Micro Board for Gaming, Computing?

D

DWD1961

[H]ard|Gawd
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Nov 30, 2019
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My next build I'd like to build a micro case system. I'm not going to be getting into and out of it, and after I finish building it, I won;t be going into it again, except for any problems that I might have.

I'd like to know if the micro ATX is going to fit a video card etc? I'd like to have onboard BT transmitter and receiver and Wifi on board also. that way no extra cards, except the video card.

I just want a really small case/system if it is realistic.
 
If you are just installing a video card, why not go all the way and get a mITX board? mATX is falling by the wayside in terms of choice and features, in favor of the smaller mITX. A decent amount of mITX boards also come with a WiFi/BT combo card, installed in a special M.2 slot which doesn't interfere with the main PCIe slot for the GPU.
 
I built an m ATX using this case in Red https://www.newegg.com/black-raijintek-styx-series-micro-atx/p/2AM-002C-00015

You can catch them on sale once in awhile for $69 shipped and very well made imo as I want one in Gold next !!

I have a MSI B350M Gaming Pro gen 1 board flashed to AGESA 1004 Beta B with Ryzen 5 3600 and Gammax 300 cooler with 4 x 120mm RGB Aigo fans wifi controller for cooling .. it has 32Gb of OLOy 3600Mhz DDR memory CL 18 timings , my video card is Power Color Red Dragon RX580 8Gb with Corsair CX 650 M power supply flipped as the fan faces where rom drive would go and works great that way .
I have a wifi usb stick I use when internet is down as to hot spot with iPhone 6 for a real travel mate where no hard lines will be,

Just some ideas for you .. but my RX 5700 ref has been in that case so long cards will fit as this setup is a test mule kind of way .
 
jeremyshaw said:
If you are just installing a video card, why not go all the way and get a mITX board? mATX is falling by the wayside in terms of choice and features, in favor of the smaller mITX. A decent amount of mITX boards also come with a WiFi/BT combo card, installed in a special M.2 slot which doesn't interfere with the main PCIe slot for the GPU.
Click to expand...
Do they have cases smaller than the Micro ATX cases? Otherwise there isn't any reason to go mITX.
 
crazycrave said:
I built an m ATX using this case in Red https://www.newegg.com/black-raijintek-styx-series-micro-atx/p/2AM-002C-00015

You can catch them on sale once in awhile for $69 shipped and very well made imo as I want one in Gold next !!

I have a MSI B350M Gaming Pro gen 1 board flashed to AGESA 1004 Beta B with Ryzen 5 3600 and Gammax 300 cooler with 4 x 120mm RGB Aigo fans wifi controller for cooling .. it has 32Gb of OLOy 3600Mhz DDR memory CL 18 timings , my video card is Power Color Red Dragon RX580 8Gb with Corsair CX 650 M power supply flipped as the fan faces where rom drive would go and works great that way .
I have a wifi usb stick I use when internet is down as to hot spot with iPhone 6 for a real travel mate where no hard lines will be,

Just some ideas for you .. but my RX 5700 ref has been in that case so long cards will fit as this setup is a test mule kind of way .
Click to expand...
You really want that gold one, seriously? Thanks for those ideas. I'm just scared of getting my parts and not being able to fit them in the MATX case/ board.
 
I should have said also another core feature of building a micro or smaller system is that it is nearly silent. I hate noisy system fans. My old X58 920 OCed to 3.9 ran on air and I got it to be almost dead silent full open using 230MM low RPM fans and some other nice 120mm Gentle Typhoon fans, with insulation on my case.

I'm assuming mATX cases do not run 230mm fans?
 
DWD1961 said:
Do they have cases smaller than the Micro ATX cases? Otherwise there isn't any reason to go mITX.
Click to expand...

Micro ATX is not that small, ofc it depends on the specific case you choose, but my NZXT H400i was almost the same size as a regular mid tower.

mITX has a broad range from tiny to more reasonable, I like this one for example https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6wR48d/cooler-master-case-rc130kkn1

If you like silent cases, Fractal designs defiine range or Be quiet are worth looking into.
 
DWD1961 said:
You really want that gold one, seriously? Thanks for those ideas. I'm just scared of getting my parts and not being able to fit them in the MATX case/ board.
Click to expand...

