Challenge: Converting to small form factor

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1 Jul 2009
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249
Hi all,

Not been on in quite some time and must admit, my PC is looking quite dated. The biggest problem this poses is that I can't carry over many parts into my new build. I don't use it for gaming anymore. I'm going to be converting it into more of a media focused build. Browsing, streaming, playing movies, etc.

I basically want to go from one end of the spectrum to the other (in terms of size).

Current build:

Case: Antec 1200
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H (don't think anyone does mobo's for 1155 sockets any more)
Processor: Intel i5-3570k @ 3.4ghz
HDD: 1 SSD and 2 HDD's
PSU: Corsair TX850M (hoping to carry this over to keep costs down)
RAM: I've got 4 sticks of DDR3, still fine with this but appreciate I'll only be able to use 2 sticks
Gfx card: Currently lent to father but wouldn't fit a small form factor
OS: Windows 10

What I'm looking for is to go to mini ITX or similar. I'm a bit out of touch with whats out there these days.

Micro ATX still feels a bit too big for me, don't really want a mid-tower config. I'm hoping because of the age of my current parts that I won't need to spend too much to maintain the same performance (but in a more compact size). I'm hoping for sub £200!

Would have liked to keep the processor. Wonder if it's worth considering a used mobo so that I can?

Cheers all
 
Last edited:
I'd pick up a used board, and a decent cooler. Watch board layouts, as they can hinder certain coolers.
I'm a supporter of the Scythe Shuriken Big!

What style of case are you looking into?
Not 100% sure yet. Quite like the cube style boards but getting the feeling that I'm going to have to go mid tower I want to carry over parts. I guess it's a question of how small can atx cases go!

I've done some searching for used boards but can't seem to find any that aren't in the rip off territory.

Thanks for the heads up on board layout. The scythe looks good.
 
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