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Hey all, piggybacking a bit off of mr_thehun's thread because I didn't want to hi-jack it. Been thinking of building a rig to replace my Dell XPS 400 desktop because good components are so relatively cheap it really makes no sense to do otherwise.

First things first, gaming requirements & additional considerations:

• I am essentially an MMO and occasional RTS player on PC. Beside's Valve's stuff, FPSs I play on my consoles.
• Games I play(ed recently): WoW, StarCraft 2, EvE Online, Minecraft
• Games I intend to play in the future: Diablo 3, SWTOR, The Secret World, Magicka, Portal 2, The Witcher 2, Metro: Last Light (maybe, depending on reqs & the console versions)
• I live in an apartment in Northern New Jersey. That means:
  • I don't have a lot of space
  • Building is older, so the wall units I have for heating/AC suck power, so power usage is a factor
• I got 5.5 years out of my Dell, I'd like something similar from my new machine
• Budget is a max of $800, though less would be preferable. I have a certified 600W PSU, harddrive, and a 1650x1050 monitor I want to keep, plus a Windows 7 Pro 64-bit license I should be able to cancel/transfer over.

So the big question is, should I build a regular ATX machine for easy assembly & upgradability/expansion, or go mITX for lower power-reqs & space? Given my gaming preferences, I'm unlikely to ever be a multi-GPU kind of guy, and saving space and power is appealing. However, it's unquestionable that an ATX build provides a lot more flexibility and potential for longevity.

Priced out ATX build, using TechReport's mid-range as a guide with a couple replacements:

• Intel Core-i5 2500K - obvious choice in a regular rig - $220
• Asus P8Z68-V LE - No Wi-fi, but not necessary in my bedroom - $130
• G. Skill Value Series 240-pin DDR3 1333 (2x4GB) - may not need 8GB, but RAM is cheap now - $40
• Some cheap DVD-burner - don't need Blu-Ray, have a PS3 - $20
• MSI N460GTX 1GB - I could cheap it out with a lower tier Radeon since I'm keeping my monitor, but this mid-range card will position well when I eventually upgrade it - $180
• NZXT H2 case - $99

Total: $689, totally under budget.

Priced out Z68 mITX build:

• Intel Core-i5 2500K - $220
• Zotac Z68ITX-B-E LGA 1155 Mobo - Pricey, but not many Z68 options in newegg and the cheaper ones seem to have problems like poor overclock - $220
• Same RAM as above - $40
• Silverstone SG07 case - best gaming ITX case, comes with a 600W 80+cert PSU and some nice built-in fan setup - $220
• Same card - $180
• Slim DVD-burner - $45

Total: $925, over budget but not enormously so. Cheaping out on the mobo(dubious overclocking), would bring it down to $825

Priced out H67 mITX build: No overclocking capabilities in this one, but cheaper for it

• i5-2400 1155- $190
• ASRock H67 - $120
• Silverstone SG07 case - $220
• Same RAM - $40
• Same card - $180
• Slim DVD-burner - $45

Total: $795, under budget
For the curious, I picked the Silverstone SG07 because it's reputedly the only mITX case ideal for gaming without looking for undersized/underpowered but also $$ video cards and handles heat extremely well.

Thoughts?

Why not go uATX/Micro-ATX and split the difference? You should be able to easily find a board that is more expandable than ITX but thriftier than ATX.

--Patrick

I was also thinking about that, I just love the idea of a gaming rig in something the size of a shoebox.

mr_thehun said:

yeah I think we are in the same boat. mATX is just slightly smaller than ATX so I don't really see the point. The SG05 just looks awesome. I'm waiting until my CNC build is finished (that's going to take a while) until I get around to building my mITX.

Click to expand...

I think that's a good plan on your part. It's really the Silverstone cases that make the price difference. I was thinking about the SG05, but I'd need to replace the stock PSU, most likely, and I'm not sure if my existing 600W PSU would fit, particularly with a full-size video card (won't fit anything longer than 9.5" apparently).

I like what he did, but buying a dremel with a cutter tool doesn't really help me with my budget problem.
Added at: 22:06
He did use the cheaper Z68 mobo though, which is encouraging as it brings my build price down to $825, just 25 bucks over budget. Get a good deal on the GPU, and that's pretty much a lock.

Well, it's probably not going to be until December-ish at the earliest, for budget reasons. I would like it then for SWTOR, but am willing to wait a bit.

SpecialKO said:

I like what he did, but buying a dremel with a cutter tool doesn't really help me with my budget problem.

Click to expand...

Harbor Freight? $18 will get you a rotary tool. For light use it would probably do the job.

drifter said:

Harbor Freight? $18 will get you a rotary tool. For light use it would probably do the job.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I'll have to look into that. With the mod, it still might not fit any card longer than 10.5".
Added at: 07:56
It looks like I definitely would need more than 450 PSU, going by newegg's PSU calculator, if I got an SG05. My current 650W 80+ in my desktop may fit, but I'm not sure. Silverstone cases definitely take slimmer ATX PSUs, but I would need to actually pull mine out and measure it.

Or go by the technical drawing, if they have one for download.

--Patrick

You can usually just take a pair of tin snips or hacksaw and remove the last 1/2 to 3/4 inches of video card. That's where they keep Windows Aero support, but honestly you're buying it for performance and should probably turn aero off anyway.

stienman said:

You can usually just take a pair of tin snips or hacksaw and remove the last 1/2 to 3/4 inches of video card. That's where they keep Windows Aero support, but honestly you're buying it for performance and should probably turn aero off anyway.

Click to expand...

Huh. I was not aware. I'm probably not going to go that route, since it might make RMAs a bit of a bitch (the 3 or 4 times I've replaced/upgraded my video card, twice were due to in-warranty cards crapping out on me), but good to know, in a pinch.

Guys, don't do that. I'm joking. You can't cut your video card up and expect it to work after that.

You could run around screaming, "MY PARENTS AREN'T DEEEEAAAAAAD!!!"

It wouldn't have the same ring to it, though.

Surprisingly enough, there are some cards where this truly is the case.

Not many, though.

--Patrick