Does anyone here enjoy building PCs smaller than standard mATX?

[mikeymikec]

What I mean by 'standard mATX' is a standard size ATX PSU coupled with a Micro ATX board.

I've built one ITX PC that had a standard ATX PSU in, and the other day I had to replace a TFX PSU for a Lenovo PC.

My feelings towards building another as a result are basically, "oh hell, no!", mainly because of the mess and faffing around of trying to route too much cabling into too small a container.

With the Lenovo PC I had to open it back up after installing the PSU because the motherboard power connector was being pressed on too much at an angle (it had the CD drive directly over the power connector, so the connector's cable had to bend at a 90 degree angle).

The only two ways that I can think of to make my life bearable when building small PCs myself would either be:

1 - When picking a case, the case manufacturer says "here's a list of PSUs and motherboards that have fitted well together with regard to length of cabling", and the are sufficient choices on the list to ensure that I can pick what I regard to be good quality parts, or they say "cable x ought to be ycm long for board z so that there's enough cable and sufficient slack" etc.

2 - Modular PSU manufacturers would need to supply cheap spare cabling parts and specify the cable lengths so that a builder can say "ok, I'll try these two lengths of cable for that particular purpose to see which fits best". They might do this already, but considering my experiences with the EU Cooler Master shop for other parts, I doubt it (rip-off central).

The TFX PSU I bought from Seasonic was absolutely bizarre, I can only describe it as "kind of modular"; the PSU doesn't have any cables permanently attached, there are two connectors on the PSU to connect up power cabling, but the cabling that comes with the PSU looks like two cables that have been wired into each other, making it one sprawling mess of a cable which is difficult even to connect to the PSU when you're not trying to force it into a very small case. The cabling has all the standard connectors one might expect.

 

[Yuriman]

I really enjoy smaller builds. In order to avoid a mess, you have to select your case and components carefully, but I get a lot of satisfaction from minimizing wasted space.

Unfortunately, most small cases are not all that well thought out in terms of accessibility.

 

[mikeymikec]

Any tips, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Charlie98]

I always thought that if the PSU wires left the unit to the side through the mobo header, in that manner the cabling would be behind the header and not trailing through the center of the case, that would be better. That would be a major redesign, of course, for both the PSU and the case.

It would be nice if PSU manufacturers would supply 'trim to length' cables... prefab cables with the PSU connection attached, you cut the other end to length and attach the plug (minus plugs like the 24-pin, 4-pin(s), etc.)

My next build will be mITX... so I'll be paying attention to the posts here...

 

[Yuriman]

The first think I typically look for is the layout of the case. For instance, I really dislike those that place the power supply over the motherboard, as you have to almost completely disassemble the PC to do simple things like replace RAM or short the CMOS jumper. It depends on your specific needs, but for instance, cases with a cutout in the motherboard tray are nice if using a cooler with a backplate.

Avoid tower heatsinks. I use a Noctua NT-H9i in my main rig because it's smaller and quieter than the Intel stock heatsink, while providing more cooling. My i5 runs around 60c under an AVX load without getting excessively noisy. Sometimes AIO watercoolers can be good choices for ITX builds, even though I otherwise avoid them.

Modular power supplies are not always better than non-modular, since the cables typically extend further from the back before they can bend or be routed. In a non-modular PSU, all of the cables come out in a bundle at the side of the power supply, and can be zip tied out of the way more easily. In cases where the video card is right against the back of a power supply, I avoid buying a PSU with modular cables, get a shorter video card, or get a shorter power supply, preferably all 3. It's also worth looking at PSU cable length - I avoid those with longer than standard cables.

Sometimes it's also beneficial to get a power supply with an 80mm fan rather than a 120mm, because you then have the option of turning it 180 degrees.

It's nice to have the right cables for the job. I like to stock up on SATA cables with bends and angles.

I avoid RAM with tall heatspreaders.

Not all motherboards are created equal, in terms of layout. Zotac makes some excellent short video cards, but their motherboard layouts are often inferior to those of companies with larger budgets and more manpower, like Asus and Gigabyte. Consider cable routing and where the ends of the cables will be when selecting a board. This is often less of a consideration than power supply and case selection though.

Get a good set of screwdrivers. Sometimes you'll want a really long one with a magnetic tip for getting to screws in corners of the case. Those with removable bits are often wider than those without, which can occasionally be an issue.

Don't be afraid to remove bays/racks from cases that you don't need. In some circumstances, you might even consider cutting PSU cables, if you're certain it won't ever be repurposed.

3.5" and 5.25" drives are sometimes difficult to work with in small cases. Choose your case carefully, and consider whether you really want/need these in your build.

That's all that comes to mind for now.

ITX builds need not cost any more or sacrifice any performance over an ATX build, so long as you are considerate of your component choices.