While most pre-builts come in the classic ATX format, these gaming PC’s require some space! They can be bulky depending on the case, and often are relegated to the floor next to a desk, which can be a shame if you spent money for a nice window with some RGB lighting. In the PC building community, there is a growing push towards SFF (small form factor) mini PC’s that focus on movability and size as well as performance.

Good news for those looking for a pre-built, the custom PC building companies have taken note of this growing demand and are starting to produce some nice pre-built mini-PC options. They often use mATX cases rather than true ITX cases, but often find mini mATX towers that can be smaller than the largest ITX cases. For this guide, we are essentially looking at any mini pre-built gaming PC, which may include the occasional mATX case. If the gaming PC is focused on saving space and minimizing size, we considered it for our recommendations!

The one downside to SFF PC’s is that the same performance as their larger friends often comes at a price premium. Maintaining good thermal performance and finding smaller components can lead to some price increases. So, to help you find the right pre-built mini PC to sit on your desk, we broke them down into price categories and are ready to recommend our favorite for each price range. Let’s take a look at the best pre-built ITX gaming PC’s available today:

Best Mini-ITX Gaming PCs – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model	CPU	GPU
Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $650		Skytech Blaze II Gaming PC	Ryzen 5 2600	GTX 1660
Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $100		MSI Trident 3 10SI-002US	Intel i5-10400F	GTX 1660 Super
Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $1200		SkyTech Legacy Mini	Ryzen 7 2700	RTX 2070 Super
Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $2500		CUK Stratos Mini Gaming PC	Intel i9-10900KF	RTX 3070

Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $650

Despite most mini pre-builts costing significantly more than their ATX counterparts, there are still some options at even the ultra-budget level. While at this price the new-gen consoles begin to look interesting for pure gaming, the flexibility of a PC is still irreplaceable. At this price point, you can expect 1080p 60 FPS pretty comfortably on high in most games, and our recommendation will do even better and provide 1080p 144FPS in many esports and well-optimized titles with the occasional modified setting. As with all pre-builts, we want a balanced PC that doesn’t over-invest into any one component that would then be bottlenecked by weaker pieces. For the best pre-built ITX that fits those requirements and costs less than $650, we recommend the Skytech Blaze II Gaming PC.

As we mentioned in the intro, finding a true ‘ITX’ mini pre-built at this price is rough, but this offer from Skytech uses an ITX motherboard in a mid-tower mATX case. As a whole, the package is much more compact than what you would get from a regular-sized PC, and the added space actually helps ensure you get the most cooling possible as all cooling is fan-based (rather than liquid which is common in SFF builds). The Ryzen 5 2600 CPU is still a strong gaming processor with 6c/12t and when combined with the Nvidia GTX 1660, provide a great platform for budget gaming. The motherboard and PSU aren’t anything special, but this is a low-power build that doesn’t need anything fancy to provide a stable framerate. At $649 and right within our budget, this mini PC is a great entry-level machine that packs quite a punch for its size and is our recommendation for an under $650 pre-build ITX gaming PC.

Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $1000

The next step up in terms of budget brings us into a category of heavy competition amongst PC manufacturers. The $900 price range (which ends up being right around $1000 with tax) is a great buying point, offering 1080p 144 FPS relatively steadily in almost all current titles, including newest games with modified settings. This price point has a lot more to choose from, including a true ‘mini’ PC from a major producer. For the best pre-built ITX gaming PC under $900, we recommend the MSI Trident 3 10SI-002US. 

MSI needs no introduction, and the Trident range of small form factor PC’s is one of the longest standing and best built mini PC lineups. They were among the first large-scale production of a small PC, and maintain their high quality after years of experience. This particular Trident is very interesting because of the CPU it holds and the upgraded GPU compared to our lower-level build. The 1660 Super is a stellar GPU, but the real star is the 10400F Intel CPU that offers amazing gaming performance. The inclusion of both a 512 GB SSD and a 1TB HDD is nice, as is WiFi 6 inclusion. We would have loved to see 16GB RAM instead of 8GB, but that is expandable later on. All in all, this is a great buy at $899 for someone looking for a powerful 1080p ITX machine.

And small bonus! For someone that knows they want more cores and more threads (mainly for productivity workloads), the same build with an Intel 10700F is available for $100 more. For gaming, we don’t think that $100 upgrade makes sense (better to get more RAM and an RTX 2060), but for a mixed workload, the 10700F is a good buy.

Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $1200

This next price category is where we begin to leave 1080p behind to start dabbling in 1440p at 60 FPS for AAA titles and 144 FPS for esports (with modified settings). Of course, these machines are perfectly capable of 1080p as well and will be for years to come, but you begin to see diminishing returns at 1080p beyond a certain point, typically around the NVIDIA 1660 Super/2060 mark (RADEON RX 5700 for AMD). Even with a mini PC, at this price, we expect a step up in experience from the under $900 build. And luckily, we have that with our choice for best pre-built ITX gaming PC under $1200: the SkyTech Legacy Mini.

From the same builder as our budget option, this mini gaming PC is an interesting one. We finally see the modern standard 16 GB DDR4 RAM and see a major step up with the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super. Even with the 3070 starting to become possible to find in-stock, it’s not everywhere and while pre-builts are starting to have it, small form factor PC’s aren’t yet readily available at this price with Ampere GPU’s. The 2070 Super, however, is still a great card that can push 1440p 144hz in many games, even at high settings. The only oddity in this build is the choice to use a Ryzen 7 2700. There’s nothing wrong with this CPU, in fact, some people prefer it for the 8c/16t nature, but we would have probably rather seen a Ryzen 3600 for a gaming build. In practice, the two are very close in most games and the Ryzen 5 2700 may see some gains in the future if developers optimize for multi-threading/multi-core performance. A B450 motherboard, 500GB SSD/1 TB HDD and a few RGB fans in a windowed IWIN case round out this very compelling build. For $1199, you will be hard-pressed to find better ITX pre-built in this price range.

Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PC under $2500

We’re getting into the ultra-high-end category here, but we wanted to show just how strong pre-built mini gaming PC’s have gotten. Many will choose to build with this budget to squeeze in a slightly better GPU for the same price, but pre-builts like this one have advantages that are hard to overlook, like stock availability and centralized warranty. We kept this max budget recommendation to $2500 because while there are some of the newest builds out there at $3000 or more, at that price point we would expect most users to go straight for a true custom build rather than an off-the-shelf prebuilt. At this price, we want something that can easily hold 1440p 144hz and even push into some 4K gaming. We expect a decently small form factor, liquid cooling to keep temps reasonable, and no corner cutting when it comes to components. If you want a mini PC that will destroy just about any game you throw at it, we recommend the CUK Stratos Mini Gaming PC.

CUK builds regular sized PC’s as well, but seems to have found a niche with its CUK Stratos Mini line. There are quite a few variations, ranging in price from around $1800 up to $4000 (!) for a build with a new 3090. But this one we’ve selected is interesting because it includes a top of the line Intel 10900KF processor and a new Nvidia RTX 3070. It also comes with 64GB RAM, a 1 TB NVMe SSD and 2 TB HDD, and a Z490 motherboard. The 650W PSU is the only downside to this build, it fits the minimum recommended by Nvidia for the 3070 but we would have liked to see a 750W PSU given the unlocked 10900KF CPU and the amount of power it pulls if overclocked. Given the slight lean towards the CPU with the 10900KF vs the 3070 and the 64GB of RAM, this PC will also perform extremely well in productivity workloads. A pure gaming rig may have chosen to match the 10700KF with a 3080 instead, although there is a pretty serious jump in processing power from the 10700KF to the 10900KF and the 3070 is still able to comfortably push 1440p in nearly all games, and some with RTX ray tracing enabled as well. In any case, for around $2425, this mini PC is more than enough to play even the most demanding of games in a very compact size, making it our choice for an ITX prebuilt under $2500.

Conclusion

No matter your budget, there is a pre-built ITX gaming PC waiting for you. Thanks to the rise in interest in the small form factor gaming community, even mainstream manufacturers are building strong ITX or mini gaming PC’s that combine a smaller footprint with strong performance. Like with any pre-built, you may pay a premium to have it built for you and in this case, a similar premium to have everything shrunk down compared to an ATX sized build, but the decrease in size no longer has to mean a decrease in performance. Whether you want to keep to the budget end of the spectrum or ‘go for broke’ with a high-end build, these recommendations should get you started on the best pre-built ITX gaming PC’s at any price.

The post 4 Best Prebuilt ITX Gaming PCs for 2021 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

As part of our PC build series here at PremiumBuilds, we aim to assemble the best possible PCs based on a specific need (e.g., gaming), form factor (e.g., ITX), budget (e.g., $500 or $2500) or component selection (e.g., building around the RTX 2080 Super or Ryzen 9 3900X).

For this entry to the series, we are focusing on the increasingly-popular ITX form factor with the best possible price-to-performance and the best possible aesthetic. Thus, we have decided to build a powerhouse SFFPC, at a mid-range budget of $1500, in the highly-rated LOUQE Ghost S1.

Our goal is to select components that offer extreme levels of performance, but don’t necessarily command an expensive price tag. We at PremiumBuilds are confident that we’ve created one of the best price-to-performance ITX gaming PCs in the mid-range market, and arguably one of the best looking SFF systems out there.

Note: We have cherry-picked the best components, proven to perform in the Ghost S1, and if we were to build in another chassis such as the Dancase A4-SFX – the case fan, CPU cooler, and PSU selection may be completely different.

How fast will this ITX gaming PC perform?

For this particular mid-range ITX build, we want to be able to game at 1440p resolution – preferably at a 16:9 ratio and minimum 100hz, or at 21:9 ultrawide 1440p at 80hz on high settings. The perfect graphics card that can achieve this, within budget, and provide futureproofing is Nvidia’s RTX 2070 Super – which is arguably the best mid-range 1440p graphics card currently on the market.

At only a $1500 price bracket for this SFF build, we, unfortunately, can’t expect to be gaming comfortably at 4K above 60Hz, even on Medium-Low graphics settings. Thus, we are aiming to nail >60Hz at 1440p on High settings for many AAA titles – with ray tracing.

Best Value Mini ITX Gaming PC Build for 2020 – The Parts List

Component	Selection	Design	Price	Reasoning
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600		$174	Best value, price/performance CPU on the market today
CPU Cooler	Noctua LH-12S		$49	Best air cooling performance for the LOUQE Ghost S1
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-I Gaming		$135	Best feature-packed B450 ITX motherboard, with Ryzen 3000 pre-flashed onto BIOS
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB 3200 MHz CL16 (2x8GB)		$97	Great value, Easy to overclock to 3600 MHz CL16, Low-profile
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe M.2 2280 SSD		$149	Great price/performance NVMe SSD, cheaper than the Intel 660p but similar performance
Graphics Card	Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition		$489	Capable of 1440p ultrawide gaming, future proofed, best value mid-range GPU of 2020
PC Case	LOUQE Ghost S1 (No Tophat, Copper Grill)		$269	Great build quality, performance, possibly the best ITX case (so far?)
Power Supply	Corsair SF600 Platinum		$149	Best in class SFX power supply, Platinum variant for sleeved cables (vs Gold rated)
Case Fan	Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM		$19	Best performing 120mm slim case fan
Thermal Paste	ARCTIC Thermal MX-4		$9	Top budget, carbon-based thermal paste
		Total Price	$1539

CPU

We want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of our components, which only leaves one option for our processor – AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600. For the money, the 3600 is regarded as the best price-to-performance value currently on the market, especially for SFF systems. It’s a fantastic 65W chip that offers performance on par with the Intel Core i5-9600K (overclocked) and its more expensive brother, the 3600X. See our comparison of the Intel Core i5-9600K and the Ryzen 5 3600.

