Anybody with experience in a slimline build?

[janas19]

Hi, I'm carefully considering a build that would utilize the slimline case form and either a micro ATX or mini ITX size motherboard. I was wondering if any of you guys have experience building one. I'm trying to figure out some fundamental stuff, like: should I opt with a mobo with legacy IDE ports, or as minimal ports as possible? What were the hardware or features you most appreciated about your build? Was there anything you wish you had of done different?

Appreciate truly your thoughts/feedback. Thanks

 

[tangrisser]

It really depends on the what you plan to do. First off, upgrade on the system should be very minimal due to space constraints. Spec it out the way you want it the first time.

mATX or mini ITX have very little room on the board itself and IDE has gone to the ways of dinosaur. Get something that will most closely meet your requirement because even if you were to get feature rich board, you may not have enough room internally to utilize all that extra ports namely SATA ports and PCI-Express slots.

Thinks about the purpose of the computer. Are you using it for HTPC? May be a special design requirement by end user? Attaching it underneath a desk? You will have to determine what it's being used for and what kind of case will be a good fit.

I recently did a Silverstone Milo build for HTPC and it's a fantastic case. It's reasonably priced and well designed on the most part. Only thing I wish I had done more research on the AMD Fusion platform as it's limited at 1080p @ 60Hz although it doesn't really matter, it would've been nice to have it support higher refresh rate especially considering I planned to use it to watch 3D as well.

I think it's really important to set purpose onto the machine and do your research around it and see what components will fit your needs best.

 

[janas19]

Actually I was thinking of building a Linux machine with a small footprint - both in terms of space AND energy used. Something that could run performance-wise with a full-sized PC, but not use up all the extraneous space. Lots of towers have bays and slots which just go unused - sure you may use them rarely, but 90% of the time, your main needs are met by CPU, RAM, and hard drive. So I thought I would try a build which focused on the essence of computing, and none of the fancy, complicated stuff.

I think it's an interesting idea.

 

[Zap]

I've build several small and/or slim computers over the years.

With current hardware, about the only major thing you lose is 3D gaming performance.

Here's a "small footprint energy efficient" build.

mini ITX socket 1155 mobo
Mini-Box M350 case, with Pico PSU
RAM that works with mobo
any low end dual core socket 1155 CPU "low wattage" (comes with lower profile heatsink)
2.5" HDD or SSD of choice

 

[janas19]

I've build several small and/or slim computers over the years.

With current hardware, about the only major thing you lose is 3D gaming performance.

Here's a "small footprint energy efficient" build.

mini ITX socket 1155 mobo
Mini-Box M350 case, with Pico PSU
RAM that works with mobo
any low end dual core socket 1155 CPU "low wattage" (comes with lower profile heatsink)
2.5" HDD or SSD of choice

Thanks Zap.

Question: is "Pico PSU" just a brand, or is it a form factor? I think I've heard it used both ways - I am not sure!

 

[Zap]

People are using it generically now to mean "small power supply that uses external bricks" but it is really a product of a company called Mini-Box. A real picoPSU (I think that's the "proper" way to write it) is from Mini-Box (though others can resell it), uses external sources of DC power and is basically a DC-DC power supply that is a part of the ATX connector. This type of PSU basically takes near zero space inside the PC, so it can make for some small computers.

http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/.f

Mini-Box also makes super small aluminum ITX cases. They are kind of industrial looking, which may or may not be what you are looking for. The aforementioned M350 has accessories for wall mounting, VESA monitor mounting, etc.

Be careful if considering using the cases, because the M200 and M350 require super low profile fan/heatsinks, plus have no forced cooling.

The picoPSU is a really cool product, however, and many people use them when building small custom cases.

 

[janas19]

People are using it generically now to mean "small power supply that uses external bricks" but it is really a product of a company called Mini-Box. A real picoPSU (I think that's the "proper" way to write it) is from Mini-Box (though others can resell it), uses external sources of DC power and is basically a DC-DC power supply that is a part of the ATX connector. This type of PSU basically takes near zero space inside the PC, so it can make for some small computers.

http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/.f

Mini-Box also makes super small aluminum ITX cases. They are kind of industrial looking, which may or may not be what you are looking for. The aforementioned M350 has accessories for wall mounting, VESA monitor mounting, etc.

Be careful if considering using the cases, because the M200 and M350 require super low profile fan/heatsinks, plus have no forced cooling.

The picoPSU is a really cool product, however, and many people use them when building small custom cases.

Zap, thanks a million for schooling me on these Pico PSUs. I'm looking at the photos and I just have one more question, if you don't mind helping a noob.

The photo shows a 20/24 pin ATX connecter, and what looks like an external AC/DC converter brick. What I am not seeing is a typical 4-pin 20v connector for the CPU circuit. I also don't see how the brick attaches to the Pico itself. Is there a slot on the pcb itself, or do the two ends just mate as wires? It would seem that way would feel rather loose.

Thanks!!

 

[tangrisser]

This is how the whole thing looks like.

It extends out from the 20/24 pin and the power is supplied through the DC jack. One thing you might want to make sure is that Pico PSU and the power brick supports sufficient wattage as needed. I've seen some bundled with higher wattage rated Pico PSU with a slightly lower wattage rated power brick.

 

[janas19]

Thanks for the pic, tangrisser. Sorry I'm just responding, I was banned for 4 days.