Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Some Mini-ITX cases, such as the Antec 300-150, have a built-in power supply
that connects to a standard AC wall receptacle. The power supply provides the
usual power cables for the motherboard and drives, just as in a standard ATX
system. Other Mini-ITX cases, such as the Antec 300-65, use an external power
brick that provides low-voltage DC current to a jack on the case. That jack con-
nects to a circuit board inside the case, which provides the usual power cables
for the motherboard and drives.
Cases with an internal power supply (usually) have higher output, and may be
necessary if you use a relatively fast processor (such as an Intel Core 2 Duo or
45W AMD Athlon) rather than an Intel Atom—or if you install a high-current
video adapter or multiple 3.5” hard drives. Conversely, cases that use an ex-
ternal power brick are (usually) cooler-running and quieter overall and may
provide an extra drive bay without increasing the case volume. They are also
usually somewhat less expensive.
Book-style cases are generally less obtrusive and more space-efficient, partic-
ularly if you intend to use a passively cooled processor such as an Intel Atom.
The greater height of a cube or shoebox case may be required if your proces-
sor requires active cooling or if you intend to install a full-size video adapter.
Another benefit of these somewhat larger cases is that many accept standard-
size optical drives and 3.5” hard drives, which broadens your options and cuts
your costs.
Among the topic-style cases, our first choice is the
Antec ISK 300
, which is
available with a 150W internal power supply or a 65W power brick. The only
minor fault we noticed with these cases is that the side cooling fan is noisier
than we'd like. Even with the fan running at low speed, the hum is audible to
us if the system is less than a meter away. Most people probably wouldn't con-
sider the fan noise objectionable, but if you do you can easily replace the case
fan with a $10 aftermarket fan that's much quieter.
If you're building a Mini-ITX home theater system, you may prefer the
Thermal-
take RSI H SD100
. If you want to use a mainstream processor and standard-size
optical and hard drives, our pick is the
Thermaltake Element Q VL52021N2U
,
which includes a 200W SFX power supply. If we were building a “pocket battle-
ship” Mini-ITX system with a fast processor and high-performance graphics card,
we'd choose the
Silverstone Sugo SG05-B
, which includes a 300W power sup-
ply and can accept a RADEON HD 4850 graphics card.
Processor,CPUCooler,andMotherboard
Intel D510MO
(
http://www.intel.com
)
Depending on the processor you choose, the CPU performance of your appli-
ance system may vary by an order of magnitude or more. At one extreme, you
can build your appliance system around a processor like the Intel Core i5 and
achieve performance that matches that of all but the fastest desktop systems.
At the other extreme, you can choose a processor like the dual-core Intel Atom
D510, which is much slower but also much less expensive and much cooler-
running.
