mATX ftw. My current PC (albeit currently with a dead mobo) is Micro ATX (NZXT H400i). Before that, I built a full-size ATX PC (which got sold to a friend). After building the ATX PC, I realized that nowadays, one truly doesn't need to go that big. We no longer have to stuff 10 HDs just to get 1 Tb of storage. Optical drives are a thing of the past, I truly do not remember the last time I used a CD/DVD for anything. So you will end up with a PC that has 1-3 drives. Motherboard has gigabit… See More
ethernet, A/C wifi, and great onboard sound (as far as onboard sound goes). I don't need 3 add-in cards for USB3 controller, gigabit ethernet, wifi, etc. I run a mATX case, and everything fits in nicely. There isn't much room left over (still always some) but that's cool, that's just how I want it. If you go full-size ATX, you will always have tons of empty space. Myself personally, I would feel compelled to fill up that empty space, so I would unnecessarily spend more money on components I don't need just so my PC looks good. I don't have to do that anymore, and I can still SLI/Crossfire my GPU, add in a few extra SSDs, add a close water cooling loop. Essentially everything I could do with ATX, I can do with mATX. I love it.
Most importantly though, standing on a desk, my PC doesn't look like a "thing". It's not over-sized, taking up half of my desk like a regular ATX case would. It looks nice and sleek, as if designed, like something one would have to purchase. The pictures from my crappy cellphone do not do it justice.
Side note on the H400i. It comes with one LED strip installed at the top of the case in what is essentially this plastic bracket/mount. Also provided with the case is an additional magnetic and adhesive LED strip with an extension so you can mount it anywhere you'd like. The only place where the case really allows for it (and so that LED strip is not blatantly visible) is at the front. You can't do it at all in the back because of the rear fan. Now, what the brilliant minds at NZXT did was install the LED so that the end of the strip is toward the rear of the case and instead of making the bracket adjustable and the LED strip removable from said bracket so one could quite easily reverse the strip, they put 3 plastic pins in the actually bracket (through the LED strip) so that it can't be moved. I had to drill through these plastic "pins" so I could reverse the LED strip in the bracket. Factory-installed, the lighting effect in CAM will go front to back, top to bottom, which completely breaks the effects. After I reversed the strip, the effects properly ran from back to front top to bottom. I doubt anyone is gonna bother reading this, but if anyone does, would software based strip order for the effects be possible? It should be.
Mirco atx, I had a huge tower and it just takes up too much space; plus side of micro atx, but doesn't compromise on performance if you don't need or care for extra things.
None
0 Likes
Old Barebone. I use a core 2 duo with 8gb ddr2 ram and Nvidia 512mb vram.
1 Like
S340 elite white FTW
0 Likes
mATX ftw. My current PC (albeit currently with a dead mobo) is Micro ATX (NZXT H400i). Before that, I built a full-size ATX PC (which got sold to a friend). After building the ATX PC, I realized that nowadays, one truly doesn't need to go that big. We no longer have to stuff 10 HDs just to get 1 Tb of storage. Optical drives are a thing of the past, I truly do not remember the last time I used a CD/DVD for anything. So you will end up with a PC that has 1-3 drives. Motherboard has gigabit… See More
ethernet, A/C wifi, and great onboard sound (as far as onboard sound goes). I don't need 3 add-in cards for USB3 controller, gigabit ethernet, wifi, etc. I run a mATX case, and everything fits in nicely. There isn't much room left over (still always some) but that's cool, that's just how I want it. If you go full-size ATX, you will always have tons of empty space. Myself personally, I would feel compelled to fill up that empty space, so I would unnecessarily spend more money on components I don't need just so my PC looks good. I don't have to do that anymore, and I can still SLI/Crossfire my GPU, add in a few extra SSDs, add a close water cooling loop. Essentially everything I could do with ATX, I can do with mATX. I love it.
Most importantly though, standing on a desk, my PC doesn't look like a "thing". It's not over-sized, taking up half of my desk like a regular ATX case would. It looks nice and sleek, as if designed, like something one would have to purchase. The pictures from my crappy cellphone do not do it justice.
Side note on the H400i. It comes with one LED strip installed at the top of the case in what is essentially this plastic bracket/mount. Also provided with the case is an additional magnetic and adhesive LED strip with an extension so you can mount it anywhere you'd like. The only place where the case really allows for it (and so that LED strip is not blatantly visible) is at the front. You can't do it at all in the back because of the rear fan. Now, what the brilliant minds at NZXT did was install the LED so that the end of the strip is toward the rear of the case and instead of making the bracket adjustable and the LED strip removable from said bracket so one could quite easily reverse the strip, they put 3 plastic pins in the actually bracket (through the LED strip) so that it can't be moved. I had to drill through these plastic "pins" so I could reverse the LED strip in the bracket. Factory-installed, the lighting effect in CAM will go front to back, top to bottom, which completely breaks the effects. After I reversed the strip, the effects properly ran from back to front top to bottom. I doubt anyone is gonna bother reading this, but if anyone does, would software based strip order for the effects be possible? It should be.
10 Likes
ATX
1 Like
We have 6-8 drives in every tower in the house, so ATX.
1 Like
ATX because I need all the extra ports for VR!
1 Like
Mirco atx, I had a huge tower and it just takes up too much space; plus side of micro atx, but doesn't compromise on performance if you don't need or care for extra things.
1 Like
MicroATX. I don't want spend money for some useless extra ports
2 Likes
MicroATX because it was cheaper, the extra space I get for everything else is nice and I wouldn't use all ports on a bigger board anyway.
2 Likes