Upgradeable SFF?

[pete6032]

I've been out of the SFF game for a long time and a lot has changed. My last system was a Mini ITX with a jerry-rigged PicoPSU and some very clever case mods to get everything to fit inside.

Are there any form factors today that provide upgradability? I'm specifically wondering if there is any SFF PC that will allow a graphics card to be upgraded, as integrated graphics are still pretty crummy compared to what a dedicated graphics card will get you. Are half-height GFX cards still a thing? Not looking to put a high end card into the system, but something that will at least let me play games from 2007-2008 at 1680x1050?

A lot of the SFF things coming out look like they're pre-built and cannot be upgraded at all, save for replacing a HDD or adding RAM.

 

[Kaido]

Corsair has some pretty nice compact Mini-ITX cases that support full-sized GPU's:

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/obsidian-series-250d-mini-itx-pc-case

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/graphite-series-380t-yellow-portable-mini-itx-case (my personal favorite, has a built-in handlebar for carrying & comes in different colors)

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/carbid...e-high-airflow-micro-atx-and-mini-itx-pc-case

The Gigabyte BRIX Gaming PC has a pretty nice GPU (2GB GTX760), although it's non-upgradable. But it is really small (can get a bit noisy tho). Pricey, but all you have to do is add SSD & RAM: (plus the OS of your choice)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJZVGFU

 

[Brainonska511]

The biggest question when it comes to picking a case would be "what's your size limitation?" There are many mITX cases available, that range from very small (and unlikely to be able to use full-size components) to mITX cases that rival smaller mATX cases in terms of volume and footprint.

On that note, there are a fair amount of mITX cases that can take many full-sized components and are also not overly large. The Corsair 250d and Cooler Master Elite 130 immediately come to mind; they both can take fairly long graphics cards. I'm kind of partial to the 250d and have been thinking about going that direction when it comes time to upgrade my mATX SB i3 system next year.

 

[Kaido]

The biggest question when it comes to picking a case would be "what's your size limitation?" There are many mITX cases available, that range from very small (and unlikely to be able to use full-size components) to mITX cases that rival smaller mATX cases in terms of volume and footprint.

On that note, there are a fair amount of mITX cases that can take many full-sized components and are also not overly large. The Corsair 250d and Cooler Master Elite 130 immediately come to mind; they both can take fairly long graphics cards. I'm kind of partial to the 250d and have been thinking about going that direction when it comes time to upgrade my mATX SB i3 system next year.

Unless VR requires dual GPU's, I'm planning on doing the Corsair 380T case with the handlebar. Already pre-ordered the VirZoom VR exercise bike, now I gotta start tucking the moola away for the PC & VR kit :awe:

 

[JWade]

I got the amd a8 gigabyte brix. it handles everything I do easily (office work, Netflix, youtube, hule, flash games, online games) I put an ssd in it and 16gb ram.

 

[Brainonska511]

Unless VR requires dual GPU's, I'm planning on doing the Corsair 380T case with the handlebar. Already pre-ordered the VirZoom VR exercise bike, now I gotta start tucking the moola away for the PC & VR kit :awe:

The 380T seems like a good, portable case, but it reminds me too much of bad portable speakers I see kids bring onto the subway in NYC.

 

[pete6032]

I don't really play games at the moment, but if I bought a system I would like to be able to play a few games at 1680 x 1050, don't have to be new games. I'm really liking the AMD APUs since they have better integrated graphics than the current intel offerings. I was looking at this system, HP Elitdesk 705 G1 Mini (http://www.amazon.com/EliteDesk-705-Desktop-Computer-Professional/dp/B00TUVXIZE) but it doesn't look like it's upgradeable at all so in 4 years from now I would have to buy another system. So there isn't a non-proprietary form factor smaller than ITX?

 

[Stuka87]

Love my 380T

Let me know if you have any questions about it.

 

[Brainonska511]

I don't really play games at the moment, but if I bought a system I would like to be able to play a few games at 1680 x 1050, don't have to be new games. I'm really liking the AMD APUs since they have better integrated graphics than the current intel offerings. I was looking at this system, HP Elitdesk 705 G1 Mini (http://www.amazon.com/EliteDesk-705-Desktop-Computer-Professional/dp/B00TUVXIZE) but it doesn't look like it's upgradeable at all so in 4 years from now I would have to buy another system. So there isn't a non-proprietary form factor smaller than ITX?

The only thing really smaller than mITX would be something like a NUC, but then you'll be stuck with integrated graphics.

I don't know how much you're willing to spend, but I'd probably go with an Intel CPU and pair it with a low-mid range graphics card (maybe something in the $50-$100 range). The Intel offerings will outperform AMD solutions in almost all cases, and adding a separate graphics card will likely solve any disparities there (even if you only use a low-profile low-end card). Also, there are apparently cases that can take full-height cards by using an included riser card to re-orient the GPU, giving you a broader range of option when it comes to picking a GPU.

There are definitely a range of sizes available when it comes to mITX systems.