HTPC / Gaming rig. mATX. Help!

[krashx6]

Is it possible to build a gaming rig matx?

I was wanting...
atleast 6-8gig ram.
ati 4890 gpu
intel i7 core cpu

and possibly something with HDMI out so I can use it as a media center aswell.

Any suggestions?

 

[brblx]

there's only one micro atx i7 mobo that i know of. you're also going to have trouble fitting a 4890 in a htpc case.

you'd be much better off just building something in a smaller full ATX case.

 

[krashx6]

Need something portable to carry.

I know of the Rampage II and another one.

Theres gotta be a nice looking smaller case that it would all fit in.

 

[videogames101]

Go to the gym.

 

[krashx6]

huh?

 

[brblx]

he's just being a bit of an ass.

if portability is what you're going for, something like this would probably be your best option-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811133035

a lot of people have put larger video cards in them, but it's gonna be a squeeze.

 

[Zap]

The only difficult part is finding a case that you like and that will fit the video card and CPU cooling you want to use. The rest is easy. There are now THREE different micro ATX Core i7 boards on the market, with a fourth one coming.

 

[Fox5]

Microatx isn't that much smaller than some of the tinier ATX cases, so don't think just because it's microatx that it's suddenly way more portable. IMO, you've got to hit ITX sized systems before you get true portability. At which point, you may be able to plop in a quad core, but you'll be lucky if a $100 video card even fits in the case, assuming you have one of the larger ITX cases. (still might be able to cram a 4850 in?)

For microatx, there are few cases that will fit a full length video card, and the cases that can are going to be practically ATX size. You could look into crossfire as an option though (not SLI, nvidia cards hit 10"-12" before ATI cards) and put in two 4770s or two 4850s.

 

[krashx6]

What are the 4 matx core i7 boards out? Which do you think is best?

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Fox5
For microatx, there are few cases that will fit a full length video card, and the cases that can are going to be practically ATX size.

Huh? My LAN party rig is in a case that is 14"x14"x8". Basically the width of a normal tower, but the height and depth of a legal-sized sheet of paper. I'd say that was pretty small compared to just about any ATX chassis.

My LAN party rig has a normal ATX power supply and a GTX 285 graphics card in it. It uses a 120mm exhaust fan and I have a VelociRaptor boot/game drive and a 1.5TB data drive.

Originally posted by: krashx6
What are the 4 matx core i7 boards out? Which do you think is best?

The board that is not available yet (since they like to pre-announce stuff waaayyyy ahead of time) is the EVGA. They made it look like their Classified board, so it may be expensive.

The MSI is the cheapest at $170. It is the only one out of the four that does not support SLI (but does support Crossfire). IMO MSI X58 boards are a step behind the market leaders (such as Asus/Gigabyte) in overclockability, but they usually try to make up for it through features or pricing.

The Asus Rampage II GENE is $250 and is ROG (Republic of Gamers) branded, so you know it is good.

The DFI board is a hair cheaper at $220 than the Asus, and is the cheapest SLI capable mATX X58 board.

The EVGA is not out yet, so it is an unknown entity (though their other X58 boards seem popular). The MSI does not support SLI and is "likely" to not overclock well (but stock speeds should be fine). I haven't read of any overclocker trying it out. This leaves the Asus and DFI as likely choices if you want SLI and/or overclocking. Many enthusiasts have purchased one or the other of these boards (and indeed some have purchased both!) and they are both proven to be stable and overclockable. One resident Anandtech forum member has both and likes his DFI board better - by a hair. The DFI is cheaper, but the Asus has more features such as software X-Fi, Firewire, eSATA that the DFI lacks, so those can be the deciding factors.

Software X-Fi audio, Firewire, eSATA
NEED = Asus
DON'T NEED = DFI

HDMI output depends on a few things. All the latest graphics cards support it to some degree in that all support HDMI for video. For audio, NVIDIA cards need a wire to connect it to the SPDIF output header of your onboard audio for two channel sound. Radeons have a built-in sound chip. For both you will probably have to use a DVI-HDMI adapter.

For a really small, lightweight and portable case, look for the Silverstone SG04. It is an SG03 with a handle! It can fit an ATX PSU, micro ATX mobo and any graphics card on the market along with two 120mm cooling fans. The only limitation is that the power supply is next to the motherboard, meaning you cannot use larger CPU coolers. If you aren't overclocking, then just use the stock cooler and you'll probably be fine.