mATX or miniITX for gaming rig

K

koth

n00b
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
41
Hi guys,

While anxiously waiting for the IB to come out, I am looking around for the case for my future SFF gaming rig. Once IB is out, I would post a different post for some recommendation the rest of the rig

I have 2 general ideas in mind right now. If you were to build a mid range gaming rig, which one would you pick? Or do you have a better idea? :D
option 1:
LIAN LI PC-V354B
+ some Corsair PSU (500-700w) (depending on how much power do my mid range GPU needed)
+ mATX mobo

option 2:
SILVERSTONE SG08
+ buildin 600w PSU
+ mITX mobo

I would go for a much better/well recommended case like TJ08-E(15.16" x 8.27" x 14.72") but that case is a bit bigger than my book shelve (13" x 13" x 17")

I bet some of your guys would said that cooling might be a problem with these case :( I might get a CORSAIR H60/H80 if the stock fan cannot handle the heat while not OC.

On a different note, will a 64GB ssd big enough for OS + application? I would rather save the money for a better GPU and get the Crucial M4 64GB than the 128GB; make sense at all?:confused:

and thank you for your time :D
 
koth said:
I have 2 general ideas in mind right now. If you were to build a mid range gaming rig, which one would you pick? Or do you have a better idea? :D
option 1:
LIAN LI PC-V354B
+ some Corsair PSU (500-700w) (depending on how much power do my mid range GPU needed)
+ mATX mobo

option 2:
SILVERSTONE SG08
+ buildin 600w PSU
+ mITX mobo
Click to expand...
If building today, I'd go with Option 1 since you would have a higher chance of finding a quality mATX mobo than a quality mITX mobo. Right now if you want a reliable and overclock capable mITX mobo, you're pretty SOL. However, there are quite a few new Z77 mITX mobos previwed already. So assuming that one isn't planning on Crossfire/SLI and don't need more than 8GB to 16GB of RAM, those Z77 mITX mobos might make the ITX route a competitive route.

koth said:
On a different note, will a 64GB ssd big enough for OS + application? I would rather save the money for a better GPU and get the Crucial M4 64GB than the 128GB; make sense at all?:confused:
Click to expand...
If you stay on top of your space usage, you would be fine with a 64GB SSD.
 
I own the Crucial M4 64GB ssd and use it for my parent's computer which has practically nothing installed and I still feel it is too small. I would not settle for less than 128GB in my computer. I would keep check on current deals and I am sure you can find one for a decent price.
 
i have a m4 64gb in my laptop. just a standard win7 install with office 2010, cs5, day of defeat: source and csgo and i have 30gb free. that said a game like bf3 is 16gb. i would go 128gb, 64gb just isnt enough.
 
I think the main question is: Why are you going SFF in the first place?

If it's portability, IMHO there are a LOT of really awesome cases in the mini-ITX form factor. If you want to do ANYTHING that requires more than a single expansion slot, though, you don't have much choice but to go mATX. The flexibility is really the determining factor in terms of what you'll really need.

If you're building a basic system, and you value portability, I LOVE mini ITX. Just as some insight as to what I like:

Lian Li mini ITX case: Q08, Q11, Q25, Q18 (still not released yet, AFAIK)
Get a SFX 450W PSU (Silverstone makes a good one). I recommend the SFX form factor because it gives you more room to put a beefier cooling system in. These cases all fit full size PSUs if you're willing to run with a dinkier cooler.

From here, you've got options: Most of the above cases fit MULTIPLE full sized HDDs, and most have a full sized 5.25" bay. I'd go with the 128GB SSD if you can afford it, or a 64gb SSD + large storage drive for whatever else. If you play any high end games, 64gb is going to feel cramped.

You can feed relatively beefy cards in these cases, even though they're mini ITX. You can even fit a GTX460 into the tiny, tiny Q07. Check out the SFF section of [H], and you'll figure out what you like better there ;)
 
Danny Bui said:
If you stay on top of your space usage, you would be fine with a 64GB SSD.
Click to expand...

hvov said:
I own the Crucial M4 64GB ssd and use it for my parent's computer which has practically nothing installed and I still feel it is too small. I would not settle for less than 128GB in my computer. I would keep check on current deals and I am sure you can find one for a decent price.
Click to expand...

tricky0502 said:
i have a m4 64gb in my laptop. just a standard win7 install with office 2010, cs5, day of defeat: source and csgo and i have 30gb free. that said a game like bf3 is 16gb. i would go 128gb, 64gb just isnt enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks guy. I will keep my eye open for any deal on the 128GB ssd. I will atleast get a 64GB ssd and maybe recycle a 300gb SATA as the data drive.

diredesire said:
I think the main question is: Why are you going SFF in the first place?
Click to expand...
diredesire, thanks for the info. The only 1 reason for me to go with a SFF is the size. I want to put the new computer on the shelve where my old one is sitting now. It is a small area 13"x13"x16"(330mm x 330mm). I went through most of the posts in [H]'s SFF section as well as overclock.net to gather as much info as i can. I know that if i go with the mITX mobo and case, building a rig as small as a 13" cube shouldn't be any problem; while i might have more selections on mobo and room for cable management and air flow if it is a mATX.

At this point, it all come down to the IB release. If there is any good IB mITX board releasing in Apr/May that fits my budget, I will most likely go with a mITX SFF gaming rig. If not, a SB or IB mATX mobo inside the v354 case(this Lian-Li is the only 1 mATX case I can found that is within the 13"x13" with front load 5.25" bay)

In the worst case scenario, I will just buy a Alienware X51 and suck it up because it almost fits...:eek: but why buy a Dell when i can build something better with the same price!
 
Newegg has OCZ Fatal1ty 750w on sale for $45 ($20 Promotional Gift Card + $25 rebate)

I know most of your guys generally recommend to avoid OCZ and stay with Corsair for PSU, but should I just bite the bullet for this for my IB budget game computer because of the price?

(I am sorry I didn't answer the recommend/required question yet because i am still waiting for my 2 wks build windows after the IB release)
 
Just another through about this mATX vs mITX. What do u guy think about a shuttle build? Shuttle has some Z68 barebone which looks pretty promising, and some Z77 coming out soon. Would you guy recommand a system using the Shuttle's MB if i am not considering OC?

with a Shuttle, that would take care of my MB, Case and PSU problem already
 
I generally don't recommend Shuttles due to their proprietary nature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top