I want to build a small form factor PC because I love keeping it simple, awesome and efficient.
OK, I am really really late to the game...What got you all interested in building little computers?
For me it's when I was building a new computer and I really wanted a ROG board but the ATX versions were out of my price range so I ended up going with the cheaper mATX Asus Maximus III Gene with an Intel i7 750 in the Antec Mini P180. Not exactly a SFF case though
Then I built an AMD 1090T system in the Antec P182 as a workstation. Really nice case but it's big and heavy and after replacing the Maximus III Gene build with an ITX build in the M1 I decided to only build in smaller cases from then on.
I'd have to disagree that ATX build is hard and complicated. Everything is at its place just plug everything in. It's not like we got different ram slots, different extension slots, etc. The psu can't be any simpler... Ugliness is also in the eye of the beholder.-snip-
I do agree with this from an enthusiast's perspective, but when people open up their OEM PCs they are overwhelmed with technical-looking stuff jammed in. They then apply this to all PCs in general. The human mind uses one experience to form opinions about a wider topic (essentially "stereotyping"), and so if one person sees their first PC and thinks it's scary, then they will always think it is scary.I'd have to disagree that ATX build is hard and complicated. Everything is at its place just plug everything in. It's not like we got different ram slots, different extension slots, etc. The psu can't be any simpler... Ugliness is also in the eye of the beholder.
Continuing on:Whew, I'm running out of steam here, and it's getting pretty late considering I have to wake really early! I will continue this thread tomorrow, adding why DIY PCs and PCs in general interest me more than consoles, Macs, and OEM PCs.
Thanks to anyone who has outlasted this entire article! See you lurking around tomorrow ! May a force of Volvo Polestars carry you to victory!
-el01
@confusis Could you move the above entry to another post in "Off Topic" titled "el01's Crappy Stories"? Thanks in advanced!I do agree with this from an enthusiast's perspective, but when people open up their OEM PCs they are overwhelmed with technical-looking stuff jammed in. They then apply this to all PCs in general. The human mind uses one experience to form opinions about a wider topic (essentially "stereotyping"), and so if one person sees their first PC and thinks it's scary, then they will always think it is scary.
I was trying to write my response as a "normal person perspective." The tubes of an AIO cooler may look crazy and complicated to them, such as the inside of a car. Heck, when my mom came over and watched a Gamer's Nexus Computex video, even she (who has an electrical engineering degree) said "oh wow what is that complicated thing". Of course, my mom's experience my not be everyone's experience, and she may not be the most qualified witness, but this experience is just a part of my view.
This "normal person" perspective can also be explained by common "stereotypes", which are that PCs are old and antiquated (given that most exposure is in schools and at home, and people don't upgrade very often) compared to shiny and "new" Macs. Also, at school it is perpertrated that "nerds" with an unruly appearance and weak bodies build PCs, and people sometimes transfer these properties to a PC, so they might think that the internals of a PC are ugly, unruly, or "nerdy".
Society makes PC building seem so complicated (I think we are still in a '90s mindset of configuring IDE slave/master affinities and all), but once you watch a Ryzen APU build, it looks so easy and cheap!
Continuing on with my original post...
Continuing on:
First, building SFF may not be cheaper than a netbook, but is waaay cheaper than a Mac for better specs!
Either way, let's talk about the meaning of PCs to me and why they mean more to me than console or Mac. First, a bit of history.
I was born in the U.S while my parents were still finishing up college in Houston. Life was very difficult for my parents, who, fresh off the boat from China, didn't have much of anything. They didn't know much English and didn't have much money. My dad came from the countryside of China, where he had to work very hard to even get into a decent middle school. From elementary school, every day, he woke up at 6:00 to harvest wild vegetables from the public fields, as most families didn't have much food or money to buy food. The point is, he had to work very very hard without much assistance to get to the U.S, and he worked hard here as well. One of his habits is to be prepared for everything, and this included my education as well. My dad is the type of person to carry around a water bottle everywhere, water fountains or not. So, when I grew up, I didn't have any allowance or any "special" gifts for my birthday. We went out to eat once in a while, but overall, my dad didn't spend much money on toys and such for me. My LEGO collection was all from garage sales, and clothing was picked up on discount. It wasn't that he didn't care about me, it's that he cared too much and wanted to prepare a good future for me.
How does this relate to my story? Well, let's talk about consoles first. Around middle school, most of the people at my school were playing various games (I think it was Halo and COD) and discussing how much fun they had playing together. I wanted to fit in, as I had only one or two friends and wanted more. So, I did some research on the XBOX and the PlayStation. I discovered that it was a good console overall, but I had to pay for XBOX Live or similar every month to play with my friends every month. I knew my parents wouldn't give that money to me, and so I walked to school the next day, disappointed. My friends (who were REALLY good people) asked me what was wrong, and I told them about XBOX Live. Then my friend Liam told me about playing on the PC, with literally no cost every month! Then, I started playing free games on the family PC, and my PC obsession started from there, with upgrades done by me once in a while. Later today, I will discuss my beef with Apple, if that's what you want.
-el01
Bitfenix Prodigy M
Yes I see it.You gotta admit, the design makes it looks small on photo. Irl, idk, kinda the same size as two inkjet printer stacked together.
It's so hard to find a case that ticks ALL of the boxes, since there's so many people into SFF now i guess the brands have to try to cater to as many of them as possibleI partly decided to do SFF for that because I was looking for a specific case color - orange - and the Bitfenix Prodigy M happened to fit the bill, as well as meeting other requirements.