Shrinking & Beautifying Your Smallish mITX DIY Rig?

[MacClipper]

Just went Slow Lazy Sunday shopping in a bid to do the above... think both AMD & Intel really want to push us on with smaller and smaller rigs over time.







Both the HSF seen above and the stock Intel HSF fits easily into this 7l case easily but looks like lots more adventures ahead cos the already thin HSF is unbelievably still too thick for the 2nd even tinier 1.4l case.

 

[devilwahaha]

Just went Slow Lazy Sunday shopping in a bid to do the above... think both AMD & Intel really want to push us on with smaller and smaller rigs over time.







Both the HSF seen above and the stock Intel HSF fits easily into this 7l case easily but looks like lots more adventures ahead cos the already thin HSF is unbelievably still too thick for the 2nd even tinier 1.4l case.

Why not just stick with Intel HSF for this setup? Its taller than the custom HSF?

 

[watzup_ken]

I did the reverse. From an ITX case, I went back to a fat shoe box MATX case. I find ITX case too small and needs a lot of time to route those cables. Once the molex cable got stuck between the CPU heatsink and I was wondering why the CPU temp is so high then I recheck. Also, its very difficult for me to change components cause of the cram interior.

Of course the end result looks satisfyingly compact.

 

[t258jgn]

Silverstone ML-05 itx case?

 

[nez]

I for one has so far remain with ATX. Small builts just don't cut it for me.

 

[coyote]

I am considering getting this... since I never play games. I run linux which runs much faster than windows on most hardwares.

2014 NEW Intel Celeron C1037U aluminum fanless dual core living room HTPC Barebone Mini PC with USB 3.0 HDMI 2 RJ45 TF SD Card-in Mini PCs from Electronics on Aliexpress.com

 

[MacClipper]

Why not just stick with Intel HSF for this setup? Its taller than the custom HSF?

Long story ahead...

Installs stock Intel HSF - nope, won't fit into 1.4l case
Targets SLS for hit and run mission - grab$ $tuff incl. shortest HSF that PCT stocks
Removes Intel HSF, holds breath, crosses fingers and toes
Installs new HSF - er nope, still won't fit into 1.4l case
Hmm, maybe ran fanless so remove fan - er nope, still won't fit into 1.4l case
Insert a few curses and swear words (j/k lah)... hmm, needs an even shorter HSF
Insert a few wait states, mental calculation of patience level, force installs Enduring Patience v10 bugfix patch... decides to tong for incoming backup reinforcement (hopefully soon)
Meanwhile changes to 7l case... insta-relief & full steam ahead to test Thin mITX mobo with 7l test rig instead!




Interesting case design with potential for a horizontal video slot, note also that the I/O ports only occupy the lower half of the I/O plate? Cos it is actually a Thin mITX mobo!



The power source...




Change back to Intel HSF again? Definitely soon but meanwhile, I want to see how good/noisy this new HSF can be.

 

[t258jgn]

Should be low enough for you

I use it for Silverstone Thin-ITX builds

Silverstone Argon AR04 Ultra Low Profile CPU Cooler

Mac GorGor..

U using Asrock H81TM board or Asus Q87T board?
I still can't decide which board to use for my Audio Rig

 

[watzup_ken]

Not sure about low profile 3rd party coolers to be honest. I tried once back then and I thought its not worth the extra money over the stock heatsink which is already thin. It runs just as hot as the stock cooler both at idle and load even with the heatpipes.

 

[devilwahaha]

Not sure about low profile 3rd party coolers to be honest. I tried once back then and I thought its not worth the extra money over the stock heatsink which is already thin. It runs just as hot as the stock cooler both at idle and load even with the heatpipes.

Probably just for niche cases like this its justified, when even Intel stock heatsink is too tall

 

[Godeau]

Both the HSF seen above and the stock Intel HSF fits easily into this 7l case easily but looks like lots more adventures ahead cos the already thin HSF is unbelievably still too thick for the 2nd even tinier 1.4l case.

