Aloha. I am currently intrested in building a small mini-itx system, but alas, i know nothing about this format. My main aims for this project is to build a custom case for a system i can use primaraly as a jukebox / download box amd internet use. something small and energy efficient. I custum built a (high end a year ago) gaming rig, which doubles as my work (Adobe CS3 suite) computer, so im not clueless on ATX systems, but mini itx is something i have tended to ignore due to a bigger is better mentality- soon to change. ANY help, would be much apreciated. such as costs, brands, or factors i should look into. Thanks in advance.
yup, found this site just after posting. Forgot to mention, i have a tight budget, it might be impossible, im hoping for something under £100 GBP will keep looking, but any recommendations would help.
you may have heard the name Atom here and there, intels atom is ideal for the type of machine your looking to build. The CPU is intergrated into the motherboard and costs about £60 you'll need to add memory ~1GB should be fine, and ideally a laptop HDD, and maybe a laptop DVD drive because they draw very little power, and the size is ideal for ITX. one draw back with the Atom is its onboard network controller, limited to T100, but the empty PCI slot can be used for a decent NIC or wireless card. Oh and atom is passively cooled which is a bonus!
atom is the way forwards price and power consumption wise... tho you can get mini-itx boards with intel/amd sockets on them, although they tend to be more expensive. http://www.mini-itx.com/reviews/atoms/default.asp?page=1 good round up of the latest crop of atom boards here, including an amazingly electricity frugal msi board and a dual core intel atom board
oooh, thanks very much. Atom seems to be the way forward then. will continue to look into this, and possibly create a project log if i custom build ther case.
