New to SSF: mobo recommendations!

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Synthetickiller

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
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I am thinking about getting an SG05 and throwing together a small computer for typical web browsing and lower end stuff. I'd also like to OC if I have the option to.

I was checking out the mini itx 775 socket zotac boards on newegg and don't really have a good idea of which ones OC well. I'll be throwing an 8800gts g92 into this build, so video card power is not an issue.

I need either ddr2 or ddr3 and pci-e 16x. I already have an e5200 If it has b/g wifi, I have an extra mini pci express bgn card that I can upgrade it with.... If that is the case, how do you upgrade the physical antenna?

Sorry for all the questions. I haven't done an ssf build before and would like a heads up from people who have experience w/ these boards.
 
any of the Zotac boards is the same regarding overclock, there are many such builds here. The 8800gts should work i guess, dunno how many connectors does it have.

The zotac board will not overclock well if the iGP is enabled, otherwise I had a good 600mhz OC on my e8400.

Uo to the 9300-I-E will use DDR2, K-E is DDR3.

None of the boards have a mini pci slot.
Finally, you will need active cooling for the chipset, I used an 80mm slim fan on top and fixed with zip ties. Otherwise you could have random shutdowns.
 
Right mate, was thinking about the GeForce powered boards.

Dunno about the Intel chipset boards though
 
And that's where my problem lies.

I don't mind spending an extra $10 or $20 on a board if it buys me a better OC or something. I could care less about onboard video.
 
Problem with mini ITX is that the MOSFETs have no cooling on them, which hampers overclock stability (and long term lifespan of the board itself). And like was mentioned above the northbridge doesn't have very good cooling either, so that is also a bit of a problem.

Something to keep in mind when looking at ITX.
 
After looking at the cost, I'd think moving to H55 w/ the lowest end i3 is better since that's

$105 = gigabyte h55 mini itx 1156
$125 = i3 530 (hope for a good OC)
$??? = HSF (I read that you can't use an H50 on this board due to the back plate. No idea if that's true or not)

I have some mosfet coolers and I'd pick up a thermaltake spirit II to cool the NB or whatever the chip is on the board.

Is the ECS 1156 board a decent OCer? I wouldn't mind saving $30, but I'd probably get at least $30 out of the stability and features of the gigabyte board, plus its more compatible w/ hackintosh. :D
 
I was looking at the MOSFETs of these boards and there are capacitors in between the MOSFETs generally which is a problem.
 
It's not tempearature alone that kills boards and limits overclock. What you need here is an smart enough BIOS with good OCP. Best bet is the Gigabyte H55N-USB3

You CAN use the corsair H50, you can just use a couple of washers on each hole to avoid hitting the small ICs. You can also cut the backplate to avoid those ICs and voila no big deal.

Why do you want to overclock? an i3 530 is fast enough for about anything, even gaming. For sure you can overclock a bit but you wont be pushing 5Ghz on a mini ITX board (read this post anyway)
 
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