Any mini-ITX boards worth getting atm?

sharingan_sasuk · 24 Mar 2011 at 00:34

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

sharingan_sasuk · 24 Mar 2011 at 01:02

Cool. I'm guessing as the Foxconn is no longer sold here, then I would have to look elsewhere. Your sig build looks like something I would definitely wanna check out!

sharingan_sasuk · 26 Mar 2011 at 04:04

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?

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?

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?

sharingan_sasuk · 26 Mar 2011 at 16:13

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

sharingan_sasuk · 27 Mar 2011 at 11:18

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

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:

If I take the Sugo 07 AND the Radeon 6950, I'll be £70 over budget

sharingan_sasuk · 27 Mar 2011 at 14:11

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?

sharingan_sasuk · 27 Mar 2011 at 16:15

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.