small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Show off your quiet rig.

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WhiteFireDragon
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 12:55 am

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by WhiteFireDragon » Wed Jun 22, 2011 8:39 pm

yetidaddy wrote:I wish I found this before I built my machine, because I had the same problems as you did and same goal. I wanted eyefinity + gaming + htpc. I finally did it, but it took so long to dig up informations and buy those parts. My machine:

Intel E5200
Biostar G41-M7 MATX mb
2gb G.Skills Ram x 1
160gb 2.5mm HDD
ATI 5570 sapphire (same one)
Case - same
PSU - same but with a shuttle adapter
(I'm not sure how much watts I get from that but it seem to be powering it fine. 180w PSU)

I get good performance over the 3-screens in eyefinity setup. But, its just mmo and emulators.
The goal is to push it and see what kind of gig I can get under $400.

So the 5670 doesn't cover your ram clips?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
What about this motherboard? Will that heatsink on southbridge block it?
I'm also amazed that the 150w can power the i7 + 5670.
Do you think it will power a MATX + i3 + 5670 ?
I'm getting another case that's 9 x 11 x 5 so fitting them won't be a problem.
i actually upgraded to a 5670, unless you were referring to the old 5570 i used for like 10 minutes. everything is very tight, but the card does not touch the memory clips, nor the CPU cooler.

if this setup can power my i7 and 5670, i don't see why it can't power a i3 and 5670. the power difference between mATX and mini-ITX is pretty negligible, there's bigger differences between brands and platforms. mATX should be fine.

i actually have that asrock mATX. it's pretty much a hybrid between mini-ITX and mATX form factor. the width is just a tad larger than mini-ITX, but a lot smaller than most mATX. it takes up 3 expansion slots instead of 4, so you can fit it in some mini-ITX case. here's a quiet build i did for it so refer to this thread below. i just haven't posted it on this forum yet:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1612045

yetidaddy
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 7:22 pm
Location: Louisville, KY

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by yetidaddy » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:30 pm

I like your logic of using huge heatsinks in small systems. But, how are you able to find the right heatsink for your use? I'm getting an Raidmax ITX case, dimensions 9L 11W 4H. You don't care about USB 3.0 at all for the future?
I want to get a MSI H61M-P23 (B3)
Or
AsRock MB

Please help me get cpu sinks for these and for the ATI 5670.

I could upgrade to usb 3.0 for $74.99
Or upgrade to mini itx + usb 3.0 for $84.99
I'm still thinking.

Methanoid
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:44 pm
Location: UK

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by Methanoid » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:54 pm

@WFD, is it possible to still use the bottom 3.5" spaces with a mATX board in place? Dont care about the slots particularly but would like a HD or two in the case!

WhiteFireDragon
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 12:55 am

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by WhiteFireDragon » Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:52 am

It's been a while, but I forgot to update: I switched out the gigabyte H67N-USB3 with a ECS H67H2-I around November because it can hold a mSATA SSD on the motherboard. The mSATA SSD is a 80gb intel 310 SSD. Pics will come later.

Cistron
Posts: 618
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:18 am
Location: London, UK

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by Cistron » Mon May 07, 2012 1:21 am

Impressive build! Is the bottom Noctua held in place with foam to prevent vibrations?

Lehninger, principles of biochemistry, stirs up old memories. :)

lowmotion
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:11 am

Re: small, quiet mini-ITX gaming build

Post by lowmotion » Fri Oct 05, 2012 6:46 am

Hey, is there an update or new pics?

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