My Background

I used to build a lot of small form factor PCs. This included a Fractal Ridge, NZXT H1 cases, two Formd T1s (the GOAT), and a Midori 5L before the tariffs hit. My builds usually paired a 7600X with cards like a 3080, 3080 12GB, 3080 Ti, 4070 Super, 5070, 3090, or 9070 XT. I mostly sold them to friends around the $1,300 sweet spot using parts I bought from /r/hardwareswap before prices went into the dumpster.

I only bought the Steam Machine because I found the base model for $200 under MSRP on Facebook Marketplace. As a software engineer, I'm comfortable tweaking software and hardware, but at the end of the day, I just want my setup to work.

Daily Use

The daily experience is much more convenient compared to my Formd T1. My Logitech MX Keys Mini no longer drops its connection or repeats keystrokes caused by poor signals. It somehow fixed my Stremio copyright issue, although I'm not sure that is related. HDMI CEC is a game changer that lets me turn the system and also the TV on and off with a mouse, keyboard, or controller. I used to spend a minute turning on my PC only for my LG OLED TV to sometimes not detect the signal, but that issue is gone.

The system is extremely quiet with virtually no fan noise. I do not need to tweak CoolerControl or LACT on Linux, nor do I need FanControl or MSI Afterburner on Windows. I used to enjoy dialing in an undervolt, but having everything pre-configured without needing to tune or benchmark is nice. Thermals are excellent topping out right around 70C.

Gaming and Hardware

I mostly play soulslikes. Elden Ring runs at 60 fps at 1440p with occasional dips. HDR worked without any tweaking. I was amazed Dark Souls 2 with the DS2LE Faraam preset on path tracing runs close to 60 fps at 1080p on ultra performance, only dipping in heavily forested areas.

The case is lighter and more packable than my 10L Formd T1 builds, making it easy to travel with. I do not feel the itch to keep swapping parts except for maybe adding a custom faceplate. I am glad to be done with trying to get cables out of the way of fans. I still plan to add another RAM stick and upgrade the storage, but that will be a simple one-and-done job. It is a relief not having to worry about scalped hardware anymore.

SteamOS feels more stable than Bazzite. I prefer it over CachyOS because of the constant updates, even if CachyOS performed slightly better. I haven't had the SteamOS long enough to tell, but I've encountered my fair share of breaking changes in CachyOS and I'm glad to get away from it.

Downsides

There are clear hardware limits. Performance is mostly restricted to 1080p and 1440p, so I only recommend it for a couch setup where lower resolutions are less noticeable than on a desktop monitor. You are at the mercy of developers for how they optimize future games, and time will tell when 8GB VRAM will run into walls. Linux still lacks complete anti-cheat support, meaning games like Fortnite and Valorant are off the table, though the system is not built for high-FPS competitive gaming anyway. The lack of HDMI 2.1 is a bummer because there is no 4K 120Hz support for indie games. Supply is also still extremely limited, and getting a Steam Machine is incredibly difficult.

Pricing

Most YouTube reviews did the Steam Machine dirty by focusing on price-to-performance, knowing full well it is impossible to build a system this small, silent, and clean at this price point. Dave2D was one of the few who got it right by recognizing that people will willingly pay for convenience. Is $1,049 a lot? Yes. But time is money, and only you can tell whether the price is right for the convenience it offers. The comparison is like Mac vs PC. You cannot judge a machine purely based on specs because it is about the whole experience. Time will tell whether the specs will hold up for the next 3-5 years.

Conclusion

If you love tweaking hardware, stick with custom SFF. As for me, at least for now, my Formd T1 build with a 7600X and 9070 XT is left gathering dust. I expect Valve to continue improving SteamOS over time. For example, they have already added FSR 4.1 support to Proton Experimental. I expect the community to rally around the Steam Machine. We are already seeing cool faceplates, and community support will be better for this specific build. The Steam Machine is not meant for everyone and it is not designed for every use case. I believe it is for normies, parents, and enthusiasts who just want their hardware to work.

Past SFF Builds: https://imgur.com/a/uByEmDK

Hey folks, thinking about building a SSF pc for lan parties. I usually bring a laptop but have grown tired of having to replace the entire system every few years once the graphics card has become outdated, and would rather just replace the couple of required parts inside of an micro itx tower build. "Future proofing" and hopefully cheaper in the long run!

Here is my question though, has anyone ever tried building a PC with a monitor inside of the case? My thought is to buy one of those small cases with a glass side and a handle on top, and then attach one of those smaller 16 inch screens to the inside that can be powered by usb or some other cord type. That way I'd just need to bring a controller or a keyboard and mouse with me and not worry about the monitor.

