Step-by-Step uATX

Hey all,

I'm brand new to Tom's Hardware, but I've relied on this site for a long time and I'd like to do a little contributing.

I just ordered all the parts to build a brand-spanking-new gaming rig with a uATX formfactor. Everything from start to finish will be chronicaled in this post/forum. Just for a taste of what's to come, let me list the build.

IMPORTANT STUFF:

Antec Mini P180 uATX Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129041

ASUS Rampage II GENE Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131371

12GB (6 x 2GB) Corsair Dominator DDR3 - Triple Channel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145224

Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115212

EVGA GeForce GTX 295 CO-OP Edition (Single PCB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130504

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703022

NOT SO IMPORTANT STUFF:

Razer mouse and keyboard - Lycosa & Lachis (sp?)
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler
Plextor Blu-ray Drive
Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II
WD Caviar Black 1TB HDD (Upgrade soon?)

Weew! I think most people would be hard pressed to argue that's a lot of power for a [EDIT] SMALLER [/EDIT]form factor computer. Everything was ordered two days ago, and it will probably be another week and a half before I receive everything. I'm living in Baghdad right now, so that hinders shipping speeds.

I'll review everything to the best of my ability, and take a LOT of pictures of all fit and finish.

And most importantly, let me know what you guys think! I'm a little worried about the CPU cooler fitting in that case.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by apollyon0810 on 07-11-2009 at 07:00:42 AM

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the mini p180 is actually taller than some mid towers but it is a nice case

12 gig of ram is pointless for almost every one [ and especially gamers] .
Read http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2264.html

and while paying for that processor gets you bragging rights its not as smart as buying a 920 and overclocking it . They are the exact same bit of silicon after all

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Reply to Outlander_04

Outlander_04 wrote :

the mini p180 is actually taller than some mid towers but it is a nice case

12 gig of ram is pointless for almost every one [ and especially gamers] .
Read http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2264.html

and while paying for that processor gets you bragging rights its not as smart as buying a 920 and overclocking it . They are the exact same bit of silicon after all

Why does a dog lick it's own balls? Because it can :-) That's the main reason behind this build, though I'm not disagreeing with you one bit.

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Reply to apollyon0810

so you started this thread to tell us you spend money needlessly?

It wasnt worth reading it to find that out

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Reply to Outlander_04

Outlander_04 wrote :

so you started this thread to tell us you spend money needlessly?

It wasnt worth reading it to find that out

Please keep the comments constructive. The purpose is for my ENJOYMENT. As an "enthusiast", I'm doing this build for my enjoyment. Don't be a hater man. Also, this will show the power of microATX and SFF computing. I don't even have the parts yet. I was hoping people would appreciate it. Especially those out there thinking of building a high-performance SFF.

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Reply to apollyon0810

apollyon0810 wrote :

Please keep the comments constructive. The purpose is for my ENJOYMENT. As an "enthusiast", I'm doing this build for my enjoyment. Don't be a hater man. Also, this will show the power of microATX and SFF computing. I don't even have the parts yet. I was hoping people would appreciate it. Especially those out there thinking of building a high-performance SFF.

I've been told not to insult people...

So I'll just have to tell you to be smart about this and never call a full sized system "Shuttle Form Factor", which is what SFF was supposed to mean before it was borrowed by others to mean "2-slot form factor"

And then came the idiots labeling Micro ATX cubes SFF, even though Micro ATX won't fit in a 2-slot case.

And then came the total morons labeling anything Micro ATX SFF, even a mid-tower.

But you didn't know any better, so I can't insult you. I'll just ask you nicely not to follow the patterns of idiots and morons.

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Reply to Crashman

Crashman wrote :

I've been told not to insult people...

So I'll just have to tell you to be smart about this and never call a full sized system "Shuttle Form Factor", which is what SFF was supposed to mean before it was borrowed by others to mean "2-slot form factor"

And then came the idiots labeling Micro ATX cubes SFF, even though Micro ATX won't fit in a 2-slot case.

