help me choose a micro atx case and mobo please

[hardflipman]

Hi, followin on from the probs i've been having with my current mobo (gigabyte p35 ds3r) and the fact that i periodically take my pc round to my mates house and the fact that it hardly even fits under my desk i've decided to repalce it with a micro atx solution. it's an antec p182 i've got the noo.

for the case i've been looking at the silverstone tj08 and antec nsk3480. the main consideration is getting my x1950pro and zalman cnps9700 to fit which i believe both these cases should do. i like the antec cos the hdd mounts on rubber gromits to keep noise down a bit. any other suggestions? or which is better? the silverstone is aluminium does that mean hdd noise is going to be ridiculous?

and as for motherboards, i currently overclock my pentium 2160 to 3ghz so would need to do the same so it needs to support 1:1 memory multiplier thingy. also needs to have 4 ram slots. and be reliable. and cheap! any suggestions?

cheers

[scaryjim]

I'm an Antec fanboy, so i'd say go with the NSK3480! It's quite expensive, but you could always try to sell the Earthwatts 380 PSU that coes with it and use your existing one to make back some of the cost. The Coolermaster Elite 340 is also a nice option - Scan bundle it with a cheapish PSU apparently: ebuyer sometimes have it PSU-less for ~ £35.

[staffsMike]

If you like the P182 but want a smaller solution (albeit the size of a basic midi tower) don't rule out the P180 mini. I picked mine up for £60 in black and it's even better than the P182 in terms of noise and cooling. It'll fit anything you want in it and cool it happily

That said I am a big supporter of the proper mATX tower such as the TJ08. If you get that case (i have one of these too) I would suggest not screwing the HDD in as you've guessed it, it can be noisey. Suspending them eliminates this though Also the fans at full speed are rediculous.. but actually very good at 7v. Oh and it's only aluminium at the front.. the rest is steel.

It's easy enough to build into but I would think about a modular psu or one with shorter cables as it can be a pain. It will fit any length card you can think of though since it has no obstructions from front to back in that area. (All the mATX towers mentioned have this going for them).

The Coolermaster Elite 340 mentioned is probably the best compromise and can be had for as little as £25, you will however need to find some fans to go with that so it could go up to as much as £35 - £45.

The Antec case is nice, only niggle being the 92mm fans in the front. They certainly give the airflow you will want but decent fans are harder to find..

If you want a cheap mobo then I guess G41/G43 will tick all of the boxes. Should give basic overclocking, 4dimm slots in most cases.

[hardflipman]

i had thought about the p180 mini but would really like something smaller i guess. i've got a couple 120mm fans knocking about that i could use in the coolermaster one though.
how would one suspend the hard drives? and i have 2 drives i need to use...

i've got 2 PSU's i could use, a hiper type r modular and corsair hx520 modular. i actually can't use the hiper one in my p182 as the modular connectors are too long plus the p4 connector isn't long enough! so i suspect the corsair is the one to use


thanks for the advice so far

[hardflipman]

just read a review of the coolermaster and it seems the internals are identical to the silverstone. pity it doesn't look so good but it is cheaper which appeals!

[hardflipman]

been looking for the coolermaster one and having dificulty finding it without the psu. any ideas? at 55 quid from scan i might as well get the silverstone in silver at the same price...

[staffsMike]

Out of stock but its here
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...id=7&subcat=29

[hardflipman]

i wonder when they'll get it in...

i was just looking at some cheaper motherboards and they seem to have pci-e x4 rather than 16. is this likely to cause poor performance?

[staffsMike]

It's possible that they would. Some cards dont need all the bandwidth of even 8x though so you might get lucky. I'd personally get one with 16x just in case though.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have an 8x slot in my 975X motherboard and it has not been a hindrance so far for my HD4830.

If you really want to go small then an SG05 maybe a good idea:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...00W-80plus-PSU

Review:

http://vr-zone.com/articles/silverst....html?doc=6703

Zotac mini-ITX motherboard:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=992833

Reviews:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/mot...-wifi-review/1

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/25035...0itx-wifi.html

You will also need a slot loading DVD rewriter so the total should come to around £230. Add 4gb of RAM via 2x2gb dimms and its should come to around £270.

[staffsMike]

I am thinking how I can justify getting a new pc so I can use that case

*must save for house...*

[hardflipman]

that's a pretty smart wee case. i've actually got a d945gclf2 mini itx motherboard on my desk being built as my server. i was going to use a biostar ideq case for it but it seemed like too much hard work so i'm going to make a case from some wood i've got kicking about!

found this motherboard
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...-Micro-ATX-VGA
which should probably do the trick although it doesn't have that many sata ports or esata but to be honest i probably wouldn't end up using them!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I am thinking how I can justify getting a new pc so I can use that case

*must save for house...*

Me too!! Not only do I not need it as I have a Shuttle already but also I am totally skint at the moment too!!

Person who likes mucking around with computer bits - money = sadness

[jim]

i had thought about the p180 mini but would really like something smaller i guess. i've got a couple 120mm fans knocking about that i could use in the coolermaster one though.
how would one suspend the hard drives? and i have 2 drives i need to use...

i've got 2 PSU's i could use, a hiper type r modular and corsair hx520 modular. i actually can't use the hiper one in my p182 as the modular connectors are too long plus the p4 connector isn't long enough! so i suspect the corsair is the one to use


thanks for the advice so far

I highly recommend you send the Type-R somewhere far, far away. I'm a member of the 'Failed Type-R' owners club - although I'm quite proud of the fact that mine managed to destroy the motherboard, CPU and RAM

[hardflipman]

I highly recommend you send the Type-R somewhere far, far away. I'm a member of the 'Failed Type-R' owners club - although I'm quite proud of the fact that mine managed to destroy the motherboard, CPU and RAM

well, as it happens I'm a member of the club too! It's my second one. It's normally in my wife's PC and that's where it'll be going back! sounds like a bit of bad luck to take out your motherboard, cpu and ram though

anyhoo, i've ordered the coolermaster case and a motherboard, should arrive today. thanks chaps

[McPhee]

I have an 8x slot in my 975X motherboard and it has not been a hindrance so far for my HD4830.

If you really want to go small then an SG05 maybe a good idea:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...00W-80plus-PSU

Review:

http://vr-zone.com/articles/silverst....html?doc=6703

Zotac mini-ITX motherboard:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=992833

Reviews:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/mot...-wifi-review/1

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/25035...0itx-wifi.html

You will also need a slot loading DVD rewriter so the total should come to around £230. Add 4gb of RAM via 2x2gb dimms and its should come to around £270.

Wow, just wow. Now i know what i want for my next build! Time to start hassling J&W to see if the X3 720 will work on their MINIX board. Phenom X3 + 4830 in a box that small It needs an LED fan though Would help break up the slightly fugly front.