SFF Build Assistance - Gaming / Overclocking

[orthetic]

1. What will you be doing with this PC? PC Gaming, Professional Photo/Video editing, Overclocked.

2. What's your budget? Cost is not a factor, so long as its within reason. I do not want to get into custom chassis design if that is a worry. Figure I want a nice chassis, a quality PSU, and a solid MB for the intentions listed above.

3. Where do you live? I prefer to purchase everything online. Newegg or Amazon preferably.

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget? Chassis, PSU, and MB

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 D0
GPU: ASUS GTX580 DirectCU II (Triple Slot Cooler!)
RAM: 3x Mushkin Redline DDR3
HD: 1x 2.5" SSD, 1x 3.5" HDD
OPTICAL: 1x standard height bluray

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard?
REQUIRED: SATA 6GB - 2 ports
REQUIRED: USB 3 - 2 ports
REQUIRED: Room to fit an Essence STX soundcard
REQUIRED: Room to fit the triple slot graphics card
REQUIRED: Ability to mount Antec 920 liquid cooler into a 120mm fan spot.

7. What resolution output do you need? The GTX 580 will only be connected to one display, a 30" LCD.

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space? No space requirements.

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring?
Standard tools, fine. Dremel maybe. Soldering or machining is out.

10. How important is the noise/silence of this system? Very important. I want it quiet, but it doesn't have to be absolutely silent.

11. How mobile does this system need to be? Very mobile. It will be regularly taken to local LAN parties as well as QuakeCon and other events. It will frequently be toted around town.

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Yes.

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? About a month unless there is something worth waiting for, chassis/mb wise. I'm not waiting around for Z68. This is a swap from a large desktop to a SFF using as many existing parts as possible.

 

[Zap]

The problem you have is your triple slot cooler. The only way I know to get around that is to get a BIG micro ATX case that has five slots. It won't be much smaller than a normal ATX mid tower. The reason for this is because socket 1366 micro ATX motherboards won't be able to accommodate your triple slot graphics card and sound card due to the socket layout. Take a look at the Asus Rampage III Gene. It has SATA 6G and USB 3.0, but typical of socket 1366 micro ATX boards, it has the following slot configuration:

PCIe x16
PCIe x4
PCIe x16
PCI

So, if you put your graphics card in the top x16 slot, you will only have a PCI slot left which won't fit your sound card. If you put your graphics card in the bottom x16 slot then you can put your sound card above it, but then your triple slot cooler will stick out past the bottom of the motherboard.

Luckily there are a few cases which allows for this:
In Win BR655
In Win Dragon Slayer (same as above but different fascia)
Lian Li PC-V354

If you are willing to get a new CPU, then the options open up. Take a look at the Asus P8P67-M Pro motherboard.
PCIe x16
PCIe x1
PCie x16
PCIe x16

The bottom physical x16 slot is actually x1 and x4 switchable. The first and third slots can be x16/x1 or x8/x8 (for SLI). Thus, you can put your triple slot graphics card in the top slot, and your sound card in the bottom slot.

This motherboard also supports SATA 6G, USB 3.0 and full overclocking.

The "catch" of course is you will have to buy a new CPU, either a Core i5 2500K (quad core) or Core i7 2600K (quad core with HyperThreading). The good news is that either of those will be easily faster than your Core i7 920, and can overclock much, MUCH higher.

Oh yeah, the board/CPU also uses dual channel memory so you will want to either run just two sticks of your existing memory, or buy a new 8GB dual channel kit.

With such a motherboard, you now can choose from a lot of different cases. Your only limitation would be the length of your graphics card.
Lian Li PC-A04
Silverstone TJ08
Cooler Master Elite 341
NZXT Vulcan
Probably any of the cube cases will work too, though some of them don't have that great of ventilation.

A couple other case might or might not work.

Silverstone SG04B-FH (SG03 and SG04 seem to be the same chassis with different fascia and no handle)
The limitation on this would be graphics card size, supposedly limited to 10.5". I don't know how long your GTX 580 is.

Antec NSK3480
This is a really nice case, very small, very high quality and can do a very quiet system. The main problem though is that it is so small you can hardly find a PSU to fit which would power your system. The PSU needs to be really SHORT, so you won't even be able to fit modular PSUs in there. The best bet for wattage and fitment would be an Antec NEO ECO 620c, which should be more than enough power for an overclocked Core i7 and GTX 580. The other thing is that the high quality comes from using thick steel, making this case heavier than most of the other cases listed, but that's what also makes it quiet.

For power supply, something 600W give or take should work, probably with a bit of power to spare. Just make sure it is good quality.

 

[plugwash]

I wonder if fitting a shuttle motherboard (I think they sell them seperate) in a micro ATX case could work. That would allow you to put the sound card in the slot nearest the processor and the graphics card in the other slot (with it's heatsink hanging off the board).

I don't know how it would fit with your other constraints though.