Cheapest case for m-itx or matx?

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pavel

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I want to build a system for someone (in the future) and for myself, later on.

But, this is budget so I probably have to compromise here and there on parts. I thought to buy low-end that would allow an upgrade later. I have upgraded my own system before and who I am building for, has as well. So, it's not a case of 'keeping original hardware' all through the life of the components. I'm particularly talking about RAM and cpu.

Anyway, the case, imho, is what determines what goes in or can go into the entire rig.

I am undecided whether to go itx or m-atx and wasn't sure where to post. Can I discuss matx in the SFF section? I did read about cases and although I haven't visited in a while, I know about the NCase and read something about a user-designed 'Nova' matx case (btw, it looks cool). Unfortunately, we cannot afford these cases at the moment (I assume, they are $200 and up). So, we are stuck to looking at what is out there now. The parts will be bought periodically and I have some questions about them.

For cases, I thought it would be something like this:
itx - SG05, Elite 110,
matx - N200, SG10
Is there any other contenders? The reason I'm unsure about whether to go itx or matx is that only the matx option allows for more RAM. The user I'm buidling it uses virtual machines but maybe 16GB of RAM is enough? Although, 'might only get 8gb to start with (so, should it be the cheapest 2x4gb?) or should they just save for 2x8gb? If they go matx, they can max. it out with 4 slots whenever.
I need some ideas and advice here. :)

The NCase and Nova are perfect sizes, respectively, so I would like something like that. Although, if it will be somewhat of a tower, the matx towers via retail (in production) are often too big, imho. Most, anyway? I read that the SG10 is actually smaller than many itx cases so it looks pretty good but I think it's about $140. It's a lot more than if we were going to use itx - the itx cases listed are around $30 - $50. Big difference. :-/

I know that the itx case will be more difficult to work in and the RAM capacity is much more limited compared to matx.

Lastly, the person is not a gamer. They have a HD 6450 so it's not a large card. Also, they can use Intel graphics if they go the Intel Haswell route. I prefer Haswell. Is there any reason to go AMD? I was thinking using a G3258 even though the extra threads of something like AMD FX6300 might be more useful but the upgrade path for Intel seems better, imho. I think $70 is not much for a cpu even if you will probably upgrade it later. I also want to have less heat/power. They've had AMD systems in the past (almost all) and it seems like heat is always killing their hardware. The latest, the mobo capacitors blew out. However, it was an older AMD system. I prefer Intel and Haswell. I know the G3258 is mostly an OC-ing chip so I don't know how useful it is in an m-itx system. One would probably want to OC such a chip and it's weak if you don't? If you OC in a m-itx box, then you need a good cooler?

I think I rambled on too much. Anyone care to offer any advice or suggestions?

It's probably not as interesting since there's no real need to add a fancy gaming card but I know many of these cases have that option. Also, regarding PSU, I definitely want to use a modular PSU for both systems. I only need to concentrate on the 1st system, though. I won't build mine for a while. The budget for this one is around $400 but less would be ideal. I think if $400 is the budget, we could buy '$100' parts periodically.

CPU: $70
RAM: $90 (8gb)
mobo: $??
case: $??
psu: $100 (I think most modulars are at least $100?)
$400 might be wishful thinking? LOL Help? :D
 
Hi!

I think you need to establish first whether the person for whom the case is actually needs more than 16GB. For example, 8GB and an SSD for swapping might be the wiser investment than 16GB and a mechanical drive, in terms of performance. Also running VMs doesn't necessitate extra cores - it really depends on the systems being run, are they webservers or databases or what? What system is he/she currently using?

So mITX or uATX is not clear...


Important for the chip choice is does he/she need VT-d? i.e. hardware virtualisation. If not then G3258 is a great chip. You can overclock it easily, but it's not that weak at stock. The integrated graphics seems pretty decent. My son bought himself one for xmas and last night he ran Warcraft without a graphics card. Low settings 720p, but still I was very surprised.

About modular PSUs. You presume that wire management would be easier? However, if you would get for example the Silverstone ST30SF, it has short cables already and not too many of them. If you are limited to an SFX unit because of chosing the SG05 then the ST30SF is actually easier to manage cables than the modular SFX units.

So if mITX is the choice, and if I were on your budget, I'd get a cheap H81, the G3258, budget ram, an SSD, and an SG05 with the ST30SF.

