Mini ITX / SFF replacing for my ageing gaming PC

[tinners]

I am wishing to retire my current gaming PC (see tinners's system < )

As my workspace has also downsized due to the new addition to the family, plus the fact that due to work and my kids I have no time for gaming / PCing I want to replace it with something smaller.

I am thinking of a Mini ITX build: (bits add up to £488.79 from Novatech)

CASE Silverstone SG05
MOBO GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi - Zotac FG9300-D-E
CPU Existing Q6700
COOLER Existing Zalman
MEMORY Existing 4Gb DDR800
OPTICAL Optiarc 2 x Blu-Ray Reader
GFX Powercolor ATI Radeon HD 4870 OC 512MB
STORAGE OCZ Solid Series 60GB 2.5" SATA-II Solid State Hard Drive
STORAGE Existing 750Gb Samsung

What do you think ? Am I better with something microatx ? Just like the idea of "uber"-SFF

Could someone also help me out with pricing on my old components. I thought (ex P&P)
DVD £10.00
Bluray BD202 £55.00
8800GTS 640 £40.00
GA965-DS4 £25.00
Case £40.00
VFD £30.00
Raptor £35.00
X-Fi £30.00
Sharkoon surround headphones £20.00
Corsair 620W £40.00
500Gb HD501LJ £20.00
2Gb RAM £15.00

[simonw]

I'm a huge mini-ITX fan, so go for a mini-ITX build if you can.

One thing I have noticed from your proposed spec is that you have both a SSD and HDD, the Zotac board currently only has 2 sata ports, and at least one of them will be used by your optical drive. The new revision of the Zotac 9300 ITX will have 3 sata ports and will suit your needs, but when they will arrive in the UK is anyone's guess.

mATX is also good especially for enthusiast hardware. The advantage is that you will be able to reuse more of your existing components, and of course there is a lot more choice. You will however have to choose a bigger case compared to the Sugo SG05, but that is the compromise between mini-ITX and mATX.

[tinners]

Originally Posted by simonw

I'm a huge mini-ITX fan, so go for a mini-ITX build if you can.

yeah there's something about shoehorning all those bits into a tiny case isnt there

Originally Posted by simonw

One thing I have noticed from your proposed spec is that you have both a SSD and HDD, the Zotac board currently only has 2 sata ports, and at least one of them will be used by your optical drive. The new revision of the Zotac 9300 ITX will have 3 sata ports and will suit your needs, but when they will arrive in the UK is anyone's guess.
mATX is also good especially for enthusiast hardware. The advantage is that you will be able to reuse more of your existing components, and of course there is a lot more choice. You will however have to choose a bigger case compared to the Sugo SG05, but that is the compromise between mini-ITX and mATX.

Oh yeah hadnt noticed that will wait for the new version as I dont want any external drives really and the SG05 supports the 2 drives.
Thanks for the tips.

[DanceswithUnix]

That is Shuttle money, which gets you the heatpipe cooling system and a prettier case.

Like this one?


Edit to add: Well I think it is prettier, some may not.

[tinners]

Thanks for the option, but I've never been a great fan of Shuttles due to the lack of any real upgrade options. And also it's not so much of a challenge

[tinners]

OK so I have decided to scratch the Mini Itx and go for a microatx solution.

Can someone recommend me a S775 MATX board which has 4 SATA and is a good overclocker. Am going to stick with my Q6700 and memory and upgrade the GPU to a GTX 275. Maybe something like:

Asus P5Q-EM -> £85
Novatech GeForce GTX 275 -> £167
Case - TBD

[simonw]

Another S775 MATX board is the DFI JR P45-T2RS, based on the P45 chipset and reputed to be a good overclocker.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I own a couple of Shuttles(an SN41G2 and a SD37P2) and they are great. However their proprietary nature is a a tad annoying!!

Have you considered a build based around a Silverstone SG01 or SG02??

This is what I would get:

Silverstone SG02B-F Evolution MicroATX SFF Case ~ £55

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...finish-w-o-PSU

Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile Cooler 3 Heat Pipe ~ £25

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Scyth...M2-AM2plus-940

DFI JR P45-T2RS ~ £105

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/DFI-J...SATA-RAID-uATX

I would look at getting an HD5850 for around £200 to £220 as it is around the speed of an GTX285,consumes less power and has DX11 too.

[DeludedGuy]

That 4870 draws too much power for the PSU that comes with the SG05, not to mention it produces too much heat; you need to consider the temperature of your components in a SFF case.

Have you considered the Lian Li V351, or the SG03? They offer better cooling, and still maintain a SFF feel.

I was making my SG03 system the just the other day, took ages to do properly, getting the cables all nice and tidy, and you definitely need a modular PSU for such a small case.

I own the Scythe Shuriken, and at low speed it’s virtually inaudible.

I went for a 5770 - low power draw, low temp. Got mine for £111 but they have gone up in price atm so I would give it a week or so.

[tinners]

Thanks all.

Annoyingly I just got rid of an SG03 a couple of months ago, nice case.

I already have a corsair 620w and I had built the SG03 with a 520w so it should be OK.

I do want an Nvidia as I want to use transcoding with that badaboom thing.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

ATI do GPU assisted transcoding too. TBH, unless you can get a cheap GTX275 for under £150 I would get a GTX260 216 shader version for under £130 instead.

The HD5850 has impressive performance and power consumption which makes it better suited for an SFF build:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/..._card_review/7

[tinners]

Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH

ATI do GPU assisted transcoding too. TBH, unless you can get a cheap GTX275 for under £150 I would get a GTX260 216 shader version for under £130 instead.
The HD5850 has impressive performance and power consumption which makes it better suited for an SFF build:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/..._card_review/7

5850 is a bit dear, just need something which will do me a couple of years for gaming at OK FPS. Max is £150, pref nearer £100.

I currently have a 640 8800GTS which has done me for 3 years + now

I play games maybe every fortnight for 4 hours. Will likely be playing a lot of COD MW2 and want to get this up & running by then.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would probably wait a while longer for prices and availability to improve IMHO. The GTX275 is not worth it and an HD5850 will have a much longer gaming life as it is much faster,has lower power consumption and support for DX10.1 and DX11 too. Your 8800GTS 640mb will still do the job for a few months more!!

[tinners]

Looks good for the DFI JR P45-T2RS and a Lian-Li PCA06B case. What cooler would people recommend for that box ?

Will take your advice and stick with the 8800 for a bit longer. Its true test will be with COD MW2.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would have a look at the Akasa Nero which is an excellent cooler for the price:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152658

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Akasa...-120mm-PWM-fan

Here is a review of the cooler:

http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...articleID=2354

[tinners]

right think I decided on this now, with the monster cooler option

Silverstone SG05 - £77.13
GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi - Zotac FG9300-G-E - £115 ish (no availability yet)
Optiarc 2 x Blu-Ray Reader - £80.49
Coolermaster GeminII RR-CCH-ANU2-GP - £28.86
Scythe Kama FLEX 120mm Case, 1500 RPM - £10.81
150 GB Western Digital WD1500BLFS VelociRaptor - £116.37
GeIL Black Dragon 4GB (2x2GB) - £57.49
Existing Q6700
Existing 750Gb Samsung
Existing 8800GTS
TOTAL - £486

seems a lot, am now wondering if I should go Micro instead. The need to change memory and get the mini bluray is a pain.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1414331