With 6 cores, 12 threads, a base/boost frequency of 3.6/4.2 GHz, and PCIe 4.0 support – all at an extremely modest price point – there is very little to dislike about the Ryzen 5 3600.

CPU Cooler

The Noctua NH-L12S, considered to be one of the best low profile CPU coolers on the market, offers significant cooling performance improvements over the stock Wraith cooler (included with the Ryzen 5 3600). Moreover, it has shown best-in-class performance over other CPU air cooling solutions when paired with the LOUQE Ghost S1 – and considering we are building an ITX machine focused on price-to-performance – this is our best bet.

Note: The Noctua NH-L12S is just a few millimeters too large for the LOUQE Ghost S1, so for it to be compatible, many ITX builders opt to slightly bend the heat pipes to gain that few extra millimeters of headroom. Space is tight, but once you get it to fit, you know you have the best possible cooling setup within the LOUQE Ghost S1. See our guide for bending the NH-L12S.

Motherboard

For our platform, we decided to go with a B450 motherboard, which either had to be pre-flashed with the latest BIOS, or at least have USB BIOS Flashback so we can do it ourselves. If we want to utilize the latest PCIe 4.0 support offered by the Ryzen 5 3600, we would have to choose an X570 motherboard. However, both X570 motherboards and PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are simply too expensive for a mid-range build. With our budget, we, unfortunately, won’t be able to utilize PCIe 4.0.

Our best option here is the ROG Strix B450-I Gaming. Despite its size, this ITX board certainly packs a punch with the number of features for the price: RGB, onboard WiFi module, 8x USB ports, a robust VRM for great thermals, all with a super sleek design. If only this motherboard also had USB Type C…

Memory

Picking RAM specifically for the LOUQE Ghost S1 and Noctua NH-L12S combo can be especially tricky – and many builders have found out the hard way that theirs do not physically fit in the case. Due to the Noctua NH-L12S being a low-profile CPU cooler, it has severely limited RAM clearance (even with a topside fan configuration), so we’re required to opt for super low-profile RAM to get it actually to fit.

Another consideration when picking the best RAM for the Ryzen 5 3600 is CAS latency – of which we have a comprehensive guide here. The main takeaway is that DDR4 3600MHz CL16 appears to be the sweet spot for price-to-performance, so that’s where we’re aiming. Interestingly, the Crucial Ballistix Sport LT with a 3200 MHz CL16 configuration can be easily overclocked to 3600 MHz, thus offering fantastic value for its impressive performance. The Ballistix Sport LT also has just enough clearance to fit under the NH-L12S. Additionally, this RAM features white ‘digital camo’ heat spreaders, which give them a very sleek look.

For most use cases, 16GB is still more than enough memory for gaming and basic multitasking, hence why we decided against a 32GB kit. We’re not going to be able to utilize that amount of RAM unless we start getting into intensive workstation tasks like rendering and editing.

Storage

For our storage, we decided that a single 1TB NVME SSD would be sufficient. 1TB is more than enough space for our boot drive, general storage, and game library. Our ROG Strix B450-I Gaming has a single M.2 slot, as well as 4x 6Gb/s SATA ports (though we won’t be using them in this build due to internal case volume restrictions). The LOUQE Ghost S1 has enough room for a drive at the bottom of the case, but you can decide to replace that with a new 120mm slim case fan – which is what we’ve done to ensure maximum cooling performance.

As we mentioned previously, Ryzen 3000 CPUs support the latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, which offer blazing-fast transfer speeds compared to their predecessors. However, with our focus being maximum price-to-performance, we decided to stick with PCIe 3.0, and opt for one of the best values on the market. That title goes to the Sabrent Rocket 1TB NVMe SSD, which has proven to be an excellent NVMe SSD for gaming.

Graphics Card

Although there are plenty of AIB/aftermarket RTX 2070 Super cards that offer improved stock overclocks, PCBs, and VRMs over the Nvidia 2070 Super Founders Edition, we decided to stick with it here. The main reasons include the surprisingly decent performance of this dual fan design within the LOUQE Ghost S1, as well as its gorgeous design that feels right at home in such a stunning enclosure. We readily admit that the aesthetics are still a critical deciding factor in this particular build (while retaining the maximum price-to-performance for our given budget).

We wanted this system to be capable of gaming at 16:9 1440p, as well as pushing up to 4K should we decide to upgrade in the future. The alternative was a 5700 XT, but we’ll need that slight bit of extra headroom to be able to push 1440p at higher settings. See our head-to-head comparison of the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super and the AMD Radeon 5700 XT.

PC Case

Ever since the Kickstarter announcement of this small form factor (SFF) ITX case, the LOUQE Ghost S1 has been an absolute hit. Widely regarded as one of the most desirable PC cases in 2020, it had to be the star of our next build. It’s certainly not cheap and won’t maximize our overall price to performance, but the overall look and build quality justifies the cost, especially if it’s going to be sitting on our desk for the next few years. With a jaw-dropping, understated design – this ITX case will undoubtedly impress any of your fellow PC builders and fill them with envy!

Note: There have been reported shipping issues for many people that have bought this case, and many PC builders (including us!) have had to wait months upon months to get their hands on it. Most of these issues have reportedly been ironed out by LOUQE, but it may still be difficult to acquire one – so be aware. If you don’t feel like waiting or shelling out $269 for your enclosure – here is our guide on the best Ghost S1 alternatives to consider.

Power Supply

Corsair’s SFX series of PSUs, widely regarded as the best on the market, left us with an easy decision here: the SF600 Platinum. With this 600W unit, we have some overclocking headroom and the ability to upgrade components in the future. Furthermore, it was rated 9.8/10 by JohnnyGuru – a testament to its fantastic voltage regulation, performance, build quality, and value.

