Downsizing from ATX to Micro ITX vs finding a small ATX case

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MasonFereday

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Nov 23, 2014
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TL,DR Looking for a small case that will fit ATX mobo, or cheap-ish Micro-ITX case and mobo.


Hey everyone,

I am looking to bring my PC up to college with me. I will have to walk down the hall to get wifi, so I want to get a smaller form factor to make that a bit easier. I also want to get something small enough to fit in a carry on suitcase to bring it up there.

I want to get something the size of a Micro ITX, but I guess that would require me to buy an ITX motherboard as well. I'd like to avoid that because my first motherboard caused some issues and I had to get another, and it was a huge headache.

My question is, are there any decent small cases that will fit a standard ATX motherboard? If not, could you suggest a Micro ITX case that looks okay and will fit my dimensions, and an ITX motherboard that will be compatible with my hardware? Preferably not the most expensive one on the market! Thanks in advance!


PS: After the fiasco that was my first motherboard, which for some reason just didn't work with my setup, I'm not confident on compatibility requirements for motherboards. So I'm just going to put it all there.

Suitcase dimensions: 7x20.5x14 inches/ 17.75x52x35.5 centimeters

GPU: Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X
CPU: AMD FX 8350
RAM: 2x4GB
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750W
PCI-e Wireless Network Adapter
 
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genz


It's simpler than that. Reality of the fact is that your parts were the hot, aggressive 'V8' of it's time, and you're now trying to fit it into a 5 seater hatchback thinking it'll be more practical. Even if you can get it to not break down straight away, you're asking for it.

8350 - 125w TDP
R9 290 Tri-X - 280w TDP with ref clocks

Maximum ITX PSU = 300w

It just won't add up, and if it works with the PSU the ITX case will bake inside anyway, killing all the parts pretty quick.

ITX only started becoming a possibility for...
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Lutfij

Lutfij

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It's mini itx or micro atx, you've mish mashed the two. Unfortunately for your current system specs, there are no good matx form factor boards and mitx boards are non existent at this moment of time. If you were to go for a brand new build, though, you can shrink it all down to an mitx form factor and not sacrifice on any connectivity or performance numbers.

If you were to swap out the board, processor and ram, you can yet retain the GPU, PSU and cooler...likely candidate for an mitx case would be a Fractal Nano S chassis.
 
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MasonFereday

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Nov 23, 2014
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I think I'd be willing to swap the parts you mentioned, but I don't really understand why. The board is pretty obvious, but what's wrong with my ram and processor? Is it an age issue or compatibility?

 
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genz

genz

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Oct 8, 2012
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It's simpler than that. Reality of the fact is that your parts were the hot, aggressive 'V8' of it's time, and you're now trying to fit it into a 5 seater hatchback thinking it'll be more practical. Even if you can get it to not break down straight away, you're asking for it.

8350 - 125w TDP
R9 290 Tri-X - 280w TDP with ref clocks

Maximum ITX PSU = 300w

It just won't add up, and if it works with the PSU the ITX case will bake inside anyway, killing all the parts pretty quick.

ITX only started becoming a possibility for powerful CPUs around the time of Ivy Bridge, because Intel specifically had made enough improvements to power draw in the CPU to get the biggest chips in there without water. Power draw doesn't just make your part hot, it makes your PSU hot too and in an ITX box that's the biggest factor due to PicoPSUs and lack of space for airflow.
 
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