Will a SFF PC meet my needs?

GSXRMovistar

GSXRMovistar

GSXRMovistar

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Okay my main PC is getting on a little and showing signs of struggling, not to mention issues with cooling, requiring the side off and fans up high otherwise it crashes (I’ve got a whole load of drives and cards in it).

Now I’ve no longer got the time to play PC games so not looking for a gaming beast but something fairly powerful that can sit on my desk out the way.

If I decided to go down the custom build route (was tempted to go off the shelf as I’m sick building PCs and dealing with the problems) would a SFF PC be able to meet the below requirements and if so any spec recommendations?

Primary uses, Internet, Office work, media playback, Photo and Video Editing (inc HD content) Adobe Photoshop/Premier
4Gb Ram
1Tb local storage (ideally 2* 500Tb)
Dual DVI
Freeview playback
Not going to drain the national grid
Not going to sound like a 747 taking off

Lastly I’m not interested in overclocking it or messing about with all the various timing and config settings, just want to be able to plug the bits together and get the O/S and software on it.

Thanks for any advice
 
Hey.

If you definitly not going to game seriously on it then yes, a SFF system would suit your needs perfectly, as I think all microATX boards come with integrated graphics. If you need something a little more powerful, dropping something like an X1650XT (£45 on offer this week) in wouldn't hurt temperatures or noise much and would still give plenty of gaming power.

You could also consider a Shuttle, that way the motherboard, PSU, and CPU cooling systems are all provided for you.

Otherwise it's a case of looking for a nice SFF case for yourself, a nice microATX motherboard, and then picking the rest of the bits.

Something like the Silverstone Sugo SG03 or Lian-Li V300 would be ideal, both can support a pair of HDDs (fulfilling that requirement) but have good airflow to keep things cool.

Motherboard wise, it's pretty clear cut here.
- For Socket 939, you would have to look second hand, but try to get either a DFI RS482 or Biostar T-Force6100 board. I know you said you don't want to overclock, but both these boards are good performers as well, feature packed, and hold their value.
- For Socket AM2, Abit do an excellent board, the nF-M2 nView. It's also a good overclocker, but does an excellent job at stock.
- For LGA775 (C2D/C2Q and P4) i'd recommend going straight for something like an Asus P5K-VM or a Gigabyte G33M-DS2R. Again they're overclockers boards, but with a twist - they have full 1333FSB support and also take the new Penryn processors due later this year.

Don't worry that i've suggested overclocker's boards. There's not a lot of choice with regards to microATX boards as some are just plain lemons and there's not a lot of price variation between a good and a bad board. It's better to just get something proven stable and good value.

I think for what you describe you'd be more than happy with Socket 939 though. :)
 
HAHA tute we meet again :p yep i can vouch for the g33m mobo's from gigabyte, rock solid performers and perfectly suited for any one's needs i just cant be doing with massive cases taking up loads of room so i opt for matx all the time that or i convert matx cases to take atx mobo's.
as for cases i don't own a sugo sg03 but I am going to, its amazing just how much fits in those cases and if you want to go a bit further you can all ways strap a 8800 in.
 
Thanks for the info guys, I think my system is currently 939 based, an Athlon 64 3000. The rest of the current spec

ABIT AV8-3rd Eye Motherboard
2* 512Mb matched memory
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
Audigy 2 soundcard
Nebula DigiTV PCI
Tagan 480 PSW
5 various hard drives (IDE/SATA) rangging from 180Gb-500Gb
LG DVD drive
Loads of fans connected to a controller
Some generic dodgy old case

Would another 939 based system be that future proof, i thought by now that would be old hat?

I noticed the Sugo SG03 in a few other threads, they look pretty smart, is there any advantage of having a MiniATX based system over say a Shuttle (I've also got one of those as a media box, Barton 2500 based)?
 
Not really, Shuttles are smaller than microATX systems however there's less room for customisation as the PSU, motherboard, and cooling are pretty much fixed forever.

With microATX you can customise the whole lot, but the end result is a bit bigger.

And yes, for your needs i'd certainly recommend reusing your Socket 939 processor, it should have more than enough power.
 
I would totally recommend getting a mATX based system over a shuttle. But i'm a bit biased because my old XP2500+ shuttle has finally died and it's now just a large brick.

Whereas like tute is saying about the mATX based systems, you could simply buy a new mobo, CPU, possibly RAM and rip out the old kit and have another nice little machine :)
 
yep the only variations are the same as full atx 20/24 pin variants not sure if theres any that use the 8 pin p4 connector though?
 
damian666 said:
yep the only variations are the same as full atx 20/24 pin variants not sure if theres any that use the 8 pin p4 connector though?
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Okay thats interesting, would be handy if I could use my old PSU. So if I went for say a Sugo SG03 I'd need the following new bits

Case (SG03)
Motherboard
CPU
Cooler (NT06)
Memory (Maybe just 2Gb for starters and also use my existing 2*512Mb)
GFX Card (Existing card is AGP)
500Gb HD

Then I could re-use the following

PSU
DVD
TV Card
500Gb HD
 
Well you could certainly re-use the CPU as I said, it would be more than quick enough for what you need it for.

