ANyone here assembled or built a SFF system recently?

[skalogre]

I am still running a Socket A AGP DDR1 motherboard and I am trying really hard to hold off from getting upgrades for it. I am instead looking in to getting/assembling a nice little sff system to replace it and sell off the old parts. Has anyone done anything of the sort recently? Advice and experiences very welcome!
Not looking to create a beast but I would liek something with a good amount of grunt... probably dx10 card, 2 gb DDR2, Core Duo, pretty case (love the Qmicra case but expensive at $329!)...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Check on www.SFFtech.com I like that Qmicra case too, but the premium over the Shuttles and other SFF cases is pretty darn steep. I'm rather fond of the BioStar ideq 330p, but its not really meant for intel chips.

The Antec Aria is also pretty solid, but I'd replace the "somewhat loud" PSU.

 

[skalogre]

That Biostar is nice!
Thanks for the site, btw, will check it out. WIll be doing this slowly anyway, as my finances allow so I may be hitting you up for more ideas over the next few months.

P.s. do you think AMD can bring something to teh market in teh next few months to chalenge the price/cost of the Duo (hoping for another Barton core like situation, heh)

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by skalogre

That Biostar is nice! Thanks for the site, btw, will check it out. WIll be doing this slowly anyway, as my finances allow so I may be hitting you up for more ideas over the next few months. P.s. do you think AMD can bring something to teh market in teh next few months to chalenge the price/cost of the Duo (hoping for another Barton core like situation, heh)
I keep hearing about what AMD has in the pipeline, but as always, its worth waiting until it drops to speculate on its power/cost etc. It shouldn't be too long before we see HyperTransport 3.0 and their new chips. Wait until the Spring Processor Forum in may... See what happens

 

[Full Canvas]

Originally Posted by skalogre

P.s. do you think AMD can bring something to teh market in teh next few months to chalenge the price/cost of the Duo (hoping for another Barton core like situation, heh)

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I keep hearing about what AMD has in the pipeline, but as always, its worth waiting until it drops to speculate on its power/cost etc. It shouldn't be too long before we see HyperTransport 3.0 and their new chips. Wait until the Spring Processor Forum in may... See what happens

Just in case you didn't see yesterday's press release from AMD: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/V...115265,00.html

________________________

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Full Canvas

Just in case you didn't see yesterday's press release from AMD: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/V...115265,00.html

________________________

Saw the headline but did not read it. Good catch FC, thanks!

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Full Canvas

Just in case you didn't see yesterday's press release from AMD: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/V...115265,00.html

________________________

didn't read the whole release, but open standard or not, unless it's also backed by intel, I wouldn't expect to start seeing this in a lot of products any time soon. Intel is still the 800lb gorrilla. New form factors can take a while to infiltrate the marketplace and this is just an announcement about a standard that's not even finalized yet. I wouldn't base buying decisions off of it.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

didn't read the whole release, but open standard or not, unless it's also backed by intel, I wouldn't expect to start seeing this in a lot of products any time soon. Intel is still the 800lb gorrilla. New form factors can take a while to infiltrate the marketplace and this is just an announcement about a standard that's not even finalized yet. I wouldn't base buying decisions off of it.
Excellent point GQGeek; in any event I will have several months to plan out my plan so I can watch what develops.

 

[GQgeek]

i know if i were looking at a sff pc, i'd want the low-voltage version of the core 2. i'd also be completely anal about the types of fans used in the system. OEM fans are never quiet enough imo. There are so many "silent" branded PSUs and fans that are anything but.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

i know if i were looking at a sff pc, i'd want the low-voltage version of the core 2. i'd also be completely anal about the types of fans used in the system. OEM fans are never quiet enough imo. There are so many "silent" branded PSUs and fans that are anything but.

True. I am a Panaflo fan (pun not intended - honest!) myself.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Pabst used to be so much better before they started manufacturing in Hungary.

Panaflow is nice...

I'm probably going to switch my cpu cooler to a scythe ninja rev b and a panaflow fan.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I've built a mini-itx system last month, when my other mini-itx board died. It's running openbsd and is a postfix/squirrelmail server so I'm not sure it quite fits your description

!luc

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Luc-Emmanuel

I've built a mini-itx system last month, when my other mini-itx board died. It's running openbsd and is a postfix/squirrelmail server so I'm not sure it quite fits your description

!luc

Well, still, any advice would be welcome, Luc!

 

[brimley]

Cooling is the most important issue for a SFF system because space is cramped. You'd be hard pressed to find a SFF case that has better cooling design than the Antec NSK2400. The relevant issue is intelligent airflow design and the capability to use 120 mm fans, which are quieter than smaller fans at similar airflows. It's ~$100 for the NSK2400 or ~180 for the Antec Fusion, which is basically the same thing with a VFD and a volume knob. Silent PC Review will tell you everything you need to know: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article591-page1.html

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by nyf

Cooling is the most important issue for a SFF system because space is cramped. You'd be hard pressed to find a SFF case that has better cooling design than the Antec NSK2400. The relevant issue is intelligent airflow design and the capability to use 120 mm fans, which are quieter than smaller fans at similar airflows. It's ~$100 for the NSK2400 or ~180 for the Antec Fusion, which is basically the same thing with a VFD and a volume knob. Silent PC Review will tell you everything you need to know: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article591-page1.html

Thanks!