Pound for pound, you know the sound: Here’s a Kepler-powered microATX gaming rig that won’t break the bank—or your back
Note: This feature originally ran in the June issue of Maximum PC--some pricing may have changed since then.
Oh, microATX. You’re the awkward middle child of motherboard form factors: neither as fully powered as a regular ATX board nor as compact as Mini-ITX. On the other hand, it’s possible to build a hell of a rig with microATX in a relatively small footprint without compromising power, and I’ve been intending to do so for a while. I took a shine to the X79-powered microATX mobo Gordon Mah Ung reviewed in the April 2012 issue, and when the sky angels slipped a Kepler GPU into my rucksack, I knew what I had to do.
It’s not going to be easy fitting all these high-powered parts into a minuscule chassis, but if you want easy, build a full-size machine. When I’m done, I’ll have a box just 14.5 inches tall, 15.2 inches deep, and 8.25 inches wide—one that kicks a disproportionate amount of ass, no matter how tricky we have to get with the zip ties.
I’ve had my eye on Silverstone’s TJ08-E microATX case since we reviewed it in March 2012. It’s a bit cramped, but it has good airflow and a sleek aesthetic—as well as an unusual motherboard orientation—and it has plenty of room for long videocards and a few drives.
Now, most microATX motherboards suffer from budget-itis: They’re cheap and underpowered compared to full ATX boards. The Asus Rampage IV Gene? Not so much. It has LGA2011 support, quad-channel memory (though only four DIMM slots), 6Gb/s SATA ports, three 16x PCIe slots, great onboard audio, and ground-effect LEDs. Just for fun.
Intel’s Core i7-3820 is a great processor, and an obvious choice for an LGA2011 CPU under $300. It’s a quad-core part at 3.6GHz stock and includes HyperThreading. Plus, if you want to upgrade to a six-core CPU later, LGA2011 is the only way to fly.
The Rampage IV’s RAM slots are close to the CPU socket, so I can’t use an enormous CPU cooler. NZXT’s Havik 120 features dual fans and excellent performance, but I’m still using RAM with low-profile heat spreaders to avoid bumping up against the fans.
For storage, I’m sticking with my personal price/performance sweet spot: a 120GB 6Gb/s SATA SSD and a 3TB storage drive.
There’s not much room in the TJ08-E for excess cabling or lengthy PSUs, so I’m using the Silverstone Strider Plus 750W, which is fully modular and only 6.3 inches deep. This should help me keep my wiring tidy.
Oh, and I’ll be using Nvidia’s brand-new GeForce GTX 680, which is faster than the GeForce GTX 580 and competitive with the Radeon HD 7970 but uses just two 6-pin power cables (see Loyd Case’s detailed Kepler breakdown on page 42). At $500, this card is a hell of a deal, sips power (for a high-end GPU), and fires a pretty big shot directly across AMD’s bow.
| PART | URL | PRICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case | Silverstone TJ08-E | www.silverstonetek.com | $95 |
| PSU | Silverstone Strider Plus 750 | www.silverstonetek.com | $140 |
| Mobo | Asus ROG Rampage IV Gene | www.asus.com | $290 |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-3820 | www.intel.com | $285 |
| Cooler | NZXT Havik 120 | www.nzxt.com | $55 |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 | www.nvidia.com | $500 |
| RAM | 16GB Corsair Vengeance LP | www.corsair.com | $130 |
| Optical Drive | Plextor CD/DVD burner | www.plextor.com | $20 |
| Hard Drive | 3TB Seagate Barracuda | www.seagate.com | $190 |
| SSD | Corsair Force GT 120 | www.corsair.com | $170 |
| OS | Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (OEM) | www.microsoft.com | $139 |
| Total | $2,014 |
The TJ08-E’s cramped quarters and unusual layout mean I can’t follow a typical build order. Instead, the steps are optimized for cable management as well as, well, component management. Here are the highlights.
Remove the TJ08-E’s side panels, then remove the six screws securing the top panel and take that off, too. Make sure the following cables are attached to the PSU: 24-pin and 8-pin ATX, two 6-pin PCIe power, and two SATA power cable strands. Remove the rest of the modular cables and slide the PSU into the top of the case, fan side up. Secure it with four screws (I used the PSU’s included thumbscrews) and pull the cables through the opening that leads behind the motherboard tray.
Next, we’ll install the drives. Lay the case on its side and remove the four screws securing the drive cages to the bottom of the case. Remove the trays and secure the SSD directly to the bottom of the case.
Comments are closed on this article
Benjo
June 25, 2012 at 1:51pm
My last PC build was mATX. It's a good balance between cost/size/performance. Being able to use standard/existing parts is a plus. :)
I don't see the advantage of mounting the motherboard upside-down though. Lower center of gravity?
