mATX vs ATX, New system build?s

[tylermmoore]

I am planning on building a new PC and I really would like to build it with the smallest case possible without limiting my options in terms of components. At this point I am thinking of building it on a micro atx board so I can fit it in a sff case. Tentitively I want to have an intel q6600 and 8800 gts or ati radeon 2600xt but probably will not be overclocking. If i use one of the g33 (GIGABYTE GA-G33M-DS2R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128053 ) chipset micro atx boards and a Silverstone SG03 case(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163085) would there be a meaningful performance drop off from using a standard atx formfactor (p35 chipset) and a mid tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204007)? Or should I just get a small tower and stick with a regular atx board? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[thedynamix]

Hi, if I could bump this thread, because I too am building an almost identical system, usin the Silverstone TJ08B uATX case and possibly the Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R.

I'll also be running an Intel Q6600 95W GO Stepping SLACR, 2x 1GB Corsair XMS2 800MHz C 4-4-4-12 RAM, Scythe Mine CPU Cooler, ATi Saphire HD 3870 GFX Card, WD AAKS 320GB 16MB Cache HDD and the wicked-cool Samsung DVD/RW.

I, like the poster before me, also would like to know if we will be subject to any performance drops in comparison to the full ATX counterparts?

I am interested in only very very moderate overclocking of the CPU, if its possible. I don't game much either and its mostly for general activities such as invoicing and web browsing.

Thanks guys.

 

[Onus]

...general activities such as invoicing and web browsing...???? Why put an HD3870 in it then?

Since you aren't going to OC, you may not care, but one limiting factor on that board is the Northbridge; it gets rather toasty as it is. At stock, I don't see any reason why performance wouldn't be the same.

 

[thedynamix]

I thought to include a 3870 because I already have one as I originally intended on a gaming machine for a friend but it fell through and long story short - I have a 3870 lying around.

If I did want to OC, you'd recommend a NB cooler then I take it?

Thanks for your help - and you think thats a good mATX board?

 

[ctbaars]

I have a Silverstone TJ08B, Element ST50EF-PLUS-SC, Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R, E8400(3.0GHz) w/thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (no fan), 8800gt on the x4 pci-e! w/thermalright HR-03 GT (no fan). 8gig/800 1:1 Crucial cl5
I've settled for an Overclocked of 3.6GHz (400x9). I left the front fan disconnected. Runs cool, quiet, small and looks good.
8800 and northbridge are warm. speedfan reports 43C worst case cpu temp.

I'm very happy ...

 

[thedynamix]

Why'd you leave the front fan disocnnected?

 

[ctbaars]

Why'd you leave the front fan disocnnected?

It's much quieter.
I might fiddle and remove it from the case and move it between the 8800 and northbridge.
But no rush. Everything is cool anyway.

 

[thedynamix]

I've got two pretty quiet Sharkoon golf balls so hopefully it will keep quiet with me even with two of them running.

How'd you like the case? Looks awesome from the photos but not yet seen one irl.

 

[ctbaars]

How do I like the case?
The black case:
Looks great, very nice front, 120mm fan, room for big heat sink. Work on a clean surface. It does scratch easily. If you have greasy fingers, the prints will show prominently. mATX working space. Read the reviews online. They are good. Despite the cons they show, I went with the case anyway. It’s a good looking case and challenging working around the cons. I got a lot of enjoyment from it. Jockeying the Extreme120, mother board and power supply into the case was a nice puzzle. Because I picked all sata dvd and hd and the PS comes with only two sata power connectors that are like, 3” apart, I put the dvd on top and got a 5-¼ to 3-½ HDD silencer/mounter for the hdd in the second bay. Putting the bay cover back on was a interesting. Lets just say … I used an industrial size belt sander and fixed the problem in 3 seconds.
Here are photos …
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg81/ctbaars/025.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg81/ctbaars/024.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg81/ctbaars/023.jpg

 

[ctbaars]

@ tylermmoore .... are you still with us?
Gigabytes mATX board is great. G33 doesn't OC as high as P35 but very easy to work with. If you don't OC, you will not notice a performance difference at all. Good luck and let us know how it all works out for you ...

 

[thedynamix]

Cheers guys, thats exactly the info I was after. I shall purchase right away!