Benefits of the Platinum rated version of the SF600 over the Gold version include premium sleeved cables (perfect for cable management in our ITX system) for a clean interior, as well as an improved fan. However, we wouldn’t recommend the $10 premium over the Gold SF600 if you aren’t planning on using the stock sleeved cables, and are instead going for a custom sleeved cable configuration.

Case Fan

The LOUQE Ghost S1 allows for one additional 120mm case fan slot at the bottom of the chassis – should you choose not to install a 2.5” SSD drive. Occupying this slot is, of course, the industry-leading brand – Noctua. They need no introduction, offering best-in-class airflow, cooling performance, and build quality – as long as you don’t mind Noctua’s striking color scheme! The specific model we opted for was the Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM, which is a 120mm x 15mm slim case fan – with PWM fan control..

Thermal Paste

In our roundup of the best thermal pastes on the market earlier this year, we found the Arctic MX-4 to be the best carbon-based thermal paste on the market. It offers fantastic performance for its price, costing considerably less than the highly-regarded Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut, while still competing on thermal performance.

Priced at just $7 for 4 grams, the addition of the Arctic MX-4 to our build is a cheap but effective upgrade for our Ryzen 5 3600’s thermals.

Closing Thoughts

For the money, it’s tough to beat a reliable ITX gaming system. As manufacturing processes continue to improve, and smaller components offer more performance and features, SFF computers have been skyrocketing in popularity. If ever you’ve found yourself interested in joining the SFFPC community, we’re confident this build is a fantastic place to start… even if you lack the patience to wait for the LOUQE!

Have you built in the LOUQE GhostS1? Are you considering switching to an ITX system? Let us know in the comments section below, and thanks for reading!

The post Best ITX Gaming PC Build under $1500 (ft. LOUQE Ghost S1) for 2020 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

SFF (small form factor) and HT (home theater) PCs are becoming more and more popular, and rightfully so. As technological improvements to hardware are constantly scaling down in physical size, one can have a powerful computer at only a fraction of a normal desktop’s size. Either you want it for a work desk with multiple monitors, are constantly moving and want a semi-portable desktop, or just enjoy less clutter, the SFF PCs offer several benefits compared to normal size computers. Low-profile GPUs also have some benefits in comparison to their larger counterparts, as they are less power consuming, far less noisy, and come at a decent price. In this article, we are going to list some of the best low-profile GPUs for 2021 you can get, depending on your budget and your intended use of the PC.

• Related: Best Mini ITX Cases
• Related: Ultimate $2000 3900X ITX SFF build for 2020

Best Low Profile Graphics Cards – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model
Best Budget Low-Profile GPU		MSI AMD Radeon R7 240
Best Low-Profile GPU for HTPCs		MSI Radeon RX 550 4GT OC
Best Low-Profile GPU for Gaming		ASUS GTX 1650 Low Profile OC
Best Overall Low-Profile GPU		MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1650

Best Budget Low-Profile GPU

If you’re looking to make a minimalist build, this is the best card you can find for the price. In comparison to Nvidia’s GT 710 LP – which costs just about the same – the AMD Radeon R7 240 fairs far better in terms of benchmarks. It has up to 67% higher effective speeds, and can even play some competitive online games, like Counter Strike: Global Offensive at the near 60 fps mark at 1080p.

Of course, this GPU is not intended as much for gaming, as it is for low PC-intensive work, web browsing, and video streaming, where it can handle 1080p videos without stuttering or overheating. It has 2GB of GDDR3 V-RAM, a 64-bit memory interface, a 600MHz memory speed, an HDMI, DL-DVI-D, and VGA D-SUB outputs, and only requires a 300W PSU. It’s best feature? The $55 price range that you can currently find this at.

Best Low-Profile GPU for HTPCs

Why the Radeon RX 550 you may ask? Well currently it appears that the Radeon RX 550 and the GeForce 1050 Ti are the perfect GPUs available for HTPCs – considering hardware and price – even in 2020.

Firstly, the V-RAM is just right for 4K video streaming. The 2GB of V-RAM featured in the GT 1030 is not supported by Netflix, as they require a minimum of 3GB of V-RAM on a Pascal-based GPU. Why not go above the RX 550 or 1050ti, for an RX 570 or GeForce 1060 perhaps? Well, the GTX GeForce 1060 does not have VP9 10-bit or 12-bit support, whereas the 1050 Ti and RX 550 do. Now, of course, AMD’s RX 560 LP GPU would also support 4K UHD streaming, but this model is currently unavailable. The reason why the Radeon RX 550 was chosen, instead of the GeForce 1050 Ti, is the price. The RX 550 currently costs approximately $40-$50 dollars cheaper than the cheapest GeForce 1050 Ti or GeForce 1650, yet can easily run UHD streams. 

The MSI RX 550 4GB OC has a dual-fan, aluminum core design for lower temperatures and higher stability and efficiency. It can be overclocked for a boost clock of 1203 MHz and it comes with 4GB of GDDR5 V-RAM, a memory bus width of 320 bits, and HDMI 2.0b and DL-DVI-D ports. Considering you can currently find the MSI Radeon RX550 for approximately $111, it is the best price-value choice for a dedicated HTPC.

Related: GTX 1650 vs 1650 Super vs 5500 XT

Best Low-Profile GPU for Gaming

Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1650 is currently the most powerful low-profile graphics card available in the market. The reference GPU for the GTX 1650 has a base clock speed of 1485 MHz, and a boost clock speed of 1665 MHz, whereas this card – the ASUS GTX 1650 Low Profile OC – has a base clock speed of 1515 MHz and a boost clock speed of 1740 MHz, so despite its low-profile size, it is still significantly more powerful than Nvidia’s original reference GTX 1650. Other than that, it has a dedicated hardware encoder, which is optimized for OBS streaming software, so you can stream or record your gaming sessions.  It has IP5X dust resistance certification which ensures the cooling power and longevity of its two fans, as well as a protective backplate to prevent flex and maintain structural integrity.

