Hi, I'm off to uni in September and could do with a new PC, but it will have to be quite small, so ideally I'd like a mini ITX system. I was thinking of going with the i5 2400 (as I won't be overclocking), but am unsure which motherboard and case to go for, and am not sure which graphics cards and CPU coolers will fit. I have a budget of about £550, but I'd like to keep it under that if possible. If people can recommend a good AMD system, a different Intel system or even something that isn't mini ITX I'll be happy to reconsider if there's a good saving Also, this PC needs to be able to play Skyrim on it's top settings that way it should be reasonably future-proof. Thanks for your help
This may help, it's a build I did before I went to uni. Can show you what you can fit into an ITX build... Quite a lot as it turns out...
Personally, i find you can build a gaming ITX system but it generally needs comprises (PSU size, heatsink size/shape, GPU length to name a few potential issues) and cooling everything can be a problem unless you get a very good case. If you go for MicroATX case then that makes everything far simply without adding much to the dimensions (in fact, they are usually the same size in width and length but taller). If you go for a MicroATX case this also opens up far more motherboards to choose from. GPU, HDD, Case and PSU will depend on more information. What resolution will you be gaming at? Do you already have the monitor? How much HDD space do you need? Will 1TB be enough? Do you care about case looks? Your PSU choice will kind of depend on your GPU choice, although assuming mid-high range then something in the 350-450w range from a good supplier will do fine. Id go modular as even though its more expensive in a small case it can be a pain having big chunky cables all over the place when you dont need them.
The silverstone sg05/06 is a good and fairly cheap m-itx case, and comes with either a 300w or 450w psu which should be enough for a fairly powerful system. There is some limit on graphics card length but that should only really be approblem with the more expensive cards.