Interesting. noticed that you are using a Praeton,
Is this case able to fit in the Scythe big shuriken 2 rev B? Should be able to clear the height at just 58mm but not sure about the other dimensions since it's very wide

 

[-Zeora]

Mini itx seems too small and not very viable. Atx too big so i find mATX suits my need. Not very small but just nice

 

[coyote]

Mini itx seems too small and not very viable. Atx too big so i find mATX suits my need. Not very small but just nice

Sorta agree with you. mATX is much more easier when changing components etc. ITX looks nicer but recently had couple of issues and changing components and trying to get through the mess of cables is really getting to my nerves... I have 3 hdds, a hotswap rack and 2 pci slots graphic card literally filled up all the space I have in the CM Elite 120 ITX chassis. That's why thinking of trying those custom chassis that fits only a celeron and space for just a single 2.5"... That chassis is fanless.

 

[devilwahaha]

Mini itx seems too small and not very viable. Atx too big so i find mATX suits my need. Not very small but just nice

Sorta agree with you. mATX is much more easier when changing components etc. ITX looks nicer but recently had couple of issues and changing components and trying to get through the mess of cables is really getting to my nerves... I have 3 hdds, a hotswap rack and 2 pci slots graphic card literally filled up all the space I have in the CM Elite 120 ITX chassis. That's why thinking of trying those custom chassis that fits only a celeron and space for just a single 2.5"... That chassis is fanless.

I think its really more of choice of case than form factor that affects accessibility.

 

[Quest]

is there small & compact mATX casing?

 

[rickysio]

Yes, small compact enthusiast level mATX cases exist. Silverstone makes a series of them like TJ08/PS07 (they're the same underlying chassis, except you choose between a 180mm (TJ08) or 2 120mm (PS07)).

Of course, without gpu expansion etc there are even smaller mATX cases.

 

[MacClipper]

I think its really more of choice of case than form factor that affects accessibility.

Well said.

Anyone can possibly put mITX into the smallest cases or even the largest if you have some strange kind of small mobo cum large case fetish or affliction.

But you can't put full ATX mobos to work in the smallest cases like this one.

is there small & compact mATX casing?

Have lah, just like there are humongous mITX cases which are the same size or larger than mATX ones.

Think that's the beauty of DIY PC, the richness and vastness to pander to almost everyone's idiosyncrasies.

Silverstone ML-05 itx case?

No but really close enough.

Should be low enough for you

I use it for Silverstone Thin-ITX builds

Silverstone Argon AR04 Ultra Low Profile CPU Cooler

...


Mac GorGor..

U using Asrock H81TM board or Asus Q87T board?
I still can't decide which board to use for my Audio Rig

Yup, that was precisely the backup I was waiting for and just got it today!

As for audio ah... you got to ask someone else cos I am even OK with most onboard sound these days. Thrown enough money at Creative/Philips/Turtle Beach/Yamaha in the past.

Why not just stick with Intel HSF for this setup? Its taller than the custom HSF?

Like that?

Since the ultra slim AR04 HSF is now here for the 1.4l case, I swapped in another mITX mobo into the Milo SST-ML06 AV deck style case.


Small & Beautiful Enough?

Anyone wants more photos posted here? Check my lil' blog otherwise.

 

[MacClipper]

nice leh... but where to put hdd?

Besides the multipurpose bracket, there is the dedicated 2.5" device cage

HTH

 

[MacClipper]

MacClipper what part are you using for this build?

Currently, I am still testing out the various combinations but for the photos taken, I was using these... you can click on some of the photos for more info.


PenK G3258
on stock Intel HSF, option to run stock, 4GHz@1.10V (mostly) or up to 4.5GHz@1.285V





Team Elite 1600
the only 2 x 2GB pair of spare RAM I can find for now, the clon22 edition from years ago

Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W Gold
Full Modular SFX PSU





Asrock Z87E-ITX
Has 6 SATA ports matching exactly the 6 SATA bays for 2.5" devices on the Milo ML06!





Silverstone Milo SST-ML06 mITX Case








HTH

 

[MacClipper]

The present Milo ML06 test build is geared towards aesthetics and compactness esp. as a HTPC rig.


Sizing Up
In real life with a classic Ol' Blue Eyes album ...

The mITX form factor is now very well provided for by many manufacturers so you can go hog wild with any imaginable type of rig that you desire.