Interest in computers has waned ... what should I get now!?

[c.ruel]

I first started posting on this forum back in 2009 or so when my old vaio desktop (pentium 4) gave up the ghost and I need a new computer but was too poor to buy one so with some help on her I made one.

I have never really been massively into computers, I just used my computer for word processing and games. I have still continued to buy the odd component here and there but it has dawned on me that now I dont' even really play games anymore.

I am going to be going into a period of my life where I might be moving about a lot so I want something small.

Here is a rough outline of the machine I am thinking of getting.

lian li pc-q08 mini itx case

FM2 mini-itx board

Ram, psu, HDD etc etc I can either use things from previous builds or choose on my own.

The big question I have is I want to get the a10-5700 because in such a small case I would rather have something that runs cool. However I do periodically get back into games so I want the option to be able to buy a HD 7850 or similar down the line and still have enough grunt for games at 1080p.

Probably a silly question but would the a10-5700 be able to do that when paired with a mid range card or do I really need to go for the a10-5800k? Also is that motherboard an OK choice, there is a different one on overclockers uk.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would also consider a Shuttle SFF PC,as they are small and I have had a few and they are quite easy to move around. I even had the dedicated bags for them.

One of these models would do the trick:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/574...H67H3/BRB0071/

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/shutt...oogle+shopping

It is basically the case,motherboard,PSU and cooler in one unit.

The motherboards also have better memory expansion abilities than mini-ITX ones too as they have 4 RAM slots too. People have run overclocked Core i5 CPUs in the latter chassis too.

The PSUs are industrial flexATX units and I am using the 500W unit which the last model has,and that model can also take a mini-ITX motherboard.

I would look at this review of the last model:

http://www.motormice.com/reviews/SZ77R5/

The Silverstone SG07 is an alternative,but in reality is not that much cheaper once you factor in the motherboard and CPU cooler.

[peterb]

Well the obvious solution for portability is a high end laptop, so you have the gaming option. However, that pretty muvh rules out the re-use of components, and upgrade path.

Otherwise the SFF systems like the one CAT suggests, or if you still want to self build, a mini-itx system. Again, the problem with those is limited expansion capability - you would have to do your research carefully.

The problem with sff systems is that you still have four separate items, system, kbd, monitor and mouse. Some mini-itx cases can be mounted on the back of a monitor, using the VESA mounting points, which makes them a bit more portable.

[Pob255]

My one word of warning about shuttles is the PSU, The last one I built, an SH61R4, the psu was not a standard flex atx form factor, it's almost but is actually slightly wider, a standard flex atx psu would fit but it would be secured by only 1 screw.

not the end of the world, just a warning.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I use the same PSU as in the high end Shuttle systems,which is very powerful for such a small PSU. It is basically a 500W FSP Industrial unit which is Bronze certified.

[Pob255]

I didn't say they where bad psu's they are not, but they are non-standard size.
the psu in the SH61R4 is 200 x 82 x 53 mm
flex atx is 150-190 x 81.5 x 40.5 mm
U1 is 190-250 x 100 x 40.5 mm
U2 is 200-260 X 100 X 70mm
(there are longer versions but width and height are always the same)
Being industrial generally means the psu is not in a separate case and built into the unit or the psu has no wires but instead a hot swap type connection.

The reason shuttle has gone for this odd size seems to be so that they can put a larger and quieter 50mm fan in the psu.
They are probably buying the innards of flex atx units and putting them into the custom case, or more likely paying FSP to do it for for them.
Like I said it's not the end of the world, just something to be aware of.

[fishingcat]

For portability and performance I'd favor the Bitfenix Prodigy.

It might not be as small as some mITX cases, but the carry handles mean it's still pretty portable. The ability to deal with big coolers/GPU is always nice too.