Slim cheap ITX case

lightsout

[H]ard|Gawd
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Mar 15, 2014
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I just got a NUC but having issues. Rethinking about maybe building a small itx rig.

I want something to sit under the TV and be silent, un-noticed. The main use will be to play FLAC audio on my Denon AVR.

I'm on a tight budget so I know a sff PSU wil hurt that. Something that maybe has a PSU in it or is somehow slim and also accepts an ATX PSU, any thoughts?

Any recomendation on setup I am interested in as well. AMD or Intel? a good cheap itx board, etc
 
Slim and ATX PSU don't usually go together.

I am a fan of the ISK110 but it is not cheap, sadly. Its PSU is replaceable with a Pico PSU if you wanted more power, it is perfect for a little APU build if you're willing to spend the cash on it. I have not looked at slim tiny ITX cases in a while though so I am sure others can chime in with better ones.
 
Slim and ATX PSU don't usually go together.

I am a fan of the ISK110 but it is not cheap, sadly. Its PSU is replaceable with a Pico PSU if you wanted more power, it is perfect for a little APU build if you're willing to spend the cash on it. I have not looked at slim tiny ITX cases in a while though so I am sure others can chime in with better ones.
Thanks, yeah I see the ATX thing doesn't really work, I'll check that case out.
 
I used to use the Silverstone Milo ML07 cases since they can hold an SFX size power supply. For cooling I used to use the Prolimatech Samuel 17 low profile cooler, which gives you a lot of flexibility with fan selection. They've updated their design to the ML09 case so that might be better. If you want, you could use a Pico PSU with external power brick from MiniBox, which I also tried. But in the end, I gave up on the whole small case compromise and just upgraded to their Grandia GD09 cases which provide more flexibility with motherboard size and I can still use a standard size power supply and optical drive if I want to, plus a larger cooler where the fan will run slower. Now I use Scythe Glidestream fans the run at 380rpms for quiet performance and a Noctua C14S that runs at 570rpms that's also quiet.
 
I used to use the Silverstone Milo ML07 cases since they can hold an SFX size power supply. For cooling I used to use the Prolimatech Samuel 17 low profile cooler, which gives you a lot of flexibility with fan selection. They've updated their design to the ML09 case so that might be better. If you want, you could use a Pico PSU with external power brick from MiniBox, which I also tried. But in the end, I gave up on the whole small case compromise and just upgraded to their Grandia GD09 cases which provide more flexibility with motherboard size and I can still use a standard size power supply and optical drive if I want to, plus a larger cooler where the fan will run slower. Now I use Scythe Glidestream fans the run at 380rpms for quiet performance and a Noctua C14S that runs at 570rpms that's also quiet.
I have the GD05 in the garage. It has an i3-540 setup in it. Died on me years ago never got around to figuring out what was dead.

The Milo ML07 looks cool, but even at that size its huge compared to the NUC lol. I think I'm just too sick of a loud PC in my living room, I want it near silent.
 
The Milo ML07 looks cool, but even at that size its huge compared to the NUC lol. I think I'm just too sick of a loud PC in my living room, I want it near silent.

That's one of the reasons I moved to a larger box--so that larger mainstream fans like Scythe or Noctua could run at a slower speed. Plus I got tired of having to compromise on motherboard and power supply sizes. Now I can use Corsair power supplies that are silent with the fan stopped a low wattage loads, which you would have if you were just playing FLACs. In a case like the Grandia GD09 I could even get by with not having any case side fans with the Noctua C14S cooler providing all that's needed.
 
That's one of the reasons I moved to a larger box--so that larger mainstream fans like Scythe or Noctua could run at a slower speed. Plus I got tired of having to compromise on motherboard and power supply sizes. Now I can use Corsair power supplies that are silent with the fan stopped a low wattage loads, which you would have if you were just playing FLACs. In a case like the Grandia GD09 I could even get by with not having any case side fans with the Noctua C14S cooler providing all that's needed.
Yeah I hear you man that is definitely the trade off. I don't like little loud fans either.

If the NUC issues get resolved I will be happy just to keep it. We'll see. Thanks
 
Loved building in the ML09. 7 liter volume, not much smaller if you want a GPU. Smaller than a launch Xbox One. Fits a low profile GPU and 70mm CPU coolers. (Fits the great Noctua L12S...you could probably get away with a 2700X with this cooler if you are careful)

I picked up a 300 watt silverstone SFX PSU used for $40. It doesn't have to cost too much if you look carefully.

If you don't want a GPU, there are options. There's nice Chinese ones made by a company called Realan. I think some models include a 100 watt pico type PSU.
 
Loved building in the ML09. 7 liter volume, not much smaller if you want a GPU. Smaller than a launch Xbox One. Fits a low profile GPU and 70mm CPU coolers. (Fits the great Noctua L12S...you could probably get away with a 2700X with this cooler if you are careful)

I picked up a 300 watt silverstone SFX PSU used for $40. It doesn't have to cost too much if you look carefully.

If you don't want a GPU, there are options. There's nice Chinese ones made by a company called Realan. I think some models include a 100 watt pico type PSU.
Thanks. The GPU is on of those things that I probably don't need but it's definitely nice to have the option. I'll look into those cases.
 
I like my Realan Ei7 for living room PC duties. Small, with room for a large cooler.

ITX motherboards may have a better audio output solution than the NUC. Although this doesn't matter much if you're just sending the receiver digital audio or using a USB DAC
 
I like my Realan Ei7 for living room PC duties. Small, with room for a large cooler.

ITX motherboards may have a better audio output solution than the NUC. Although this doesn't matter much if you're just sending the receiver digital audio or using a USB DAC
That thing looks pretty sweet, I am sending audio over HDMI, haven't got into the world of DACs yet.
 
I did a build using the CUK axiom ts, sub 5L with 200w psu.

https://www.amazon.com/Axiom-Small-Factor-Desktop-Computer/dp/B07BBS7BD3

You can get a prebuilt: https://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Radeon-3000MHz-Windows-Computer/dp/B079SLT9R9

But I think you could build it cheaper using an a320/2200g combo with a single stick of 2400 ram and a cheap 128gb sdd, which is all you'd need for a basic htpc. Add a 2nd stick of ram if you want to do anything remotely cpu or gpu intensive. Go to a b350 or x370 board, 2400g and 2 sticks of 3000mhz ram if you want to do basic 1080p gaming.
 
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AMD just announced their Ryzen Athlon 2 core 4 thread part for $55.

I imagine that paired with a cheap a320 board plus a small case listed here would be a really great value.

CPU:$55
Motherboard: $50
RAM:$70-$80
PSU: included
Case: $60 (cuk axiom ts)

Total: $235-$255
 
Thanks guys. I ended up keeping the NUC it needed a 4k certified HDMI cable. The amazon basics 4k cable didn't cut it. I have not had any issues since and it does everything that I need it to.
 
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