Mini ITX Disadvantages vs ATX?

unit80

Honorable
Mar 8, 2013
10
0
10,510
Hello, previously i was going for a ATX full tower build but then started thinking. I need a pc thats highly mobile because i will be moving it several times a week (not just room to room). I was looking at the Storm Trooper because it looked nice and had an appealing handle but it looked huge. I saw the BitFenix Prodigy and it looked like a small,clean, and mobile pc case that is apparently able to handle the longest graphics cards. However, due its small size it requires a Mini ITX board which causes some concern. I know Mini ITX doesn't allow SLI or Crossfire but i never planned on doing this. Beside that what other limitations does Mini ITX have? I know that this particular case only supports dual GPU cards and i wanted to put this card in there but dont know if its considered more than a "dual slot card"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Those are my main concerns and heat but it seems to have good ventilation options considering its so small. Thanks for all the help.

 

bak0n

Distinguished
Dec 4, 2009
792
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19,010
I'm using a Prodigy right now. If you liquid cool you can't run a full height dvd/blu ray drive. Cable runs have channels but its really tight for the PSU. If you go for fairly big power and size you will have to be fully modular. Plenty of places to mount drives around, but when you have a long GPU you lose some of the spacing for it. I still have Raid 0 Momentus XT's with a Samsung 840 boot drive mounted without an issue. You also might give up a RAM slot if you get to big of a CPU cooler.

I wanted the small size because of where I've got it placed. If I had more space I was comfortable using I would have definitely gone bigger.
 
Less cooling, less room for upgrades, and the mini-ITX motherboards are often less suited for overclocking (which can also conflict with the limited cooling options).

You might want to consider something in between a huge ATX full tower and a tiny mini-ITX rig. For example, the CM Storm Scout is a mid-tower with handles; it's not as huge as a full tower, but still has plenty of room for upgrades, a full ATX motherboard, and plenty of cooling.

Or perhaps a mATX case. I'm sure you can find one of those with handles too.