ITX cooler/mobo

[dulcificum]

Hi all. So I'm building an ITX system with the following:

Silverstone SG05B Mini-ITX Mini-DTX, Black with 300W 80Plus PSU
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3 PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.5V
Intel Core i3 2120 or i5

What I want to know is what mobo I should pair with these to get the best value for money. I need minimum 2 monitor outputs, but 3 would be a big bonus. Otherwise I can get a dedicated fanless GPU for the 3rd monitor, right? Built in Wifi on the mobo and eSATA are both big pluses.

Also, I want to know which CPU cooler to get the quietest system possible but still fit in this case. Any ideas?

[Pob255]

Planned usage? Budget?

Zotac do some very good mini-ITX boards with wireless http://www.scan.co.uk/products/zotac...-board-wifi-mi
Although wireless can be added fairly easily vs a usb.

3 monitors will be a major issue as no onboard graphics has that capability AFAIK
While you might get three outputs only two can be used at any one time.

Cooler is an issue in two ways, 1 the size inside the case restricts cooler choice, 2 the cpu location on socket 1155 mini-itx boards is very close to both ram and pci-e slot
The pci-e is important here as with a graphics card added it's most likely to cause issue, where as low profile ram can be used to greatly reduce issues http://www.overclockers.com/samsung-ddr3-1600-ram please not not all ram called "low profile" is, eg the corsair vengeance Low Profile, which is standard height not low profile.
Doesn't have to be that high spec, a couple of sticks of the kingston stuff would be fine http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Val.../dp/B0019MI1CW
Please note You don't need giant heatsinks on DDR3 it runs at lower voltages and temperatures and because you can no longer overclock fsb RAM overclocking is almost a thing of the past now, you really don't need more than 1333mhz as you'll see no difference (except in ram benchmarks) 1600mhz is just the currently most suggested as it's actually slightly cheaper.

[dulcificum]

Budget is as low as possible really but I guess below £300 total if possible as I want to splash out on monitors.

I don't game so won't be OCing. Just want to be able to edit dozens of documents and have 50+ simultaneous tabs along with several other applications always open.

Is there any easy way to tell if a cooler will fit on a particular board/in a particular case without trial and error?

If there's no way to get 3 monitors with onboard graphics, lets just choose a mobo with 2 guaranteed and I can get another GPU monitor later...

Thanks.

[Ulti]

It seems that the tasks you'll be doing are quite low in terms of power required, but high multitasking values, but both and i3 or i5 will be good. I think you may actually be able to get away with a fanless cooler such as a Scythe Shuriken as the SG05 has a 120mm fan in the front IIRC, easily enough airflow for what you're doing. Then you can have an almost silent system; to me there's quite a bit of difference between 1 120mm fan and 2 fans together.

[dulcificum]

I picked the SG05 as it seemed to have the biggest (hence quietest) fan. So you reckon I'll be able to get away with a fanless cooler? Will that take the i5 or just the i3?

And then, does anyone know a mobo that will definitely allow the Scythe Shuriken to fit?

edit - seems that one is not fanless. Were you thinking of something else?

[DDY]

You can certainly go for a fanless CPU heatsink, I've got a passively cooled i5 2300 in my SG06, link.

Check out the Thermal Right AXP-140, as far as I know it's the largest heatsink you can fit in the SG05/SG06 without any modding.

[dulcificum]

Brilliant - thanks. Not sure i would want to try and bend the heatsink though - your pics terrify me

Anyone know if the Thermalright Ultra 120 will fit in that case too? I was hoping since it's tall it might even go with a Zotac H67ITX-C-E? Any ideas?

(Is the Zotac H55-ITX any good either? The H67ITX-C-E is a bit pricey as I only want it for the Wifi which I need)

[DDY]

There is no way the Thermalright Ultra 120 will fit in the SG05, except if you bend it in to the 4th dimension.

