mini ITX... how do you like it?

[nitromullet]

I've always been a bigger case kinda guy, but I've noticed that in the past few years I just don't seem to need a huge rig anymore. Plus, mini ITX boards have really gotten a lot more feature rich, and are really starting to look like a viable option for someone looking to build a small but powerful PC.

So, I'm curious... if you've made the switch from ATX (or EATX) to mini ITX, what have your experiences been? Would you recommend it or not? Do you miss your big rig?

I guess I should clarify that I'm talking about a mini ITX gaming rig, not an HTPC. I'm talking full size graphics card, PSU, four HDDs (SSD/data disk/RAID1 storage), and cooling capabilities to keep it running with a moderate overclock.

The cases I've been looking at are the BitFenix Prodigy, Corsair 250D, Fractal Design Node 304, and possibly a CaseLabs Mercury S3. Definitely bigger mini ITX cases.

 

[lehtv]

My brother has a mini ITX gaming rig, it works great for him because he just doesn't need any of the benefits that a bigger case would bring.

For a pure gaming rig, it all depends on whether you think the smaller form factor is worth the extra cost over microATX or ATX. But in your case, the number of hard drives is a bit high for ITX, I would go microATX instead. Pretty much any mini ITX case that can actually fit four hard drives is not going to be that much smaller than many microATX cases. A big ITX case just restricts your motherboard's expandability while costing more overall

If you really like the way Prodigy looks, consider Prodigy-M. Bitfenix Phenom-M is also quite nice. My pick however would be Fractal Define Mini

 

[PliotronX]

My brother has a mini ITX gaming rig, it works great for him because he just doesn't need any of the benefits that a bigger case would bring.

For a pure gaming rig, it all depends on whether you think the smaller form factor is worth the extra cost over microATX or ATX. But in your case, the number of hard drives is a bit high for ITX, I would go microATX instead. Pretty much any mini ITX case that can actually fit four hard drives is not going to be that much smaller than many microATX cases. A big ITX case just restricts your motherboard's expandability while costing more overall

If you really like the way Prodigy looks, consider Prodigy-M. Bitfenix Phenom-M is also quite nice. My pick however would be Fractal Define Mini

My sentiments exactly! The form factor makes a killer NAS box too that sits in a corner being all tiny with a large RAID array.

One thing that is disappointing is that there isn't an ITX AM3+ board. An FX6300 would be awesome in such a tiny box as a server or gaming rig.

 

[Charlie98]

I have to scratch my head... I've seen the improvements just in the past few years to the mITX mobos, they are cramming more and more features onto that little board than I thought possible. But why? And then CoolerMaster comes out with the Elite 130... a mITX case that supports water cooling? Why? In my mind the benefit of the mITX board would be a smaller footprint general purpose PC, something capable of light to moderate gaming if purposed to do so, certainly, but not some full-on high-dollar gaming rig.

IMHO, mATX is the sweet spot for a compact gaming rig. The Define Mini is a superb case (I have 2...) but the thing can hold 6 HDD's and 2 OD's! Take that mATX case, cut the nose off (no OD space, room for a SSD and a single HDD) and rearrange the innards to make the case as compact as possible... a Define SuperMini!

 

[dma0991]

I will always need an ATX side case because of the number of drive bays that I need and space necessary to fit more watercooling parts. Watercooling isn't too crucial (more of a hobby) but storage space is very important unless I decide to do a NAS with a 24 bay Norco and have files accessed via network.

I would consider building a small mITX gaming PC just to see how small I can make it. I'm eying on a CM Elite 110 build with one of those mini GPUs (GTX670, GTX760, etc)for something that is much more portable. I could also do without it and go with an Intel NUC + VESA mounted to monitor, making it sort of like an iMac.

 

[nitromullet]

I have to scratch my head... I've seen the improvements just in the past few years to the mITX mobos, they are cramming more and more features onto that little board than I thought possible. But why? And then CoolerMaster comes out with the Elite 130... a mITX case that supports water cooling? Why? In my mind the benefit of the mITX board would be a smaller footprint general purpose PC, something capable of light to moderate gaming if purposed to do so, certainly, but not some full-on high-dollar gaming rig.

IMHO, mATX is the sweet spot for a compact gaming rig. The Define Mini is a superb case (I have 2...) but the thing can hold 6 HDD's and 2 OD's! Take that mATX case, cut the nose off (no OD space, room for a SSD and a single HDD) and rearrange the innards to make the case as compact as possible... a Define SuperMini!

I think the answer to most of your whys is 1) because they can, and 2) larger mini ITX cases still tend to be quite a bit smaller then ATX cases.

You really hit the nail on the head with your post though. I have to ask myself if I'll actually see a significant space savings with a mini ITX rig, or am I just interested in doing it because it's something I've never done before.

