Recommend me a "gaming" SFF

[Lepard]

1. Can SFF's be reliable as a gaming PC?
2. Do they come with more than one PCI (not PCI-E) slot?
3. I mainly game at my LCD's resolution 1280x1024, which PCI-E card would be optimal for this resolution? I currently have a 6600GT AGP card.
4. How reliable are the PSUs?

Im basically looking for a SFF to be as quiet as possible with not too much or no modding at all.

Thanks.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You can build a mATX based system, boards typically have 1 - PCI-E x16, 1- x1, and 1 or 2 PCI.

Popular cases are Silverstone, Aspire X-Qpack, and Microfly "cube" cases that are a bit bigger than Shuttle cases but much cheaper to build a system with. $100 case + $80 motherboard + $50-100 PSU. Sudhian.com has reviewed all 3 of these cases. You can get the Silverstone and Qpack at newegg, Microfly is only at Tiger Direct as far as I know.

mATX cubes also let you use monster HSFs to cool without a whiny fan.

Noise on Shuttles and mATX cubes isn't bad, but it's easier to make a tower case quieter.


> 3. I mainly game at my LCD's resolution 1280x1024, which PCI-E card would be optimal for this resolution?

Depends on the game, for Oblivion a 7900 or x1900

 

[Lepard]

I mostly play sports games (MVP Baseball, NBA Live, etc.). With maybe a couple of FPS (FarCry, Doom and the upcoming Crysis).

The SFF's look real nice, that's the most important reason. Silence is the second. Should I just go with ASPIRE X-QPACK-AL/420 Black/Silver and a mATX motherboard of my choosing (ie ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 )? Would the front ports be completely compatible with said mATX motherboard?

 

[erikistired]

i'm thinking about going sff for portability and desktop size. i have a small desk and even my super lanboy is taking up too much room. a nice little x qpack or microfly would give me a bit more room, and make going to lan parties even easier. i found a foxconn motherboard that got great reviews and will easily work with either case and my 7900gt and sb x-fi. at that point i'll be stuck using onboard lan (i have the big zalman cooler on my video card that appears as if it'll block 2 pci slots) but i'm sure i can give up my trusty old 3com pci nic.

 

[deathwalker]

I have a micro fly that I have built up into a nice little system. Nearly the same as a X qpack but a tad larger for better Power supply fit..and thats another plus..you can get it without a Power supply and have the choice for a better quality one thant the junk Aspire puts in the qpack.

 

[VooDooAddict]

I think you are on the right track. It's a similar debate that I was having with myself before I settled on waiting for Core 2 Duo.

Q-Pack @ $95 (Shipped)
Asus mATX AM2 @ $90 (Shipped)
Active PFC 450W Powersupply @ $65 (Shipped)
Total @ $250

vs

Shuttle AM2 @ $385 (Shipped)

I know $135 is quite a differance for apearance... Me, I was leaning toward the shuttle because I'm learning how expensive decorating an apartment can be. I think the shuttle looks that much better from a decorating standpoint. The shuttle will also already fit in my padded SFF bag. Saving me the cost of getting a padded bag to transport the Q-Pack. (I'd never trust the plastic handle.)

EDIT: Just checked out the Micro Fly ... nice revision of the Q-Pack design to give more room between the Powersupply and Opticals!

 

[erikistired]

Originally posted by: deathwalker
I have a micro fly that I have built up into a nice little system. Nearly the same as a X qpack but a tad larger for better Power supply fit..and thats another plus..you can get it without a Power supply and have the choice for a better quality one thant the junk Aspire puts in the qpack.

yeah, my only complaint is if you want a black microfly with no windows you have to buy the ultra psu. but i guess i can live with that.

for the OP, here's what my final system will be (tenatively provided everything fits):

ultra microfly
enermax liberty 500w
foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS (i chose this board on it reviews and it's pci-e/pci layout)
amd a64 3700+ (with zalman 7700 cooler, i think, not sure on how it'll fit)
2gb mushkin pc3200
bfg geforce 7900gt oc (with zalman 700 cooler)
western digital cavier se16 250gb
liteon shw160p6s
soundblaster x-fi

i have most of this already so i know it makes a solid gaming system (i run all my games at 1600x1200, mostly fps), the only difference will be the case and the motherboard. should be a pretty nice system in a small space. i don't think cooling will be an issue, the microfly has 1 80mm in and 1 120mm out fans in it.

 

[ElFenix]

remember to get a short CDROM, like the benq one, if you get an xqpack and a normal atx power supply.


the ultra microfly is about an inch longer and doesn't have that problem.