I should have gone Mini-itx... please help me convert

champ222

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Apr 25, 2018
7
1
Hi All, i've just joined up to the forum, so hi :)

I'm from the UK, and basically, my PC is too big and i want to make it smaller. It would be handy if i could move it about a lot easier.

Ive only built one ITX PC before, which was for work. used the phanteks Evolve itx, which is massive, so it was easy. built a few PCs over the years.

the current spec is as follows, and i want to change as little as possible:

Gigabyte Z-270 ultra gaming (this will obviously need to change as its full ATX)
16GB DDR4 corsair vengence
Intel G4560
ASUS Nvidia Strix GTX 1070 (Dual slot - 134 x 40 x 298 mm)
Seasonic X-750 PSU (160mm deep modular)
Thermalright Macho Rev B cooler (H=162, W=140, D=102+fan so i guess D=130 ish mm)
Samsung 2.5" SSD, plus i currently use a bunch of old HDDs for games. i could replace with one big 3.5"HDD or potentially 2.5" SSD
Phanteks Evolv ATX

The reason i specced it this way, was because it gave me max flexibility for the future, the plan was to buy an i5/i7 used in a few years once the price had come down a lot, then over clock it then. I got 10 years out of my last pc, with a few upgrades along the way.

so ive looked about at some cases, and i like the look of the Bitfenix Prodigy, because the handles on the case give it a grab and go appeal, and they are cheap enough used so that i wouldnt worry too much about it getting scratched up. those handles do look a bit flimsy though.

In this video, (awful quality i'm afraid) he gets the thermalright macho in, buy removing the rear fan: - skip to about 8 mins.

the PSU might be a bit deep. It will fit a 160mm PSU, but because its modular, there might not be room. It does look like i could just cut some holes in the case where the back of the PSU goes, so that the PSU Cables can go straight through. i could remove the drive cage all together and possibly the ODD tray, and fit a nice big fan in the front...although i'd need to mount a 3.5" HDD somewhere potentially. the Phenom is another option, as it appears the layout on the inside is the same, but it looks like it should have mesh on the front to help cooling.

also looked at the Fractal design Core500 and node 304, which should also work.

What say you guys?

I definitely don't want to change the GPU, i could change the cooler if need be, as i imagine that it would open up a lot more options. the PSU is overkill i know, but it came up for sale when i needed one, and at the time, space wasnt an issue

Thanks, and sorry for the long post.
 
Last edited:

jmarin

Airflow Optimizer
Mar 8, 2018
258
187
Your biggest obstacle is your graphics card, as that limits the cases you can choose if you really want to go SFF. Depending on your style preference, you can go with the Node 202 by Fractal Design which is a console style just over 10L in size. You can stand it up to take up a much smaller footprint as well. This can fit cards up to 310mm in length. You would need to get a different PSU (SFX not ATX) and a different CPU cooler. They do sell the Node 202 with a 450W SFX power supply as well, which would be enough for your current setup. In any case, if you wanted to condense your build, you would obviously need an ITX board, but also a new CPU cooler and PSU would be most likely needed.
 
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champ222

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Apr 25, 2018
7
1
If you found the Evolv ITX to be massive, then you'd be disappointed by the Prodigy as it is 2L bigger (36L vs 34L)
Hi, while that it true, the extra size is mainly due to the handles and the feet. The feet do provide good airflow into the PSU, and the handles, if strong enough, do provide a purpose of making it easy to maneuver and carry one handed.

If i was starting from scratch, i'd be looking to go smaller, but considering where i am, i'd like to re-use as much as i can.
 

GuilleAcoustic

Chief Procrastination Officer
SFFn Staff
LOSIAS
Jun 29, 2015
2,967
4,390
guilleacoustic.wordpress.com
I do not know if bitfenix fixed the issue, but I wouldn't carry the chassis using the "handles". The small plastic tabs that attach them to the case have a tendency to break...

 

jmarin

Airflow Optimizer
Mar 8, 2018
258
187
Don't forget, you could always sell the parts you are no longer using to offset cost :cool:
 

champ222

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Apr 25, 2018
7
1
I do not know if bitfenix fixed the issue, but I wouldn't carry the chassis using the "handles". The small plastic tabs that attach them to the case have a tendency to break...


thats what i was worried about... if it fell, especially with a big cooler, there would be some serious damage done. if i cant carry by the handles, they may as well not be there.

Don't forget, you could always sell the parts you are no longer using to offset cost :cool:

indeed, the case should sell well, and i still have my previous lian li case, but its not so fashionable these days
 

Echoic

Chassis Packer
Jan 30, 2017
14
3
I've owned the Node 304 and it has been my main case for six years now. The hardest thing with that case used to be finding a PSU that would fit without interfering with the GPU. Your PSU's modular connections will interfere with the strix card.

If you're planning on going with the Node 304, you'll need a different PSU. Solid choices would be either any SFX PSU or Seasonic's FOCUS Plus series. It's an ATX PSU, but only 140mm, so it would fit nicely with your Strix card.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817151191
 
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el01

King of Cable Management
Jun 4, 2018
770
588
I might look at the Define Nano S from Fractal Design. It's still a huge case, but makes use of space relatively well, and is pretty modding-friendly if you're into that type of thing. Additionally, it's still a relatively "conventional" case, so you can throw your existing power supply and an ITX motherboard in, do really easy cable management, and then call it a day.

If you really need moar PCIe devices (for capture, etc. in the future), you could look into the Node 804, which supports micro-ATX motherboards and a reasonable amount of drives, fans, etc.

But yeah, for "normal" portability (as in you still need to carry it with two hands, but it ain't that bad to carry, get a Define Nano S. If you really need to be able to carry it for long distances, get a Node 304.