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Small form factor gaming pc >$600

F

fiCti0naL

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2002
Messages
187
So my current rig is so old as dirt I can't even run a HD movie without skips or play any newer games at a decent frame rate. I need a new one and my budget is around $550, $600 max. I want it to be small form factor and will be sitting in my entertainment center with my new samsung 50" series 6 DLP. I'm thinking something that would look like a shuttle machine (small black box). I currently use my laptop to watch HD movies on this TV and play some older games since it's much faster than my old ass PC. Games & movies are amazing on this tv, especially with 120hz tech. I will also be using my 24" dell 2405FPW on my desk beside the entertainment center to connect to it for graphic design.

You guys think I can pull off a pretty decent performance gaming/media rig on this budget? Although I enjoy overclocking, I don't think I will be messing with it with this PC. HDMI would be nice, but I already own two DVI to HDMI adapters so I think I will go with the new HD 4850 since I've heard great things about it's price to performance ratio. I already own a 250gb western digital HDD (may want to buy a newer one with higher capacity/performance if it's cheap), already have a DVD drive & legit copy of XP. I will be stripping all of that out of my old PC. I will worry about wireless components later.

Any help/suggestions/setups would be greatly appreciated... my hardware knowledge has sadly diminished over the years after building my last rig.
 
Some suggestions to get you started:

Shuttle SG31G2
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Processor (could save some money with an E2180)
2GB of DDR2 RAM (DDR2-800 for E7200 or DDR2-667 for E2180 would do)
HD4850

It should be possible to get all that for less than $600 after MIR.
 
If you want the smallest PC possible, definitely go with dhc04's recommendations. All of that should cost about $600 plus tax and shipping. However if you don't mind something bigger and want more room for expansion, I recommend this:
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 CPU - $130
Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L Intel G31 mATX Motherboard - $60
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $45
VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $190
Silverstone SUGO SG02B-F Black mATX Case - $70
Corsair 520HX 520W Modular PSU - $105
---
Total: $600 plus tax and shipping.

Both dhc014's and my build will perform about the same.
 
dhc04, I couldn't help but notice that shuttle comes with a 250W power supply... correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that a bit sketchy or would it do the job just fine?

Also, how is that silverstone case? the actual size of the case isn't that big of a deal as long as it's sexy and fairly small. It doesn't have to be SUPER small or anything. I'm thinking of going more towards danny's suggestions although I think the shuttle case is a little more attractive and may be a bit easier to work with. How do the motherboards compare in stability/performance?
 
fiCti0naL said:
How do the motherboards compare in stability/performance?
Click to expand...

Pretty similar considering they're of the same chipset.

As for whether or not that 250W PSU can handle that rig, it should be able to considering that Shuttle PSUs have always been able to handle high-end rigs on relatively modest PSUs. Just don't add more than one hard drive and you'll be set.

That case is pretty decent. You should find some reviews of it with a quick google search. Also, there's a couple of threads about it in the SFF subforum we have.
 
At stock speeds, both setups would be similar -- you're using the same processor, RAM, and video card in both builds. The Gigabyte motherboard gives you better overclocking capabilities, but it's generally not a good idea to overclock a SFF system. The main issue is heat, since you wouldn't have a good way to cool off all of the excess heat an overclocked system would produce.

The SG02 is designed to fit most of the video cards that are available. It also has a removable HDD cage, which (when removed) gives you enough room to house one of the extra-long (e.g. 12") cards. (If you only have one HDD, you can mount it in one of the two 5.25" bays -- with mounting brackets, of course.)

The HX520 (or the 520HX) uses modular cables, which enable you to use only the cables you need to power up your computer. Those modular cables, more so than the higher power output, are the reason why the HX520 costs more than the VX450.
 
They pretty much have you covered. The only thing I can say is, if you get a shuttle, get one that's proven to be stable. There are several models that are more finicky than others, and those are a pain to deal with. Personally, I'd go with the Silverstone case and build my own -- its cheaper and you can use any mATX board you want, instead of some proprietary mini-ITX (which was pioneered by Shuttle, btw, so they make some good stuff, just not all of it is good, lol).

fiCti0naL said:
So my current rig is so old as dirt I can't even run a HD movie without skips or play any newer games at a decent frame rate. I need a new one and my budget is around $550, $600 max.
Click to expand...

Thats contradictory to your title, btw. Your title states: Small form factor gaming pc >$600
 
fiCti0naL said:
how's this build look?


http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=6626454&WishListTitle=new
Click to expand...

Your build looks fine, but I recommend getting the modular Corsair HX520 over the VX550 PSU. Get the HX520 from either Provantage or Buy.com.

onedestinazn2 said:
not sure how small you wanted to go but tigerdirect has this case and 600w psu for $60.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...FORM&cm_mmc_o=ZzypR2VCjC-KeCjCdByAFlCjCdByAFl
Click to expand...

The case is a good alternative -- and it looks much better than its last-generation model -- but the power supply is suspect.
 
Here are a couple of reviews on the new MicroFly, courtesy of Modders-Inc and driverheaven.net.

Again, I'm not a fan of the power supply because it seems like one of the "budget" PSUs that are usually rated higher than they actually are, but I haven't heard of any reviews on the PSU.
 
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