Htpc atx vs mini itx

pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 11:36

I recently bought a full size ASrock ATX board from Microcenter which is about 2 hours away.. along with an I3 processor and ram for a very good price. They were doing $50 off a mobo if you bought a CPU so the motherboard was only $50. I currently have a huge Fractal Designs case that sits behind my TV for HTPC use but I would like to go to a specialized HTPC case and maybe keep my old computer as a file server since I have about 3tb of space on it.

Problem is I cannot find a good HTPC case that I am happy with for under $100. For $40 on amazon I can get a mini ITX case and a board for $100 and save a lot of room. I could sell or return on my new motherboard and get a return on my money or stick with the AATX format.

I don't care how wide the system is since I have a full shelf to devote to it but the depth is about 21 inches.

What do you guys think?

IndyGunFreak · 02-16-2013, 12:33

I'd do the return. One... I'm not fond of ASR motherboards... the one I built for someone (they bought it) crapped out in about a month.

How many drives do you need in the HTPC?

pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 12:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndyGunFreak

I'd do the return. One... I'm not fond of ASR motherboards... the one I built for someone (they bought it) crapped out in about a month.

How many drives do you need in the HTPC?

I'm going to out a blue ray olayer / recorder in it along with ssd and possibly a 3.5 inch hard drive.

Any reccomendations for a motherboard off of amazon or newegg?

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pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 12:39

I've had real good luck with Asus and gigabyte.

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CitizenOfDreams · 02-16-2013, 12:43

If you don't need 36 gigs of RAM, half a dozen hard drives or three video cards - go for it. An ITX motherboard will perform just as good as its full size counterpart, except for expansion capabilities.

As Indy said, ASR wouldn't be my first choice in motherboards. But if it works and the price is right, why not.

IndyGunFreak · 02-16-2013, 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by pal2511

I'm going to out a blue ray olayer / recorder in it along with ssd and possibly a 3.5 inch hard drive.

Any reccomendations for a motherboard off of amazon or newegg?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Budget?

CitizenOfDreams · 02-16-2013, 12:49

As far as motherboard brands, I've had very good experience with ASUS and ABIT in the past.

Now I'm happily running Intel boards. They are not exactly a bargain or the leading edge of technology, but I personally like them.

IndyGunFreak · 02-16-2013, 12:54

I'm pretty much an Asus/MSI guy. I used Abit a long, long time ago (we're talking 700mhz) but I've not seen boards available from them in a long time... so I don't know where they're at now.

pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndyGunFreak

I'm pretty much an Asus/MSI guy. I used Abit a long, long time ago (we're talking 700mhz) but I've not seen boards available from them in a long time... so I don't know where they're at now.

I think abit might be in the gutter. I haven't heard a peep about them for quite some time

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pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 13:17

I'm gonna have a i3 3225 in it so any reccomendations on chip set? Is z77 overkill

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IndyGunFreak · 02-16-2013, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by pal2511

I'm gonna have a i3 3225 in it so any reccomendations on chip set? Is z77 overkill

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I don't think so.. but.. that's me. Not sure on the chipset question... I'd just check out some offerings from Asus, MSI, and maybe Gigabyte, and make your own decisions. I don't know what kind of inventory MicroCenter usually has (assuming you're buying local)..Newegg seems to have a low stock of ITX motherboards right now.... Maybe Obama is going to ban the Internet?

pal2511 · 02-16-2013, 13:43

That or Obama will make all internet data disappear after a week

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GIockGuy24 · 02-16-2013, 17:37

I'm using a Core i7 3770K with an Intel z75 Micro ATX board in a full size ATX case. I have a low profile graphics card with a spacer so it fits the case. I almost went with a smaller case but there was only one power supply that fit those and would run the graphics card that I could find.

http://reviews.cnet.com/motherboards...-35511937.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/motherboards...-35511937.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121646

I was buying a Core i5 but when I tried to order one the price changed in the middle of the order and the Core i7 then looked like a better deal.

pal2511 · 02-17-2013, 08:04

I am looking at the Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Board.

Its only $119 at Amazon and has 4 sata ports plus built in wifi (don't need that).

One of the reviewers had a case that was about $40 that he said worked great with the board and it was the same cpu that I have.

Amazon.com: Gigabyte LGA 1155 DDR3 1600 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Motherboard GA-Z77N-WIFI: Computers & Accessories

pal2511 · 02-20-2013, 11:16

I went with the gigabyte Mini ITX and cooler master 120 mini itx case with a corsair modular power supply.

Right now my problem is going to be if I decide to keep the "old" motherboard and case or not. I have no use for a standard desktop and do much of my "work" on my television or a laptop. I hate to get rid of the case though since its only a little over a year or so old.

I have to find a way to use my old hard drives in a silent cool manner or consolidate them into two drives.

I have 3 drives and they are 1.5 tb each and 2 of them are striped so I have to figure out a way to get them onto another drive. I can delete data to make it fit onto a 1.5 tb drive but I don't think that will be enough. I may have to look to get a 3tb external drive or something...

I was thinking of the NAS idea but I'm concerned about if the motherboard dies or something I will have to find the exact same motherboard otherwise the data will be lost correct?

captainstormy · 02-20-2013, 12:35

Pretty sure Abit is out of business these days. I've still got an old NF7S kicking around thou. I loved them back in the day.

These days my preference is ASUS, but MSI and Gigabyte are quality too. Intel boards are nice, but I typically go for AMD processors and Intel doesn't make boards for AMD sockets.

The only real difference is price and expand-ability. If you can find the smaller form factor boards to meet your needs go for it. The same north/south bridge chip will perform the same in each form factor.

My only real grip with the smaller form factors is there hardly ever seems to be much selection for power supplies and they often are typically made by companies other than the ATX power supplies and I'm never sure how much I can trust them.

That might just be my hang up though, I've very brand specific for computer parts, especially for power supplies.