Holiday 2012 Small Form Factor Buyer's Guide
by Zach Throckmorton on December 5, 2012 1:55 AM ESTIntel SFF gaming system
The de facto king of the gaming CPUs remains the Intel Core i5-3570K, a quad-core SKU with a base frequency of 3.4GHz that can turbo to 3.8GHz, and features an unlocked multiplier for easy overclocking. Though the K-series chip is easy to overclock and doesn't produce much additional heat (vs. stock) when modestly overclocked, you'll want to exercise caution overclocking in a mini-ITX box.
To facilitate conservative overclocks of the i5-3570K, ASRock's Z77E-ITX motherboard gets our recommendation for a relatively inexpensive Z77 ITX board that nevertheless performs well. It's also laid out in a manner that facilitates easier cable management than many other Z77 boards when placed in our recommended case, the BitFenix Prodigy. The Prodigy is an interesting case, from its appearance to its internal layout. AnandTech reviewed this unique case recently, and it earned our Editor's Choice. Bluntly, ITX systems are not always a joy to assemble because of the cramped spaces entailed, but I've enjoyed every Prodigy system I've put together.
The AMD Radeon HD 7850 1GB yields arguably the best performance for a GPU under $200. Priced roughly the same as the NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti (both can be found around $150 on sale and/or after rebate), the 7850 outperforms the 650 Ti in nearly every metric. You can read more about what to expect from a Radeon HD 7850 1GB card in Ryan's review. Note that in order to accommodate this GPU, you will need to remove the modular drive cage from the Prodigy.
Rounding out the build, we're recommending an 8GB kit of DDR3-1600Mhz (the extremely overclockable Samsung 8GB kit with modest official specs), a standard 1TB hard drive, and like the small form factor file server, a small, modular power supply—the Silverstone ST50F-P.
| Component | Product | Price | Rebate |
| Case | BitFenix Prodigy | $70 | |
| Power supply | Silverstone ST50F-P | $77 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-3570K | $215 | |
| Motherboard | ASRock Z77E-ITX | $150 | |
| RAM | Samsung 8GB DDR3-1600MHz | $35 | |
| Graphics card | XFX Core Edition Radeon HD 7850 1GB | $175 | -$20 |
| Hard drive | Seagate ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM | $70 | |
| Optical drive | Samsung SH-224BB | $16 | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium OEM | $92 | |
| Total: | $900 | $880 |
Though this small form factor gaming rig will produce spectacular frame rates in most games, it does so at a price. If you primarily play less demanding games, or play at resolutions lower than 1080p, you can save a lot of money by going with the AMD APU small form factor gaming build we'll detail next.
AMD SFF gaming system
I recently posted an AMD Trinity APU buyer's guide, in which I highlighted the A10-5800K's gaming abilities. Briefly, Crysis: Warhead, Metro 2033, DiRT 3, Total War: Shogun 2, Portal 2, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Civilization V, World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead, Diablo 3, Aliens vs. Predator, and Minecraft are all very playable (at least 50-60fps) at 720p resolution and moderate details. Gaming at higher resolutions like 1680x1050 changes consideration of the A10-5800K as a "good enough" gaming processor. Metro 2033 and Aliens vs. Predator in particular start to struggle, and maintaining average frame rates higher than 40fps requires lowering quality settings in most of the remaining titles listed above. You can read more about the top of the line AMD APU's gaming performance in Anand's review.
Unfortunately there are very few Socket FM2 motherboards available in American retail channels that use the ITX form factor. Of the two I've tried, I prefer the MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 because its SATA ports, USB 3.0 front panel header, and 24 pin power connector are all adjacent to each other, which makes stringing cables throughout a small ITX case that much easier.
Housing the A10 APU and its MSI FM2 motherboard is the Cooler Master Elite 120. Dustin reviewed this case and I agree with his main conclusions: its thermals are somewhat limited and it's better suited to more modest systems. As we've outlined below, there's no discrete GPU in this build, so that concern is simply irrelevant. If you decide to run Hybrid Crossfire aka Dual Graphics at some point in the future, the GPUs recommended for pairing with the A10-5800K are physically small and have relatively low TDPs, so the Elite 120's limited thermals should remain a non-issue. Best of all, this is a lot of case for not much money given its $50 MSRP.
AMD APUs benefit from faster DDR3, so we're recommending a kit of DDR3-1866MHz here. Take care to not buy a kit that has unnecessarily heatspreaders, as space is at a premium in this ITX build. As stated earlier, hard drive prices are highly variable right now, so keep your eyes on prices. We're recommending a standard 1TB 7200 RPM drive here, which should accommodate even larger gaming libraries. Finally, powering everything we have a standard budget PSU, Antec's Neo Eco 400C. If the Neo Eco 400C isn't priced well in your area of the world, you can always consider the Corsair Builder Series 430W, Antec Earthwatts 380W, or even the Seasonic 300W.
| Component | Product | Price |
| Case | Cooler Master Elite 120 | $40 |
| Power supply | Antec Neo Eco 400C | $40 |
| CPU | AMD A10-5800K APU | $130 |
| Motherboard | MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 | $90 |
| RAM | GEIL Evo Leggara 8GB DDR3-1866MHz | $43 |
| Hard drive | Seagate ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM | $70 |
| Optical drive | Samsung SH-224BB | $16 |
| Operating system | Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium OEM | $92 |
| Total: | $521 |
We have a few concluding remarks on the final page.
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KAlmquist - Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - link
Sorry about the last post--the Anandtech comment system doesn't like HTML in comments. Here is a fixed version:I'm guessing that the power supply in the budget build is an Apex AL-8250SFX from Allied Leader International, manufactured by Deer Electronics/Solytech. Deer/Solytech is a name you probably recognize only if you read reviews[1] of cheap power supplies for their entertainment value[2].
As far as I can determine, a decent power supply cannot be built for less than about $40. Back in July, Anandtech published "350-450W Roundup: 11 Cheap PSUs." Martin Kaffei's conclusion about the $28 unit: "Some PSUs have no right to exist."[4]
Based on price and pedigree, I'd wager that the power supply in the budget build is crap. If I'm wrong, that's a "man bites dog" story and Anandtech should do a full review of this PSU.
Footnotes:
[1] http://www.hardocp.com/article/2007/10/03/50_power...
[2] http://www.hardocp.com/article/2007/05/23/450w500w...
[3] http://www.anandtech.com/show/6013/350450w-roundup...
[4] http://www.anandtech.com/show/6013/350450w-roundup...
pvdw - Monday, December 10, 2012 - link
My first thought was that the power supply was junk, but SPCR reviewed this case and recommended it. Not that I would buy it, but I'm usually a step above budget builds.Dug - Thursday, December 6, 2012 - link
Try some Wesena cases that look really nice.http://www.shop.perfecthometheater.com/Wesena-chas...
Don-Roland - Thursday, December 6, 2012 - link
>AMD gaming system>AMD gaming
>AMD
hasseb64 - Thursday, December 6, 2012 - link
Come on Zach!A 500W PSU with bronze as a fileserver PSU?
First: A PSU in that application is an investment, smaller and higher efficency is a must!
2: You would NEVER EVER need more than 300W, I would gladly recommend even lower if more were on hand on this broken PSU market.
KAlmquist - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - link
Good catch. I was so surprised to see Zach recommend a no-name power supply in the budget build that I missed this one. He says he chose it because it "is one of the smallest ATX power supplies available." The ST50F-P is 150mm by 86mm by 140mm, which is the standard size for an ATX12V power supply. For the same price or less you could get a high quality Gold rated power supply with the same dimensions and a wattage rating more than adequate for the system. For example, the SeaSonic SSR-360GP (360W) is about $66. That said, if you insist on modular connectors then the ST50F-P might be the best you can do.StardogChampion - Thursday, December 6, 2012 - link
Realan (the folks who bring you the Habey EMC-800/600) also have a nice line of mini-ITX HTPC cases with built-in power supplies. Check these out:http://www.ecosmartpc.com/ei3.html
http://www.ecosmartpc.com/ei5.html
http://www.ecosmartpc.com/ei7.html
Foeketijn - Friday, December 7, 2012 - link
In my experience, the parts that break the most are the powersupply , and then a tie between the mobo, HDD and videocard. I can't remember ever having to replace something else and not having coffee involved. Years ago I quit selling the budget builds, because one out of five systems going bad in lets say three years was just to much troubles for my likings. In most cases you trow in e extra 50 euro (same story probably goes for dollars) and have much happier customers in the long run. Since these days you can really buy a lot of processing power in the budget area I am tempted going for a m-ITX build for the silent tiny office boxes. Only which PSU to select.I am not really confident in selling a system with an ST50F-P when an in-depth analysis from Anandtech (one of the most trustworthy sources) says:
"Most capacitors are made by CapXon and OST; these are very cheap capacitors compared to other brands and may not hold up as well long-term."
Especially in a fileserver, I don't get skimping on the power supply.
Ideally I would take an low power, silent part designed for workstations/servers. Only they are as far as I can find not in ATX size.
Is there a good alternative when the bar for endurance is a bit higher?
Wrathgar11 - Saturday, December 8, 2012 - link
Great write-up. SFF has been a central feature of computing to me for some time.My fileserver is a Mini ITX Supermicro X7SPA based system in a Fractal Core 3000 case (used with various larger boards beforehand), my media PC is another atom based system in a Node 304 case and my desktop is a DH61DL based i3 unit in a Core 1000 case.
All are mini-itx boards, two fanless and silent and all very reliable (the HTPC and desktop have no moving parts, are SSD equipped and also run silent Pico PSU's).
My gaming system is a PS3. That uses more power than the 3 PC's combined.
philipma1957 - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - link
FIRST off the asrock z77e-itx is a great board but it should have a crucial msata 256gb ssd.it has sold as low as 169. that adds 100 bucks to the price. no need for the 1 tb hdd in a gamer.
second the cooler master case fits a hd7970 so just do it.
that adds 200 to the price.
third the cooler master elite needs 1 mod a 4 inch circle saw cuts a hole right where the cooler master logo is put in a cheap grill
and temps drop 5-10c. this saves you 20 over the bitFenix case.
fourth a full size psu drops in cost of 75 to 90
so price is about 1200
but top of the line cpu
top of the line graphics card and a full sized psu. if you want to cut costs get the hd7950 save a hundred 1100 gives you a full
powered gamer. I like this cooler master build so much I have 3 of them under my belt.