And then came the total morons labeling anything Micro ATX SFF, even a mid-tower.

But you didn't know any better, so I can't insult you. I'll just ask you nicely not to follow the patterns of idiots and morons.

However, "small form factor" lacks a normative definition and is consequently misappropriated as a buzzword due to its growing popularity. Manufacturers often provide self-serving definitions.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Form_Factor

I guess it depends on who you ask. As far as I'm concerned, SFF means small form factor. Why would the definition have to be set in stone? I guess people are just all idiots and morons. And I wouldn't consider a micro ATX board a full-sized system. It's all semantics in the end. Were you confused about anything in the build? Did you genuinely not understand something, or did you just want to get hung up on the definition of "SFF"? I was hoping the community here at Tom's would be more receptive and less judgmental.

The idea to build something with a SMALLER (happy?) form factor is appealing to me because everybody I work with has these mammoth cases with 12 HDD's (literally), and just a ton of what I would consider "extra" stuff. I'm approaching the build from a minimalist's perspective.

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Reply to apollyon0810

apollyon0810 wrote :

However, "small form factor" lacks a normative definition and is consequently misappropriated as a buzzword due to its growing popularity. Manufacturers often provide self-serving definitions.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Form_Factor

I guess it depends on who you ask. As far as I'm concerned, SFF means small form factor. Why would the definition have to be set in stone? I guess people are just all idiots and morons. And I wouldn't consider a micro ATX board a full-sized system. It's all semantics in the end. Were you confused about anything in the build? Did you genuinely not understand something, or did you just want to get hung up on the definition of "SFF"? I was hoping the community here at Tom's would be more receptive and less judgmental.

Because form factors, by definition, ARE set in stone. At least until a revision adds even more rules to that stone.

But the system you're building has a form factor. It's called Micro ATX. And the case has a form factor, called Micro ATX. The case also has a size, it's called Mid Tower.

My full ATX form factor mid-tower is the same size as your Micro ATX mid-tower.

Just spreading the news...anyone can write for Wikipedia.

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Reply to Crashman

Crashman wrote :

Because form factors, by definition, ARE set in stone. At least until a revision adds even more rules to that stone.

But the system you're building has a form factor. It's called Micro ATX. And the case has a form factor, called Micro ATX. The case also has a size, it's called Mid Tower.

My full ATX form factor mid-tower is the same size as your Micro ATX mid-tower.

Just spreading the news...anyone can write for Wikipedia.

Agreed 100%. However, SFF isn't a form factor. It's just an abbreviation for the phrase "small form factor" that describes motherboards. Do I think a micro ATX board is small? Yes. Therefore, I will use the abbreviation SFF to describe it.

And to still be off topic, but slightly more on topic, I looked at a Shuttle PC barebones to build, but I didn't want to be THAT limited in upgrade options, and cooling was a concern of mine.

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Reply to apollyon0810

apollyon0810 wrote :

Hey all, I'm brand new to Tom's Hardware, but I've relied on this site for a long time and I'd like to do a little contributing.

apollyon0810 wrote :

Why does a dog lick it's own balls? Because it can :-) That's the main reason behind this build.

Its very good of you to let us know what you'll be contributing. Thanks.

Message edited by Twoboxer on 07-11-2009 at 08:47:27 AM

Reply to Twoboxer

welcome to the community apollyon0810 . You do have a powerful computer there , but the way you announced it it seemed a lot more like you were bragging .

Frankly most of us know what components exist and also where real value is too . I think if you had ASKED is those were good components youd have had a number of people mention some of the things I did in my first post

I dont want you [ or anyone ] to feel unwelcome . But just because you can lick your balls is not a good reason to show that to us .

Reply to Outlander_04

apollyon0810 wrote :

And to still be off topic, but slightly more on topic, I looked at a Shuttle PC barebones to build, but I didn't want to be THAT limited in upgrade options, and cooling was a concern of mine.

I know the feeling...you picked a Micro-ATX mid-tower to avoid the problems of SFF...we understand!