I wanted the gold one because of AMD's Golden hardware Lisa Su signed lol .. but odd you say that about hearing fans and I have a wife that can't sleep without hearing one every night no matter summer or winter ..
 
Denpepe said:
Micro ATX is not that small, ofc it depends on the specific case you choose, but my NZXT H400i was almost the same size as a regular mid tower.

mITX has a broad range from tiny to more reasonable, I like this one for example https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6wR48d/cooler-master-case-rc130kkn1

If you like silent cases, Fractal designs defiine range or Be quiet are worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Yeah I remember when I was doing case reviews for now defunct BenchMark Reviews that many of them surely were not that much smaller than a mid tower. Thanks for reminding me. I see that some mATX cases can take a full ATX MB too. Maybe I'll get one of those cases and stay with a normal ATX board?
 
crazycrave said:
I wanted the gold one because of AMD's Golden hardware Lisa Su signed lol .. but odd you say that about hearing fans and I have a wife that can't sleep without hearing one every night no matter summer or winter ..
Click to expand...

LOL, yeah get the sig! Your wife has definitely grown up in the computer age-- "Doctor, I can't sleep unless I'm hearing PC cooling fans."
 
crazycrave said:
I built an m ATX using this case in Red https://www.newegg.com/black-raijintek-styx-series-micro-atx/p/2AM-002C-00015

You can catch them on sale once in awhile for $69 shipped and very well made imo as I want one in Gold next !!

I have a MSI B350M Gaming Pro gen 1 board flashed to AGESA 1004 Beta B with Ryzen 5 3600 and Gammax 300 cooler with 4 x 120mm RGB Aigo fans wifi controller for cooling .. it has 32Gb of OLOy 3600Mhz DDR memory CL 18 timings , my video card is Power Color Red Dragon RX580 8Gb with Corsair CX 650 M power supply flipped as the fan faces where rom drive would go and works great that way .
I have a wifi usb stick I use when internet is down as to hot spot with iPhone 6 for a real travel mate where no hard lines will be,

Just some ideas for you .. but my RX 5700 ref has been in that case so long cards will fit as this setup is a test mule kind of way .
Click to expand...


This offer from Thermaltake can use an ATX MBand it's dimentions are:
15.2 x 9.1 x 15 inches
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q8VJ17J/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

The RAIJINTEK STYX you listed:
13.06 x 8.19 x 14.04 (in.)
But it cannot take a regular ATX board.

I'm thinking I may just go with a smaller case, like the Thermaltake, and use a regular ATX board with all the benefits of that board. I mean 2" off the L and 1" of the W and D isn't much. If you set themnext to each other, it would hardly be noticeable.

So, that's what I will do.

Next up, which small case? Any ideas from anyone? I'd love to have a removable MB tray, and I want to be able to use at least one 230mm normal width fan in the case (Becaues I have two really nice ones from Bitfinix already). I like them because they are dead silent even at full RPMs, and move as much air as 120/140mm. They don;t have as much pressure, due to lower RPMs, but that's ok.

I want to keep the case price below 80.00

I ideally, it would be nice to be able to mount one of those 230mm in the front and one in the top--done. However, at least one normal thickness 230mm fan somewhere.

I have an old Rosewill THOR vs 2 case. I have a 230mm in the top, a 230 in the front, and a 230in the side. I had a Gentle Typhoon 120 mounted in the CPU exhaust place pointing into the case toward the tower cooler. With all of the panels on I didn't even need a CPU fan. That was with my old OCed 920. Case was dead silent with a fanless PSU. I mean you could just hear the GT 120, but very, very little, and that was only when it was running at 1800RPMs.
 
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The box is super-important for mATX to keep the size small.
I would recommend the Silverstone SUGO SG9 or SG10 which keep the mainboard vertical with plenty of room. It has a 18cm fan on top of it blowing inside.
Take an Asus TUF B450M Pro, put your Ryzen 3950X inside with a huge cooler (there's plenty of space). Put 64GB of RAM, ECC if you want, and a slot in Blue ray drive. There is place for a 2080Ti and you can buy 3 addition 9cm fans + 1 8cm, and 2SSD and 2HD 3.5'' and some 1000W PSU. There are already good filters in place for the fan.
An alternative is an Asrock X399m, a 1950X or a 2950X, 2x Titan RTX with an internal handmade watercooling solution for 3, a 1200W PSU. The case should have enough room. The price will be quite more expensive.
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=345&area=en
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=392&area=en

Price is around 100 for SG10 more classy and 80 for SG09. I believe.
 
