"Gaming" SFF Rig. Advice needed please

[Zion]

Hello peoplez!

My name is Vladislav and I hail from the UK, and this is my first ever post in the LTT forums. *bows down*

I will start you off with a question about the mITX rig that I want to build.

Before I start with anything... Some of you might look at this and think that this is the rig that Logan from Tek Syndicate build for his mobile editing rig - The "Colugo".

The thing that happened there is that I watched both his Case review and Colugo build one after the other and thought "I love this thing!". So I went ahead and started exploring options.

To go by the rules I will start with them 5 points that the moderators find best if we include:
1. Budget & Location

I don't really have a budget. The lower the better probably, but since it's a form factor that has literally a couple of options I can't see an money being saved by choosing a different product (there is a compromise to be made, but I am not willing to make it to be quite fair). I live in London, so only £ here, I usually shop from eBuyer and Aria, but I have found most of the stuff that I need in SCAN and Overclockers
2. Aim

I rarely game any more, but don't want to just not have the option. I've always had mainstream/performance graphics, never had the beasts 295s and 6990s, so power is not of great value to me, I always game a bit behind the times anyway. (I love Skyrim for instance but haven't played more than couple hours. First thing I'll play through when I have the time will be the Original Fallout 3).

Other very important thing that I need to be doing well is some basic re-encoding. I used to work as an Assessor, and might want to go back to it. My job will include taking short clips with my smartphone and then make them small enough to fit in a word document without taxing my colleagues' broadband al computers. Meaning that I will have to re-encode 200mb clips down to 6-10 meg, and I'd rather have the 4770, but it might not fit my rig (this is one of my main questions, read below)
3. Monitors

I have a stand for two monitors. I am currently using a 27 inch BENQ GW2750 that I got for 200£, I do not plan on gaming 3D or multi monitor at all. A g-sync would be great though, I do hate motion artefacts.
4. Peripherals 

I have everything I need basically from my previous build. I might consider buying a higher quality/higher ohm headphones, so I guess a headphone amp in the motherboard will be a good option to have.
5. Why are you upgrading?

Just want to have the freedom of SFF

 

Now for the build that I plan.

Basically if you watch the Colugo build you'll have an idea of what I want. TL:DR will sound like - a SFF PC powerful enough for 1080p gaming, but mall enough to be able to move it or take it on a plane.

 

1. CASE - I've spent quite the time trying to find a case that will fit this build. The only two that I've come up with are the PC TU100 by Lian Li and the EVGA Hadron Air
   Other cases are either too big (the dang Prodigy), too small (USFF, HTPC cases) or not ventilated enough (Lian Li PC Q07A) Best case scenario (ha-ha get it?) will be dimensions in the vicinity of 270x270x170mm (11x11x7inch). The reason I picked the TU100 is because of its size and looks, the Hadron I do like because I'd be able to fit a proper cooler in there and probably save a few pounds on the gpraphics (going for a normal 760 instead of the 760 mini that I loved in the TU100, but is appr. £25 more expensive). I am almost decided on the Lian Li though, unless there is an argument to be made against it.
2. CPU/Cooling  - I'd love the 4670K or the 3570K (that I own) with a decent z77 mITX, but I can't see how that will be properly cooled in the TU100 (my current choice for case). I bought a Noctua NH-L9i, on the cheap, which theoretically will be fine with a low power CPU. Important information that I don't have is how loud it actually is. <br> I just actually did some research and am now down to a few choices it looks like. If the Antec Khuler 620 fits properly in the TU100 (please advise) I will be able to use my CPU and cooling and just get the graphics and the 2.5 inch HDD. If it doesn't, or heat is a problem with such as small case, I will have to pick between staying z77, and getting a more efficient CPU ( 3470T vs 3770T any ideas?), or go up to Haswell (4570T vs4770T ?)
3. CPU/Cooling cntnd. - All of that thinking begs the question how much better is the 4c/4t vs the 2c/4t CPUs. I'd much rather save a lot of money and be cool and quiet with the 35 watt 4570T if its core power is good enough for gaming and its hyper-threading helps me that little bit with the re-encoding that I might be doing. As I write this I can now see that the main question is really can I fit the AIO water cooling in a proper manner in the TU100 and use my 3570K and get a z77 mITX board or if I will be too toasty for a small enclosure. Also the TU100 only has one fan slot, if the AIO WC works in it how do I go about it: intake or exhaust?
4. MOBO - oh dear God, I went through all of the z77 and z87. I liked the z77e-itx from AsRock with the WiFi and mSATA, but if I have to move to z87 the Maximus VI Impact is absolutely stunning! mSata, WiFi AC, quality audio, Hardware buttons everywhere (I've been known to reset CMOS more times a day than go to the bathroom) The Impact though gets a lot of complaints with RMAs included, so not the safest choice I feel like...
5. GRAPHICS - almost certainly will be the 760 Mini Direct CU II
6. PSU - the only option I see is the Modular 450watt Siverstone Strider Modular

