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Small Form Factor Moving to m-ATX?

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by MiNiMaL_FuSS, 30 May 2012.

  1. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    My current rig:

    Core i5 2500k @4.5ghz
    MSI P67A-GD55
    2x 2TB hdd's
    GTX 570
    8GB DDR3
    Corsair TC850

    This is currently housed in a p280, but lately I've been considering moving to something with a small footprint.

    I'm new to mirco ATX, so can anybody tell me the potential pit falls of a move? Recommend a good case and board?

    Thanks,
    FuSS
     
    Last edited: 30 May 2012
  2. Nealieboyee

    Nealieboyee Packaging Master!

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    Lack of support for SLI as most matx boards only have one PCI-E x16 slot.
    Smaller case means potentially more heat build-up.

    How small a case were you looking for? Try the Fractal Core 1000. Its dinky :)

    Edit: Tidy up you thread title you lazy sod. Or I'll steal Frank! P.S. When you coming back online?
     
  3. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    Your setup would be fine in a mATX environment.

    As nealieboyee said, the nature of mATX limits use of things like SLi (you can do SLi, but not with both slots at x16) and the number of hard drives you can cram in there, but to be honest, I've been incredibly happy with mATX.

    Good case and board? Best board right now is the Asus Maximus V Gene, retailing around £150. It's a full Republic of Gamers board, so has all the high end bells and whistles - Bit-Tech have a review of it, and it's also their current recommendation for builds.

    Case-wise, I use the Silverstone FT03 which is lovely. It fits 3 HDs and an SSD in terms of storage, as well as a full-size GPU and CPU cooler. The only thing to be aware of is that you will need a slimline optical drive (with associated slimline SATA adapter) rather than a full size one.

    I'd also recommend bumping your RAM to 8GB for a few quid. 3GB is skimping a bit on a very cheap component.
     
  4. MrDomRocks

    MrDomRocks Modder

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    Here's an idea, buy mdf/decent saw/ drill with 120mm hole cutter and build your own discrete case into your desk?
     
  5. Sheiken

    Sheiken Wat?

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    Silverstone PS07 - best case I have ever had.
     
  6. Atomic

    Atomic Gerwaff

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    You'll be fine. I've got my rig in a P182 mini, and it's perfect.

    Might go smaller when I've got my NAS sorted for mass storage as I'll only have SSD's to house internally then.
     
  7. Mac_Trekkie

    Mac_Trekkie Source Engine's #1 fan!

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    Another option is mini-ITX, but it's a little more expensive than mATX.
     
  8. Sheiken

    Sheiken Wat?

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    And he will have to make compromises!

    I moved from mITX to mATX and I am extremely happy that I did.
     
  9. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    I OC too much for ITX, hence mATX seems the route for me as I want to reduce size a little.

    Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep an eye out for boards on the forum as the new cost is slightly off-putting.

    (Oh I do have 8GB, now idea how I managed to type 3!!)
     
  10. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    I am online...I just cant be bothered with BF3 much, it's poo!

    My thread title is fine, meh to you I say, meh!
     
  11. Mac_Trekkie

    Mac_Trekkie Source Engine's #1 fan!

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    And I thought I was the only person on earth who thought this! :thumb:
     
  12. IvanIvanovich

    IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу.

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    Asides from difference in amount of available expansion slots there is little difference these days. They don't cut features and only make value crap in matx like 10 years ago. It's not even hard to find matx sli/crossfire boards for some time now. Even the atx boards often have the same bandwidth limitations.
    Even mitx is catching up with their board designs packing additional power phases and other premium features on. OC capable mitx boards are few now, but I expect they will be more common as time goes on.
    Hard drives limitation... what? I have 6 hdds in a mitx rig.
     
  13. Da_Rude_Baboon

    Da_Rude_Baboon What the?

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    Silverstone TJ-08E and Gene-Z montherboard. Cooler, quieter and more flexible than the FT03 and you need to be careful with your hardware choices in the FT03. Check the size of your PSU with mATX cases though as some can be a bit big.
     
  14. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    Gene-Z is more than I'm wanting to pay really.

    An older p67 board will do? Newer chipset would obviously be nice..
    It just needs to hold a decent clock
    one PCIE 16x
    Sata 3
    USB 3

    Any slightly cheaper recommendations for a board?
     
  15. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    Try finding a Maximus IV Gene-Z, the Z68 version, second hand? I sold mine for £60 recently!
     
  16. MiNiMaL_FuSS

    MiNiMaL_FuSS ƬӇЄƦЄ ƁЄ ƇƠƜƧ ӇЄƦЄ.

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    would of had that!
     

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