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Jandor said:
The box is super-important for mATX to keep the size small.
I would recommend the Silverstone SUGO SG9 or SG10 which keep the mainboard vertical with plenty of room. It has a 18cm fan on top of it blowing inside.
Take an Asus TUF B450M Pro, put your Ryzen 3950X inside with a huge cooler (there's plenty of space). Put 64GB of RAM, ECC if you want, and a slot in Blue ray drive. There is place for a 2080Ti and you can buy 3 addition 9cm fans + 1 8cm, and 2SSD and 2HD 3.5'' and some 1000W PSU. There are already good filters in place for the fan.
An alternative is an Asrock X399m, a 1950X or a 2950X, 2x Titan RTX with an internal handmade watercooling solution for 3, a 1200W PSU. The case should have enough room. The price will be quite more expensive.
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=345&area=en
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=392&area=en

Price is around 100 for SG10 more classy and 80 for SG09. I believe.
Click to expand...

Yeah but the Sugo's dimensions are:

8.66" (W) x 11.61" (H) x 13.94" (D)

The Coller master Mid tower is:
15.2 x 9.1 x 15 inches

Sugo is 3" shorter all around (width is basically the same). That s substantial from a case perspective, but when you put them side by side, it's not much real estate, really. Also, I like being able to use eother the AYX or mATX boards. I appreciate your write up on what you can fit in that case you posted. Thanks.
 
DWD1961 said:
This offer from Thermaltake can use an ATX MBand it's dimentions are:
15.2 x 9.1 x 15 inches
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q8VJ17J/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1
Click to expand...

Do you mean Cooler Master not Thermaltake?

Something I've noticed is that official case measurements can sometimes be a bit strange, which is why reviews should manually measure them in my opinion and not just go by the listing.

In this case the Q500L and the Q300L (mATX version) have the same dimensions with the same basic case style/design.

If we look at this site's reviews of both they clearly measure a difference between the two -
https://www.modders-inc.com/cooler-master-masterbox-q500l-review/3/
https://www.modders-inc.com/cooler-master-masterbox-q300l-review/3/


But you've listed a relatively compact ATX case. Raijintek's Thetis (although it seems to be discontinued or at least very ahrd to find now) is also smaller. Cougar also has a very small ATX case. There's some niche cases (expensive) even smaller that can accommodate ATX.

In general I've noticed that mainstream/common ATX mid towers nowadays are almost the size of full towers from 10+years ago, mATX mid towers the size of ATX, and ITX the size of mATX. People wanted radiator support, 140mm fan support, space behind the motherboard for cables, bottom mounted PSUs, huge GPU length support and etc. which require more space.

DWD1961 said:
Sugo is 3" shorter all around (width is basically the same). That s substantial from a case perspective, but when you put them side by side, it's not much real estate, really. Also, I like being able to use eother the AYX or mATX boards. I appreciate your write up on what you can fit in that case you posted. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it's also about size thresholds. I have a Fractal Define R3 which I want to swap out due to size because it isn't optimal for my usage due to slightly being over the threshold height wise which is where even a few inches/cms savings on mATX can cross over to.
 
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limitedaccess said:
Do you mean Cooler Master not Thermaltake?

Something I've noticed is that official case measurements can sometimes be a bit strange, which is why reviews should manually measure them in my opinion and not just go by the listing.

In this case the Q500L and the Q300L (mATX version) have the same dimensions with the same basic case style/design.

If we look at this site's reviews of both they clearly measure a difference between the two -
https://www.modders-inc.com/cooler-master-masterbox-q500l-review/3/
https://www.modders-inc.com/cooler-master-masterbox-q300l-review/3/


But you've listed a relatively compact ATX case. Raijintek's Thetis (although it seems to be discontinued or at least very ahrd to find now) is also smaller. Cougar also has a very small ATX case. There's some niche cases (expensive) even smaller that can accommodate ATX.

In general I've noticed that mainstream/common ATX mid towers nowadays are almost the size of full towers from 10+years ago, mATX mid towers the size of ATX, and ITX the size of mATX. People wanted radiator support, 140mm fan support, space behind the motherboard for cables, bottom mounted PSUs, huge GPU length support and etc. which require more space.



