TLDR

Moved everything from a Fractal Design Meshify C case (36.5L) to a Cooler Master NR200 (18.25L).

Background

When I first built my PC in summer 2020, I wasn’t sure about the size or how big I wanted it. After a year, I finally decided it was time to switch to a smaller form factor. I’ve been looking at /r/battlestations/ way too much on my free time.

Out With the Old

The list for my old build can be found here. On the right is what my build looks like with the Meshify C case. It was tough hauling it everywhere (to Irvine and back…) I had to drag it to the garage to clean out the dust multiple times a year. The Meshify C is a great case, but a PC just doesn’t need to take that much space.

In With the New

Here’s the list of the small form factor build:

New Parts List

Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor Purchased For $0.00
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12A 60.09 CFM CPU Cooler Purchased For $45.96
Motherboard Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard Purchased For $222.93
Memory G.Skill Aegis 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory Purchased For $0.00
Storage Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5” Solid State Drive Purchased For $0.00
Storage Western Digital SN750 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive Purchased For $0.00
Video Card EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB KO ULTRA GAMING Video Card Purchased For $0.00
Case Cooler Master MasterBox NR200 Mini ITX Desktop Case Purchased For $77.18
Power Supply Corsair SF 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply Purchased For $91.58
Case Fan ARCTIC P12 PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan Purchased For $8.30
Case Fan ARCTIC P12 PST 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan Purchased For $8.30
Speakers Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120 W 2.1 Channel Speakers Purchased For $86.19
  Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts  
  Total $540.44

I was really hoping that the B550i mobo would go back to its old price ($189), but it didn’t budge for the past 2 months. I got the NR200 case on Amazon and got the $10 rebate a few days ago. I’m hoping to get another rebate ($20) from the PSU. I added the speakers to the list because they were also on sale (from Costco) and they’ve been working really well so far.

And here’s the build: sffpc

What’s not pictured are the extra case fans. I put two arctic fans on the top as an exhaust. I have 3 more arctic fans and I’ll probably add it below the GPU. The cable management isn’t that great right now. I’ll add/get custom cables for that, but it doesn’t look too bad the way it is right now.

The new build doesn’t generate that much heat compared to my old build. I’ve been playing FFXIV and it plays the same. The only thing that I need to upgrade is my desk space…

-LW

Updated: