Initially raised during the debate over Optical Disk Drives (now its own thread), was what exactly is necessary for a SFF build, and what exactly should count. I believe the topic is bigger that optical drives and thought we should discuss it in a broader context.
The community is divided about whether the usage of external power bricks are cheating, as you are basically relocating what was once an internal component to the outside of the case. Some opponents of bricks believe in any SFF build you should count the brick as part of the total volume of a case, and to not do so is essence, cheating. Additionally they dislike yet another adapter to keep track of while moving the system.
Proponents of brick builds believe that you can move that brick out of sight and thus keep it from taking up desktop real estate space, and that it should not be counted towards total volume.
The ODD debate is similar - most users do not have a use case for ODD drives anymore, with the exception of dedicated HTPC builds that want to play DVDs or Blu-Rays or other optical media. If an HTPC requires a media device to fulfill a function, should you 'count' the volume of an external drive? What if the computer is not an HTPC, but still occasionally have the need to read a DVD. What if there is no need what-so-ever? How about the same argument for external HDDs (especially in the 3.5" desktop HDD factor which is required for larger 8-10TB capacities) - if you build a computer and plan around using this much storage, shouldn't it be counted towards required total volume (and it's USB and power wart, which are also moved outside a case and outsource)?
So, do we adopt a 'need' based system of what should count and what doesn't, where a Power Supply is always required, so it must be included in volume calculations? If this is the case, let us cast the net further where we look at different systems: almost all gaming systems require a video display in order to fulfill their purpose, so should the monitor/TV count for volume purposes because without it the computer is useless? This would certainly make an All In Once computer the reining small form factor king in most situations.
What about input devices, such as mice and keyboards. Using the same logic applied towards power supplies, shouldn't wired keyboards and mice count towards total volume? After all, it definitely possible to use a wireless card that supports blue tooth, so the wiring could be eliminated but is instead outsourced to the outside of the case. Then again, what if it is meant to be a headless server or NAS, and the only access you need can be provided by SSH - are displays and input devices then not strictly necessary, and thus should not add towards a system's total volume?
Interested to see the view of others on what counts and what doesn't, when it comes to computing.
The community is divided about whether the usage of external power bricks are cheating, as you are basically relocating what was once an internal component to the outside of the case. Some opponents of bricks believe in any SFF build you should count the brick as part of the total volume of a case, and to not do so is essence, cheating. Additionally they dislike yet another adapter to keep track of while moving the system.
Proponents of brick builds believe that you can move that brick out of sight and thus keep it from taking up desktop real estate space, and that it should not be counted towards total volume.
The ODD debate is similar - most users do not have a use case for ODD drives anymore, with the exception of dedicated HTPC builds that want to play DVDs or Blu-Rays or other optical media. If an HTPC requires a media device to fulfill a function, should you 'count' the volume of an external drive? What if the computer is not an HTPC, but still occasionally have the need to read a DVD. What if there is no need what-so-ever? How about the same argument for external HDDs (especially in the 3.5" desktop HDD factor which is required for larger 8-10TB capacities) - if you build a computer and plan around using this much storage, shouldn't it be counted towards required total volume (and it's USB and power wart, which are also moved outside a case and outsource)?
So, do we adopt a 'need' based system of what should count and what doesn't, where a Power Supply is always required, so it must be included in volume calculations? If this is the case, let us cast the net further where we look at different systems: almost all gaming systems require a video display in order to fulfill their purpose, so should the monitor/TV count for volume purposes because without it the computer is useless? This would certainly make an All In Once computer the reining small form factor king in most situations.
What about input devices, such as mice and keyboards. Using the same logic applied towards power supplies, shouldn't wired keyboards and mice count towards total volume? After all, it definitely possible to use a wireless card that supports blue tooth, so the wiring could be eliminated but is instead outsourced to the outside of the case. Then again, what if it is meant to be a headless server or NAS, and the only access you need can be provided by SSH - are displays and input devices then not strictly necessary, and thus should not add towards a system's total volume?
Interested to see the view of others on what counts and what doesn't, when it comes to computing.