Suggestions for a Mini-ITX build

[Praxis1452]

Hey, seems like my current ITX computer is probably gonna bite the dust at some point soon. It's always had issues booting up at certain points, but now it's becoming too much of a problem for me to ignore. The main problem is that I can't really figure out what's causing it although I suspect the motherboard as well as the PSU which is an issue because it's a very odd size.

Either way, I'm gonna probably grab a new motherboard and CPU at the very least, so I'm wondering what people's opinions are on the below motherboard. Seems solid, but I haven't kept up with all the hardware so I'm not sure what i5 cpu I should be choosing if that's what I really want. Currently have an e8500 OC'd to 3.8ghz.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128448

Maybe I should consider AMD?

I think the psu has got 22A on the 12V rails as a consideration. If I finish rebuilding it and it still doesn't boot then I'd have to try and find an SFX psu with sufficient power, which may be an issue. I actually just noticed that newegg sells the exact same PSU as I have heh.

In terms of budget, I guess I'm looking more for bang for buck.

Edit: also going to need new ram. is 4gb going to be enough for the future?

 

[mnewsham]

You might consider the new socket 1155

 

[Praxis1452]

You might consider the new socket 1155

Seems like there were supposed to be a bunch of 1155 mini-itx motherboards but with the recall I can't seem to find many.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...%206Gb/s%20USB

And

http://www.pcmicrostore.com/ZOTAC-H...-USB30-DVI-HDMI-WIFI-MB/cat-p/c/p3699954.html

Are the only ones I can find and I don't really want to pay $200 for a mobo. And tbh I currently have a zotac and have only had issues.

Aren't these mobo's affected by the intel recall or am I wrong?

 

[mnewsham]

Seems like there were supposed to be a bunch of 1155 mini-itx motherboards but with the recall I can't seem to find many.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...%206Gb/s%20USB

And

http://www.pcmicrostore.com/ZOTAC-H...-USB30-DVI-HDMI-WIFI-MB/cat-p/c/p3699954.html

Are the only ones I can find and I don't really want to pay $200 for a mobo. And tbh I currently have a zotac and have only had issues.

Aren't these mobo's affected by the intel recall or am I wrong?

Motherboards will be back in limited quantities starting today, (look at newegg there are 2 being sold atm) and there will be more as time goes on.

 

[Zap]

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on the below motherboard. Seems solid, but I haven't kept up with all the hardware so I'm not sure what i5 cpu I should be choosing if that's what I really want. Currently have an e8500 OC'd to 3.8ghz.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128448

The Gigabyte board is probably the most popular socket 1156 ITX board right now. It is a good overclocker of dual core Clarkdale chips, and can do some overclocking of quad core Lynnfields. As with any other ITX board, it is limited in the CPU VRMs so it is unable to push quads very high (probably mid-3GHz range). I've heard reports of some dual cores being pushed in the mid 4GHz range. YMMV.

Socket 1155 ITX boards were kind of stillborn with the whole chipset recall debacle. H67 supposedly doesn't overclock the CPU and no P67 has come out yet, though Gigabyte announced such a board. Z68 supposedly overclocks, but that's still a while in the future. Whether you go this route may depend on how hot you are to buy. If you are getting really tired of your current system issues, then go socket 1156. If you think you can stretch it out a month or two then go socket 1155. Even without overclocking, I think the performance as well as power savings of the new chips may be worth it.

Regarding socket 1155 CPU, if you want to have any hopes of overclocking at all you will need a Core i5 2500K or Core i7 2600K (both true quad cores, latter with Hyperthreading). Those are the only ones that can overclock more than 5% or so. Ideally, a 2500K paired with P67 or Z68 chipset ITX board would be the sweet combo.

I think the psu has got 22A on the 12V rails as a consideration. If I finish rebuilding it and it still doesn't boot then I'd have to try and find an SFX psu with sufficient power, which may be an issue.

For SFX sized, FSP and Seasonic both make decent 300W units with around 22A. Seasonic's fan sticks out, which makes it not fit in some ITX cases. FSP also makes a 450W SFX unit for Silverstone that has quite a few more +12v amps.

Edit: also going to need new ram. is 4gb going to be enough for the future?

It will be for a while, depending on what you use your computer for. Since ITX boards only have dual slots and RAM is so cheap right now, you may want to see if you can find a deal on a 2x4GB kit. Regular price seems to be around $80 right now ($10/GB) but I've seen sales and rebates drop them to the $50 range on occasion.

 

[mfenn]

It seems like the re-release of Sandy Bridge boards is imminent, so I'd probably hold off for a week or so. 22A on the 12V would be absolutely no problem for an H67-based Sandy Bridge system running on the IGP.