Sometimes it's also about size thresholds. I have a Fractal Define R3 which I want to swap out due to size because it isn't optimal for my usage due to slightly being over the threshold height wise which is where even a few inches/cms savings on mATX can cross over to.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting that site. I meant CM, not Thermaltake. The CM case looks like a good deal, especially since it is less than 50 bucks. I remember back when I did case reviews for Benchmark Reviews cases under $50.00 were pure bendy, junkers. Now they seem like cases hat cost over $100.00 back then.
 
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DWD1961 said:
Thanks for posting that site. I meant CM, not Thermaltake. The CM case looks like a good deal, especially since it is less than 50 bucks. I remember back when I did case reviews for Benchmark Reviews cases under $50.00 were pure, bendy, junkers. Now they seem like cases hat cost over $100.00 back then.
Click to expand...

Economy of scale (from Chinese ODMs really) these days have really pushed down the prices of mass market cases. Really if you think about it labor/material wise cases aren't all that expensive but design/tooling is a sizable fixed cost, but if you amortize over huge volumes it goes way down.

I looked into the Q500L some more (didn't realize it was out actually) and now see why it's so close to the Q300L in size (even if might still be slightly bigger). It uses a non conventional PSU position much like the Raijintek and Riotoro full ATX case I mentioned in that it's mounted infront (likely with an internal extension) vertically as opposed to either flat on the bottom or top.

Cutting down on 3.5inch drive support over the last couple of years (due to SSDs, and move to external storage) is also another way the industries been clawing back some space. Length has gone down especially versus cases that need to support 4-8 drives.

The only thing I don't like about either the Q300L and Q500L is concern over what Acrylic side panels look like after awhile with use as opposed to Tempered Glass. Also at least for me personally the port/power button orientation is not as ideal, I prefer them on top of the case.
 
limitedaccess said:
Economy of scale (from Chinese ODMs really) these days have really pushed down the prices of mass market cases. Really if you think about it labor/material wise cases aren't all that expensive but design/tooling is a sizable fixed cost, but if you amortize over huge volumes it goes way down.

I looked into the Q500L some more (didn't realize it was out actually) and now see why it's so close to the Q300L in size (even if might still be slightly bigger). It uses a non conventional PSU position much like the Raijintek and Riotoro full ATX case I mentioned in that it's mounted infront (likely with an internal extension) vertically as opposed to either flat on the bottom or top.

Cutting down on 3.5inch drive support over the last couple of years (due to SSDs, and move to external storage) is also another way the industries been clawing back some space. Length has gone down especially versus cases that need to support 4-8 drives.

The only thing I don't like about either the Q300L and Q500L is concern over what Acrylic side panels look like after awhile with use as opposed to Tempered Glass. Also at least for me personally the port/power button orientation is not as ideal, I prefer them on top of the case.
Click to expand...

All good points, and yes, for sure the drive change to SSD and tie increasing SSD storage size per dollar has reduced the need for multiple drives. Can you see the power supply position in that case as creating any problems? Back in the day, I remember all cases had the power supply on the bottom. Then they changed to top and everything thought that was great because heat rises, so the thinking was better cooling. Then everyone wanted PSU's back on the bottom (I never understood that), and so they are. I don't like the acrylic side panels. However, if I find a case that I need, I'll put up with them.
 
DWD1961 said:
All good points, and yes, for sure the drive change to SSD and tie increasing SSD storage size per dollar has reduced the need for multiple drives. Can you see the power supply position in that case as creating any problems? Back in the day, I remember all cases had the power supply on the bottom. Then they changed to top and everything thought that was great because heat rises, so the thinking was better cooling. Then everyone wanted PSU's back on the bottom (I never understood that), and so they are. I don't like the acrylic side panels. However, if I find a case that I need, I'll put up with them.
Click to expand...

PSUs went back to bottom for few reasons -

- Easier to hide cables/cable management
- Easier to work with
- Space up top for openings/fans/radiators
- Better support for variable fan speed PSUs, including those with passive modes

In terms of non top/bottom PSUs (like the Q500L) the only thing to be aware of is they sometimes are more stringent in terms of fit requirements for PSUs and the cable management is likely to be the worst. Also the atypical placement forces some other atypical placements which may affect things. For Q500L I a possible issue could be that you effectively lose a front intake slot due to the PSU which might have a knock on effect for how airflow and your fan setup might work (The Raijintek and Riotoro also face similar issues).