 In terms of software, it comes with the GPU Tweak II, which allows you to manipulate parameters such as core GPU core clocks, memory frequency, voltage settings and fan controls. This card can play most online competitive games with a 1080p resolution, and some at over 60 frames per second. For a low-profile GPU, it is quite a feat to be able to play these low-intensive AAA games, therefore justifying ASUS GeForce GTX 1650’s – somewhat higher – price-rate; which currently ranges at around the $205 mark.

Best Overall Low-Profile GPU

Taking everything in to consideration: price, the ability to watch and stream 4K resolution videos, the ability to create a workstation that can handle more demanding programs, and also have the chance to game every once in a while, this card has the best overall value. If you’re looking to upgrade your SFF computer’s graphics card, the MSI GTX 1650 Gaming LP is the perfect choice to do so. It has a boost memory speed of 1665 MHz, 4GB of GDDR5 V-RAM, the standard 896 CUDA cores, two 40mm fans, and 8 Gbps memory speeds. 

What’s great about MSI’s model of the GTX 1650 is the OC Scanner. This software automatically finds the highest stable overclock settings for your card, so it boosts the speed of the graphics card without you having to worry about overheating, or having to go through the settings to enable, or tweak, the overclock settings. If you do want to manually change the settings, MSI’s afterburner software allows you to monitor and tweak your system’s metrics in real-time. As with the ASUS GeForce GTX 1650, MSI’s model also has Nvidia’s proprietary G-Sync technology, which aims to eliminate screen-tearing and FPS-drops. It does also have built-in video streaming and recording software.

In terms of ports, it comes with 1 HDMI 2.0b and 1 DL-DVI-D output. Buyer beware: it does not come with a display port. For its current $160 price tag, the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 LP is the best low-profile graphics card available in the market. 

The post 4 Best Low Profile Graphics Cards for SFF Builds appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

For anyone that knows the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the micro-ATX (mATX) form factor makes a lot of sense. Sometimes, your case and motherboard are just a bit too big, with so many extra features you’ll never need but will take up valuable space on your desk or in your room. And sometimes, your case and motherboard are just too small, making building a torture test and leaving no room for your components to breathe and cool off to attain maximum performance. But then, you find that magical size in-between and discover that it has everything you need and nothing you don’t, while giving you plenty of choices that range from absolutely tiny to almost ATX-size. Goldilocks might not have ended with the creation of the mATX form factor, but it might as well have given how perfectly it fits in.

Micro-ATX has managed to become the happy medium between the very very tiny ITX form factor and the quite large ATX form factor. But even with mATX, there is quite a bit of variety. And plenty of builders want to save as much space as possible, without entering all the way into mini-ITX territory. So for someone looking for the best, smallest mATX case available today, our recommendations below will guide you based on what YOU find most important. We are looking for a small size, but not at the expense of quality.

With those criteria in mind, here are our recommendations for best smallest mATX PC cases:

Smallest Micro-ATX Cases – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model
Best Smallest Budget mATX Case		Antec Slim VSK2000-U3
Best Silent Smallest mATX Case		CoolerMaster Silencio S400
Best Versatile Value Smallest mATX Case		CoolerMaster MasterBox Q300L
Best Portable Value Small mATX Case		CoolerMaster MasterBox Q300P
Best Looking Smallest mATX Case		Corsair Crystal 280X
Alternative Aesthetic Small mATX Case		Corsair Carbide Air 240

Best Smallest Budget mATX Case

If you are looking to keep costs down and don’t mind a very slight increase in space to save a few bucks, Antec offers a similarly small case called the Antec Slim VSK2000-U3 for a very reasonable $50 (less than half of the Minuet 350). This case is actually even smaller at 12.3L, but offers only a 250W PSU, and sports a similar subtle design, making it perfect for the budget builder trying to keep the size footprint to an absolute minimum.

Best Silent Smallest mATX Case

While windowed cases are all the rage, some builders still prefer a more workman-like product that is very sober, but very functional. And amongst the prime features of a case of any size is its ability to dampen fan noise and keep things quiet. While all cases will help to a degree, some cases are bit for silence. CoolerMaster has offerings at the ATX size for this (Silencio 550) that are relatively well-known, so they decided to expand to the mATX form factor and build our recommendation for best silent smallest mATX case: the CoolerMaster Silencio S400.

The beauty of these cases is not only that they dampen sound, or that they are small. It’s that CoolerMaster has taken care to ensure that those are only some of the features. To allow for customization and increased ventilation, the S400 has the option to remove the top panel and remove the sound dampening aspect for slightly more noise, but also much more airflow. Similarly, the front mount is reversible, so that the front panel door can open on either side of the case based on which direction allows for better airflow. This type of detailed thought, combined with the typical CoolerMaster build quality and inclusion of the quiet FP120 fans to really double-down on the silence aspect, make this case exciting for anyone looking to maximize their zen-ness while building their rig. At $90, this case is a great buy for our quiet, tiny mATX builders.

Best Versatile Value Smallest mATX Case

While the Antec Slim VSK2000-U3 is extremely affordable, not everyone is interested in quite so small a case, or one that might be limiting in terms of GPU/cooling options. And while quiet is nice, not everyone needs the dead silence of the Silencio S400. So for anyone looking for a very affordable, very versatile case, we can look at a different offering from our well-respected manufacturer CoolerMaster. For our best versatile value smallest mATX case, we recommend the MasterBox Q300L.

In terms of value, it is very tough to beat the MasterBox Q300L. The typical price is right near $45, and even lower on sale. But for the price, this case is packed with features into its tiny package. A comprehensive front panel that can be moved to different placements, a beautiful big window, a nice cable management spot behind the motherboard, and magnetic dust filters to keep the inside clean. Other than having an acrylic instead of tempered glass window, it really is tough to complain with the quality for the price, hence the recommendation in our value category.

