Hardware Sticking a PC into a Smaller Case.

[LightyKD]

I have a Dell Inspiron 620 that I want to stick into a smaller case but I'm not sure where to start. going by Motherboard size I believe I'm dealing with a board that 8.5 x 9.0 inches. I still haven't decided on a GPU yet. I just want to make this machine as close to a console as possible. Any thoughts?

 

[RemixDeluxe]

Is there a reason why you want a smaller PC case? They are usually big for a number of reasons such as having room to add more parts in the future when you want to upgrade and most importantly its not cramped and allows your components to cool with proper space for air to flow.

If you still insist on getting a smaller case then just measure out the dimensions of the mobo and other components and see if it fits your needs to another case you want to put them into. Best of luck to you.

 

[LightyKD]

Is there a reason why you want a smaller PC case? They are usually big for a number of reasons such as having room to add more parts in the future when you want to upgrade and most importantly its not cramped and allows your components to cool with proper space for air to flow.

If you still insist on getting a smaller case then just measure out the dimensions of the mobo and other components and see if it fits your needs to another case you want to put them into. Best of luck to you.

I prefer smaller devices and I view this gaming rig in the same way I do a console. Steam Big Picture helps a lot with that. Thanks for wishing me luck. I'm gonna need it lol

 

[Kioku]

Should post a pic of your mobo.

I love itx builds. Micro ATX is nice too. Got a corsair 250d, but it's a bit big for a small computer. Silverstone sg13 is a great case.

 

[LightyKD]

Should post a pic of your mobo.

I love itx builds. Micro ATX is nice too. Got a corsair 250d, but it's a bit big for a small computer. Silverstone sg13 is a great case.

As soon as I get home from work and I don't have to deal with the awkwardness or posting anything on mobile, I'll upload a pic. My friend suggested that I go with a low profile GPU to keep the size small. Additionally I've noticed that white cases are fairly rare :/ -I've grown bored of black devices.

 

[Zaide]

I have a smaller build. Mini ITX motherboard with a pci-e ribbon cable so that I can mount the graphics card sideways next to the motherboard. It keeps you from being limited by the height if the card. It also requires a bit of customizing to make fit. If you plan it right though, you can build a full pc into an old NES or anything of similar size. Just be prepared to do a lot of cutting.

 

[Kioku]

As soon as I get home from work and I don't have to deal with the awkwardness or posting anything on mobile, I'll upload a pic. My friend suggested that I go with a low profile GPU to keep the size small. Additionally I've noticed that white cases are fairly rare :/ -I've grown bored of black devices.

Actually, yes, they are. A low profile Gpu is good, but most itx case support a standard Gpu. They do have shorter cards for itx cases though.

 

[Taleweaver]

Any thoughts?

I can't help but think something in the lines of "OH MY GOD WHYYYYYYY????!!!!!!!!". Remixdeluxe already pointed out how this makes no sense in a technical aspect, and it's basically looking for trouble. Besides...it's not like you can even save much money this way in comparison to a console or a steam machine.

Anyhow...aside the size, I can't blame you. I've got my PC hooked into the television as well (more specifically: the TV is hooked as a mirrored display), and I use it on a daily basis. So if you can get it to work and not overheat, it'll be a blast.

So...you'll need a smaller PC case that fits the motherboard both in size as in connection (don't forget the fan of the CPU and the memory stick out). As for GPU, you'll also be limited: pretty much all top brands are big and bulky. I tried upgrading my spare rig into a small form factor pc, but I could tell even before opening it that the video card would have been a lost cause: the old graphic card was almost as large as the PC! (it was an old 8800 GS or something...that was big by standards of five years ago). I had to settle for a low-end graphical card ("MSI N720-2GD3HLP - Graphics card - GF GT 720 - 2 GB DDR3 - PCIe 2.0 x16 low profile", in case you're interested)...that turned out to be not as much of a boost over the standard GPU as I had hoped. One stupid problem I had in research was that the small form factor had a smaller size for the card slots (not the plugins...the actual length on the outside plate of the device), and I couldn't really exclude video cards that too many slots to fit on a smaller outside plate.

Hope this helps. You know my stance from my first paragraph, but I wish you the best of luck on the project.

