Question Help me decide mini vs mid (gaming PC)

[Linias]

Need someone to bounce idea / give me advice / help me make up my mind.

I have been using a MAC for.... oh.... a long time. I think my last PC build was around 2010 or so. However, I have decided to return to the PC world and I want to do it nice - a good case mod (I am still stuck on a theme for my case, but that can be another day).

Requirements: I am not a hardcore gamer, but I do want to get back into some light gaming. Mostly easy to run stuff. I play WOW or builders like SimCity. If I am gong to play any first person type games, I will use a console. It will also need to house my finances and web browsing, and other generic activities. THAT SAID, I want it to be powerful enough that if I DO see a game I want to play I can run it as reasonable resolutions (does not have to be the best of the best). And honestly I am sick of my iMac struggling over easy games like WOW, so it should be able to run at 4K with a pretty smooth frame rate.

The other part. I do not want heavy, big and loud. My old computer was a full size tower. It was just toooo big. I hated having to move it. And it sounded like a jet engine was taking off in my living room with something like 8 fans (including the water cooled radiator fans and the gpu fans). I want small and quiet.

With those requirements, I have read a number of articles about the pluses and minuses of mini-ATX cases. It sounds possible and perfectly legit to make a Mini ATX gaming machine.... But is the the best move? I mean I don't need to move the machine THAT often. I even though of a gaming laptop, but I want something more flashy (I want to mod this sucker, I just haven't decided HOW - still need a theme).I am not going to LAN parties. Small would be nice - I do not want it to take over the room, but but it HAVE to be that small? Not really.

So articles aside, because they all have something to prove - what would you do? Is there a reason for a mini if I do not have to have one? Can I get good air flow with a mini (really?) Can I make a truly quiet mid? Given that I am going to want to do some kind of nice mod (I am not talking just painting it. I want to 3d print some stuff and build the case to look like something) the cooling will have to get creative. Can I do that in mini?

Any thoughts are welcome. (as a side note, I still need a mod idea too. Something either based in Sci-Fi or DIsney. I am not much of an artist, but I am interested in using my airbrush to make damage or weathering, and 3d print some parts, etc).Also, money is not a concern for this build. I mean I do not want to spend 20K on it. But a few grand for the right parts is not unreasonable.

 

[Ken g6]

I feel like this is mostly a cases-and-cooling post. Things to consider:

1. You can have an entirely passively-cooled system. Especially if you're case modding. Example: https://hdplex.com/ + https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZWQXUQ (You did say money is no object. 😉)
2. You don't need to buy a pre-built case. You can build your own. Here's an idea: https://englishrussia.com/2009/04/08/russian-wall-e-case-mod/

At this point I think the decision to make is whether you want an AMD APU (CPU+GPU in one chip package) or something with a discrete GPU.

And honestly I am sick of my iMac struggling over easy games like WOW

Calling WOW an easy game is probably an exaggeration. https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth-pc-performance-guide/

 

[Linias]

I feel like this is mostly a cases-and-cooling post. Things to consider:

1. You can have an entirely passively-cooled system. Especially if you're case modding. Example: https://hdplex.com/ + https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZWQXUQ (You did say money is no object. 😉)
2. You don't need to buy a pre-built case. You can build your own. Here's an idea: https://englishrussia.com/2009/04/08/russian-wall-e-case-mod/

At this point I think the decision to make is whether you want an AMD APU (CPU+GPU in one chip package) or something with a discrete GPU.


Calling WOW an easy game is probably an exaggeration. https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth-pc-performance-guide/

Well there is no way I can do anything like that wall-e case. I am not that talented, do not have the tools or the skill set for it. 🙂

I am familiar with fanless systems. Besides my several dozen pi's, my server room at work has a few fanless systems that I use as routers or other low level needs. My concern is that I would think the components required to run a decent gaming rig would burn too hot in a fanless case. No amount of passive cooling will offset a modern cpu and a modern gpu (if I am not overclocking, I would not expect the memory will burn).

Although I will admit I am completely naive in how much cooling a gaming rig REALLY needs if you are not overclocking it. Up to now, my method has always been to put a few fans in and monitor my core temperate and then add fans or water cooling until it got cold enough. I know there is a more scientific method....

And thanks for that article on WOW. That was interesting. I had always just heard people say Wow is not taxing.

 

[Arkaign]

ITX is doable, but there is a truly significant price to pay. Everything related is more expensive for what you get, and with less features. Someone posted a build with a $279 or so 600W sff PSU lol. Then motherboards are pricier with less nVME etc. From my perspective MicroATX gets you halfway from MIDATX size with none of the exotic pricing issues.