Best Portable Value Small mATX Case

And if all of that wasn’t enough, CoolerMaster took the same interior and added different choices for outer fittings to really be sure you get exactly what you need. If you are looking for a tiny portable PC that still uses the mATX form factor, the MasterBox Q300P adds some great removable handholds to help you bring your PC to where it needs to be. This one is a bit more expensive at $85, but includes two RGB fans and an RGB hub, so you still get great bang-for-your-buck for a versatile, small, portable mATX case.

Best Looking Smallest mATX Cases

This category is tough, because it is very subjective. But given that a couple of the options above are at-best subtle, and at-worst boring, we wanted to include a category that shows off some of the beautiful cases that manage to stay small while still using the mATX form factor. Both come from the same high-quality manufacturer, and one of them has been mentioned on this site before. Our two recommendations for best aesthetics in a small mATX case are the Corsair Crystal 280X, and the Corsair Carbide Air 240.

In terms of pure size, the Carbide Air 240 is the smaller of the two and is truly a marvel. The full-size acrylic window combined with the sleek form, asymmetric front meshing and front panel I/O, and well-thought out design come together to make a very attractive mATX case. The optimization for airflow and ability to hold a dual-fan GPU, while maintaining the small footprint, are great examples of finding the balance between smallness and function. Unless you really want to go as tiny as possible like with the Antec offerings or an ITX build, this case will give you plenty of performance and great looks, all for right around $150.

And on the slightly bigger side, the Crystal 280X is just a beautiful chassis. The dual-compartment layout and double glass paneling help keep cables clean while showing off the insides of your rig. It’s not the tiniest case available, and for some reason it seems to ‘present’ as larger than it actually is, but if you want a build that looks terrific, uses the mATX form factor, and does not take up your entire desk, the Crystal 280X has great build quality and will impress anyone you meet. It’s not cheap at $170 (including two fans and a hub), but you get what you pay for, which is a beautifully designed, well-built mATX case.

Conclusion

Whether you want the absolute tiniest mATX to rival even many ITX builds, or something that just uses the most of what mATX has to offer and really differentiates itself from ATX, this guide hopefully shed some light on what cases to consider. Depending on what is most important to you, mATX offers a diverse selection of small cases, many of which excel at specific attributes like silence or portability, and others that really take mATX to the extreme limits of compactness. Make sure you think about what exactly you are looking for before making your purchase, but once you’ve decided on your priority, this guide should help make the buying process a little bit easier.

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The Fractal Design Node 202 is a fantastic entry level small form factor (SFF) case for PC builders who want to enter the SFF space and try out their hands at an ITX build. Designed in shoebox-style, the Node 202 also makes a great case for those looking to do a console-style or HTPC build – with plenty of room within this SFF enclosure to house even the biggest of graphics cards – with the RTX 2080 Ti being able to fit in the Node 202!

Coming in at a retail price of $80, the Node 202 SFF case has 10.2L of internal volume, supporting graphics cards of up to 310mm and 3 slot in width. CPU coolers officially are supported up to 56mm, but unofficially SFF builders have reported AIO coolers of up to 58mm are supported in the Node 202. SFX and SFX-L form factor power supplies are supported in this SFF case.

In this build planning guide, we will show you the best PC parts for Node 202 builds – including our recommended CPU coolers, Case Fans and power supplies (PSUs) that have been tried and tested by many Node 202 builders – to make sure you get the most performance out of your next Node 202 build. Given this is a budget SFF case, we will focus on components that match this price range and offer great performance for the price, just like the Fractal Design Node 202.

Recommended parts for Node 202 builds

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
Power Supply		Corsair SF450 Gold
CPU Cooler		Scythe Big Shuriken 2
Case Fan		Corsair ML120

Best PSU for Node 202 Builds

In the SFX form factor power supply market, there really is the only brand that is dominating this SFF space – and this is with the Corsairs SF series of PSUs. The PSU we recommend for Node 202 builds is the Corsair SF450 Gold – which will provide enough power for any Node 202 build – and offers best in class performance, excellent power and efficiency. The fans in the SF450 do not spin under low loads – meaning this PSU is super silent in operation and makes a great choice for an SFF or HTPC build.

The SF450 Gold is by far the best SFX PSU for entry-to-mid-level builds. We have seen many SFF builders use the SF450 for RTX 2080 Ti and i9-9900K builds – so that really is a testament to what this SFX power supply can achieve. `

Best CPU Cooler for Node 202 Builds

The Fractal Design Node 202 supports CPU coolers of up to 58mm (unofficially), meaning it’s not possible to fit high-performance CPU coolers such as the Dark Rock Pro 4 or Noctua NH-D15.

The air cooler we recommend for the Node 202 over any other (fitting the 58mm height limit) that has been tried and tested by PC builders and will offer the best thermal performance for the Node 202 is the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B. This is one of the best CPU coolers for SFF builds, and it is hands down the best-suited CPU cooler for the Node 202.

The Big Shuriken 2 just fits in the Node 202 with a height of 58mm – pushing it very fine – and offers great performance for its small size, as well as impressively low noise levels at load. Often found under $50 – the BS2 Rev.B also offers fantastic value for money – and hence why it gets our top air cooler pick for Fractal Design Node 202 builds. Note that is you do pick the Big Shuriken 2 that you should opt for low-profile RAM to allow for clearance from the CPU cooler.

We recommend not to choose the Noctua NH-L9 or Cryorig C7 for Node 202 builds since the NH-L9 is too low profile for the Node 202 and thus it ends up recycling heat within the case – as well as the Cryorig C7.

