Difficultly of building in a mini-ITX case

[Altruist]

I'm never built a PC, but since my desk lacks much space i was wondering going for a Mini-ITX build.

I'm understand how to build a PC but it seems there's an extra layer of difficulty going for a Mini-ITX case.

Also i can't find a b360 motherboard in my price bracket (£100) which is making Mini-ATX more convincing.

I'm also eyeing a gorgeous case (Fractal design define c mini windowless)

[dizmo]

It just needs more patience and possibly smaller hands.

mITX boards are more expensive, so if you're on a budget, yeah, it's better to go with something bigger.

Why don't you just leave the computer on the floor?

 

Welcome to the forum!

[Altruist]

I can't put my computer of floor as i share a room with 2 people and it's a mess, as well people running around.

Where i live is temporary so a smaller PC makes moving easier

[Dreaper]

I would recommend trying mATX instead it's not too much bigger but it's a lot cheaper

[Altruist]

40 minutes ago, Dreaper said:

I would recommend trying mATX instead it's not too much bigger but it's a lot cheaper

High likely i will, thanks for your 2 cents.

[bowrilla]

Well, first of all the case is smaller so you're dealing with tighter spaces and have to keep an eye on size constraints for your components like cpu cool clearance, gpu height/length, psu size, fan mounts etc. Cable management gets more and more complicated and systems get trickier to cool. The smaller you go the harder it gets. 

 

Then there are the issues with availability. While there are several cases around, you will run into issues with your mainboards for example. There aren't that many mITX boards around and the smaller size comes at a premium. They also lack features and often have inferiour VRM layouts. PSU-wise you basically only get one really good PSU series (Corsair SF) and a few mid level from Silverstone. The Corsair ones apparently have terrible availability and aren't particularly cheap. 

Since you have little space in your case you might want to go M.2 to save some space on the SATA drive – that comes at a premium as well. 

 

First of all you need to make a choice on how small you want to go. mITX cases come in sizes between like 4.2l (NFC S4 Mini) volume to ~35l (Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX). SFF is generally below 20l. Above that mark you'll find several µATX cases. µATX systems offer more features, often (not always) better VRM designs, often better cooling, easier cable management, etc … but there are even fewer options often. Try find a decent µATX board for Ryzen – good luck because most aren't that good and only mid range.  There's a serious lack of high end µATX boards for AM4. 

There's even a µATX boutique case below that magical 20l mark (Cerberus).

[minervx]

MITX builds will be a lot more frustrating.  But it's only an extra hour of frustration.

[TVwazhere]

20 hours ago, bowrilla said:

Above that mark you'll find several µATX cases. µATX systems offer more features, often (not always) better VRM designs, often better cooling, easier cable management, etc … but there are even fewer options often. Try find a decent µATX board for Ryzen – good luck because most aren't that good and only mid range.  There's a serious lack of high end µATX boards for AM4. 

There's even a µATX boutique case below that magical 20l mark (Cerberus).

µATX is also commonly referred as Micro ATX, or mATX  (For clarification purposes)

[Altruist]

Thank you all for helping i've decided on M-ATX