But if uATX is the choice, then I wouldn't waste a lot of budget on the SG10. It's designed for air-cooled dual graphics cards. There are cheaper small uATX cases to be had. Not that I can recommend anything off hand that I would buy, but I'm sure someone else will chime in.
 
If you're going for low power VGA like radeon R7 or GTX 750 that has single slot version you should be able to get a case like tacens ixion with 300W or 420W SFX psu bundled for around 50$. The only thing is you need to look for the ones with both sides perforated.

tacens_ixion_2.jpg


I've got that 420W unit and it works well on my xeon with gainward GTX 750 single slot and Radeon HD7750 single slot for over a year.

So if you're not really going for a hot dedicated card or any card ( meaning u stay with integrated stuff) then that's best choice for a cheap pc. OEM PSU's are good enough if your card doesn't require additional power and your cpu tdp is below 80W.

In such compact case and OEM sfx psu you don't really need it to be modular because it doesn't have too much spare connectors anyway.

As for cpu - don't take the AMD route, go for intel. G3258 is quite good for everything except for games requiring 4 threads to run like latest call of duty.
 
pavel said:
I want to build a system for someone (in the future) and for myself, later on.
Click to expand...

Ask us "in the future." No, srsly. You should worry about the budget and the "when" of it, but don't worry about actual parts until about 2 weeks before you need it. I say this because whatever is said right now may not be valid by the time you get to buying the parts. When is this "future" you speak of? Is it 1 month in the future? Well then, parts probably won't change. Is it say 4 months in the future such as tax return? Then don't worry about it now, because who knows what will be out then. Broadwell (next gen Intel Core) will be out in 2nd Q, which may (or may not) make current Intel stuff obsolete as a new CPU+mobo purchase, or may make AMD stuff more affordable if they have to cut prices.

Why I mention AMD is that you can get more threads/$ with AMD, which may potentially be better for virtual machines at the same cost as faster but fewer cores from Intel.
 
pavel said:
I think I rambled on too much. Anyone care to offer any advice or suggestions?
Click to expand...
Yeah, listen to Zap: You're planning too early and it really doesn't help you to plan a PC build far in advance. At most, 1-2 weeks in advance. A lot can change between the time you set up the build list and the time you buy. Hell, I've once had to redo an entire build list after just three days even though the circumstances/rubrick/goals were exactly the same as before.

Nor do i recommend buying parts over time for most people. I'd only recommend buying parts over time if A) you're 100% up-to-date on computer hardware pricing and availability and therefore can tell when is the right time to buy a certain part and/or B) the part is on sale for a substantial discount (like 50% off).

With that said, in general, on cost to hardware quality alone, I'd recommend mATX any day. From what I've seen, a budget mATX setup is usually of higher quality and/or performance than a similarly priced mITX setup with similar usages. Basically, a decent mITX motherboard can often cost more than a decent mATX motherboard
 
If you are looking to build a nice compact mITX computer, I'd recommend what I just built for my folks.

No discrete graphics.

AMD APU.....A8-5600K......88.99
RAM......Kingston HyperX Fury, 1600, 8 GB......78.00
MB....Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WiFi.......114.99
SSD......Kingston HyperX Fury, 240 GB......105.00
Case.....Antec ISK-300-150......mITX with 150W PSU built in.

You have everything you need for a nice desktop. Very small footprint. Perfect for office, web stuff, videos, streaming....of course no gaming. The case is very handsome.:D
 
I didn't expect so many replies. Thank you! :)
cowsgomoo said:
Something like this?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9QZGt6
Click to expand...
Yes, maybe? :)

WiSK said:
Hi!

I think you need to establish first whether the person for whom the case is actually needs more than 16GB. For example, 8GB and an SSD for swapping might be the wiser investment than 16GB and a mechanical drive, in terms of performance. Also running VMs doesn't necessitate extra cores - it really depends on the systems being run, are they webservers or databases or what? What system is he/she currently using?

So mITX or uATX is not clear...

Important for the chip choice is does he/she need VT-d? i.e. hardware virtualisation. If not then G3258 is a great chip. You can overclock it easily, but it's not that weak at stock. The integrated graphics seems pretty decent. My son bought himself one for xmas and last night he ran Warcraft without a graphics card. Low settings 720p, but still I was very surprised.