 

OK SYNOPSIS:

If I have my way and no one has a better suggestion than the TU100 I have these conundrums:

Full power CPU vs Low power? Will the 35 watt 2c/4t be enough for my needs and future gaming??? the 4570T turbos at 3.6 for reference, but this site (german) puts it 25-35 percent behind in gaming vs the 3570K and half as powerful as the 4670k in encoding.

Will the AIO Antec 620 fit the case so I can use a "full size" CPU.

Should I be worried about the bad reviews on the Maximus Impact and reliability issues?

Won't the 760 mini just overheat the balls out of everything ? I like my setups quiet and cool.

 

Sorry for a confused question, but I seem to have a lot of options with these few components that I've chosen to be best for the job. And everything branches out from the size of the case and whether the cooling will be sufficient.

Hey any advice will be pure gold as far as I'm concerned. I've been told you guys are helpful as anything, so help away.

Best Regards - Slav

[ciprian97pop]

you should get any other mini itx z87 motherboard instead of that asus one. it's overpriced and you could spend those extra money on that i7

something like this would be more than enough

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87i

it also has wi fi ac and good audio quality

 

anything else is good

[Zion]

I kinda think that the better wifi (ac) and msata solutions on the Asus combines with the better power solution (don't know how much of that is true) and maybe better audio is a good investment, the price difference is actually 60 pounds which is about two thirds of the difference between the 35 watt 2c/4t i5 and the 4c/8t 45 watt i7. Good point though. I like the styling and the wire-free wifi setup of the maximus sooooo much on the other hand

[Zion]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

Motherboard:  ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard  appr. £92 from amazon

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card  (£194.00 @ Aria PC) 

Case:  Lian-Li PC-TU100A Mini ITX Tower Case  (£80 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 

Power Supply:  Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply appr.£75  from scan.co.uk

Total:                                                  apprx £450 

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-05 21:09 GMT+0000)

 

This Would be my cheapest setup if I am able to use my 3570k (which I actually should try and udervolt!!) with the Antec AIO or the Noctua Low Profile L9i

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£250.43 @ Ebuyer) 

Motherboard:  Asus MAXIMUS VI IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£164.36 @ Ebuyer) 

Storage:  Seagate  1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  (£69.99 @ Dabs) 

Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card  (£194.00 @ Aria PC) 

Case:  Lian-Li PC-TU100A Mini ITX Tower Case  (£80.69 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 

Power Supply:  Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  (£80.00) 

Total: £839.47

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-05 21:36 GMT+0000)

 

This would be best case scenario, again if cooling is sufficient. I think swap with the 4770T for 45w TDP? 2.5GHz is a bit meh for gaming I guess?

 

[WoodenMarker]

1. The PC-TU100 has pretty ample cooling the 3570k or 4670k.

2. You can use your current parts and just get a graphics card+ hdd

3. The 4570T is not much better than an i3. HT is not anywhere near good enough to make up for actual cores.

 

I'd suggest you stick with the cpu you already have.

The Impact is a good mobo and you should ignore the reviews. However, I don't think it's worth the money in this case.

The 760 mini shouldn't overheat.

