Bare bones portable gaming rig?

[RichieLee]

Hello everyone,

I'm in 2 minds about what direction to go with a new build.

Essentially my pc (to the left) was built as a budget all-in-one rig; intensive image files for work, films, music etc... I love this rig as it is so instead of pushing things further, I'm toying with the idea of building a portable gaming rig.

This week I wanted to go visit a mate to get some LAN gaming on the go but the sheer amount of hooked up equipment (scanner, wacom, speakers, printer etc) and size of the tower put me off so I just visited instead

This has got me interested in a small form factor pc for my now computer free bedroom and small enough to just unhook and throw into my car to visit friends for some gaming. I saw some really small systems before advertised on the Hexus banners but the name escapes me, they were tiny! but I don't know if they'd be too compact for gaming!

I'm considering something like a shuttle pc, but I'm not sure what to go for as I'm new to the small form factor sector. Any advice you have is very much appreciated.

I already have ready to go:

Crucial 8gb 1600mhz ram (will just take 8gb out of my current rig as 16gb is overkill anyway)
LG 22" monitor
keyboard
mouse
a spare 120mm sharkoon golf ball style case fan

and a possibly a 256gb Samsung 830 ssd...

Now budget. It's tight especially with the ssd cutting out a fair chunk of cash (£147)
I'm thinking shuttle because iirc it already has everything you need included? I mean I wont have to budget in the cost of a mobo, PSU case etc right? If I went for a shuttle, am I right in thinking all I have to worry about is the GPU and CPU?

Obviously the cheaper the better, so I'll leave the recommendations to you guys and see what you come up with.

My main aim is for portable gaming. Nothing OTT, I want a low noise and low power consumption unit that'll allow me to game nicely. I'd love an i5 2500k but cant help but think it's a wasted commodity as I simply dont intend on overclocking. Stock speeds would suit me just fine, so maybe an i3 would suffice? or even a high speed Athlon 2 cpu? I'm not sure...

Any tips as always appreciated!

Rich

[Petherwin]

Interesting.

What's your budget, what games do you play and at what resolution? A Shuttle pc + ssd wil be around £400 or so then add on a cpu (c.£90 for an i3) and then a gpu to satisfy your type of games and screen resolution.

How often will you use it to play games - a "basic" gpu may leave you disappointed at game performance if you plan to use it often, especially with a 22" screen at (I guess) a fairly high resolution?

Or is mobility more important to you? If so then (I have to ask) why not just a laptop?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have used Shuttle systems for the last few years and even my current PC uses a modified Shuttle case. The size is great if you need to travel and even for LANs,the size of the case means it is easy to setup.

I use a Core i3 2100 and an HD5850 1GB.

A Shuttle system has the case,PSU,motherboard and cooler.

A Mini-ITX system can be cheaper,but if you use a higher end case like a Silverstone SG07,the cost will be around the same.

The SZ77R5 is worth considering:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/801...es-PC/BRB0088/

Here is a review:

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

The SZ77R5 comes with a 500W PSU and has a Z77 based motherboard,meaning you have quite a lot of flexibility,in what components you can use. It can also use mini-ITX motherboards,if you want to replace the motherboard and a later date.

There are also cheaper Shuttle systems such as the SH67H3 and SH67H7:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/shutt...-raid-hdmi-dvi

http://www.cclonline.com/product/690...lack-/BRB0078/

These use the H67 chipset which does not support overclocking and have 300W PSUs. However,I suspect the PSU should be enough for an HD6850 1GB or HD7770 1GB.

There is also the SH61R4:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/690...puter/BRB0079/

However,I am not certain how good the 250W PSU will be for running a decent graphics card.

The cheapest option would be a Silverston SG05:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...fx-psu-80-plus

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...u-80-plus-bron

The 450W model is probably the one to consider as you can be more flexible about what graphics cards you use.

This H61 based mini-ITX motherboard would do the job:

http://www.cclonline.com/product/556...board/MBD0124/

http://www.cclonline.com/product/712...board/MBD0256/

However,unlike the first two Shuttle systems I mentioned which use the Z77 and H67 chipsets,it lacks SATA 3.0 which means you are limiting your SSD,although I supposed random access times are the more important metric I supposed.

An H67 based motherboard would have SATA3.0:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel...-board-mini-it

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel...board-mini-itx

There are some larger cases too:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lian-...%28atx-fits%29

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lian-...se-with-usb-30

The second one has a handle too!

[RichieLee]

This is the interesting bit I guess.

I want a decent rig but I dont want it to end up being a replacement for my current 'main rig' if you will. I'm usually gaming at 1920x1080 so GPU wise I'm looking at the new 7770s as they seem on par with my 6850 and by the looks more energy efficient, and with some luck a little quieter!

I did look at the SH61R4 but I'm dubious about the 250W PSU, if I did get this case then what are my limitations as far as GPUS and CPUS go? I'm assuming the i3 is going to be a lot less power hungry than my phenom II?

I was hoping to get everything for around £400 max really, any more than that then I may actually just upgrade my current pc and give up on another computer.

[Pob255]

I've built an i3 in the SH61R4, granted not for gaming, just using the onboard.
it's small and quite light, psu would be a potential for gaming.

I'd also say don't go for such a large ssd if this is just a portable lan rig, then you don't need a big collection of games on it or other software, a 64gb drive should be plenty

I've just found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/accommodate-...9076795&sr=8-1 don't know exactly what it's like but it look like it ticks the boxes for a mini-ITX and it's cheap

[DDY]

I've just found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/accommodate-...9076795&sr=8-1 don't know exactly what it's like but it look like it ticks the boxes for a mini-ITX and it's cheap

Holy cow, I've been looking for one of those for ages.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Holy cow, I've been looking for one of those for ages.