About modular PSUs. You presume that wire management would be easier? However, if you would get for example the Silverstone ST30SF, it has short cables already and not too many of them. If you are limited to an SFX unit because of chosing the SG05 then the ST30SF is actually easier to manage cables than the modular SFX units.

So if mITX is the choice, and if I were on your budget, I'd get a cheap H81, the G3258, budget ram, an SSD, and an SG05 with the ST30SF.

But if uATX is the choice, then I wouldn't waste a lot of budget on the SG10. It's designed for air-cooled dual graphics cards. There are cheaper small uATX cases to be had. Not that I can recommend anything off hand that I would buy, but I'm sure someone else will chime in.
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I'm having a hard time finding uatx cases for a decent price compared to mitx. For mitx, there seems to be a lot more. Very strange. Whereas, maybe not as many itx motherboards or they are more expensive than comparable/equivalent uatx boards. 8gb/16gb might be enough. Not sure. A Thinkpad T400 is being used right now. The desktop's mobo crapped out.


SaperPL said:
If you're going for low power VGA like radeon R7 or GTX 750 that has single slot version you should be able to get a case like tacens ixion with 300W or 420W SFX psu bundled for around 50$. The only thing is you need to look for the ones with both sides perforated.

tacens_ixion_2.jpg


I've got that 420W unit and it works well on my xeon with gainward GTX 750 single slot and Radeon HD7750 single slot for over a year.

So if you're not really going for a hot dedicated card or any card ( meaning u stay with integrated stuff) then that's best choice for a cheap pc. OEM PSU's are good enough if your card doesn't require additional power and your cpu tdp is below 80W.

In such compact case and OEM sfx psu you don't really need it to be modular because it doesn't have too much spare connectors anyway.

As for cpu - don't take the AMD route, go for intel. G3258 is quite good for everything except for games requiring 4 threads to run like latest call of duty.
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Cannot find this case in my area. It looks interesting, though.

I was thinking I should establish whether to get uatx or m-itx. As for 'future', I admit I am not 100% sure but I was being questioned on what to get or what I think is best. :)

I think small/portable/compact is good but they want to use virtual machines (virtualbox?) and lots of programs open (firefox: tons of tabs open) so multitasking power might be good? But, with budget restraints and user flexibility, might not need certain perks?

I also wanted to upgrade my current hardware myself and I'd like something similar but I have a GTX 750 I can put in. So, my needs/wants are slightly different. I don't need to use integrated graphics unless I keep my current machine. But, my idea was to sell individual components on ebay to partially fund my build. :)

Anyway, I could wait 2 wks before the build but isn't it useful to get some ideas now? I think they will be impatient to wait until $400 or so is saved and you know how it is, to buy components? :) It's nice to see a continous inflow of hardware come in? Or should they just use a savings account? Thanks for the ideas. :)

I prefer an Intel/Haswell(?) system for myself and just thought it might be good for us to have similar machines?

Btw, they do have HDDS but myself, I want to use a SSD. However, if they add a SSD to the budget, it goes up again... :-}
 
pavel said:
8gb/16gb might be enough. Not sure.
.......
I think small/portable/compact is good but they want to use virtual machines (virtualbox?) and lots of programs open (firefox: tons of tabs open) so multitasking power might be good? But, with budget restraints and user flexibility, might not need certain perks?
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Ask them exactly what they're using the PC for. I mean have them tell you exactly what they want to do with this PC. Be very specific. Ask them what their virtualization work is composed of. Basically, get every bit of information out them as it does not help us or you with these rather vague answers.

pavel said:
Anyway, I could wait 2 wks before the build but isn't it useful to get some ideas now? I think they will be impatient to wait until $400 or so is saved and you know how it is, to buy components? :) It's nice to see a continous inflow of hardware come in? Or should they just use a savings account? Thanks for the ideas. :)
Click to expand...
Whether or not it's useful to get some ideas now is largely dependent on how long it's going to take them or you to save the money. If it's just a matter of 3 weeks, yeah it's of some usefulness to get some ideas now. If it's going to take one or more months, not worth the time for reasons already mentioned.

Their impatience is going to cost them even more money, time, and effort in the long-run. What if the parts arrive DOA? It sounds like they have no way to test the parts as they come in. What if there's an even better part for the money? What if the selected component are no longer available? In other words, outside of extremely good sale/deals and the unfortunate need for instant gratification, really no point in buying parts over time. How hard is it to save $400 and not spend it?
 
For this other person, maybe suggest some of the Haswell i5 or i7 powered Intel NUC options with the 2.5" drive bay and Iris graphics. If 16GB RAM will, in fact, be enough. 3 year warranty.

Price can escalate quickly, though, since you have to buy RAM, SSD, and potentially an OS on top of the system cost.
 
pavel said:
Anyway, I could wait 2 wks before the build but isn't it useful to get some ideas now? I think they will be impatient to wait until $400 or so is saved and you know how it is, to buy components? :) It's nice to see a continous inflow of hardware come in? Or should they just use a savings account? Thanks for the ideas. :)

I prefer an Intel/Haswell(?) system for myself and just thought it might be good for us to have similar machines?

Btw, they do have HDDS but myself, I want to use a SSD. However, if they add a SSD to the budget, it goes up again... :-}
Click to expand...

It is useful to get some ideas, but you shouldn't pick your components now. New components are popping up every other week and prices are changing frequently, so buy when you build.
As for the continuous flow of hardware, that really depends on your preference. But I would recommend to save the money, depending on how long you need to save up on it, components might be a bit cheaper in the future. I wouldn't use a savings account where you don't have access to the money because you may stumble upon some deals that greatly reduce the cost of the build.

No, it isn't beneficial for you to have similar machines in any way. From what I can tell, you want to play games on your machine, so you need dedicated graphics, while your friend only wants good multi-thread performance. You have vastly different requirements and you should tailor both builds to those.

As WiSK said, how much RAM your friend needs depends on the kind of VMs he runs and their number. Still, if he isn't using more than 16GB now or was not satisfied by the performance of his 8GB system, 16GB are probably enough.
It seems like the intel NUCs with a quad core are not a bad option for your friend, as DejaWiz has already proposed. For the upgradeability of the RAM, it might make sense to buy a single 8GB stick first and then buy a second one later on. This depends on how soon you suspect the upgrade to be necessary.

For your build, I would strongly recommend a mITX build, you don't need anything larger really for gaming. You said you have a GTX 750 you want to migrate, and that is a good idea when budget is tight. With that GPU in mind, the 300W version of the Sugo SG05 seems like a good option, it sells for about 90€ and has the PSU already built in. If your GPU doesn't have an overly large cooler and is shorter than 9,5", you should be golden. If you have a spare SFX PSU laying around (which I doubt), you can also go for the LITE version, which doesn't have a PSU included and sells for as little as 35€.

You may also want to go for the LITE version and invest in a beefier PSU to keep your options of upgrading the graphics easily.

I just noticed, there will also be the newer SG13 which is pretty much the iterative successor of the SG05, it is just a bit larger but allows longer graphics cards and even ATX PSUs out of the box. It's not out yet, a good example for how waiting can change the game for your build ;)
 
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Sounds like a good plan, thanks.

Does anyone have any thoughts on AMD's Kaveri line? I was recommended the A8-7600 cpu. It's a bit more expensive than the Intel Haswell Pentium G3258. But, going with Haswell, there's way better upgrade options - if one wanted. I think the AMD cpu is probably sufficient plus it's ''Quad Core' whereas the G3258 isnt.

I agree with the comments that 8gb is probably enough RAM - well, to make it a truly budget build. I think 8gb is min.

I skimmed through the SG13 thread. The case seems perfect for my personal needs and might be a good choice for the other build. I really think a nice portable, compact system would be nice. It wouldn't be moved much but the convenience is a plus. However, I looked at AMD's FM2/FM2+ line for m-itx and there are few options. It's much better if one went with a uatx mobo.
 
SuicidalGoat said:
I have used MANY cases over the years. The smallest case I have used with the least amount of compromises when it comes to compatibility.... is the Thermaltake Core v1 HardOCP did a review on it recently too http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/08/15/thermaltake_core_v1_miniitx_case_review/#.VJ4IyP-w0
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I read the review of this case and looked at some pictures. It looks good but on some reviews, owners talk about the power and reset buttons being placed so close to the two usb 3.0 ports that they sometimes accidentally turn their computer off when plugging/unplugging usb components. What do you think of that?

Other than that potential annoyance, I think the case looks good and the price is right. If the Silverstone SG13 never gets released into the wild, I'd probably go for this case if I went with a mini-itx setup.

