nice micro atx gaming build..

[trog100]

start with the case. its actually made by icute as are many other "branded" cases.. about £45 to £50 in the UK..

http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-m40-cube-black.html

now the psu..

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-012-HP&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

motherboard.. hard one this but we decided on the mis board.. it turned out good..

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-091-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=326

cpu.. i already had that but its a good choice..

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-157-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=

memory.. take your pick but this one has 2 gig of this stuff.. again i have similar stuff in my machine.. so its a known quantity..

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-GL

grafix card.. well again take your pick with any single card.. this one has a 8600gts but would benefit from a better one.. it currently scores 6700 in 3dmark 2006..

i have just picked the bits for a relative and the machine has just been put together in my house..

a perfect and rare build... it simply worked.. he he he

heat was a major concern with the smaller case form factor.. so was a stable mobo that would do at least 450 fsb plus.. the E6750 24/7 at 3.6 gig was the target..

so far its a total success.. with the help of 2 extra small fans at the rear of the case and still using the stock intel cooler.. its running perfectly at 3.6 gig..

the msi mobo seems a gem.. all in all a nice small form factor gaming box.. an ati 3870 exhausting out of the back of the case would be a perfect match for it..

trog

 

[BrooksyX]

If I ever have the money I would like to build a nice little microATX gamer too. Almost went with one in my latest build but decided against it. I really like this case for the money though: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FITKJ4/?tag=tec06d-20

 

[ktr]

The ultra is nice, but really cheaply built, very thin aluminum. The aerocool looks very nice.

Edit: if your gonna be interested in O/C, go with the abit F-I90HD...

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=900405

 

[trog100]

If I ever have the money I would like to build a nice little microATX gamer too. Almost went with one in my latest build but decided against it. I really like this case for the money though: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FITKJ4/?tag=tec06d-20

the one that we just built has to go on a boat.. its to replace a smaller p4 powered media system that wont take a full size psu or a more up to date cpu..

the idea was small-ish and quiet but still do the businness.. and be cheapish

if u have look thru this icute site there are lots of familiar cases minus the brand names we are used to seeing..

http://www.icute.com.tw/english/

its surprising more folks arnt into small and powerfull and not cost too much.. i didnt expect m-atx boards to have the clocking options but some certainly do..

trog

 

[imperialreign]

I think a lot of avid gamers, though, are under the impression that mATX cases are horrible for heating/cooling concerns due to their small, compact size and reduced airflow.

Quite the contrary, really. My original setup was a P4 in an eMachines mATX case, and I managed to keep both the CPU and mobo under 38C at full load - with a 580W PSU and a OCed X1950 PRO, 2 optical drives, 2 IDE HDDs, wireless adapter card, and a full size X-Fi card.

That's a nice setup, though, Trog

 

[BrooksyX]

I wouldn't be too worried about the heat. Just the lack of options and space is what made me go with a full size build. I would probably have a hard time fitting my arctic freezer 64 pro and Accelero S2 coolers in the case.

 

[trog100]

I wouldn't be too worried about the heat. Just the lack of options and space is what made me go with a full size build. I would probably have a hard time fitting my arctic freezer 64 pro and Accelero S2 coolers in the case.

u would but neither are needed and if the build starts from scratch it has to be all planned out..

that one seems to be quite happy with the intel stock cooler.. but it would take a large flat type cooler.. there is plenty of sideways space it would not take the more common (tall) tower type cooler thow..

intel E6750 at 3.6.. easy.. on the stock cooler.. coretemp reads about 62 C under full load

mobo 8 x 450 again easy and well within its limits..

memory running at 2.2 volts 1 to 1 at 900mhz.. again well within its limits..

in short the whole system is cruising.. 3.6 is not its max clock.. simply a nice cruising 24/7 clock.. it was the target speed..

it wasnt built for extreme overclocking simply a nice quiet powerfull gaming box in the micro atx form factor.. it was also a bit experimental.. never done it before..

so far its been bench tested and gamed extensively for a couple of days.. its performed flawlessly.. all in all a complete success..

it has one dvd burner and one 500 gig hardrive fitted.. with the mid range 8600gts card fited it plays all current games at medium settings and a lower resolution.. some on high settings..

games tested so far.. supreme commander.. world in conflict.. crysis.. silent hunter 4.. lost planet.. cod 4.. stalker.. conflict denied opps.. oblivion.. condemned criminal origins.. X3 reunion.. plus other known system killer games..

the resolutions used were either 1280 x 1024.. or 1024 x 768 with 2 x AA..

the 8600gts card was to hand.. the rest of the system would take more powerfull cards without a problem..

it draws from the wall.. 100 watts at idle with speed step on and 220 watts max under full gaming full load.. about 170 watts under full cpu load..

the case comes with one large front fan.. two additional smaller fans have been fitted to exhaust at the rear..

trog