 

I kinda think that the better wifi (ac) and msata solutions on the Asus combines with the better power solution (don't know how much of that is true) and maybe better audio is a good investment, the price difference is actually 60 pounds which is about two thirds of the difference between the 35 watt 2c/4t i5 and the 4c/8t 45 watt i7. Good point though. I like the styling and the wire-free wifi setup of the maximus sooooo much on the other hand

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

[Zion]

1. The PC-TU100 has pretty ample cooling the 3570k or 4670k.

2. You can use your current parts and just get a graphics card+ hdd

3. The 4570T is not much better than an i3. HT is not anywhere near good enough to make up for actual cores.

 

I'd suggest you stick with the cpu you already have.

The Impact is a good mobo and you should ignore the reviews. However, I don't think it's worth the money in this case.

The 760 mini shouldn't overheat.

 

You nee

 

1. The PC-TU100 has pretty ample cooling the 3570k or 4670k.

2. You can use your current parts and just get a graphics card+ hdd

3. The 4570T is not much better than an i3. HT is not anywhere near good enough to make up for actual cores.

 

I'd suggest you stick with the cpu you already have.

The Impact is a good mobo and you should ignore the reviews. However, I don't think it's worth the money in this case.

The 760 mini shouldn't overheat.

 

 

 

 

you should get any other mini itx z87 motherboard instead of that asus one. it's overpriced and you could spend those extra money on that i7

something like this would be more than enough

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87i

it also has wi fi ac and good audio quality

 

anything else is good

 

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

Oh... Ok, I didn't know about the quoting thing, the forum I used to go to for my PC needs didn't have notifications, but that was long time ago.(how do I tag a member??)  Nevermind, back on topic:

@WoodenMarker

How is a single 120mm intake fan and 60mm maximum hight of the CPU cooler ample cooling? I don't really know how the ivy and haswell i5s do under different circumstances, but from my experience (with that antec 620 AIO WC) I get 65 degrees when testing with AIDA, and that includes 3 more noctuas running in the case. To me given what I run now, the L9i will be struggling (or be very loud? is it possible that the little heatsink can keep the 3570k quiet but toasty under load? I wouldn't really mind if its 85 degrees if I'm only going to be gaming a few hours a week).

Also I cant really find a z77 mITX board that I really like. I kinda like the Zotac z77-ITX WIFI. From what I see in this review, Msata and hardware buttons are a plus, WiFi is a bit unwieldy, but I can work with that, USB 3 headers are placed great and it has the lowest power consumption under load by far from all six MB that are reviewed. Any thoughts? ... running late for work, speak soon.

Regards, Slav

[WoodenMarker]

How is a single 120mm intake fan and 60mm maximum hight of the CPU cooler ample cooling? I don't really know how the ivy and haswell i5s do under different circumstances, but from my experience (with that antec 620 AIO WC) I get 65 degrees when testing with AIDA, and that includes 3 more noctuas running in the case. To me given what I run now, the L9i will be struggling (or be very loud? is it possible that the little heatsink can keep the 3570k quiet but toasty under load? I wouldn't really mind if its 85 degrees if I'm only going to be gaming a few hours a week).

Also I cant really find a z77 mITX board that I really like. I kinda like the Zotac z77-ITX WIFI. From what I see in this review, Msata and hardware buttons are a plus, WiFi is a bit unwieldy, but I can work with that, USB 3 headers are placed great and it has the lowest power consumption under load by far from all six MB that are reviewed. Any thoughts? ... running late for work, speak soon.

Regards, Slav

It'll be fine. 65c during an aida64 test is pretty cool. The K9i should have it stay under 85c just fine. The stock cooler already does that if what you're doing is gaming and the L9i is slightly better.  

What about the z77n wifi? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz77nwifi

 

Btw, you just have to tag or quote--no need to do both. 

[Zion]

It'll be fine. 65c during an aida64 test is pretty cool. The K9i should have it stay under 85c just fine. The stock cooler already does that if what you're doing is gaming and the L9i is slightly better.  

What about the z77n wifi? http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz77nwifi

 

Btw, you just have to tag or quote--no need to do both. 

 

Hm, So if you think that the L9i will be good with my 3570k and I actually now think that spending less is GOOD (lolz I was going for the 1000 pound build maximus + 4770T/S + bells an whistles)

If I only change the case and motherboard, get a 2.5 inch HDD (I have a 250gig lying around actually) I'll easily be able to spend less than 200 pounds.

