Micro ATX or Mini ITX?

[no one in particular]

I'm a highschool student, and I'm going to start college in a year or so. I have an average build (FX-6300, 8GB RAM, R7 265) that uses a Micro ATX form factor, but it's in a quite large ATX case. This large ATX case isn't going to be the best in the dorm room.

 

My question is, should I buy a small Micro ATX case like the Apevia X-QPACK3 (which is 15.2 x 10.2 x 13.8 inches), or should I opt for a Mini ITX case? Getting a Mini ITX case will mean that I will have to upgrade my whole system, because I'm not currently using a Mini ITX mobo, and because the AM3+ platform doesn't even have Mini ITX mobos. Upgrading would be cool (Ryzen anyone?), but I do want to save money. Do you think I will be able to get by with a Micro ATX case (like the one mentioned before) in the dorm room, or should I upgrade to Mini ITX?

[kitsune1324]

3 minutes ago, no one in particular said:

I'm a highschool student, and I'm going to start college in a year or so. I have an average build (FX-6300, 8GB RAM, R7 265) that uses a Micro ATX form factor, but it's in a quite large ATX case. This large ATX case isn't going to be the best in the dorm room.

 

My question is, should I buy a small Micro ATX case like the Apevia X-QPACK3 (which is 15.2 x 10.2 x 13.8 inches), or should I opt for a Mini ITX case? Getting a Mini ITX case will mean that I will have to upgrade my whole system, because I'm not currently using a Mini ITX mobo, and because the AM3+ platform doesn't even have Mini ITX mobos. Upgrading would be cool (Ryzen anyone?), but I do want to save money. Do you think I will be able to get by with a Micro ATX case (like the one mentioned before) in the dorm room, or should I upgrade to Mini ITX?

I'd say it should depend on whether you plan to run any other pcie card than a graphics card. It's generally only has a single pie slot.

[Faljake]

Really depends on your dorm. Most dorms I've seen have desk space and enough for even a mid tower case under the desk. However if you are really cramped for space a mini ITX would be ideal if it needed to be on the desk with you. ITX is really nice if you go to lan parties as well. Check out some of LTT's reviews of ITX Cases, and see if you need a case that small to fit in your room, other I think micro ATX should be fine.

[ARikozuM]

Get the Apevia since it'll be easier to upgrade to.  If you do want to upgrade, go for a Mini ITX i5 or i7 build since Ryzen doesn't really have ITX boards.

[hi mate]

the best way to make it smaller is a small cube case, or even a home theatre case if your GPU will fit

[dizmo]

If you're trying to maximize space, consider getting the Silverstone FT03. It's got a smaller desk footprint, but is still mATX.

They're a little on the pricey side though.

ITX is nice but generally needs a little more planning. You can get some disgustingly small cases though, like the Firewolfy MI6; you can fit 2 side by side on a sheet of paper.

25 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Get the Apevia since it'll be easier to upgrade to.  If you do want to upgrade, go for a Mini ITX i5 or i7 build since Ryzen doesn't really have ITX boards.

There's enough though. 5 =/= 0.

[no one in particular]

11 hours ago, kitsune1324 said:

I'd say it should depend on whether you plan to run any other pcie card than a graphics card. It's generally only has a single pie slot.

I'm only going to be running a graphics card - but that's not the point here, the point is the size of the case.

[no one in particular]

11 hours ago, Faljake said:

Really depends on your dorm. Most dorms I've seen have desk space and enough for even a mid tower case under the desk. However if you are really cramped for space a mini ITX would be ideal if it needed to be on the desk with you. ITX is really nice if you go to lan parties as well. Check out some of LTT's reviews of ITX Cases, and see if you need a case that small to fit in your room, other I think micro ATX should be fine.

Hmm... Do you know of any Micro ATX cases smaller than the Apevia X-QPACK3 I mentioned?

[no one in particular]

11 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

Get the Apevia since it'll be easier to upgrade to.  If you do want to upgrade, go for a Mini ITX i5 or i7 build since Ryzen doesn't really have ITX boards.

Well, that rules out Mini ITX since if I upgrade I want to get Ryzen. Do you know of any Micro ATX cases smaller than the Apevia I mentioned?

[no one in particular]

11 hours ago, hi mate said:

the best way to make it smaller is a small cube case, or even a home theatre case if your GPU will fit

Do you know of any Micro ATX cube cases smaller than the Apevia X-QPACK3 I mentioned? I don't think a home theatre case will work since my GPU isn't low profile.

[no one in particular]

10 hours ago, dizmo said:

If you're trying to maximize space, consider getting the Silverstone FT03. It's got a smaller desk footprint, but is still mATX.

They're a little on the pricey side though.

ITX is nice but generally needs a little more planning. You can get some disgustingly small cases though, like the Firewolfy MI6; you can fit 2 side by side on a sheet of paper.

There's enough though. 5 =/= 0.

Ooh, those are cool, but pricey. Do you know of any mATX options that are in between the Silverstone and the Apevia in terms of space?

[no one in particular]

The Silverstone TJ08B-E looks like a good option, what do you guys think?

[dizmo]

29 minutes ago, no one in particular said:

Well, that rules out Mini ITX since if I upgrade I want to get Ryzen. Do you know of any Micro ATX cases smaller than the Apevia I mentioned?

There are mITX Ryzen boards, if you wanted to go that route.

21 minutes ago, no one in particular said:

The Silverstone TJ08B-E looks like a good option, what do you guys think?

Not bad. You could also consider:

• Corsair Air 240
• Thermaltake Core V21
• Aerocool DS
• Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
• Jonsbo C2 (if you don't mind using an ITX video card)
• Thermaltake Urban SD1
• Fractal Design Define Mini C

 

[no one in particular]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

There are mITX Ryzen boards, if you wanted to go that route.

Not bad. You could also consider:

• Corsair Air 240
• Thermaltake Core V21
• Aerocool DS
• Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
• Jonsbo C2 (if you don't mind using an ITX video card)
• Thermaltake Urban SD1
• Fractal Design Define Mini C

 

Those all look reasonably good - I keep coming back to the Silverstone FT03 though because of its tiny desk footprint. Are there any other cases similar to that in desk footprint?

[dizmo]

Just now, no one in particular said:

Those all look reasonably good - I keep coming back to the Silverstone FT03 though because of its tiny desk footprint. Are there any other cases similar to that in desk footprint?

It's the only case I've seen like that.

You can get the mITX version quite cheap, however it would require a new system and a short video card.

[no one in particular]

I might just save up for the more expensive version. We'll see.

1 minute ago, dizmo said:

It's the only case I've seen like that.

You can get the mITX version quite cheap, however it would require a new system and a short video card.

 

[dizmo]

Just now, no one in particular said:

I might just save up for the more expensive version. We'll see.

 

I'd look at it more as an investment than anything. A nice case can last many, many builds.

[no one in particular]

2 hours ago, dizmo said:

I'd look at it more as an investment than anything. A nice case can last many, many builds.

Yeah, just trying to decide if it is worth it. I've already got a Corsair SPEC-02, which is fine for my current needs, it's just a little big.

[no one in particular]

2 hours ago, dizmo said:

I'd look at it more as an investment than anything. A nice case can last many, many builds.

I'm also wondering how well my non-modular power supply is going to do in that case.

[brob]

17 minutes ago, no one in particular said:

I'm also wondering how well my non-modular power supply is going to do in that case.

Non-modular psu are typically easier to use in sff cases. Same length modular units need at least an one additional cm for cable connections.

[dizmo]

4 hours ago, no one in particular said:

I'm also wondering how well my non-modular power supply is going to do in that case.

It should, I think there'd be a lot of internal space where the 3.5" drive goes.

[no one in particular]

4 hours ago, brob said:

Non-modular psu are typically easier to use in sff cases. Same length modular units need at least an one additional cm for cable connections.

That's true - I didn't think about that. I'm just wondering where to put all of the extra cables.

[no one in particular]

36 minutes ago, dizmo said:

It should, I think there'd be a lot of internal space where the 3.5" drive goes.

Looking at the case, that hot-swap bay looks pretty interesting, so I might use that for the 3.5 inch drive to save space in other areas of the case.

[brob]

5 hours ago, no one in particular said:

That's true - I didn't think about that. I'm just wondering where to put all of the extra cables.

Depends on the case and the psu.

[dizmo]

6 hours ago, no one in particular said:

Looking at the case, that hot-swap bay looks pretty interesting, so I might use that for the 3.5 inch drive to save space in other areas of the case.

Or move it to an external enclosure if it's just for mass storage. I haven't had an HDD actually living in my system for years.