Still don't know which uatx cases are candidates for a micro-ATX system, though. I prefer smaller/compact but budget price if possible. :-/
 
^ you could leave the reset switch unplugged from the MoBo and set the power button behavior to "do nothing" in Windows.
 
I just built my rig using a Core V1 & AMD A10-7850k. Awesome little case. My only dislike is that it should have come with 2 windowed panels to more stabilize air flow through the chassis. I can feel a lot of the air from the 200mm front fan coming out the sides. Add for the power and reset buttons, I don't have an issue bumping them. I plan on getting an Ikea Kallax book case to but the chassis in one of the cubbies.
 
pavel said:
I read the review of this case and looked at some pictures. It looks good but on some reviews, owners talk about the power and reset buttons being placed so close to the two usb 3.0 ports that they sometimes accidentally turn their computer off when plugging/unplugging usb components. What do you think of that?

Other than that potential annoyance, I think the case looks good and the price is right. If the Silverstone SG13 never gets released into the wild, I'd probably go for this case if I went with a mini-itx setup.

Still don't know which uatx cases are candidates for a micro-ATX system, though. I prefer smaller/compact but budget price if possible. :-/
Click to expand...

Ive read those reviews and comments as well. I can see where that could be a potential problem, but it is not one that I have ever experienced yet. I use those side usb ports frequently to plug in game controllers for my kids. I suppose if I ever accidentally turned off my pc with the power button trying to plug in a usb device I might be motivated enough to turn that option off in the windows control panel.

Now that ITX is as cheap as mainstream ATX and mATX, I am never going back.
 
SuicidalGoat said:
Ive read those reviews and comments as well. I can see where that could be a potential problem, but it is not one that I have ever experienced yet. I use those side usb ports frequently to plug in game controllers for my kids. I suppose if I ever accidentally turned off my pc with the power button trying to plug in a usb device I might be motivated enough to turn that option off in the windows control panel.

Now that ITX is as cheap as mainstream ATX and mATX, I am never going back.
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Can I ask you what ITX system you have (and case)?

I really am not intrigued by most of the mATX cases out there. Many are just too big or heavy (imho). The ones I like are quite a bit over $100 and would require a considerable increase in the budget. Possibly doable but neither system needs a high performance gaming card so the smaller ITX cases would be fine.

I was just concerned about less options or choices when choosing the ITX motherboard.

There's quite a few ITX cases that look like more interesting choices than mATX even. The other concern with ITX is that it requires more planning when assembling.
 
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pavel said:
Can I ask you what ITX system you have (and case)?

I really am not intrigued by most of the mATX cases out there. The ones I like are quite a bit over $100 and would require a considerable increase in the budget. Possibly doable but neither system needs a high performance gaming card so the smaller ITX cases would be fine.

I was just concerned about less options or choices when choosing the ITX motherboard.

There's quite a few ITX cases that look like more interesting choices than mATX even. The other concern with ITX is that it requires more planning when assembling.
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I have two itx systems in my sig.

My Main rig:
CPU: Intel i7 3770K
Cooler: Cooler Master TX3
Motherboard: MSI Z77IA-E53
Video: EVGA GTX760
RAM: 8GB Crucial Sport (very low profile)
Intel 530 SSD
WD1TB HDD
ThermalTake Core V1

My Lanbox:
AMD A10-5800k
Zalman CNPS8900
Asrock A85X-ITX
Powercolor 7850
8GB Kingston (VLP)
Samsung 840
Silverstone SG05B
 
There is some planning to do when going ITX, but so does ATX. I was so used to building atx and matx that I took things for granted and ran into a few issues with itx. Compared to a regular atx build, the only things I have found different when going to itx is that you have to be more mindful of cpu cooler dimensions if you plan on using anything other than stock cooling. intel sockets tend to be close to the pcie slot and amd sockets tend to be closer to the ram slots. getting low profile ram helps a lot.

I've had itx cases that limited video card length to 6.5 inches, the Silverstone Sugo limits video length to 9.5 inches (depending to power plugs). The Thermaltake Core v1 supports just about any length
 
I'd use either a low profile air or liquid - such as the H60 or similar - whatever would fit.

