Any mini-ITX boards worth getting atm?

sharingan_sasuk

sharingan_sasuk

sharingan_sasuk

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Hi all, I'm planning to build a gaming rig within the next week or two, and while I have a good idea of what components I would need for a normal ATX or m-ATX build, I have always fancied a SFF build instead. Are there any boards available on OcUK that might be worth considering?

I quite like the look of the Lian Li cases. My current builds goes from anything from a Phenom II X4+Radeon 5770 to an i5 2500+Radeon 6950 at the moment. I don't plan to overclock, so a P67 board isn't necessary. But what I'm wondering most about is if any of the current offerings from OcUK will do the job, and if I can actually fit any of those graphics cards in a mini-ITX case.

What kind of PSUs do such cases use as well? Would I be able to whack in a spare OCZ SXS PSU I have lying around in there?

I've had a look on some threads here, but it would be nice to have some feedback from tried and tested builds. Regards
 
cases like the sg07 can fit almost any card on the market in up to 5970/480 size with dual slot coolers, take atx psu's, the silverstone comes with a 600w one, it also has shorter cables. as for a board, i would only get a h67 board, i got the foxconn when it was there, very cheap, paired it with an i5 2400 and it kills my 955 oc at 3.8. rest of my spec is in the old sig.
 
yeh youd have to look around really, the itx board available now are not b3 revisions, but as the foxconn has 2 sata III and only 1 sata II it wont be an issue, i have my dvd on the sata II and hdd and ssd on the sata III ports, i paid peanuts for the foxconn board too.

Edit, it also has really good cpu cooler placement, not next to the pcie lane like most other models.
 
You could go previous gen and get the Gigabyte H55N-USB3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-292-GI

Awesome, awesome board with some meaty overclocks on it by all accounts.

CPU-wise, you could go as low as £95 and get a i3 540 dual core
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-312-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1671

or drop in a i5 760 quad for £170
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-339-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=1672


At 32nm, the i3 is pretty cool and could crank up to 3.8GHz no problem (if cooled properly) which overcomes any gaming issues being only a dual core.
 
Shame, seems like I can't find the Foxconn H67 board anywhere! So if I want to build a mini-ITX system for gaming, it would have to be the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3+i3 540, meaning no Sandybridge i5 2500 :(

But from what I've read, the i3 540 does pretty well for its price, especially when overclocked. Only games I plan to play are MMOs like RIFT and WoW at 1920x1080 but I can drop to 1650x1080 if it massively helps my framerates, ideally at high settings or else there's no point building this gaming rig!

I was thinking of pairing it with a Lian Li PC-Q07B as I love the look of the case and I have my own ATX PSU already, but that only allows single slot cards so I would have to be looking at a XFX ATI Radeon HD 5770 Single Slot. In that case, would this build all work together fine?

cheap375.jpg


But as I can spend a bit more, I do fancy a Radeon 6950 instead which hopefully I can flash to a 6970. This would have course require me to spend a bit more on a case that can fit a dual-slot card, like a Lian Li PC-Q11B. Would this then be fine?

expensive516.jpg


In addition, if I wanted better cooling than the stock i3 cooler, would something like he Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler do the job and fit inside?
 
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what psu do you have? the scythe big should fit, but id double check as the positioning of the cpu on those boards is quite close to the pcie lane and might overlap the ram slots too.

have you thought about the sg07? and what is your budget?

also the Msi 6950 you list, it tells you in the dexcription its rev 1 and flashable to 6970.
 
My budget is around £550 for a CPU, mobo, case, graphics card and RAM as the rest of my budget is set for a monitor and the rest.

I have thought about the SG07 but it sounds pretty expensive considering when I have my own PSU already and the Lian Li PC-Q11B says it can fit in dual-slot graphics cards. The only must for me with this mini-ITX build would be that it can support a dual-slot card like the 6950 because I really don't want to go for a single-slot 5770 lol. The i3 I can't do anything about because I can't find a SandyBridge mini-ITX motherboard anywhere. A different cooler isn't essential as I don't plan to overclock straight away, and it may not even be needed if you can overclock the i3 with the stock cooler?

I see there are 2 Scythe Shuriken coolers from OcUK:
Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler
Scythe Shuriken BIG Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler

Seems like the first one is smaller than the BIG one, so I guess it should be ok? Or is there another cooler that could work as it doesn't have to be a Scythe one.

I may have another play with the build as I've seen that the Radeon 5850 is due to be released soon for a special price, and should that coupled with an i3 be enough for my games, then that would free up more to spend on a SG07 I guess :)
 
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yeh your build is pretty spot on if you cant go sandybridge, you can save cash by getting the 5850, and the stock hsf will be fine if youre not overclocking, i do believe people can clock the 540's quite high easily anyway.

buildw.png
 
So if I do decide to go down the mini-ITX route next week, then my build will probably be this:
hrd0zp.jpg


Fits perfectly within my £700 build!

If I then get a new cooler at a later date, that motherboard should allow me to get some decent overclocks with the i3 540 right?

However, I'm still thinking about that Lian Li case, because having that instead of the Sugo SG07 in my build means I can stick a 6950 in there instead of the 5850, and still remain in budget:
ab2npc.jpg


If I take the Sugo 07 AND the Radeon 6950, I'll be £70 over budget :(
 
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Given 1156 is EOL and the amount being invested, wouldn't it be better long run to get a 1155 skt board and grab an i5-2300,2400,2500?
 
A 5850 or 6950 reference card will "not" fit into the Q11,maximum supported card length is 240mm inc pci-e leads.
5850 reference cards are 9.5"(240mm)+ around 20mm for super bendy pci-e leads =over 260mm.
6950 reference card is 10.5""(270mm)and despite the fact that the leads plug into the top of the card instead of at the rear like a 5850 it's still far too long for the Q11.

Some GTX560's however will fit the case a quick google around will show you which will.
I've even seen some nutter with an evga 570 stuffed into his Q11 but his temps will be nuts!
 
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The problem is that I can't find a Sandybridge 1155 mini-ITX board anywhere. Or I might just give up on this mini-ITX build and just go for a normal ATX build to save myself the hassle!

Since it sounds like I'll have trouble fitting any dual-slot card into the Lian Li, then I'll have to pay more for the Sugo SG07. That should definitely be fine with a monster 6950 right?
 
Whats the matter?, your eyes aren't working or you have no fingers to type:p, both the rainforest and the bay have them, I will be nice though lol, google Intel DH67CF.;)

tbh unless size/footprint of the system is an issue, a desktop will give a lot more options hardware wise and installation wise too.
 
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Ooh nice, thanks for the find. I've only limited my search to items available from OcUK so far, so I didn't even know about that board! I don't buy stuff from the second one anymore, but I guess I can't go wrong with the first. I'll have to have another play with my build later!

Reason I fancy a mini-ITX before is because I had a Shuttle PC before and it was fun to build and looked great on my desk. My room and desk is pretty small. I don't think I'll be Crossfiring and I just want to build a PC that works, no modding or anything.
 
check other well known uk pc component sites too, ive seen the intel one about and a few others, if in doubt just google them and look on shopping link. why not give ocuk a call and see if they are getting any h67 boards in stock soon?

Edit:i would also stretch your budget and go for the sg07 and 6950, you wont be dissapointed. i have my 6950 flashed to 6970 and clocked at 900, 1325 at stock voltage and my max load temps in game and benching was 63*c
 
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