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Forums - PC Discussion - Help with Mini-ITX Gaming Build

sethnintendo on 06 February 2019
Biggerboat1 said:
Bofferbrauer2 said:

Just tried to create a similar build on Alternate to compare (since it has an Uk website and a PC configurator), got slighly more expensive (probably due to the mainboard and cooler) but everything should work out

The way I understood it is he wants to play on it like a console, solely with gamepad on a TV. In that case a bigger case would be quite cumbersome, hence the itx form factor.

Exactly - it's essentially functioning as a souped up console.

I spend 8-10 hours a day sitting at a desk for work - when I get home I want to stretch out!

Get your man spread on!



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Biggerboat1 on 06 February 2019
sethnintendo said:
Bofferbrauer2 said:

Just tried to create a similar build on Alternate to compare (since it has an Uk website and a PC configurator), got slighly more expensive (probably due to the mainboard and cooler) but everything should work out

The way I understood it is he wants to play on it like a console, solely with gamepad on a TV. In that case a bigger case would be quite cumbersome, hence the itx form factor.

Ah I know people have trashed the Steam link a bunch but that actually works good in my house so far (played about 6 hours or more on it).  Had a few hiccups like audio not syncing right a few times but most times played flawless.  Have a 1 gb hard connection and wifi puts out no more than 20-50 mbps.  Played a few racing games like Grid Autosport and didn't notice any lag. 

I do actually have a Steam link but my experience is that everything looks a little soft & laggy, and if memory serves, I think it maxes out at 1080p.

It could well be due to the quality of my electrical wiring as I was connecting through one of the powerline adapter thingies...

My apartment was built around 1900 so walls are super thick - so wifi connection wasn't an option.

Although, after doing a bit of research there doesn't seem to be any big drawbacks with the smaller form-factor - of course cooling will suffer but I don't intend on overclocking & the ambient temperature is normally quite chilly here in Scotland :)



darkknightkryta on 06 February 2019

Just get this:



Random_Matt on 06 February 2019
Biggerboat1 said:
Random_Matt said:
Check out Lazer3D LZ7, best mini case there is.

It looks a bit tall unfortunately...

I'll have to measure the shelf space when I get home but I'm guessing is around 120-130mm in height...

Also it doesn't appear to be available on Scan - ideally I'd like them to build it as, whilst I have built 2 PCs before, it's still not something I'm 100% confident in doing, especially with the mini ITX form factor which I'm guessing will make everything especially finicky to fit....

226mm (W) x 198mm (D) x 158mm (H) 



Biggerboat1 on 06 February 2019
Random_Matt said:
Biggerboat1 said:

It looks a bit tall unfortunately...

I'll have to measure the shelf space when I get home but I'm guessing is around 120-130mm in height...

Also it doesn't appear to be available on Scan - ideally I'd like them to build it as, whilst I have built 2 PCs before, it's still not something I'm 100% confident in doing, especially with the mini ITX form factor which I'm guessing will make everything especially finicky to fit....

226mm (W) x 198mm (D) x 158mm (H) 

Yeah, had a look at dimensions when you first suggested. Def think is gonna be too tall but will confirm for sure when I'm home.

What do you think of the Fractal case I've suggested?



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Biggerboat1 on 06 February 2019
darkknightkryta said:
Just get this:

Is that an actual modern, available product?

I guess the design brief prohibited the use of right-angles :)



Biggerboat1 on 06 February 2019
sethnintendo said:
Biggerboat1 said:

Exactly - it's essentially functioning as a souped up console.

I spend 8-10 hours a day sitting at a desk for work - when I get home I want to stretch out!

Get your man spread on!

You better believe it!

Though I have to say, I just played through Rise of the Tomb Raider with a controller & stubbornly refused to switch on aim-assist as it made the game too easy. It was definitely an exercise in patience!! M+KB would have been a whole world of easier...



Biggerboat1 on 06 February 2019
Biggerboat1 said:
Random_Matt said:

226mm (W) x 198mm (D) x 158mm (H) 

Yeah, had a look at dimensions when you first suggested. Def think is gonna be too tall but will confirm for sure when I'm home.

What do you think of the Fractal case I've suggested?

Here's a video for the Fractal case - looks pretty slick in my humble opinion!



JEMC on 06 February 2019

I think you're in for an excellent litte machine, and everything seems to fit inside it. By the way, I found a review of the case (from 3 years ago) and the GPU cooling can be a slight problem: https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/cases/fractal-design-node-202-review/1/

Other than that, you'll probably want to go with a bigger HDD/SSD, as today's games are repidly growing in size.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Random_Matt on 06 February 2019
Biggerboat1 said:
Biggerboat1 said:

Yeah, had a look at dimensions when you first suggested. Def think is gonna be too tall but will confirm for sure when I'm home.

What do you think of the Fractal case I've suggested?

Here's a video for the Fractal case - looks pretty slick in my humble opinion!

Only problem I see is cooling, however, if you are going with the 8400, then you will not have to worry about overclocking or heat. It should be fine, plenty of small form factor cpu coolers out there.