Best Case Fan for Node 202 Builds

There are plenty of decent 120mm case fans that will offer near-equal levels of noise and thermal performance for the Node 202 – but one 120mm case fan we recommend time and time again for mid-level builds is the Corsair ML120. This case fan provides great value for its performance, and offers a high RPM range so we would recommend adjusting the fan curve yourself should you pick this case fan.

The ML120 is super silent at low operation and in general, are super quiet if they are running at typical speeds, and rubber corners help noise dampen this 120mm case fan further. It has been noted that this case fan does get quite loud at higher speeds. With the LEDs of the ML120 available in a number of colours, you can really tailor this case fan to the desired look of your next Node 202 build.

Summary

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
Power Supply		Corsair SF450 Gold
CPU Cooler		Scythe Big Shuriken 2
Case Fan		Corsair ML120

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The LOUQE Ghost S1 is the newest and one of the most anticipated small form factor (SFF) cases to hit the market in recent time, with a highly successful Kickstarter campaign the LOUQE Ghost S1 has finally hit the market and users are beginning to post some seriously slick builds with this mini ITX case.

With a lot of PC builders posting benchmarks and thermal stats of their Ghost S1 builds – we are beginning to see exactly which components perform best in this SFF enclosure – such as the best performing CPU cooler, case fans and power supplies being the most important to get right – if you want to get the absolute most performance out of your Ghost S1 build.

The Ghost S1 is one of the most expensive SFF pc cases on the market, and is often built with enthusiast-grade components – the only other market we could rival it against is the Dancase A4-SFX (both featured in our SFF case buying guide). Using a similar internal layout to the A4-SFX, it actually can hold a wider range of CPU coolers due to its wider clearance between the motherboard and enclosure – offering a potential for superior airflow.

In this series of guides where we recommend the best parts for various popular mini-ITX cases, we will show you our recommended PC parts to pair with the Ghost S1 – to help keep those temperatures cool and framerates and overclocks high. Enjoy!

LOUQE Ghost S1 key specifications

Design
Max Motherboard size	Mini-ITX
Dimensions	188 x 140 x 322 mm
Volume	8.2L
Max CPU cooler height	66mm
Max GPU length	305mm
Max GPU width	2 slot
Max PSU size	SFX-L
Price	$245
Retailer	LOUQE

Recommended Parts for Ghost S1 Builds

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
CPU Cooler		Noctua NH-L12 (w/ bottom fan only)
Power Supply		Corsair SF750 Platinum
Case Fan		Noctua NH-A12x15

Best CPU Cooler for Ghost S1 – Noctua NH-L12

There are a few great CPU coolers for the Ghost S1 that we would recommend – with the first being the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 – a popular option for many Ghost S1 builders. Secondly, and the one we would recommend over any other air cooler is the Noctua NH-L12 – the most popular and superior CPU cooler for the Ghost S1.

Pictured above the NH-L12 is in a dual fan configuration, but we recommend that the Noctua is paired with a bottom fan only, for optimum cooling performance and clearance within the chassis. This model was actually discontinued by Noctua, which has led to some availability issues, but recently the NH-L12 has been put back into production – and thus once again it shouldn’t be too difficult to get hold of one in 2019.

In a thermal and noise test performed by LOUQE comparing popular compatible CPU coolers with the Ghost S1, they concluded that the Noctua NH-L12 offered the superior cooling performance of all tested coolers when paired with a 25mm thick case fan away from the side wall. This combination provided a super quiet setup and great overall thermals within the Ghost S1.

Other notable CPU coolers that were also shown to pair well with the Ghost S1 include the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 (efficient, quiet) and the ZALMAN CNPS8900 – another stable and barely audible CPU cooler for the Ghost S1.

It is possible to run a AIO liquid cooled setup with the Ghost S1 with the addition of their ‘top hats’ – but we would recommend to stick with the NH-L12 air cooler as it actually provides performance on par with most AIO systems, and super silent operation.

Best power supply for Ghost S1 – Corsair SF750 Platinum

For any guide in our Mini ITX series, there is really only one SFX power supply for any SFF build in 2020 we recommend – the Corsair SF750.

This is hands down the best SFX power supply for SFF builds and is extremely popular amongst mini-ITX builders (our full list of recommended SFX PSUs can be found here), and with good reason. Ask any Ghost S1 builder and you will likely get the same response and praise for the Corsair SF series SFX format power supply.

The Corsair SF750 offers super stable power delivery delivering full power at just 47 degrees, extremely efficient, virtually no audible sound and will be able to handle even the beefiest of components – such as the RTX 2080 Ti or i9-9900K in Ghost S1 builds. A 7-year warranty is backed up by Corsair, too.

We rarely hear of anyone with problems with their SF750 power supply in Ghost S1 builds, and if you want to increase the performance further some SFF builders recommend replacing the stock fan with the Noctua NF-A9x14 in the SF750

If 750W is overkill for your Ghost S1 build and you simply don’t need a power supply with that much wattage, then we recommend looking at the sister models in the series, the Corsair SF450 or SF600 Platinum SFX power supplies. Any model in this series are best in class power supplies for the Ghost S1.

Best case fan for Ghost S1 builds – NH-A12x15

Our favorite 120mm slim case fan, which happens to be one of the absolute best-in-class performance 120mm case fans despite its slim design, is the Noctua NF-A12x15. Sure, the design is marmite and it may not be to everyone’s tastes, but the NF-A12x15 will provide the best performance and ultra-quiet operation if that’s what is important to you in your Ghost S1 build. One user on Reddit has noted a 10-degree drop in temperatures using the NH-L12 paired with the NH-A12x15 in the Ghost S1.

The NF-A12x15 has built-in anti-vibration rubber corner pads to keep operation super silent and built this with solid components (just like the Ghost S1) to make this our favourite 120mm slim case fan on the market – a perfect fit for the Ghost S1.