I was comparing mobos and I find itx boards to be more expensive when you compare low-end. For e.g., the cheapest Z97 itx mobo is around $135-140. mATX boards w/ Z97 can be around $100-120. I guess the difference is not much. I might not need Z97. I was considering it so that an option to upgrade to Broadwell is easier but I might try to get the best Haswell I can afford - i5-4590 or i5-4690.

A 2nd system I'd build for a relative, I might go with AMD. It depends if the G3258 is good enough. They won't move it around much but I thought it might be best to be portable in case they need to inspect the system for some reason. I'd rather it be light and compact for them to do so.

They don't need the video card as integrated graphics would be sufficient. Therefore, I don't need to worry about video card length for either build. My current card is a EVGA Nvidia 750 so it'd be fine in a SG05 or SG13, for e.g.
 
I compared prices. I find itx mobos more expensive than either matx or ATX.

For e.g.:
4 - Z97 mobo - ATX – </= $120
5 – Z97 mobo – mATX - </= $120
0 – Z97 mobo - ITX - </= $120 (cheapest is $130)

So, I could wait for the SG13 ($40 approx) and then put more money into the mobo (ITX) or:

Try to find a cheap mATX - which there are some but I don't like them as much compared since they are often larger mid-towers. The smallest mATX cases are usually over $100. So, 'budget' mobo for mATX $120 (e.g.) + $120 mATX = $240.

itx case $40 + itx mobo $150 (I think I could find an itx mobo I like for $150 - Z97, too) = $190. So, if both are compact/small, the itx build would be cheaper.

Any comments? :)
 
You seem really interested in mITX, so I recommend you spend the little extra and get what you want, then save a little money and end up in regret.
 
pavel said:
I compared prices. I find itx mobos more expensive than either matx or ATX.

For e.g.:
4 - Z97 mobo - ATX – </= $120
5 – Z97 mobo – mATX - </= $120
0 – Z97 mobo - ITX - </= $120 (cheapest is $130)

So, I could wait for the SG13 ($40 approx) and then put more money into the mobo (ITX) or:

Try to find a cheap mATX - which there are some but I don't like them as much compared since they are often larger mid-towers. The smallest mATX cases are usually over $100. So, 'budget' mobo for mATX $120 (e.g.) + $120 mATX = $240.

itx case $40 + itx mobo $150 (I think I could find an itx mobo I like for $150 - Z97, too) = $190. So, if both are compact/small, the itx build would be cheaper.

Any comments? :)
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Well: When are you planning to buy the parts?

No point in giving you advice if that advice can easily change due to pricing and availability over the next few months. It doesn't help you.
 
DejaWiz said:
You seem really interested in mITX, so I recommend you spend the little extra and get what you want, then save a little money and end up in regret.
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I was interested in uATX but mostly for the extra options - two extra RAM slots, more choices for mobos etc. But, I think the cases are too big for what I like.

Dangman said:
Well: When are you planning to buy the parts?

No point in giving you advice if that advice can easily change due to pricing and availability over the next few months. It doesn't help you.
Click to expand...
I think I'll probably wait until Broadwell is released. Will Haswell parts go down in price? Some itx components I'm interested in, like the SG13, should be released by then. Probably, some SFX/SFX-L parts as well. I'm also interested in the Broadwell NUCs (Haswell, if they are too much $$) now. :) I will want to compare prices for each (build).
 
pavel said:
I was interested in uATX but mostly for the extra options - two extra RAM slots, more choices for mobos etc. But, I think the cases are too big for what I like.

I think I'll probably wait until Broadwell is released. Will Haswell parts go down in price? Some itx components I'm interested in, like the SG13, should be released by then. Probably, some SFX/SFX-L parts as well. I'm also interested in the Broadwell NUCs (Haswell, if they are too much $$) now. :) I will want to compare prices for each (build).
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Haswell will not go down that much in price (like $5 to $10). Intel generally releases their new CPUs at the price points of their old CPUs in order to drive sales of the new CPUs.

Since you're waiting for Broadwell, ask for advice then. Like I said multiples in this thread, no point in planning so early. Especially considering that not all Z97 or H97 motherboards will automatically support Broadwell CPUs out of the box for quite some time after Broadwell's release due to sheer number of old stock or lack of compatible CPU to use for the UEFI update process.

With that said, your earlier question about the price to performance of a mATX to a mITX setup doesn't quite make that much sense if you were buying today as you forgot quite a few factors there.
 
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