The only real negative about bottom PSUs is they are less space efficient but that isn't much an issue for people.

Really if you look at the market as whole the majority of people don't care about the size issue much, especially vertically, so ATX and "no compromise" towers is what the bulk buy. Then there is a smaller niche who want really small and are willing to pay the premium which is served by ITX. mATX even though it makes the most sense for the majority actually ends up just being the odd man out as for manufactures they neither have the volume of ATX nor command the premium/margins of ITX.
 
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Do not expect quiet system with Q500L, vents are restrictive, but with some "creativity" you can squeeze a lot in it :)

Q500L-01.jpg
 
AXm77 said:
Do not expect quiet system with Q500L, vents are restrictive, but with some "creativity" you can squeeze a lot in it :)

View attachment 208517
Click to expand...
LOL, duel CPUs in that case? that's too bad it's a restrictive case. I will never go back to a loud fan type system. One reason I got rid of my old 830 CM Stacker case was that I wanted 230mm fans spinning at sub 1000 rpm speeds, but putting out as much or more flow than an 1800 RPM 120mm fan. I got the Rosewill THOR v2 case free for doing a review of it, and so I used that. It allows one 230mm fan in from, one 230mm fan on the side, and one 230mm fan in the top. I utilize all of those with the Bitfinix 230mm Spectre Pro with Fluid Dynamic Bearings. At 900RPM it moves 156CFM at a pressure of 1.81 mmH2O, with a DB rating of 25dB(A) at full RPMs. It's nearly silent. I ahve 3 of those, front, top, side, and one Scythe Gentle-typhoon 120mm for the CPU. The power supply is fanless, and that's it. When I had my i920 OCed to 3.9, it never got over about 80C running Prime 95.

But now I want a smaller case, and I'm not going to OC = silent or die! LOL
 
Yep, motherboard is EATX (Asrock EP2C602), two Xeons (E5-2672 v2), 128GB RAM (8x 16GB DDR3-1866 Reg), Titan Xp, 10GB SFP+ network (Mellanox ConnectX-3) and 4.4TB NVMe SSD's (4x 1TB Inlands on Asus M.2 card and Intel 750 400GB), power supply is SFX-L with custom cables (Silverstone SX800-LTI), heatsinks are CM 212+'s and fans Noctua NF-A12's , but under load - LOUD & HOT. I would love CM fix vents on that case.
 
I eventually setup my Q500l as a vertical case. PSU up "front" (bottom, with the current orientation) and CPU exhausting to the top. Air intake in the front. It probably would not work nearly as well with an open air cooler GPU, but I have this strange blower attraction.
 
AXm77 said:
Yep, motherboard is EATX (Asrock EP2C602), two Xeons (E5-2672 v2), 128GB RAM (8x 16GB DDR3-1866 Reg), Titan Xp, 10GB SFP+ network (Mellanox ConnectX-3) and 4.4TB NVMe SSD's (4x 1TB Inlands on Asus M.2 card and Intel 750 400GB), power supply is SFX-L with custom cables (Silverstone SX800-LTI), heatsinks are CM 212+'s and fans Noctua NF-A12's , but under load - LOUD & HOT. I would love CM fix vents on that case.
Click to expand...

I don't know man. I don't mean to run you down about your build, but I think you might need a little more CPU power and a little more RAM with that build, you know, just my observation.

I mean you only have 20 cores and 40 threads, pffffft.
 
DWD1961 said:
My next build I'd like to build a micro case system. I'm not going to be getting into and out of it, and after I finish building it, I won;t be going into it again, except for any problems that I might have.

I'd like to know if the micro ATX is going to fit a video card etc? I'd like to have onboard BT transmitter and receiver and Wifi on board also. that way no extra cards, except the video card.

I just want a really small case/system if it is realistic.
Click to expand...


If you are into buying American and have the budget the Cerberus is MATX and the Cerberus X is full ATX. I own two and they are built like tanks and well worth it IMO.

Very compact and their customer support is excellent.

http://www.sliger.com/products/cases/
 
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