 

What do you think about this AsRock Z68 HT? It will get me started and if I think the cooling is too loud or am not happy with the build as a whole, it will be less money spent.

otherwise I do gravitate towards the Zotac instead of the gigabyte. It's cooler, has msata and is more power efficient and hardware buttons, and I can't use the Asrock and the MSI with the L9i.

Any thoughts on the Z68 board?

[WoodenMarker]

Hm, So if you think that the L9i will be good with my 3570k and I actually now think that spending less is GOOD (lolz I was going for the 1000 pound build maximus + 4770T/S + bells an whistles)

If I only change the case and motherboard, get a 2.5 inch HDD (I have a 250gig lying around actually) I'll easily be able to spend less than 200 pounds.

 

What do you think about this AsRock Z68 HT? It will get me started and if I think the cooling is too loud or am not happy with the build as a whole, it will be less money spent.

otherwise I do gravitate towards the Zotac instead of the gigabyte. It's cooler, has msata and is more power efficient and hardware buttons, and I can't use the Asrock and the MSI with the L9i.

Any thoughts on the Z68 board?

z77 > z68

I don't see how there's any difference of power efficiency between the zotac and gigabyte boards. Why can't you use Asrock or Msi? The L9i fits with pretty much every Intel motherboard.

[MEC-777]

To the OP; take a look at the specs in my sig. Plays any game at 1080p ultra with the odd exception (Crysis 3 I have to reduce the AA slightly to keep fps above 45 when the action gets busy, and it's GPU-bound.) The 4570 I can't say enough about. Often overlooked, it's slightly faster than the 3570k and nearly as fast as a stock 4670 and costs >$40 less (here in Canada). It supposedly turbos to 3.6, but I've seen it hit 3.8 on all 4 cores at times (not that it isn't fast enough, lol). The Node 304 has great airflow (2 - 92mm intake fans up front and 1 - 140mm exhaust fan at the back) and combined with the stock Intel cooler, temps are always well within safe limits. Even when OCing the snot out of the GPU, blasting hot air inside the case, ventilation is more than adequate.

 

The parts I chose based on value/performance per dollar and to run anything at 1080p maxed but without going over the top on certain components. You don't need a Z87 board and you don't need a K-skew processor and crazy cooling to get that level of performance with room to spare. Unless you purposely want to OC or have a specific need(s) for a certain feature(s), to each his/her own. But IMO, save that money and put it where it could be used more effectively for gaming - on the GPU. Not including the monitors, keyboard and mouse, total cost was around $900 CDN.

 

(Not suggesting you have to build what I built. Everyone has their preferences. Just using it as example of a well-rounded and not overly expensive mini-ITX gaming rig.)

[Zion]

@woodenmarker, I can't use the Msi and asrock as the L9i is listed as not compatible in the noctua website. And I know that z68 is inferior, but if I'm not over clicking I can only guess it's the same in terms of performance. I lose the msata and wifi, but save 60 quid...

Reading z77 reviews there is some big differences between the boards, so maybe kinda risky going z68... On the other hand it's cheap and can always save it for a basic htpc/nas/server build down the road.

The zotac, if you have a look at the review I've posted is more power efficient in idle and load, don't know why, but that what it says. It's a big difference as well, I think it was 20-simething watts in idle, which I think is huge.

@MEC-777

Id love to just have the money to switch to z87...well I do but is it worth the 600 pounds extra? I guess I can look into non-z87 boards and see if there's something to catch my eye.

[WoodenMarker]

@woodenmarker, I can't use the Msi and asrock as the L9i is listed as not compatible in the noctua website. And I know that z68 is inferior, but if I'm not over clicking I can only guess it's the same in terms of performance. I lose the msata and wifi, but save 60 quid...

Reading z77 reviews there is some big differences between the boards, so maybe kinda risky going z68... On the other hand it's cheap and can always save it for a basic htpc/nas/server build down the road.

The zotac, if you have a look at the review I've posted is more power efficient in idle and load, don't know why, but that what it says. It's a big difference as well, I think it was 20-simething watts in idle, which I think is huge.

@MEC-777

Id love to just have the money to switch to z87...well I do but is it worth the 600 pounds extra? I guess I can look into non-z87 boards and see if there's something to catch my eye.