As an exercise in building with a smaller case I decided to move my whole gaming rig into my old Lian Li PC60A case to see how it went. Three of the four HDs are the old 3.5" full size drives, which presented the biggest challenge. The end result was pretty nice though. I have two Gentle Typhoons and the Phanteks cpu cooler so it's really quiet. The downside is that the air flow isn't nearly as good as my Silverstone RV02. I'm currently running the cpu at stock (my motherboard OC's it to 3.8GHz automatically), as opposed to the 4.4 I was running in the Raven.

Anyway, all interesting points you guys are making... keep em coming!

 

[aigomorla]

cant sli in itx... my only problem

and i have this mentality it takes 2 to tango...and 3 to have a manaja twa.

 

[nitromullet]

cant sli in itx... my only problem

and i have this mentality it takes 2 to tango...and 3 to have a manaja twa.

lol! Yeah, I used to build my pc solely around SLI, but I realized that I haven't had an SLI rig since GTX 470. That's part of why I'm considering going smaller.

 

[Essence_of_War]

IMHO, mATX is the sweet spot for a compact gaming rig.

I concur. I realized this when I realized that I really liked the larger mitx cases. Then it dawned on me that said cases were only slightly more compact than matx cases!

 

[Charlie98]

lol! Yeah, I used to build my pc solely around SLI, but I realized that I haven't had an SLI rig since GTX 470. That's part of why I'm considering going smaller.

My original build went into a HAF922 mid-ATX case... I was going to fill that thing up with hard drives and GPU's... it was going to be so hot it would need it's own air conditioner. ...but then reality set in and my wife took my credit card away... and I realized I didn't need that big of a case. So now it's in a Define Mini with 2 drives (1 SSD, 1 HDD, ) and the single GPU. Life is good... and quiet... and cool.

I do have a curiosity to build an mITX, I would like to see how small I could get a general desktop build to replace my old backup Pentium D I took out of service last month; looking forward into the future that's what I see prebuilts going to... smaller boxes with no OD drives (everyone wants downloads, etc... ) the mITX is the obvious choice.

 

[Wall Street]

I have never understood the many Mini ITX cases that have full size videocards without rotated risers. I can understand the builds that look like the Falcon NW Tiki, but don't get the Collermaster Elite 120, Corsair Obsidian 250D or Bitfenix Prodegy. What is the point of a Mini ITX case if the footprint isn't any smaller than an ATX case? It isn't like Micro ATX cases are too tall to fit under a desk.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I went with mITX for my last build (G3220, Gigabyte H87N-WIFI, 8gb low profile ram) and have to concur with those who say mATX strikes the correct balance.

I went through Micro Center's collection of mITX cases, and all of them looked like they'd be cable management nightmares. That's to be expected given the small form factor, but even with a semi-modular PSU (all modular except for 24-pin and 12v EPS) I found myself with just a large clump of wires twist-tied to the case frame. I was using the heatsinks on the mobo and the memory to channel the cables neatly around lol.

A lot of mITX cases aren't that much smaller than the smallest mATX towers anyway. Might as well go with the slightly bigger form factor to gain more expansion slots and not have to worry about component clearance inside.

I ended up going with an Elite 130. It doesn't allow for the vast majority of aftermarket coolers (save for a water AIO) and the lack of a hard drive cage made attaching hard drives a giant b (there are four hooked up in it right now), but the price was right and the construction is good. I stuffed an old 6950 in there just for kicks and it worked out fine. Too much hassle to route the cables around though, and heat was getting to be an issue

 

[nitromullet]

What is the point of a Mini ITX case if the footprint isn't any smaller than an ATX case? It isn't like Micro ATX cases are too tall to fit under a desk.

I definitely agree with this. The footprint on some of these cases is really huge for the size of the motherboard. They just end up being short and squat. There needs to be more mini ITX case options with vertical motherboards.

 

[BrightCandle]

For gaming I like to have a sound card for my 5.1 -> headphone surround sound implementation so I can never go down to an mITX. I also tend to run SLI/Xfire with all my builds in recent years and right now all but one of my PCI-E slots is filled.

I use an mITX in my HTPC box and it does a decent job there, being small is what I needed but my desk has space so there is no need to compromise capabilities to shrink it down.

 

[dma0991]

For gaming I like to have a sound card for my 5.1 -> headphone surround sound implementation so I can never go down to an mITX.

There's an external DAC such as this that does the job. Unless you're using a Roccat Kave, Razer Tiamat or Psyko Carbon; I'd stick to stereo based headphones because of the bigger choice in audiophile DACs. Most external DACs can be used without drivers, reducing the complication if you're moving from different OS or different PCs.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I have never understood the many Mini ITX cases that have full size videocards without rotated risers. I can understand the builds that look like the Falcon NW Tiki, but don't get the Collermaster Elite 120, Corsair Obsidian 250D or Bitfenix Prodegy. What is the point of a Mini ITX case if the footprint isn't any smaller than an ATX case? It isn't like Micro ATX cases are too tall to fit under a desk.