 

[Biduleman]

Your PC has an ATX motherboard, so you need an ATX supporting case. Don't go by size or it won't fit. If you are not buying a new motherboard, it's not worth it. If you want to start from scratch, check out the m-ITX form factor. Those are really small motherboard made small cases. Then, you can go with a case like the Cooler Master Elite 120 to have something really small. The case is long enough to support any graphic card. If you go for a smaller case, you might consider the Radeon R9 Nano for your graphic card. It's really short and will fit any case supporting normal graphic card.

 

[FAST6191]

Others seem to be taking what goes. The usual ones are motherboard size and graphics card, if any, plus whatever full width cards you might want to use and then sorting heat issues, power issues if you are doing slimline ones of those, paying for it all and realising it might be a bit lacking in the grunt department.

What I am more here to say is HDMI cables do video, audio, ethernet, some control stuff and possibly more. If you do not want to look at your tech and have a nearby cupboard, basement, attic and the availability of a drill bit to get you there then that is often the cheaper and easier option.
Starting with the silly length
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1120049-REG/iogear_ghdrc40_redmere_hdmi_cable_with.html

 

[TotalInsanity4]

Your PC has an ATX motherboard, so you need an ATX supporting case. Don't go by size or it won't fit. If you are not buying a new motherboard, it's not worth it. If you want to start from scratch, check out the m-ITX form factor. Those are really small motherboard made small cases. Then, you can go with a case like the Cooler Master Elite 120 to have something really small. The case is long enough to support any graphic card. If you go for a smaller case, you might consider the Radeon R9 Nano for your graphic card. It's really short and will fit any case supporting normal graphic card.

^^^ This is the response that I was not quick enough to give

 

[LightyKD]

For anyone interested, here is my motherboard

I'm also hunting for a GPU but I really don't want to spend any more than $130. Don't get me wrong, my integrated GPU plays most of my collection just fine but it's time for an upgrade. Any suggestions? Low profile would be best but if I have to go standard size, so be it

 

[Kioku]

I do believe that is a MicroATX board.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

So, unfortunately you will not be able to go console size.. Not without buying a new mobo.

 

[DinohScene]

For anyone interested, here is my motherboard *snip*

Ahw, it's cute~

 

[LightyKD]

Ahw, it's cute~

LMAO I never said that I was super into PC gaming. At anything I would be satisfied if I can get this rig near XBox One power and just play everything new at medium to low settings. Just wanna be set for Shenmue 3

 

[Biduleman]

If you want a low-profile card in your price range, the best deal would be the Radeon HD 7750. That's the one I got in my HTPC and it's working well enough to emulate Gamecube games in full HD and Wii games in 720p. There are not a lot of choice in the low-profile video card market, so only go for that if you intend one day to rebuild your computer around a mITX motherboard and case. Even then, in the mITX size, there are a lot of cases like the Cooler Master I linked in my last post which have enough space for a full size graphic card. I went the low profile route since the HTPC I built was not intended for gaming but now I regret it.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

THE BEST case for a console-like form factor while using a full size GFX card is the SilverStone RV-Z02

Also, on the picture of the motherboard, why the flarp does it have a CPU cover on it? Did you grab that off the internet or take it yourself?

 

[LightyKD]

THE BEST case for a console-like form factor while using a full size GFX card is the SilverStone RV-Z02

Also, on the picture of the motherboard, why the flarp does it have a CPU cover on it? Did you grab that off the internet or take it yourself?

I just grabbed the pic off the web. It's the same mobo I have but not my personal mobo which is currently in my PC running Steam lol.

 

[TotalInsanity4]

I just grabbed the pic off the web. It's the same mobo I have but not my personal mobo which is currently in my PC running Steam lol.

Ok, I was confused as to why you would have found a spare stock socket cover lol

So yeah, as I said before, if you want to go smaller, I'd buy a new motherboard and get the RV-Z02 case. As long as you're diligent about looking for the right parts, you should be able to reuse your CPU and RAM, and you can fit a full length dual slot card in that particular case so you won't have to worry about space constraints for that. Note that you would, however, need a new SFX power supply

 

[GreatCrippler]

It's a Micro-ATX Board. Smaller is going to be relative without causing heat issues.