You never mentioned any specific Msi or Asrock motherboard.  

I'm not sure what you're doing but what you're doing isn't tagging us. @MEC-777 (Just so you get the notification)

I don't see where the review is saying that the zotac mobo is more power efficient. 

It's not worth going z87.

[MEC-777]

@MEC-777

Id love to just have the money to switch to z87...well I do but is it worth the 600 pounds extra? I guess I can look into non-z87 boards and see if there's something to catch my eye.

I didn't realize you already have a 3570k. (must have missed that, my bad) In that case, no it's not worth making the change to Haswell. Find a decent Z77 ITX MB and you'll be good to go.  

[Zion]

You never mentioned any specific Msi or Asrock motherboard.  

I'm not sure what you're doing but what you're doing isn't tagging us. @MEC-777 (Just so you get the notification)

I don't see where the review is saying that the zotac mobo is more power efficient. 

It's not worth going z87.

 

The Power Consumption page, although to be honest, just realized (how did I miss that) that it is more efficient (notably) when overclocked and I will not be doing any of that. Power Consumption in full load in stock speeds is 16 watts more than the Asus Deluxe. And I didn't mention the specific model of the MSI and Asrock because as far as I know they only made one Z77 mITX. In that review you can see all of the z77 mITX boards, only one missing is the reference board from intel, which I read was proper $%^^& (bad)

 

From that lineup I can't use the MSI and ASrocK, because they are incompatible with my cooler, I don't like how hot and inefficient is the Gigabyte (come on guys not even a tiny heatsink on the VRM...) although I do like the WiDi it's not a feature I've ever used anyway. For the EVGA Stinger the reviewer says this "Increasing the CPU multiplier above the default level disables all power-saving technologies" and it has no WiFi, so that's a No for me. That leaves me with the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe or the Zotac.

The ASUS is pretier and has better UEFI with more options inside and has better antenna solution (and maybe other pluses), but runs hotter and not as efficient and lacks the mSATA that the Zotac has.

I will have a look at the "inferior" 1155 chipsets after I complete this post.

 

I didn't realize you already have a 3570k. (must have missed that, my bad) In that case, no it's not worth making the change to Haswell. Find a decent Z77 ITX MB and you'll be good to go.  

Read the post above to see my gripe with the Z77 mITX boards. I did really like the AsRock, but is incompatible, and I will not splash for another cooler

 

Edit:I wrote my previous post on tapatalk, maybe it does not understand tagging. Is it just @ with the name of the person afterwards?

[WoodenMarker]

The Power Consumption page, although to be honest, just realized (how did I miss that) that it is more efficient (notably) when overclocked and I will not be doing any of that. Power Consumption in full load in stock speeds is 16 watts more than the Asus Deluxe. And I didn't mention the specific model of the MSI and Asrock because as far as I know they only made one Z77 mITX. In that review you can see all of the z77 mITX boards, only one missing is the reference board from intel, which I read was proper $%^^& (bad)

 

From that lineup I can't use the MSI and ASrocK, because they are incompatible with my cooler, I don't like how hot and inefficient is the Gigabyte (come on guys not even a tiny heatsink on the VRM...) although I do like the WiDi it's not a feature I've ever used anyway. For the EVGA Stinger the reviewer says this "Increasing the CPU multiplier above the default level disables all power-saving technologies" and it has no WiFi, so that's a No for me. That leaves me with the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe or the Zotac.

The ASUS is pretier and has better UEFI with more options inside and has better antenna solution (and maybe other pluses), but runs hotter and not as efficient and lacks the mSATA that the Zotac has.

I will have a look at the "inferior" 1155 chipsets after I complete this post.

 

Edit:I wrote my previous post on tapatalk, maybe it does not understand tagging. Is it just @ with the name of the person afterwards?

Oh alright. The zotac mobo looks like a good pick.

 

Yes, that's how you tag. It seems to be tapatalk.