You can also re-use the RAM (939 is DDR) and maybe even the graphics card, if you decided to go for a Socket 939 mATX AGP board.

If you go with integrated graphics then you won't need a new one though. :)
 
If your going for the sugo might be worth buying an extra 120mm fan as they only come with one i would suggest this if you hard drive is I.D.E as well.
This will also help matters if your psu doesn't have a 120mm fan on the bottom to aid cooling the nto6 cooler.
 
I would seriously consider a MATX, as it's all standard parts, superior cooling and can be quieter. If you have existing parts can fit into MATX easily enough (ie PSU)

Working on my MATX was annoying enough, I would throw out a SFF through a open window.
 
Tute said:
Well you could certainly re-use the CPU as I said, it would be more than quick enough for what you need it for.

You can also re-use the RAM (939 is DDR) and maybe even the graphics card, if you decided to go for a Socket 939 mATX AGP board.

If you go with integrated graphics then you won't need a new one though. :)
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If I do upgrade then I'll probaly avoid 939, the reason I'm considering this is my current setup is a little too slow for my liking in Photoshop so can't see a new box being any/that much quicker if its the same CPU.

damian666 said:
If your going for the sugo might be worth buying an extra 120mm fan as they only come with one i would suggest this if you hard drive is I.D.E as well.
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It will be SATA drives but I've got loads of 120mm fans so dropping one in won't harm.

squiffy said:
I would seriously consider a MATX
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Yeah seems like the best option as I can re-use so much of my current setup.
 
Okay I've put the following spec together, any comments on whether there is any problems with it:-

Silverstone Sugo SG03 - £83.43
Gigabyte GA G33M-S2 - £63.44
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - £70.49 *2
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail - £172.70
Silverstone SST-NT06 Lite NT06 w/o 120mm fan. w/o fan controller AM2 RoHS - £25.85
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB ST3500630AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM - £63.32

Lastly I need a GFX card to go with it, requirements are dual DVI, fits in the above setup, can play the odd game (don't need extreme cutting edge), not too noisey and ideally around the £100 mark or lower.

Only other consideration is PSU, currently got a decent Tagen 480w supply that I'm hoping to reuse but as it's not modular I'm not sure if I'll have issues fitting all the cables in. If it doesn't fit its not a major problem as I can use it elsewhere but if I do need to replace it any suggestions what with?

Thanks again for the assistance. :)
 
Spec lo9oks good you need to factor in a aftermarket cooler as well the nt06 is highly recommended as a good partner for the sg03 and a psu with 120mm fan
 
Id deffo get a modular psu for better airflow as space is tight, itll be a lot easier to build and will be a hell of a lot tidier also.

The Enermax liberty 500 or the corsair 520 get my vote :)

And This Graphics card
 
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damian666 said:
Spec lo9oks good you need to factor in a aftermarket cooler as well the nt06 is highly recommended as a good partner for the sg03 and a psu with 120mm fan
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Yep already had the nt06 on my list above, decided on the fanless version as I think it would sit under a PSU in the case (or is that just the Sugo G01?), and the PSUs fan could be used to extract heat.

Kezmo said:
Id deffo get a modular psu for better airflow as space is tight, itll be a lot easier to build and will be a hell of a lot tidier also.

The Enermax liberty 500 or the corsair 520 get my vote :)
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Do you think 500 watts will be required for this system them, rather than a 400 watt PSU?

Kezmo said:
And This Graphics card
Click to expand...
Cool, I noticed this card earlier as it seems to tick all the boxes. Any reason for recommending an ATI over Nvidia seeing as you currently have an Nvidia card listed in your sig?

As usual thanks for the help. :)
 
I'd recommend the Corsair HX520 or HX620 PSUs as they're just amazing power supplies really. :)

You could also consider waiting for a "G0" stepping Q6600? They run cooler than the ones currently available.

Graphics card, well, there's the X1950 Pro, or if you don't feel you need so much oomph, the X1650XT at £45. It still carries dual DVI, but it's half the price of the X1950 Pro, whilst still being quite quick.
 
Tute said:
I'd recommend the Corsair HX520 or HX620 PSUs as they're just amazing power supplies really. :)
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Good good, do the Corsairs have a fan at the bottom of them? I can't seem to find any pics online.

Tute said:
You could also consider waiting for a "G0" stepping Q6600? They run cooler than the ones currently available.
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I'm not looking to overclock so if the non G0 runs without issue I'm not too fussed about the cooler temps.

Tute said:
Graphics card, well, there's the X1950 Pro, or if you don't feel you need so much oomph, the X1650XT at £45. It still carries dual DVI, but it's half the price of the X1950 Pro, whilst still being quite quick.
Click to expand...
Argh decisions, decisions. Suppose it depends on the level of differences between them but I guess if I'm spending circa £600 on this rig I may as well not cut any corners.
 
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