party rig. I was considering it though.

Are the internals changing on the sg08? Or is it just a new bezel and a new part number?
 
SG03/04? Internals in SG08 likely to be the same save for USB3.0 vs 2.0 at front.

I bought 2 slot loading BD drives off of eBay (HP overstock) for $40 each + shipping, btw. They work beautifully!
 
Sg03 and 04 limit CPU cooler choice, but they are small and portable!

I think Ill be happy, or at least content with the tj08e. I think it would look amazing with a rotated "L" shaped window :) can't wait to see what cooling is like with the 180mm fan and positive pressure.
 
SG03/04 has become inadequate in cooling when using quad CPUs and high performance GPUs. Its a great case but Silverstone hasn't been improving its cooling capabilities with the times. The SG03 does have room for a 120mm fan mod on its top however. Something I would highly advise doing if you get one.
 
Skott said:
SG03/04 has become inadequate in cooling when using quad CPUs and high performance GPUs. Its a great case but Silverstone hasn't been improving its cooling capabilities with the times. The SG03 does have room for a 120mm fan mod on its top however. Something I would highly advise doing if you get one.
Click to expand...

Easy to install a CL watercooler in either case as there is about 260X120mm rad space in the front. GPU could also be WC or removing one of the HD bays at the bottom but you are limited to 10" cards.
 
PNY does a wicked SLI 580 setup with an optional CPU cooler. tomshardware built an mATX system with one.
 
If you plan on overclocking then definately go for a matx board. There aren't any mitx boards that oc worth a damn without jumping through hoops anyway. It's dissapointing because I'm a big fan of the sg05 case.
 
Both the Asrock and Zotac Z68 ITX boards looked promising, especially the Zotac with the onboard wifi and dual gigabit Ethernet, but looks like they both have a list of problems.

I'm shocked ASUS hasn't come out with one yet.
 
I'm starting to think I screwed something up with my geminII cooler. Intel burn test maxed out my PII 955 at stock 3.2ghz at 74 degrees Celsius. Debating whether to use it on new build. Looking at the noctua dh14, or noctuas horizontal cooler. I think the geminII has a terrible mounting system too, requiring nut-tightening from the underside of the mobo.

Will the dh14 fit in the tj08e?

Ill hopefully have my new build done this weekend, after parts come In later in the week.

Apology for double post.
 
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