[MEC-777]

The Power Consumption page, although to be honest, just realized (how did I miss that) that it is more efficient (notably) when overclocked and I will not be doing any of that. Power Consumption in full load in stock speeds is 16 watts more than the Asus Deluxe. And I didn't mention the specific model of the MSI and Asrock because as far as I know they only made one Z77 mITX. In that review you can see all of the z77 mITX boards, only one missing is the reference board from intel, which I read was proper $%^^& (bad)

 

From that lineup I can't use the MSI and ASrocK, because they are incompatible with my cooler, I don't like how hot and inefficient is the Gigabyte (come on guys not even a tiny heatsink on the VRM...) although I do like the WiDi it's not a feature I've ever used anyway. For the EVGA Stinger the reviewer says this "Increasing the CPU multiplier above the default level disables all power-saving technologies" and it has no WiFi, so that's a No for me. That leaves me with the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe or the Zotac.

The ASUS is pretier and has better UEFI with more options inside and has better antenna solution (and maybe other pluses), but runs hotter and not as efficient and lacks the mSATA that the Zotac has.

I will have a look at the "inferior" 1155 chipsets after I complete this post.

 

Read the post above to see my gripe with the Z77 mITX boards. I did really like the AsRock, but is incompatible, and I will not splash for another cooler

 

Edit:I wrote my previous post on tapatalk, maybe it does not understand tagging. Is it just @ with the name of the person afterwards?

Don't count out a board just because it doesn't have heat sinks on the VRM. I have a Gigabyte H87N mITX motherboard and it is a VERY good quality board. It does not have heat sinks on the VRM and I use the stock Intel cooler. Like I mentioned earlier, Even while overclocking my GPU blasting heat everywhere and running demanding games for hours on end, the 4570 often pushes itself to 3.8 on all 4 cores and CPU temps still stay well within safe limits. You don't necessarily need VRM heat sinks if you have adequate air flow over the board. Also just because it doesn't have VRM heat sinks doesn't mean it's less efficient. After building my PC and having it run nearly constant 24/7, it's made no difference on my energy bill.

 

The efficiency of a system is more directly related to the efficiency of the PSU, not the motherboard. 

 

In you shoes, personally I would go with the Asus P8Z77-I Delux. You really can't go wrong with that. The things you're worried about is really just nit-picking. Most modern components are so efficient it's not worth splitting hairs over.

[Zion]

@MEC-777 

Sure I understand about efficiency not meaning a lot to the power bill. I guess I didn't word it properly now that you said that. (not my first language that English )

I'm thinking more in terms of heat production. Yes you may have no problems with heat on your motherboard, but lets agree it's a different chipset, and I guess it somewhat varies. At least that one reviewer saw the VRAMs go to 90 degrees. If they are designed to work like that I can agree, its ok. But with my tiny case I'd like to have the components produce as little heat as possible, so I have a quieter rig and a healthy surrounding said components to work. Might be nit-picking, but things like the mSATA I feel are quite important. With only two 2.5 inch slots (one of them will have my Samsung SSD) I can only go up to a terabyte of storage (unless I splash £120 for a 2tb seagate which is quite the hit, hm on the other hand a mSata drive with decent storage is £120 anyway). 

 

@MEC-777, @WoodenMarker Anyway I'm still saving up for the bits, great discussion though, thanks lads, you've been great help! I will still follow the topic if anything else comes up.

Thanks again!

[WoodenMarker]

@MEC-777 

Sure I understand about efficiency not meaning a lot to the power bill. I guess I didn't word it properly now that you said that. (not my first language that English )

I'm thinking more in terms of heat production. Yes you may have no problems with heat on your motherboard, but lets agree it's a different chipset, and I guess it somewhat varies. At least that one reviewer saw the VRAMs go to 90 degrees. If they are designed to work like that I can agree, its ok. But with my tiny case I'd like to have the components produce as little heat as possible, so I have a quieter rig and a healthy surrounding said components to work. Might be nit-picking, but things like the mSATA I feel are quite important. With only two 2.5 inch slots (one of them will have my Samsung SSD) I can only go up to a terabyte of storage (unless I splash £120 for a 2tb seagate which is quite the hit, hm on the other hand a mSata drive with decent storage is £120 anyway). 

A 2TB baracuda shouldn't be that expensive... http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001

[Zion]

@@MEC-777 It's only 2.5 inch drives in this case.