Trying to decide on a Micro-ATX board..

[magnux]

Man, finding decent reviews on these is killing me.. I'm hell-bent on ditching my tower, and I want a SFF PC. I've been torn between just buying a Shuttle or building my own mATX. Price really isn't the driving factor here, the lack of space is.

I don't need a lot of space, the shuttle will just about accomodate everything. But.. it would be very convenient if it could fit just 2 more hard drives, which a mATX case will let me do.

I was dissapointed to find that there are no nForce3 mATX boards, but I'll have to do with what I've got. Here's the breakdown:

1. Gigabyte GA-K8VM800M
2. Asus K8S-MX
3. DFI K8M800-ML

I'll be using the PC mainly for everyday use and World of Warcraft exclusively. I don't really play other games (ie. I'm not a HL:2 kind of guy).

I will be using the following hardware:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 512kB
1GB (2x512MB) Corsair XMS PC3500 (3500C2PT)
ATI Radeon X800 XL
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
1x36GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000RPM
2x160GB Maxtor 7200RPM

I will be shoe-horning all this into an Antec Aria case.

Yes, I know I should upgrade to Socket 939. I just don't care, honestly. When I upgrade, I never upgrade "just the CPU". I always upgrade the CPU/MB as a whole, so my potential 'upgrade path' isn't a concern. I want to do this with what I've got.

From what I can tell, the Shuttle xPC is more of a 'gaming' machine, which would suit me just fine. However, from what I can tell, all the above components will fit EXCEPT for 1 of the 160GB Maxtors (which I need). While the mATX boards are more of a 'value' space-saving solution. I really don't want to sacrifice performance for space, so if I *need* to go with the Shuttle xPC, I will.

So.. any advice? Suggestions? I'm racking my brain over here..

 

[Zap]

If you aren't overclocking, any of those motherboards will do. Upgrading to socket 939 means you can get a Foxconn Nforce4 mATX board, but that also means a new CPU and new PCI-E video card for no appreciable gains in your chosen game. I would choose the Asus board over the other two (barely). It uses the SiS chipset, right? It should be a good, solid board.

I'd suggest a choice that's more important than choosing the motherboard. Case. If you like the Aria form factor, consider the Aspire Q-Pack case. It is available in five different colors (always combined with black). Benefits over the Aria include:

- "Almost" standard ATX power supply, meaning it is possible (within limitations) to easily replace the power supply. The Aria uses a very proprietary power supply.

- Q-Pack seems to have better ventilation than the Aria. Some have reported overheating problems when using the Aria.

- Q-Pack has more "looks" if that's your cup 'o tea. If you don't like the three windows you can get the original Chenming version without side windows.

- Q-Pack has two external 5¼" drive bays.

- Q-Pack is cheaper than Aria.

- Q-Pack has a removeable motherboard tray, making for easier installation.

- One benefit for the Aria is that it is smaller than the Q-Pack, though that tiny bit of extra space is for a second 5¼" drive and almost standard power supply. Most of the larger dimensions come from added 2" height for both the extra drive bay plus the ability to have the standard power supply over the PCI/AGP slots while still fitting all known video cards.

 

[magnux]

Actually, the Q-Pack isn't bad. Honestly, that's the least of my concerns. I accidentally stumbled onto this:

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=622

Apparently, MSI makes a nF3 S754 mATX board. However, I can't find it anywhere in the United States. It's boggling.

Anyone know anything about this elusive beast?

Thanks for the heads-up on the Q-Pack, that's definately an option.