I have already mentioned that case a while back in another thread but seemed to forget about it.

There are two versions for sale on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/X-Case-Min...item5ae401d826

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Gamin...item5ae47f00ff

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

This is the interesting bit I guess.

I want a decent rig but I dont want it to end up being a replacement for my current 'main rig' if you will. I'm usually gaming at 1920x1080 so GPU wise I'm looking at the new 7770s as they seem on par with my 6850 and by the looks more energy efficient, and with some luck a little quieter!

I did look at the SH61R4 but I'm dubious about the 250W PSU, if I did get this case then what are my limitations as far as GPUS and CPUS go? I'm assuming the i3 is going to be a lot less power hungry than my phenom II?

I was hoping to get everything for around £400 max really, any more than that then I may actually just upgrade my current pc and give up on another computer.

A 256GB SSD is going to take around £140 to £150 out of the budget and a 64GB around £50.

With the price of hard drives,I would say it is not worth spending the budget on an SSD,as you could get a better CPU and/or GPU.

Moreover,having worked with small cases,you really should consider getting a modular PSU or at least one with short cables.

The issue with the previous case is that the cable mess will interfere with the graphics card if it is too long.



However,it will still take a reasonable length dual slot card if you are careful with the PSU cable routing.

[jim]

I built a mini-ITX i5 machine in an SG06 case (that version that comes with a 450W PSU) a while back, was exactly what you're talking about. Powerful and portable. It was an Intel Quad i5 with a GTX460, could handle pretty much any game.

If it hadn't stopped working, I'd probably still have it now.

[Agent]

How portable are we talking about? mini-ITX or mATX?

I've had Shuttles and mini-ITX in the past, but I've found a happy medium with mATX and a case like: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...s-atx-uatx-psu or http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...m-case-w-o-psu

Both will take standard parts, and I know the latter definitely takes full size GPUs and is really nice to work with. Certainly if you buy a modular PSU.

For me, being able to buy and use off the shelf parts became pretty important once I realised that replacing faulty Shuttle stuff was a nightmare

The size between mini-ITX and a mATX isn't that much if you're just putting it in the boot of a car, although if you start moving it about on public transport it might bother you a bit more. It's a lot less than a full tower either way!

[Pob255]

unfortunately that sg06 & 450w psu is £120http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silverstone-sugo-sg06bb-450-black-mini-itx-dtx-cube-sff-all-black-with-450w-sfx-psu-80-plus-bronze

Where as that case above with a 430w modular psu http://www.scan.co.uk/products/430w-...t-fan-atx-v231 is only going to be £81
Shame those front bezels are so ugly, a plane flat front would look better.

ps agent your first link is mini-itx z77 motherboards not a case

if you are happy with matx then how about the nzxt vulcan, or another matx case with a handle on it, a carry handle can go a long way to portability.

[Agent]

Ahh yes, missed the budget bit

I'm a bit of a case nut in some ways. I normally spend more on them than I should, but make them last for years. Still love my CM210.

Fixed one of my links for the other case. A bit cheaper, but still probably too much.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The new Shuttle systems tend to have mini-ITX mounts,so the motherboard is easy to replace or upgrade. The PSU has standard connections too,and are not too hard to get hold off either.

TBH,I am so used to mini-ITX and Shuttle form factor computers,I find even mATX quite large!! I like the fact I have a small dedicated bag which I can put the computer into.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

unfortunately that sg06 & 450w psu is £120http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silverstone-sugo-sg06bb-450-black-mini-itx-dtx-cube-sff-all-black-with-450w-sfx-psu-80-plus-bronze

Where as that case above with a 430w modular psu http://www.scan.co.uk/products/430w-...t-fan-atx-v231 is only going to be £81
Shame those front bezels are so ugly, a plane flat front would look better.

ps agent your first link is mini-itx z77 motherboards not a case

if you are happy with matx then how about the nzxt vulcan, or another matx case with a handle on it, a carry handle can go a long way to portability.

What about this PSU:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/400w-...onze-quiet-fan

It uses a ball bearing fan too unlike the Be Quiet! and seems to use better capacitors AFAIK. The L8 range seem to made by HEC and the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MKIII seem to be made by Seasonic.

The cables do seem quite long though according to this review:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5844/p...-mk-iii-400w/1

[Pob255]

That psu is solid, but more, the be quiet 430w is only £44, cheapest decent modular psu on scan
+ £37 for the case (amazon is slightly cheaper than those ebay listings once you factor in P&P)
total £81, well just under as I'm rounding up

In a case this small, long cables are not a factor, in fact they could be a bad thing, in that space is limited for stuffing in the extra length, although with a modular psu you should be able to make your own custom length cables for it.

On Shuttle psu's the new shuttles are no longer using a standard form factor psu, they are now 82mm by 53mm, which is slightly larger than the Flex ATX standard they used to use 82mm x 41mm and smaller than TFX which is the next standard up at 85mm x 70mm
Which means with any new shuttle you're now limited to the non-standard shuttle psu's, granted they are good quality and have custom length cables so you'll have minimum cable management issues, but at the same time they are not cheap, in fact I'd say they are hellishly expensive.
The shuttle 500w PC63J PSU is just shy of £110 http://www.ebuyer.com/352075-shuttle...j-series-pc63j
The shuttle 300w PC61J PSU is just shy of £85 http://www.ebuyer.com/352074-shuttle...j-series-pc61j

You could fit a Flex ATX psu in them but it will require modding.

[jim]

unfortunately that sg06 & 450w psu is £120

True, but I did love it dearly... *sniff*

Point is, you don't have to buy a Shuttle, and Mini-ITX PCs can be just as powerful as their bigger brothers (oh, and yeah, the bezel does make me feel a little bit ill)