So this all started because we need a computer for our kids. My monstrosity of a computer (that was a mid-tier gaming rig at one point like 9 years ago) is showing its age and honestly a pain to try to fit anywhere. Wife is frustrated by it so says we should get a mac mini for the kids.
I thought this would be a great opportunity to build a computer with my kids that satisfies their needs and is a nice gaming upgrade for me and then ended up down the SFF rabbit hole (it's not a mac mini, but we'll get it small!).
So I've been doing some research and this is roughly what I'm looking at building: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mP9mGc just shooting for mid-tier'ish parts and hackintosh-compatability (because why not).
This would be my first scratch-built computer and every time I get close to buying something I delete it from the cart because I don't know enough to know if it is a good idea or not. I was initially looking at buying a case from Taobao (specifically one of the ZS-A4 type cases) but after importing, etc. it does not seem like you save that much over just buying the actual Dan A4 and Pcpartpicker can at least provide some loose guidance on compatibility with the Dan. I'm not sold on the case, but it seems like a good choice and I'm hoping I can pick up one used for a reasonable price.
So that's where I'm at now - I have no clue what to do about fans for the case, power supply, etc. so I'm looking for any tips.
I'm hoping to stay sub-$800 (and the farther under the better) and am going to pick up things used/scrimp wherever I can (I have the graphics card so that's a big expense off the block). My budget started at $600, but I had not realized how expensive the SFF cases are so...
I thought this would be a great opportunity to build a computer with my kids that satisfies their needs and is a nice gaming upgrade for me and then ended up down the SFF rabbit hole (it's not a mac mini, but we'll get it small!).
So I've been doing some research and this is roughly what I'm looking at building: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mP9mGc just shooting for mid-tier'ish parts and hackintosh-compatability (because why not).
This would be my first scratch-built computer and every time I get close to buying something I delete it from the cart because I don't know enough to know if it is a good idea or not. I was initially looking at buying a case from Taobao (specifically one of the ZS-A4 type cases) but after importing, etc. it does not seem like you save that much over just buying the actual Dan A4 and Pcpartpicker can at least provide some loose guidance on compatibility with the Dan. I'm not sold on the case, but it seems like a good choice and I'm hoping I can pick up one used for a reasonable price.
So that's where I'm at now - I have no clue what to do about fans for the case, power supply, etc. so I'm looking for any tips.
I'm hoping to stay sub-$800 (and the farther under the better) and am going to pick up things used/scrimp wherever I can (I have the graphics card so that's a big expense off the block). My budget started at $600, but I had not realized how expensive the SFF cases are so...
