MicroAtx PC Build Question

[jbluepc]

I am thinking about putting together a microATX PC in a small form factor case (slim type case).
How powerful a cpu can I use without worrying about overheating. I'm not looking at doing gaming so it does not have be that powerful.
The main thing I just want web pages to load fast and not lag or stutter.
I appreciate any suggestions for motherboard, cpu and psu.
I will be pieceing this together over the next month or 2.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You could also go even smaller with mini-ITX, building something similar to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883113181

I have an Acer model almost identical to that and it runs cool and very quiet.

Sandy Bridge processors are easy to cool so it would be no problem using a quad-core i5-2400 in either a micro-ATX or mini-ITX build if you want to spend the money on it.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

i5 2400 or i3 2100
mATX Mobo
Slim Case
300~400 watt Modular PSU
4 GB ram

 

[Zap]

How powerful a cpu can I use without worrying about overheating.

You can do a Sandy Bridge quad core quite easily. Is it pretty strictly a web browsing machine? What's your budget? How small do you want it? Here's one possible build:

Intel Pentium G620 processor $78
ASRock H67M-ITX motherboard $94
Kingston 4GB RAM $26
Crucial M4 64GB SSD $90
Antec ISK 100 case $85

$373 shipped, and it should browse web pages as fast as your internet connection can serve them up.

 

[mfenn]

You can do a Sandy Bridge quad core quite easily. Is it pretty strictly a web browsing machine? What's your budget? How small do you want it? Here's one possible build:

Intel Pentium G620 processor $78
ASRock H67M-ITX motherboard $94
Kingston 4GB RAM $26
Crucial M4 64GB SSD $90
Antec ISK 100 case $85

$373 shipped, and it should browse web pages as fast as your internet connection can serve them up.

:thumbsup::thumbsup: To this in light of what we know right now.

 

[jbluepc]

You can do a Sandy Bridge quad core quite easily. Is it pretty strictly a web browsing machine? What's your budget? How small do you want it? Here's one possible build:

Intel Pentium G620 processor $78
ASRock H67M-ITX motherboard $94
Kingston 4GB RAM $26
Crucial M4 64GB SSD $90
Antec ISK 100 case $85

$373 shipped, and it should browse web pages as fast as your internet connection can serve them up.

Just web browsing and a low budget.
Thanks

 

[OBLAMA2009]

:thumbsup::thumbsup: To this in light of what we know right now.

i doubt that that power supply would be adequate. most mini itx cases are designed for atom

 

[jorken]

I run an ISK 100 with a i3-530, H55 ITX board and a 30gb SSD with 0 power issues whatsoever

 

[Gigantopithecus]

i doubt that that power supply would be adequate. most mini itx cases are designed for atom

I don't think you could make a G620 pull 65W if you tried.

Note the test system that graph references is using a lot more juice than the ITX build outlined above.

 

[Zaap]

Here's one possible build:

This would be a great build for the intended purpose. I doubt one would really save much money going with a lesser build, certainly not if looked at from bang-for-buck ratio.

 

[mfenn]

I run an ISK 100 with a i3-530, H55 ITX board and a 30gb SSD with 0 power issues whatsoever

Agree. And the Sandy Bridge Pentium will draw even less than that.

 

[Zap]

i doubt that that power supply would be adequate. most mini itx cases are designed for atom

90W is fine for a 65W processor that is incapable of drawing 65W. ()

For the paranoid, you can pay $5 more for a Pentium G620T, which is a 35W processor. People are using those with 60W PSUs.

This would be a great build for the intended purpose. I doubt one would really save much money going with a lesser build, certainly not if looked at from bang-for-buck ratio.

Nope. The only way would be to nickel/dime every item.

Intel Pentium G620 processor $78
Save $20 by going with a Celeron G520. Yes, it is a Sandy Bridge Celeron! It has 2MB instead of 3MB cache, loses a few MHz and has a cut down graphics core. It would also probably web browse like a champ!

ASRock H67M-ITX motherboard $94
There are cheaper H61 chipset motherboards, so maybe save another $20 and lose USB 3.0 and SATA 6G.

Kingston 4GB RAM $26
Maybe find a deal or do a rebate and save $5 or more.

Crucial M4 64GB SSD $90
Can get a cheap $50 shipped 7200RPM notebook HDD, so save $40.

Antec ISK 100 case $85
There are $50 shipped ITX cases with PSUs. They are crappy and much larger than the ISK 100, but they will hold an ITX motherboard.

$253

Alternately do something in-between. Get the cheaper CPU/mobo/RAM, but do the SSD/case for $338. That will be probably 98% of the $373 system and retains IMO the most important parts.