Reply to Crashman

+1^ lol

Reply to Twoboxer

The thing is that most around here believe in value for their money instead of needless spending for minimal gains. If you have the money and want the parts then go for it. I don't think there is a person on here that wouldn't want that system but there are many (including myself) that wouldn't pay that much for a system. By my estimate the system is in the $2500 range. I could configure a system for $1000 that would give you 80-90% of the performance.

That is a lot of power in a smaller system, I think you should be very concerned about cooling because everything is going to be very tight. The fan in the top of the case will help with that but you might want to switch it out with fan that moves more air.

As for the other comments. You did sound a little braggy at first but I'm sure it's just the anticipation of what's to come. Also Crashman is correct, it isn't a SFF system it's a micro ATX system. The problem is that marketing people have bastardized the SFF label to include anything smaller than a full tower.

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Reply to ausch30

I am looking forward to watching the build, having built numerous systems and never chronicled the process. I will learn from this adventure. It is possible to over-clock lesser CPU’s, at your own risk. More power is always better with (warranty). I never believed in the small cases, too many problems. I like the hardware that he used. Will check the mail box for the parts (keep for myself)!!

Reply to martin33w20

ausch30 wrote :

The thing is that most around here believe in value for their money instead of needless spending for minimal gains. If you have the money and want the parts then go for it. I don't think there is a person on here that wouldn't want that system but there are many (including myself) that wouldn't pay that much for a system. By my estimate the system is in the $2500 range. I could configure a system for $1000 that would give you 80-90% of the performance.

That is a lot of power in a smaller system, I think you should be very concerned about cooling because everything is going to be very tight. The fan in the top of the case will help with that but you might want to switch it out with fan that moves more air.

As for the other comments. You did sound a little braggy at first but I'm sure it's just the anticipation of what's to come. Also Crashman is correct, it isn't a SFF system it's a micro ATX system. The problem is that marketing people have bastardized the SFF label to include anything smaller than a full tower.

MARKETING BASTARDS! THEY KILLED KENNY!!!

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Reply to Crashman

Crashman wrote :

MARKETING BASTARDS! THEY KILLED KENNY!!!

LOL, Marketing is the reason there is another thread on here where someone is complaining about quad core gaming. Marketing feeds on the ignorant majority. As in the famous quote from Thomas Tusser “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Somehow I feel the quote is relevant to this thread as well.

Reply to ausch30

when are we going to start seeing some progress?

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Reply to martin33w20

martin33w20 wrote :

when are we going to start seeing some progress?

You know when I get mail before I do! YOU let ME know. Ha ha. Hopefully towards the end of the week. Thursday or Friday. Saturday at the latest.

Reply to apollyon0810

The word "small" does not belong anywhere near the mini-P180. I think you *might* be able to call an NSK-3480 small, but that's still a stretch.

If you're going to spend that much on a computer, include an SSD; it will make a huge positive impact on general system/OS performance. I'd recommend the 64GB Intel X25-E.

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Reply to Swivelguy

Swivelguy wrote :

The word "small" does not belong anywhere near the mini-P180. I think you *might* be able to call an NSK-3480 small, but that's still a stretch.

If you're going to spend that much on a computer, include an SSD; it will make a huge positive impact on general system/OS performance. I'd recommend the 64GB Intel X25-E.

Sorry. I haven't updated. I ordered two 128GB SSD's a couple days ago. Hopefully they'll make it here around the same time as everything else. I'll order two more when I get paid next. 4x SSD RAID 0.

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Reply to apollyon0810

fully loaded this thing will not even come close the the weight or size of my cosmos 1000's. Small is all about perspective. It is smaller than anything i have or would own.

Reply to martin33w20

apollyon0810 wrote :

Sorry. I haven't updated. I ordered two 128GB SSD's a couple days ago. Hopefully they'll make it here around the same time as everything else. I'll order two more when I get paid next. 4x SSD RAID 0.

Patriot Torqx PFZ128GS25SSDR 2.5" 128GB SATA II Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220389

Reply to martin33w20

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