The elite 120 is tiny. Its so short.

Are you talking about width not height?

 

[Kenmitch]

I'm trying out a pair of HAF Stacker 915's currently. I only have the 1st one up and running so far....Waiting on my Tri-X that is backordered.

My goal was to go from 1 rig to 2 both running 290's for mining and casual gaming.

Going the HAF 915 route worked best in my scenario as they are stackable. Not the smallest footprint but going up is a freebee to me.

I thought about just getting a atx mb, case, and a stronger power supply and having the CF option but being a casual 1080P gamer it didn't seem logical to me....Liked the thought of having somewhat of a backup rig in case 1 goes down.

I did look at the CM Elite 130 and liked the price point/features but decided a pair of them would look strange sitting on both sides of my monitor. Didn't think they would be too stable stacked up.

 

[piasabird]

I think there are some flaws with the CM 130 elite. It makes more sense to have a mounting system where you can mount a DVD, HD and maybe an SSD close together. This is because of how the power cords on the power supplies are made. I think it needs a better drive rack or just leave out the Optical Drive.

 

[Ranulf]

I've been debating this myself lately. I picked up a CM 130 elite on a whim and its not that great. I could see it for a htpc setup but not worth the hassle for a serious game build. Micro atx cases out there seem to be the best option for gaming or a NAS. Just more options and less cost to build it.

I am going to try a fractal node case for a NAS build, given it can mount 6 hard drives for an itx build.

 

[nitromullet]

As far as stock cases (i.e. not CaseLabs) go, I personally think the Corsair 250D looks the most flexible. Full size PSU, graphics card, 2 x 3.5" HD, 2 x 2.5" SSD/HD, and even an optical drive if you want. The only real concession you'd have to make is either use a Corsair H100i or similar cooler for the cpu. There is no room for a decent air cooler, although there is room for a 120.2 custom loop with slim fans http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/01/21/corsair_obsidian_series_250d_miniitx_case_review/5

The fractal node 304 looks good, and I like that fact that big air coolers will fit, but the PSU cables butting up against the graphics card doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe if I was buying a new PSU anyway I might be more flexible on this point, but I am quite happy with my Corsair AX850.

The CM Stacker 915 is interesting. Probably not what I would need, but I like their thinking with making the 915 either a small stand alone mini ITX case or an addition for to the 935 or another 915. Finally, CM's long time use of the word 'Stacker' actually means something.

 

[Essence_of_War]

The only real concession you'd have to make is either use a Corsair H100i or similar cooler for the cpu. There is no room for a decent air cooler

Not necessarily, (although it is notable that the side slot on the 250D includes room for a 240mm rad and corsair just happens to make one ) there are a number of decent low-profile CPU cooler options. None of them will get you as cool as, say, the NH-D14, but they'll do the job cooler and quieter than the stock CPU cooler. The Scythe Shuriken comes to mind.

 

[PliotronX]

Not necessarily, (although it is notable that the side slot on the 250D includes room for a 240mm rad and corsair just happens to make one ) there are a number of decent low-profile CPU cooler options. None of them will get you as cool as, say, the NH-D14, but they'll do the job cooler and quieter than the stock CPU cooler. The Scythe Shuriken comes to mind.

+1 You're not going to have the cooling capacity of larger cases, there is going to have to be some concessions but you don't have to run stock.

There are some mATX cases as small as the larger ITX cases but for the most part mATX cases tend to be not much smaller than mid towers.

 

[Charlie98]

...but for the most part mATX cases tend to be not much smaller than mid towers.

That's very true. When I was looking for a case for my HTPC, which had very strict dimensional requirements, I found just a handful of mATX cases that would fit... the Define Mini being one. Everything else was not much smaller than my HAF922 ATX mid-tower!

Of course, working with the Define Mini ruined me... now I'm not brainwashed into thinking I NEED that big tower, that smaller can, indeed, be better in some cases (excuse the pun.)

 

[PliotronX]

That's very true. When I was looking for a case for my HTPC, which had very strict dimensional requirements, I found just a handful of mATX cases that would fit... the Define Mini being one. Everything else was not much smaller than my HAF922 ATX mid-tower!

Of course, working with the Define Mini ruined me... now I'm not brainwashed into thinking I NEED that big tower, that smaller can, indeed, be better in some cases (excuse the pun.)

hah, nice pun and yeah that is a case worth bringing home to mom and putting a ring on

 

[monkeydelmagico]

my own rules of thumb at this time:

ATX for SLI/Crossfire
mATX for single GPU
mITX for APU

Although the bitfenix prodigy case made me want to build an mitx gaming rig in the worst way.