Conclusion
Conclusion
What can we conclude from this exercise in building a portable $1,300 enthusiast Micro-ATX system?
First of all, we’ve learned that fitting a high-performance PC into a Micro-ATX box will take a bit more planning and forethought than most enthusiasts are likely used to putting in. Our usual method of choosing the best components for the money and then throwing them together might work well when dealing with full-sized ATX systems, but in this case, the small and airflow-limited case wasn’t nearly as forgiving, causing a lot more heat than we anticipated.
I will note that when we were considering components to include, I did wonder if a no-compromise Micro-ATX gaming system geared for overclocking might be better served with a simple water-cooling setup like the H20-120, which would remove CPU heat inside the case almost entirely and expel it out of a rear-mounted radiator. This is something I would definitely consider in the future if building this type of system again.
Having said that, we still built a first-rate Micro-ATX system that is portable and powerful enough to handle demanding games at 1920x1200 at default clock speeds for $1,300. It includes Intel’s newest CPU technology, 6 GB of triple-channel RAM, and two GeForce GTX 260 cards in SLI. This system is no slouch and cuts through our new gaming benchmarks like a hot knife through butter.
Sure, the $2,500 Micro-ATX system as built by Thomas Soderstrom will likely beat it in games. But will the benefits be worth the extra money? Stay tuned for the final comparison article to find out.
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I wonder why this system builder marathon was limited to Micro-ATX cases. Is there a general trend towards these things or what? I'm looking to build a whole new system soon and I can't see any reason to go Micro-ATX.
I don’t think it’s a trend, think of it as more of a challenge. Some people don’t want to have a giant full/mid tower sitting next to them.
Right, I don't mind that at all, so I'll stick to a normal case when assembling my next system. Thanks!
Nice challenge but what's the point when the system dies a couple of months down the line due to shorten life span of all components as a result of high temps. Then you spend another $1300?
I can't remember if it was this or one of the other SBM articles this month, but they mentioned something about these PCs being LAN boxes - if so heat is going to be even more of an issue (much higher ambient temps, cases right next to each other) so this system would be pretty unviable.
I know that my PC runs as much as 10 degress hotter in that environment - if it's in the low 90s on the CPU and at the limit of GPU stability already, another ten degrees will see it constantly throttling, making errors or shutting down.
Assuming that we were building a full ATX system, what would have been the motherboard of choice for this PC?
Can I also remind everyone that these articles are irrelevent on this side of the Atlantic? Intel and nVidia prices in particular are far, FAR lower in the US - such a system would be over 30% more over here! SLI GTX260 for £200 my arse!