Need Help Choosing Parts (Small Form Factor)

Luke_S

Here is my list of parts:https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=3195cbe9-a729-4c41-a8ba-4fa4a7e95ae8

In the next couple of months I am planning on purchasing a similar PC. My main priority is small form factor, powerful PC that will last as long as possible. Any suggestions? I've done some research, but again, I'm new to this field, so my main concern is thermal throttling for a case this small with powerful parts. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

Best,

Luke_S

Ian

Greetings. What is the intended use of the PC and your overall budget?

Luke_S

@Ian Thanks for responding! Mainly gaming, maybe some CAD on the side (Solidworks mostly as I am a mechanical engineering student). I'm looking for the range of $2700-3000 just for the PC and then a budget of about $400 for the peripherals (including monitor).

JS_MC

Hey @Luke_S

Here's my build recommendation for you. https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=b40081f3-5154-4b19-b16e-65834f313b59

I've included one monitor here and we're still under your budget. I think monitors and peripherals are something that you should consider shopping for yourself, as you may have a different preference for color accuracy or panel type. I'd recommend visiting the store to see the many options that we have on display.

My recommendations for a mouse and keyboard would be a full-size keyboard with Cherry MX Browns, and a mouse that fits the style you like to use. I like the Glorious Model D.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this build, I'd be happy to offer my opinion and offer any assistance regarding this!

Luke_S

Thanks @LandShark , really appreciate the help. I love the look of the build and thanks for the key board recommendation (that I have done the least research in). But I do have a question. Since I am a college student, I don't want to have to deal with lugging around a large PC and smaller PC's have always caught my eye. Mid towers are fine but I would prefer a small form factor if possible. Seeing your mid-tower recommendation, are you saying that I should probably just go with a mid-tower instead because of its better cooling, more motherboard options, and ability to easily upgrade? Is there something inherently bad with powerful min-ITX or microATX builds in small cases like the NZXT 210?

JS_MC

My apologies, I missed that very important detail! Form factor can have some effect on your cooling, however, that would be depending on how you choose to cool your computer.

Personally, I have the Fractal Meshify C and love it. The Meshify S2 would be another great fit for you here!

I typically stay away from ITX or microATX cases due to the constriction of airflow and limiting the size of the GPU you can add to the case.

For smaller form factor I'd recommend the ASRock B550M Steel Legend motherboard. Then you could go with something like the Lian Li 205M mATX Mid-Tower.

Hope these help!

Luke_S

@LandShark Ah, I see now. That case looks great (the Lian Li 205M), not that much bigger and still looks great! Thank you, I really appreciate the help. One last question and I am out of your hair. When I put in the new case and motherboard, it says that "Compatibility Filters have been disabled for this item." So, if you have time could you quickly look over this configuration to see if it is all compatible and any last minute comments?

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/custom-pc-builder.aspx?load=39460f1c-94de-4420-b6bf-8365909e4edb

If this is good, this will probably be my end design. Now all the waiting will be saving up the rest of my money for this rig, as well as waiting for GPU's to come back in stock! I wonder which will happen first lol. Again, thank you for all of your time and help!

JS_MC

I'm happy to help! You're not in my hair at all. Love talking about stuff like this and help members with their new builds.

This case is compatible with the parts you've selected and you can even go over this selection with our amazing Build Your Own associates in the store as well if you have any doubts when you're making your purchase in the store.

If you wanted to do more looking, you can enable or disable the compatibility filter at the top of the page when you're selecting the item.

I hope the information is helpful! As always, I'm happy to help if you have any other questions!

zippyzap

Don't be afraid of building a powerful PC in a mini-ITX case. The NZXT case you choose has a layout similar to many bigger cases on the market, so assembly shouldn't be more difficult. If you don't need more than a graphics card and a few drives, then bigger cases have little (heh) benefit. Here are some thoughts and suggestions.

The NZXT H210 case will support graphics cards up to 44mm thick and 325mm long, so yes the card you choose will fit. Note that it will also fit CPU air coolers up to 165mm tall, and 120mm or 240mm AIO liquid coolers.

The NZXT H210 case supports normal ATX power supplies, so you do not have to specifically seek out an SFX power supply.

What were you using the HDD for? Could you be better served with a larger capacity SSD?

I agree with LandShark in recommending an AMD Ryzen 5XXX series CPU. You get the performance without the heat and power draw penalty of the current (and upcoming) Intel CPUs. With the lower heat output you may not even have to spend so much on a cooler. LandShark's B550 chipset motherboard is also a good one. I would add a suggestion that you find a board with two m.2 SSD slots, and maybe some upgraded peripherals. I recently purchased the ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming mini-ITX board from Micro Center. It has two m.2 slots, comes with 2.5Gb network and even WiFi 6 built-in. You said you were a student? Post-pandemic will you be living on campus? If so, would you need that WiFi?

https://www.microcenter.com/product/625307/B550_Phantom_Gaming_AMD_AM4_Mini-ITX_Motherboard