Motherboard Recommendations on a Mini-ITX motherboard with DC power for slim chassis

Kremlar

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
Nov 16, 2016
3
3
Hi -

Currently looking for a Mini-ITX motherboard to fit some slim Mini-ITX chassis that I have. The chassis have no room for an internal power supply, so I'm debating on choosing a board that has a DC power input on the backplate, or going with a PicoPSU and drilling a hole in the chassis for the DC power input.

I've never used a PicoPSU, so looking for advice on that. I see a couple that look interesting here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TWE6B8/?tag=theminutiae-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005TWE578/?tag=theminutiae-20


If I go with a board that has a built-in DC input I'm currently considering this ASUS:
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/H110T-CSM/overview/

And perhaps this i3-6100T which comes with a slim heatsink/fan that I'm hoping will fit:
http://ark.intel.com/products/90734/Intel-Core-i3-6100T-Processor-3M-Cache-3_20-GHz

I'm looking for best bang for the buck in overall performance, including perhaps some light gaming. I do want to make sure I go with something reliable and low power/heat - I prefer clean, simple and reliable.

I tend to prefer Intel over AMD but if an AMD option will give me more performance for similar money and reliability then I would consider that.

Any tips, comments and advice greatly appreciated!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: CXH4 and Ceros_X

CXH4

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Apr 18, 2016
136
87
I would recommend going with a Pico-PSU if you have that option, but from seeing the motherboard and from you saying it is a slim case, I would not know if that is feasible. However, depending on when you plan on building this PC, I would say wait to see what options AMD presents. I say this due to the more budget oriented machine it seems you are trying to build, and not only this but there is the potential you could get more performance from the CPU if you decide to pick up a ZEN processor, particularly for a more up to date architecture, as well as for benchmarking/gaming; on the other hand if that's not your focus, I'd go with the i3, maybe even a Celeron if it is for simple tasks.

Also, if you decide to get a Pico-PSU and get a motherboard with a 24pin connector, I would recommend the bundle that mini-box provides with the 160XT, which can be found here - http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit
Hope this helps!
 

aquelito

King of Cable Management
Piccolo PC
Feb 16, 2016
952
1,122
Motherboards with built-in DC inputs are Thin Mini-ITX boards, which means they do not have the 24Pin connector, only a 2pin.
This rules out the direct plug PicoPSU.
Anway, you shouldn't need it anway for just an i3 6100T, a 120W brick should be more than enough !

To sum up : you should stick to a Thin Mini-ITX board, expect if you need a more high-end chipset than the H110.

Interesting thread which covers the power supply issue with Thin Mini-ITX boards and GPU :
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/thin-mini-itx-with-discrete-graphics-card.529/
 

Kremlar

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
Nov 16, 2016
3
3
Thanks guys. I think I will stick with the slim boards for now, especially since ASUS makes a Q170 Thin Mini-ITX board that I can consider if I want more than an H110. Light gaming is desirable, but the chassis can't fit a discrete graphics card. It seems like the current AMD APU offerings are not necessarily better than the current i3s. I will keep an eye on AMD's upcoming hardware and perhaps consider that once released.

I will be building multiples of these, so using the i3 now and going to AMD later is not an issue.

Thanks!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: CXH4

Kremlar

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
Nov 16, 2016
3
3
Anyone know how to determine the tip size needed for a power supply on one of these ASUS Mini ITX boards?? The manual says it'll work with a 19V or 12V power supply. The manual also indicates that for a 35W CPU a 90W power supply should be sufficient, but I'm probably going to go with a 120W power supply just in case. However, I see nothing about the tip size needed in the PDF manual or web site specs.

Any suggestions?
 

STEFFCIP

Cable Smoosher
Nov 22, 2016
8
0
Anyone know how to determine the tip size needed for a power supply on one of these ASUS Mini ITX boards?? The manual says it'll work with a 19V or 12V power supply. The manual also indicates that for a 35W CPU a 90W power supply should be sufficient, but I'm probably going to go with a 120W power supply just in case. However, I see nothing about the tip size needed in the PDF manual or web site specs.

Any suggestions?
most thin mini itx motherboards work with 19v and plug is 7.4mmx5mm which is common for Dell AC adapters (and others) and can be found cheap on ebay
35w cpu will work fine with a 90w adapterbut difference to a 120w adapter is very small so get that to be safe