Building a SFF all-purpose/gaming case; suggestions?

E

e1ement

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Jan 2, 2009
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Hello everyone;

I am building a SFF for pretty much everything - gaming, watching, the works. Now, normally gaming implies maxed out components but in this case I want to keep everything within a pretty tight budget (it's ok if I can't max out on Crysis @ 3829 fps zomgz :D)

At the same time, I want something that is fairly portable, able to bring back and forth to college without having to ship it.

I've already picked up the following components from Fry's for about $185:
Intel C2D E8400 (2x3.0ghz)
ECS GF7100PVT-M3
Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC6400 (4-4-4-12)

I already own a DVD drive and hard drive (1TB Seagate), so the only things that I have left are the case/psu and video card.

I was thinking about the Antec NSK 1380; it's small enough to not be too obtrusive yet seems to offer just barely enough space for the components.
nsk1300_q.jpg

The only thing that worries me is the 350W PSU. Does anyone with any experience with the case have any horror stories about plugging a power-hungry video card into that thing?

Also, for the video card, I don't want to spend over $150. Based on some internet research (mostly comparisons on TH), I could pick up any one of the following cards for less than that:
$110 XFX 9800GT
$135 PNY 8800GTS 512
$145 HIS 4850

Also... since the CPU didn't have a cooler, I was considering using a relatively cheap Thermaltake HSF... does anyone know if something more extravagant, like a Zalman would be needed?

Sorry for the overload of questions, any advice would be appreciated!
 
I had the Aria several years ago. (The grandfather of the NSK1300 and NSK1380, FYI.) It was known to overheat with high-end hardware, which is why they added the vent on top- not sure how much better it is, but at least it should have been addressed.

However, if the PSU is still of the same design (a giant L-shape), you won't be able to fit any massive heatsinks on your CPU.
 
The 1380 comes with an additional expansion slot cooler to help move more air out the back of the case. There are decent heatsinks that will fit in the case but don't expect a cool running and quiet system - it'll either run warm or loud, your choice. My needs changed so My nsk1380 is sitting there doing nothing but I managed to stuff a thermalright heatsink in there with a standard 120mm in the rear, with the power supply mounted where the middle hard drive would go. I only gave up due to me needing three hard drives. A couple 40mm fans and the power supply would have been fine up there. It's all a VERY tight fit in that case but can work for both good cooling and quiet

Stock, just expect either warm temperatures or a loud system - simple as that.

I had a 65nm quad, 4850, 3 hdd's, cdrw, 4gb, wireless card running off a 300w power supply with no issue. This one is more than up to the task as long as you don't use a gtx280, 4870x2 or sli/cf. The 45nm dual core helps give a ton of headroom over the quads.
 
Just out of curiosity how do you travel back and forth to college? Plane? Train? or Automobile? The reason I ask is because mode of transportation can and will dictate what size case a person can use. For example a car would allow for the larger cases but a plane limits you to smaller cases.
 
I plan on going by plane. Going by automobile isn't possible (too far away.) I chose the NSK1380 mostly because it was fairly compact but gave enough space for a mATX mobo and a full-height graphics card. If it weren't for the price, though, I'd spring for one of the nice Shuttle cases.
 
I'm in the market for a new sff system too and for the same reason - to fly to and from college. I think I'll hold off for a while because my laptop is still pretty decent, but is there any reason you aren't considering the silverstone cases? They are a bit larger, but you can fit a full sized psu inside. I still think they'd be able to fit in a carryon, but I'm not entirely sure.
 
They could probably fit as a carry-on but that'd be pretty much all your space in the bag.
 
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