Upgrading my rig, SFF or MT?

[Chazdude42]

I'm trying to decide what to do about upgrading my rig and suicidal_monkey directed me here and said that you guys probably have opinions on what to do.

I currently have a Corsair 800D case which is awesome, the only issue is that I live in a relatively small flat and it takes up a lot of room. I'm trying to decide whether to go for a Mid Tower ATX build or a Small Form Factor HTPC/MicroATX.

On the one hand, buying Mid Tower would make it easier to fit components in, including my existing 3.5" drive(s) but on the other, I like the small size of SFF builds.

I've looked at cases and I think the choices are the Corsair 400C or for SFF either the Silverstone RVZ02B or the Fractal Design Node 202.

My current build is this:
Corsair 800D
i7 2600k (3.4GHz)
ASUS P8VZ68-V Mobo
16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz ram
Corsair Force GT 120 SSD
Western Digital Black 2TB HDD
Western Digital Green 2TB HDD
Other misc hard 3.5" hard drives (hot swappable bays are awesome)
ASUS STRIX GTX 970 4GB
Corsair H80 CPU cooler
Multiple Corsair fans (A120/140 - supposedly silent)
Corsair HX1050 PSU

I like Corsair if you hadn't noticed

I'll be getting an i7 6700k (Intel ftw) and probably an Asus maximus viii board (Hero, formula, extreme or impact) depending on how much I decide to spend and I can will keep the (almost new) graphics card.

If I go for the SFF build, I have to additionally buy a new PSU, CPU fanand probably more hard drive(s) as the 3.5" ones won't fit. The massive bonus is the fact that it's tiny which would also make it easier for me to come to LANs (suicidal_monkey keeps suggesting I come along )

Getting an MT build would mean I can keep my current PSU / CPU fan, lowering the cost, as well as keeping some of the fans.

In either case, I'm left with a complete/mostly complete rig that I'll need to shift.

Has anyone had experience with SFF builds and why they may not be a good idea for a gaming PC?
Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions about what I should do?

Any input is greatly appreciated

[Jewelz^]

This.

[video=youtube;MjDJNwAANwA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjDJNwAANwA[/video]

[TeaLeaf]

I feel the Corsair love, I have a Corsair Obsidian 900D hosting my rig at the moment, so i can understand the 400D love and the full ATC compatibility.   I'm loving the Corsair fans too, super quiet and keeping everything at a cool 24-27 most of the time.

I'd also take a peek at the BitFenix Prodigy M.  Very smart looking, variety of colours to suit your decor(!), nice and small, carry handles, but still got enough room inside for things like the H80 and a mATX mobo.
https://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy-m/
I've seen some nice mods in the Prodigy cases, including full water-cooling.

Personally I'd not go SFF if you want gaming.  Unless you like oven roasting your gear.   Pound to a penny you'll cook things and it will cost you more in the long run and perform less well in the short-term.

[Vargen]

I would go for a Corsair Carbide Series Air 240 case. It supports both Mini-ITX/Micro-ATX. It also has a version better suited for watercooling solutions.

The size comes down to how many PCIe slots you need really. How many GFX cards or other ekstra cards do you plan to stuff in there?

[Gorion]

Very bad time to upgrade.  Wait for the next GPU generation which might be releasing this June.

[Chazdude42]

Very bad time to upgrade.  Wait for the next GPU generation which might be releasing this June.

I had seen that they're possibly releasing some new GPUs but I'll probably be sticking with my GTX 970 for now - It's at the very least capable of VR

The size comes down to how many PCIe slots you need really. How many GFX cards or other ekstra cards do you plan to stuff in there?

I'm not sure I'll do full watercooling, I'm happy enough with air cooled solutions.
I think the main issue with the short/fat SFF cases is where it needs to go. I currently don't have a desk (nor do I have somewhere to put one) so it has to live behind the sofa where ere's not much width to play with but a lot of height. That means the difference between the wide SFF cases and an MT is marginal, aside from the added expense and lack of space.

Personally I'd not go SFF if you want gaming.  Unless you like oven roasting your gear.   Pound to a penny you'll cook things and it will cost you more in the long run and perform less well in the short-term.

I think that's the thing I'm coming round to, it seems to make more sense to just get a MT with an ATX board - they're definitely cheaper, can be upgraded easier and I can probably transfer the fans to the new case as well.


Overall I think you've done enough to convince me that going the SFF route is probably not the best way to go in terms of the 'thin' cases, especially as I plan to use the new rig for 4K gaming as well as VR (when I get my HTC Vive).

The only thing I have to work out now is what to do with the old rig! I'll probably try and sell it with a cheap PSU, my old GTX 560ti and the stock intel cooler that I think I've kept in the 'box of random spares' in the loft

tl;dr: Mid tower beats small form factor, anyone want an old rig?

[Gorion]

I had seen that they're possibly releasing some new GPUs but I'll probably be sticking with my GTX 970 for now - It's at the very least capable of VR

Current GPU prices will drop.  Also, you get more for the same price you would be paying now.

Same thing occurs every new GPU series release.

Up to you really.. Wait and get more for your current money/ get what you want for cheaper price, or go for it now.

[Chazdude42]

Ok so I've decided to go for the Corsair 400C case. I like the clear side + easy open and it has fiancee approval (not that she wants me to buy anything )

I'm now down to building the new thing.

Components I'm keeping from current build:
Corsair HX1050 PSU
Nvidia GTX 970 (ASUS STRIX)
Corsair Force GT120 SSD (120GB) for OS
ALL the hard drives! _o/
Some fans (Corsair AF120/140 I think)

I might also keep the Corsair H80 CPU cooler but I'm thinking of getting the H100i or the H115i as it seems to fit nicely in the front of the case


Potential Build:
CASE: Corsair 400C
CPU: i7 6700K
CPU FAN: Corsair H80 or H100i or H115i
MOBO: ASUS Maximus VIII Hero or Formula
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 3600mhz
PSU: Corsair HX1050
GPU: ASUS STRIX Nvidia GTX 970
SSD: Corsair Force GT120 SSD (120GB) for OS
HDD(s): WD Black 2TB, WD Green 2TB
FANS: Corsair AF120 / 140 (as many as fit in the case)


What do you think of the build?
Would you go for the H115i/H100i CPU cooler or stick with the H80? (They apparently fit in the case, I could be wrong)
Are there any clear advantages to getting the Formula vs the Hero mobo? (i.e. is it worth the extra ~£100?)

[Gorion]

This link has some info on the new naming convention for corsair coolers.

[Gunda]

I would swap that corsair ssd for a samsung m.2 drive that while more expensive will be alot faster.

[Chazdude42]

I would swap that corsair ssd for a samsung m.2 drive that while more expensive will be alot faster.

I have looked at the m.2 drives and decided that I'll stick with the corsair for now (as I already have it).

I found a good deal on the VIII Hero with H115i, i76700k and 16GB 3000mhz RAM for £650!
It's not what I originally planned but I've decided on the slightly more cost effective build so I can afford to get the HTC Vive as well

[Vargen]

I would swap that corsair ssd for a samsung m.2 drive that while more expensive will be alot faster.

This! Since you are going for a larger motherboard, you may as well use some of it.

I have a RevoDrive3 myself, which is why I would choose MicroATX over MiniITX.

Unless you plan to run SLI/XFire, I would still argue to downsize for easier transport.