Summary

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
CPU Cooler		Noctua NH-L12 (w/ bottom fan only)
Power Supply		Corsair SF750 Platinum
Case Fan		Noctua NH-A12x15

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If there is one small form factor (SFF) case that has defined the growth in popularity of the SFF movement, it has to be the Dancase A4-SFX. This mini-ITX case has shown it is possible to build highly capable, enthusiast-grade machines that not only are super compact, but also look drop-dead gorgeous. Rightly so, it has been featured as one of our best SFF cases to build with in 2019.

We believe SFF computers are the future for PC builders – whether you like it or not – and expect to see more and more PC builders turn to the mini-ITX form factor from ATX and look to build smaller, compact systems with equal performance to ATX systems.

Hundreds upon hundreds of A4-SFX builds have been completed over the past years since Dancase first released the A4-SFX case, and since then we have learnt from the community which PC parts work best with the A4-SFX chassis and provide the best cooling performance and thermals. The A4-SFX has been noted to be quite the odd case in that picking the right components and cooling can have quite the drastic effect on how the build performs and how hot it runs.

In this guide we will show you the recommended parts to pair with the Dancase A4-SFX, including the CPU cooler, PSU and case fans to get the most out of this compact SFF chassis.

Dancase A4-SFX key specifications

Design
Max Motherboard size	Mini-ITX
Dimensions	317 x 112 x 200 mm
Volume	7.25L
Max CPU cooler height	48mm
Max GPU length	295mm
Max GPU width	2 slot
Max PSU size	SFX
Price	$195
Retailer	SFFLab

Recommended parts for Dancase A4-SFX builds

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
CPU Cooler		Noctua NH-L9i/L9a (<65W TDP)
		Alpenfohn Black Ridge (>65W TDP)
Power Supply		Corsair SF750 Platinum
Case Fan		Noctua NF-A9x14

Best CPU cooler for Dancase A4-SFX (<65W TDP) – Noctua NH-L9i/a

Since the A4-SFX can support only one case fan, it is largely down to the CPU cooler (and video card cooler) to drive down case thermals and expel hot air from the A4-SFX. Our recommended CPU cooler for the A4-SFX is Noctua’s NH-L9i low profile cooler sitting just 39mm in height, which is compatible with the A4-SFX’s maximum CPU cooler height of 48mm. It is important to note we only recommend the NH-L9i up to max TDP of 65W.

This is a super compatible cooler that with most Intel sockets, and if you’re looking at running an AMD processor such as with the AM4 you will want to use the sister model to the NH-L9i, the NH-L9a.

The NH-L9i is equipped with the slim NF-A9x14 PWM fan which is known for very silent operations, making this a great cooler for silent A4-SFX builds.

Best CPU cooler for Dancase A4-SFX (>65W TDP) – Alpenfohn Black Ridge

Since the max TDP of the L9i is only 65W, we do not recommend the NH-L9i for cooling beefier CPUs such as the i7-9700k that requires 95W TDP, or other processors such as the i9-9900K or Threadripper 2 A4-SFX builds. If you want to build with processors with a TDP of greater than 65W, we recommend opting for the Alpenfohn Black Ridge low profile cooler, a purpose built cooler for the Dancase A4-SFX in collaboration with DAN Cases.

The Black Ridge features a 6 heatpipe design with 47mm of height, a mere 1mm off the maximum recommended from DAN Cases. Although many reviews aren’t out testing the Black Ridge, our early expectations are high since it is a direct collaboration between the manufacturer of the case, as well as the specs such as its thermal mass, which should beat other popular CPU cooler options for the A4-SFX, such as the LP53 cooler. It is important to note that there is only 33mm RAM clearance with this CPU cooler, so essentially any RAM sticks with heatspreaders will not be compatible – and you should look at low-profile sticks as an alternative (or just remove the heatspreaders on the RAM stick).

The first batch of orders ended up being recalled due to a manufacturing and compatibility issue, but this was a few months ago and expect new orders of the Black Ridge to not have this problem – hence our recommendation of the Alpenfohn Black Ridge for A4-SFX builds. Availability will be limited, but we expect this to be one of the most effective CPU coolers for the A4-SFX in 2019.

Best PSU for Dancase A4-SFX builds – Corsair SF Series Platinum (SF600/SF750)

Right now in 2019, when it comes to picking an SFX power supply for mini-ITX builds – the absolute best pick is from Corsair’s SF Series line of SFX power supplies – either with the Gold or Platinum 80+ rating. These PSUs are absolute best-in-class, offer fantastic power delivery and efficiency, are virtually noiseless and the series offers a wide range of wattages – with the one we recommend for high-end A4-SFX builds (with RTX 2080 Ti or i7-9700K) to be the SF750 Platinum.

There’s not much else to say in this section apart from don’t look any further than the Corsair SF Series when it comes to picking a SFX power supply for the Dancase A4-SFX.

Other SFX power supplies we would recommend for Dancase A4-SFX builds can be found within our SFX power supply buyers guide, which we recommend checking out if you’re looking to build SFF.

Best 92mm case fan for Dancase A4-SFX – Noctua NF-A9x14

The Dancase A4-SFX only supports one 92mm case fan, so it’s important to pick one that has a decent airflow to help with the notoriously difficult A4-SFX thermals. In terms of positioning of the single case fan, you will want to use it as an exhaust, as this has been the tried and tested effective layout from A4-SFX builders.

Our recommended case fan for the A4-SFX is the Noctua NF-A9x14 – as we have recommended for all SFF builds in this series – the best-in-class case fan in terms of airflow, whilst being super silent in operation. If the distinctive looks aren’t a dealbreaker for you, then the NF-A9x14 is the fan to go for.

Summary

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
CPU Cooler		Noctua NH-L9i/L9a (<65W TDP)
		Alpenfohn Black Ridge (>65W TDP)
Power Supply		Corsair SF750 Platinum
Case Fan		Noctua NF-A9x14

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