Going from Z77 ATX to H61 mITX...downgrade?

[Rhezuss]

In a quest to reduce the size of my PC and make it fully and easily portable i'm starting to check moving from full ATX Z77 board to a mITX H61...I mostly game with my PC and watch some movies/series off Netflix and "other means". So I often want to plus my PC on my LCD TV and everytime is a damn pain.

My sig shows you my PC.

I saw this case: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16811119299

Look cool, is really small and portable, cheap.

But I know that this move is probably not the best performance wise, especially for gaming. My sound card is PCI-E 1x and most mITX boards i've seen only have 1 PCI-E 16x 2.0 (not 3.0 is that even matters).

Maybe I should check for mATX instead? More options, more slots, a bit more features and Z77 available for my 3770K...

Should I just forget it? Is there a great way to build a small PC and keep everything I have (except mobo)?

 

[Charlie98]

The small chassis/mITX is a cool concept, just understand you are going to give up utility for size. I think mATX is the happy medium, the selection is better as far as board features that you might need (2x PCIe slots, for example.)

Do you not OC your K CPU?

As far as an mITX case, you are going to have to check your GPU clearances and make sure you have a case it will fit into.

 

[dma0991]

If you want to use that case, you'll be restricted to its mITX form factor. There won't be any additional PCI-E slots because it has to fit within the standard 17cm x17cm dimension. To reuse that HD7950 would be unlikely and you'll need to replace it with something like this because the case is too small to support anything longer.

If you're getting a mATX motherboard, get Fractal Design Core 1000 instead (supports the length of a HD7950). You would need to reuse the stock heatsink or get a low profile heatsink to meet the height requirement (CM Hyper212 is too tall).

If you're willing to spend more and keep everything (except motherboard, casing), get Silverstone TJ08-E. This is probably one of the best mATX case you could get right now.

 

[crashtech]

Your K CPU is wasted on that H61 board. You might try using your CPU at stock clocks and see if you notice the difference. If not, you could sell it and get a 3770 instead. But if you want to keep it, yeah, you should stick with mATX

 

[Charlie98]

If you're getting a mATX motherboard, get Fractal Design Core 1000 instead (supports the length of a HD7950).

I wouldn't vote for the Core 1000... and I used one in my last build. He wants fully portable, and the 1000's construction isn't all I could ask for in rigidity. The next one up would be the Fractal Define Mini... but it's heavy.

OP, taking your case selection a little bit further... maybe have a look at the CoolerMaster HAF XB, or one of the smaller cube cases like the Elite 130, which can take a full sized GPU. The XB isn't 'smaller' per se, but it's laid out differently and has handles for portability.

 

[Rhezuss]

Good idea, i'll check that.

Looks like it's not the best idea though. Good small boards are not legion and most feels like a downgrade which I don't really want. And i'd like to keep my 3770K OC'ed even if it's so slightly as a 4.4 OC.

I'll continue my researches, i'm sure something exist that could fit the bill.

 

[Charlie98]

The XB takes ATX boards... but, as I said, it's not necessarily 'smaller,' just shaped differently. It might be a good solution for you given it sets square during transport and it doesn't mean you have to dump half your rig to make it fit.

 

[Rhezuss]

Wow the XB look amazing! Nice box and I won't need to replace a single piece?!?
Looks like a winner!
I'll check a bit more about it but looks like the case I need!

Thanks!

 

[Koslov_]

I made a few ITX builds and I really prefer mATX. I just wish there was more cool mATX cases though

 

[DigDog]

?? *headscratch*

i read the whole thread but i don't think anyone has really spelled it out yet, so i will.

H61 has NO overclocking. At all. zero. your 3.5Ghz cpu will run at 3.5Ghz and not one tiny lil hertz more.

So, yeah, big downgrade.
You can buy good mATX boards with OC features, but they aren't cheap.
I suggest instead going with the HAF XB case, which takes ATX, and is considerably less obtrusive than a regular midtower.

 

[Charlie98]

?? *headscratch*

i read the whole thread but i don't think anyone has really spelled it out yet, so i will.

H61 has NO overclocking. At all. zero. your 3.5Ghz cpu will run at 3.5Ghz and not one tiny lil hertz more.

So, yeah, big downgrade.
You can buy good mATX boards with OC features, but they aren't cheap.
I suggest instead going with the HAF XB case, which takes ATX, and is considerably less obtrusive than a regular midtower.

I asked if he OC'ed... I assumed as part of his downsizing he had no intentions to OC. But... you know what happens when you assume...

You can buy good mATX boards with OC features, but they aren't cheap.

Not true. A typical apples to apples ATX vs mATX compare...

GA-Z87MX-D3H mATX $125

GA-Z87X-D3H ATX $145

Now, you can continue up the OC food chain where the mATX drops off in favor of the ATX's size, but to say mATX is more expensive is just not true.

 

[DigDog]

well, you are right, i didn't express myself well enough.
You can buy mATX boards which are fine. However, once you start wanting more features, they become more expensive compared to ATX. also, (even though it doesnt apply in this case), the really high end OC mobos are only ATX.