Gaming Desktop to S.F.F Conversion

markk33nan · 8 Mar 2018 at 13:16

Hello,

Im looking help, advice and recommendations on feasibility of converting my current gaming grade desktop pc into a Small Form Factor (S.F.F)

The reason: Life goes on, ive a one year old, with another on the way, i used to have a small office i could retire too but we needed the space and ive been pushed into attic space which is becoming a hassle as using ladder and cold in winter. (Will be converting attic at some stage with staircase proper office again)

The Idea: Due to its small size, it could be either stored out of the way, perhaps find a home in or behind tv/unit. portabilty could setup in kitchen, living room, bedroom or attic as needed, semi-permant location.

Existing Spec: At the moment i have the following setup:

Intel i7 4790K 4.0Ghz | Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H-BK | 2x KFA2 GeForce GTX 980 SOC - SLI | Avexir Core Red Series 16GB 2666Mhz | White Corsair Carbide 500R | Asus PG278Q ROG Swift 27" G-Sync 144Hz | Corsair Hydro H110i GT

The motherboard is due to be upgraded under the Gigibyte 2 for 1 Black Edition Deal, which would also mean an upgrade to CPU Coffee Lake, and DDR4 Ram.

Question: Can you jam pack that into a S.F.F case, heat effects, noise level etc?

Many Thanks!

samcat · 9 Mar 2018 at 09:24

Are you happy to game with one GPU?
If so, downsize by selling the case, a GPU, the motherboard and the PSU, invest in an ITX board, SFF PSU and build into an NCASE m1/ Ghost / Node 202 or similar.

If one 980 isnt powerful enough, sell both and invest in a single GPU upgrade... The drop in bitcoin value recently will scare some miners into selling kit, starting to see a glut of GPU's already in the members market on here already.. Second hand bargains are usually a good bet!

Another option is to try and find space for a small desk, wall mount the monitor and (for now) put up with being a bit cramped.. Doubly so if you are going to get a loft office at some point.

Edward78 · 13 Mar 2018 at 16:04

Silverstone Rvz03
Why do the companinies the make these cases never put the PSU on the side of the psu, in the back corner opposite the GPU??? PSUs in the front are strange IMO... SFX-L are Dimension125 mm (W) x 63.5 mm (H) x 130 mm (D) 4.92" (W) x 2.5" (H) x 5.12" (D),,, 2.5 is nothing to add to a small case...

Pulse · 1 May 2019 at 06:20

Interesting concept trying to get all of that into a smaller build, especially given how much you have there.

It's going to be considerably smaller, but not necessarily SFF, the CoolerMaster Q500L would be worth a look providing you don't have a DVD drive? Or maybe even Fractal Design Meshify C, again no disc drive would be available.

I'm wanting to do the exact same, I have a full size system admittedly only 1 GPU that I want to reduce case size but without the need to have to change every component.

McstylisT · 2 May 2019 at 11:08

Smaller and powerful is the way forward. Been using SSF setups for years and would never go back to full size.

With the dual GPU setup you would need to check for dual pcie matx boards really. I know you cant get them for ITX. Single GPU Itx is smallest option.
Its never going to be as cool as a full sized system but you need to factor in what you want, compared to cooling and performance. I settled for more performance of the itx sizing but with a larger chassis in the Phantek evolve itx but crammed in the specs you see in my signature below.

Like to know how you get on and what choices you make.

pandem0nium · 3 May 2019 at 11:47

Some mITX boards have slots that support bifurcation, meaning that the can be spilt into x8 x8 lanes. Then you'd need some creative use of riser cables.

If you're keeping the ATX board and both GPUs, then the Q500L is a very good shout.

More SLI / mGPU is a pretty bad idea anyway at the moment and it's not going to get better.