Mini ITX Owners Club and Discussion

[Intric8]

Are there any cheap mITX solutions that can handle 1080p encoded video files comfortably?

[koma_white]

Originally Posted by Intric8

Are there any cheap mITX solutions that can handle 1080p encoded video files comfortably?

Anything with a dual-core Atom and nVidia ION.
Failing that, anything with a dedicated recent graphics card and hardware decoding.

[SuzyCreamcheese]

Ok, i've been looking into a future system primarily for ease of transport due to travelling because of work. Im pretty set on something small and easy to use like an SG05/06 as the size and weight seem ideal for my intended use.

But, i also wouldn't mind a bit of gaming and oomph on the machine. The discussions going on are a going a bit over my head, but i just need some clarification for these issues.

Would the computer itself be able to house
Gigabyte GA-H55N
Intel Core i5 760
Gainward GTX 460 GS (apparently 10.5 inches long) or an alternative shorter one (apparently its 8.25 with the OEM style cooler).
4G (or 8) of some DDR1333 (or whatever).
And an SSD of sorts, probably around the 128GB variety.
DVD drive, storage drive etc. will all be external due to power considerations, space and infrequent use.

Now, the problem im having it seems is more to do with heat dissipation and power consumption. The case seems rather small with limited channels for airflow, so it seems that even with the best cable management, there's going to be serious restrictions. There's talk of upgrading the stock fan, but im not really sure what is required for the bare minimum (loudness is something that id like to avoid for once).

The PSU apparently has a max draw of 300W, which when you factor in the GPU and CPU at max load already totals 255 (150, 95 respectively). What i dont know, is how much the SSD's are estimated to draw, and how much to allocate for the motherboard. HDD's of old were approximately 10W and 30W peak draw when they spin up.

Im completely out of touch with AMD, which also has a bit of talk, but the 6core doesn't seem to draw any less power.

[dr_disciple]

Not sure about Aussie but here in Singapore, we have a few options

1. Zotac ION-L-E
- Atom 330
- ION
- DDR3 DIMM
- Wireless
- PCI-e X16

2. Zotac ION-P-E
- CULV Celeron Dual Core 1.2GHz
- ION
- DDR3 DIMM
- Wireless
- PCI-e X16

3. Zotac ION-A-E
- Atom 330
- ION
- DDR2 DIMM
- Wireless
- comes with in built power, thus you can put it in a case that comes without PSU.

Alternatively here in Singapore we have nettops as well like Zotac HD-ID11 and HD-ID33 that comes with bluray. The nettops are usually the more cost efficient choices

Originally Posted by Intric8

Are there any cheap mITX solutions that can handle 1080p encoded video files comfortably?

[dr_disciple]

SG-05/06 does comes in 450watt flavor as well. For heat dissipation, what I usually do is I flip the PSU so that the fan is facing upwards of the SG-05. And I change the default 120mm fan that comes with the case to another stronger fan but I sacrificed the noise level.

Originally Posted by SuzyCreamcheese

Ok, i've been looking into a future system primarily for ease of transport due to travelling because of work. Im pretty set on something small and easy to use like an SG05/06 as the size and weight seem ideal for my intended use.

But, i also wouldn't mind a bit of gaming and oomph on the machine. The discussions going on are a going a bit over my head, but i just need some clarification for these issues.

Would the computer itself be able to house
Gigabyte GA-H55N
Intel Core i5 760
Gainward GTX 460 GS (apparently 10.5 inches long) or an alternative shorter one (apparently its 8.25 with the OEM style cooler).
4G (or 8) of some DDR1333 (or whatever).
And an SSD of sorts, probably around the 128GB variety.
DVD drive, storage drive etc. will all be external due to power considerations, space and infrequent use.

Now, the problem im having it seems is more to do with heat dissipation and power consumption. The case seems rather small with limited channels for airflow, so it seems that even with the best cable management, there's going to be serious restrictions. There's talk of upgrading the stock fan, but im not really sure what is required for the bare minimum (loudness is something that id like to avoid for once).

The PSU apparently has a max draw of 300W, which when you factor in the GPU and CPU at max load already totals 255 (150, 95 respectively). What i dont know, is how much the SSD's are estimated to draw, and how much to allocate for the motherboard. HDD's of old were approximately 10W and 30W peak draw when they spin up.