Again, the AXP-140 is the biggest heatsink you'll get in there without modding, e.g. bending or cutting. I reckon you'd even be able to run a i7 2600 passively with that thing.

Forget the Zotac H55-ITX, it has the older H55 chipset and will only take socket 1156 CPUs, these are the older generation of Intel chips. The CPUs and motherboards you should be after are socket 1155, aka Sandy Bridge.

[dulcificum]

There is no way the Thermalright Ultra 120 will fit in the SG05, except if you bend it in to the 4th dimension.

Again, the AXP-140 is the biggest heatsink you'll get in there without modding, e.g. bending or cutting. I reckon you'd even be able to run a i7 2600 passively with that thing.

Forget the Zotac H55-ITX, it has the older H55 chipset and will only take socket 1156 CPUs, these are the older generation of Intel chips. The CPUs and motherboards you should be after are socket 1155, aka Sandy Bridge.

My bad. I love the look of the Zotac H67ITX-C-E but I just resent paying £100 just for the Wifi when any board with Wifi and 2 x outputs (one HDMI would be nice) will do fine. Why do none of the ~£60 boards which would otherwise be fine have wifi or even mini-PCI-E?!

Also been looking at Thermaltake Element Q as a case alternative. Any thoughts on that? Anyone know how quiet the power supply is in that and the SG05?

[DDY]

What about a non wireless ITX board for £60 and a USB wireless adapter for £10?

[dulcificum]

Having tried USB Wifi adapters in the past, I refuse to use them. None I've ever found can cope with >1MB/download speed for longer than about 5 mins at a time. And I can't waste the only PCI slot on Wifi. The only other mobo I've found is the ASRock H67M-ITX/HT which is barely cheaper.

The Cooler Master GeminII S cooler does look very interesting though but I can't find it. Anything else passive but cheaper than the £40 AXP-140?

So am I out of luck on a cheaper mobo? And is the Thermaltake Element Q definitely worse than the SG05?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Have you considered the Shuttle SH61R4:

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/system...rebone-sh61r4/

You get a PCI-E 2.0 16X and PCI-E 2.0 1X slot. There is also a mini-PCIE slot fo a wireless card too.

You can also replace the Shuttle motherboard with a mini-ITX motherboard at a later date. Regarding the noise install a quieter ICE fan and it should be fine. The system can take upto 95W TDP CPUs.

The Shuttle system comes with a case,motherboard,CPU cooler and PSU.

[scaryjim]

I was about to say exactly what CAT just said. So it must be good advice

[dulcificum]

That's an interesting option. I'd always ruled out Shuttle as having too much of a price tax on them, but that seems reasonable (I guess a wifi N card won't be more than £15?). The two things that put me off so far is the size and no HDMI but I guess I have room for a graphics card in that case. (no eSATA is a shame too).

1. Do you know how quiet it would be compared to my plan so far? Even if I replace the fan?
2. So the CPU cooler isn't any good? Could I fit the AXP-140 in instead? Or what's a good replacement?
3. The reviews mention noise which is a major issue for me. How fixable is this going to be? Is the PSU noisy too?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Remember that the Shuttle uses a more expensive aluminium case which will transmit sound easier than a steel one. However,noise is not the important factor,but the pitch. A low hum is more tolerable than high pitch noise.

Also,having owned a few SFF PCs including two Shuttles and one based on a modified Shuttle case,chucking in higher TDP parts and then expecting near silence is a recipe of disaster in the long run. The heat has to go somewhere and since the case is nearer to your ears in the first place you are asking more of the cooling than a case tucked under the desk. If the heats stays stuck in your case it will probably mean issues for the capacitors on you mainboard or PSU at some point. I always make sure the system is adequately cooled first.

I would stick with 35W to 65W TDP CPUs.

[dulcificum]

I'm probably going to go with an i3 and won't be loading it much at all so I'm not so worried about the heat issues. I am still concerned about noise though.

Will the AXP-140 fit? And if not, what's the best and quietest cooler that I could use instead?