-it-
June 28, 2012 at 11:24am
the upside down mobo lets you use long gpus that go over the hard drive cage.
diedrichg
June 25, 2012 at 11:41am
I knew that didn't look right! The dimensions in this article are wrong. The correct depth is 14". 15.16" x 8.27" x 14.72"
csda
June 24, 2012 at 7:09pm
I was looking for a good MicroATX box, when I read the April article. I used the following for my build;
Silverstone TJ08B-E case
Asus P8Z68-M PRO Motherboard
Intel 3770k CPU
8GB DDR3-1866 memory
Antec NEO ECO 620C Power Supply
Antec Kuhler H20 620 CPU Water Cooler
CoolMaster Blade Master 120mm PWM Fan
22x OEM Sata DVD Drive
2 TB Hard Drive
Win 7 x64
MSI Nvidia Geforce GTX 580 Lightning Video Card
8 Pin GPU power adapterThe CoolMaster 120mm Fan replaced the 2 pin 120mm fan of the Antec Kuhler H20 620 to allow controlling that fan speed independent from the water pump. The MSI GTX 580 Lightning needed two 8 pin PCIe power, so the second one comes from an unused PATA drive power using the adapter.
By using the Antec Kuhler H20 620, it leaves the motherboard area very open for good cooling, much better than the passive cooler used in the article. And, with the video card dumping out up to 400 watts itself, this keeps the air flowing smoothly.
My biggest disappointments in the case design are lack of a firewire connector on the front, and lack of screw-less or captured screws for the side covers and the cover for the card slots.
Since I always seem to be taking boxes on the road, I'll probably mod the case with a handle on top.
ohsnaps1104
June 24, 2012 at 12:20am
Who would want Blu-ray in their pc to begin with? I think it's a total joke. Why would I put a slower optical drive in that has to use a lot of background processes to update firmware, decryption keys, not to mention you have to buy updated software. It just seems like a joke to me. I have one. I never bothered to update anything for Blu-ray support.
JohnnyCNote
June 24, 2012 at 11:10pm
To each his own, as the song goes. I've have a large number of ripped BluRay movies. I record them on rewritable disks and it works great . . .
bigrigross
June 24, 2012 at 10:49am
I have a blu-ray drive in my PC. With Hard Drive prices the way the are, I dont have enough room to put all my blu-rays on my drives. And no, I am not compressing them. The picture quality is only half of the reason I buy blu-rays, I want the audio and compressing it loses fidelity. I like the sound blu-rays give. Plus, I just have to put a blu-ray in. I am not waiting an hour to rip each blu-ray disc.
JohnnyCNote
June 23, 2012 at 7:09am
This is good if you want to use an mATX motherboard for a specific reason, but for $2000 you're really not saving much money and you don't even have BluRay capability. I'd be more interested if you could use a less expensive mb and GPU, but that's just if I were building it. It's still a nice machine . . .
Jonskeez
June 23, 2012 at 6:09am
I think for the case, a Fractal Define Mini would also be a really good choice. It'd be a lot more spacious to work with also.
GavinFarrington...
June 22, 2012 at 8:00pm
Thanks guys. Going to use this as a blueprint for my next rig.
alex_dh9
June 22, 2012 at 4:12pm
Good to see the 3820 getting used. I picked mine up for $289. Sweet deal. You guys got screwed on the ram price though lol. Good build.
zaphodbeeblebrox 42
June 22, 2012 at 2:46pm
cant wait till i complete my build.
all it needs is the bit fenix prodigy
so far i have
6GB of ram 1600
hd 6990
2 120GB ssds in raid 0 pushing over 1 Gb/s WOOT
320GB side hard drive.
i5 2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131840 mini itx mobo with more features than i know what do with
1 Kw power supply
EYEFINITY is awesome :)
all for around 1300 XD
which makes me wonder why would u do this build? it seems like u are better off get last generation parts for a hell of a lot less money and it is better performing. well the card is anyway. 2500k is good enough for most applications
AETAaAS
June 22, 2012 at 2:07pm
Nice to see an mATX build. I've got a NZXT Vulcan and its funny the looks I get when people see me carrying it around by the handle. :p
It will struggle to fit a full size tower cooler like the onein the build but I managed to get a Zalman CNPS5x (92mm) in there which cools well enough for my stock clock. You can also get full size graphic cards in the Vulcan but I cheaped out and got a 460. :)
bigrigross
June 22, 2012 at 1:24pm
I love this case. I came from the Silverstone Fortress 2 and it threw my back out almost everytime I picked it up to go to a LAN. So I got this and picked up a micro atx z77 ASUS Maximus V Gene. I had to modify the top of the case to fit my AX1200 but now everything is in there minus my 5.25in drive. Its so much lighter and easier to carry now. Plus it looks darn good. Though there is no room left inside between my dual 470s and my dual fan H70. Removable motherboard tray is amazing.
nedwards
June 22, 2012 at 1:50pm
I just went from an FT02 to the TJ08-E too! Both great cases, of course, and the Fortress has better cooling, but the TJ08 is just so much smaller.
bigrigross
June 24, 2012 at 10:51am
Yeah, definitely cooling wise, the FT02 wins. I am keeping the case for a future build that wont go anywhere. It was just way too heavy to carry around. I have dual 470s and those get hot. I am pretty sure I will have to drop on of the 470s which I am pretty sure isnt the cases fault, its the fact that the 470s are right next to one another and the second card isnt getting any air.
Print