Im completely out of touch with AMD, which also has a bit of talk, but the 6core doesn't seem to draw any less power.

[slobber]

Originally Posted by SuzyCreamcheese

Would the computer itself be able to house
Gigabyte GA-H55N
Intel Core i5 760
Gainward GTX 460 GS (apparently 10.5 inches long) or an alternative shorter one (apparently its 8.25 with the OEM style cooler).
4G (or 8) of some DDR1333 (or whatever).
And an SSD

Even using the default 300W PSU you should have no trouble gaming if you downsize you CPU a little, why would you want such a powerful CPU in a casual (though very powerful) gaming machine

[dumpst0r]

Originally Posted by slobber

Even using the default 300W PSU you should have no trouble gaming if you downsize you CPU a little, why would you want such a powerful CPU in a casual (though very powerful) gaming machine

might be because it'll be his only rig?

what do you guys of a sans ace fan or panaflo 1ux(ux1) to go in the SG05? I want to over clock but did an intel burn test and noticed my temps up till about 92 degrees.

might be better to go h50, but then i would have to sacrifice the 3.5" bay.

[slobber]

I use an AX 140 so no probs re temps

[SuzyCreamcheese]

Originally Posted by slobber

Even using the default 300W PSU you should have no trouble gaming if you downsize you CPU a little, why would you want such a powerful CPU in a casual (though very powerful) gaming machine

There seems to be an increased uptake of games reliant on multi core CPU's these days. Although the old days of GFX = bottleneck are probably still around today, im sure id have some use for it, if not now, maybe when i replace the graphics card.

Im really not sure if its needed, but it seems to tick the sweet spot for CPU's price wise. The only criticism is the lack of a die shrink. Its also missing an integrated GPU, whatever that does.

[Protolisk]

I think, that having had the SG07 for bit, unless there's something you specifically want from the SG07, the SGO5 is much better value. So if you're building a new Mini-ITX get a SG05, for gaming that is.

Only advantages I see for the SG07 are that GFX cards longer than
5850 (it's a LAN pc, you don't need a bigger GFX card) and larger space for the CPU cooler.

Can anyone else think of any? Are there any alternatives to Mini-ITX Lan cases besides SG05?

[t8y]

Originally Posted by Protolisk

Can anyone else think of any? Are there any alternatives to Mini-ITX Lan cases besides SG05?

i went with this one.
can hold 6 3.5" drives if you dont use dedicated graphics, or 4 3.5" drives if you do want graphics.
dual slot expansions, has air inlets on floor for GPU fans.
has a 2.5" drive mount, under the optical drive.
i have a 5870 in mine but from measuring, i reckon it could just fit something like a 5970 in length. would be hard up against the front fan though (which could be removed or replaced with a 120mm, i guess..)
lian-li say 300mm but i think its a tad longer internally.

downsides
the front 140mm fan LEDs are bloody bright. i snipped the wiring to those on mine.
its not exactly small for a mini-itx case, either. but still good for lans, and thats the purpose of mine.
also i guess tall cpu coolers are a no-go. dont know what will/wont fit however, as i went with a h50 mounted to the top 120mm exhaust, this works pretty well. wouldnt fit a h70, though - as this is hard against the PSU.

also considered the fractal mini-itx case, but it has no optical (wanted to put a bdrom in this system), and would be stuck with its 300w psu.
its been revised to take dual-slot expansion cards though and looks pretty good

[dr_disciple]

You can try

http://www.abee.co.jp/Product/CASE/acubic/T20/

Way more premium than a Lian Li

[t8y]

oh thats a nice case, sleek outside, neat inside.
would be able to fit some decent cooling too. im at the limits of what this system can do anyway (board wont allow any more volts/mhz), but still.. if id known a couple months back id have tried to source one

[DraGoN-BoY]

Loving the compact size, from P182 then to SG03 now to SG05.
Bit cramped but managed to get everything in including my 4870X2 and 3 HDDs. Will swap my 3.5" 750GB to a 2.5" soon as it covers the fan to my CPU.
Other plans are to install a couple of 60mm fans at the back of the case to allow for more ventilation and also paint the case internals black.

[Goldminer]

can you turn off the LED on the Silverstone SG05?