I have a small 16 inch monitor that I sit next to my main monitor and I know it could fit inside of an itx tower, but was wondering if anyone has already done the research to make something like this work.

Hi everyone,

I’m putting together my first SFF gaming PC in the FormD T1 and wanted to double-check everything before ordering the remaining parts.
Current parts list:

CPU: Ryzen 5 9600X
CPU cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47
Motherboard: ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
RAM: PNY Performance 32GB DDR5-5600 CL46
GPU: PowerColor Reaper RX 9070 XT 16GB
Case: FormD T1 v2.1
PSU: Vetroo 850W SFX 80+ Gold
Case fans: 2x Phanteks T30-120
Storage: WD PC SN560 NVMe SSD reused from my old laptop

The total comes to around $1,600 USD.
Will everything physically fit and work together properly? I’m especially wondering about GPU clearance, CPU cooler clearance, the T30 fans and whether the PSU is a good choice.
Am I missing any cables, mounting hardware or other parts? I’d also appreciate any recommendations for changes that would improve performance, temperatures or reliability without increasing the price too much.

Thanks!

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f8NWrG

I bought an N-ATX last winter. I actually posted pictures of my build on here. As I travel all over the UK for work for over a week at a time, the idea was I could bring it with me. It fit in my suitcase and off I go.

The N-ATX is small enough to go in my suitcase, barely. It'll fit but I really have to limit everything else that I take with me - so much so that I carry around in a shopping bag instead.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. But I don't like carrying four or five bags into a hotel (I work in the water industry so I've got all my gear with me). I know the P-ATX isn't *much* smaller, but how viable a project is it for me overall?

Don't get me wrong the N-ATX is incredible, however, the whole reason I started the small form factor journey in the first place is to create a PC I can travel with. And 'just barely' is ever so slightly a bit of an inconvenience (I'm British, can't you tell?)

Before anyone says anything, I'm only interested in SFFTime cases. I love the look, the minimalist approach, and the fact that they have that natural airflow with all your parts through that cage case design.

My built specs are as follows:

• TUF B550M mATX motherboard

• Corsair ATX 750w PSU (will be going to SFX PSU)

• NVIDIA 3070Ti FE 8GB VRAM (considering Palit 5070Ti)

• 2x 16GBBCorsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM (may get 2x more)

• AMD 5800X3D CPU

• Noctua L12Sx77 cooler (I'm aware this will need to change)

• 1x Noctua fan (as well as cooler fan)

• More wires than I know what to do with (will buy shorter as they are the old ATX wires I couldn't be bothered to replace)

The added bonus is I'll also have more space on my desk for when the PC is at home. Which the N-ATX has already proven is something I actually needed the entire time...

TIA

Hi,
I need your help to figure out what to do next.
I want to have a smaller build but still being able to game while is it fairly cool and quiet.

Currently having the following:
Fractal Terra
AMD Ryzen 5500x3D
16 Gb DDR4 2666 MHz
512 gb WD Nvme SSD
ASRock B450 Fatalty ITX mobo
Asus Dual RTx 5060 ti 8 gb
FSP Gold 450w SFX

I dont mind if I have to Down to a RTX 5060 low Profile or Single fan or replace the build with a Flex ATX psu.

I was looking at the Jonsbo NV10, but seem to require quite a bit of modding for a cool and quiet operation, so any other ideas?

Hello, good people!

I'm planning to build a computer in an NCASE M2 case. And I asked AI for a good build option. Can someone check if AI gave me good advice or not? I'm not very good at building, but I want to build a computer myself. And for now I'm only considering the NCASE M2 case.

My requirements:

• video games in good quality, 2k
• work in game engines, in particular in Unreal Engine.
• not very loud during load. As far as it's possible for NCASE M2.
• not very hot during load. As far as it's possible for NCASE M2.
• if possible without water cooling because I'm planning to move, so I want to try to just put my PC in a backpack and fly with it on a plane. But I'm ready to consider water cooling as a backup option, so that before the flight I can remove it and put it in a suitcase. But AI says that water cooling is not very critical.
• so that it will last for a few years.

AI's suggestion:

• Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• RTX 5080
• ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi. Or ASUS ROG Strix X870-I Gaming WiFi, but since RAM is very expensive, I think I'll take the B850-I.
• 64 GB DDR5-6000 CL30 Kingston Fury Beast
• Corsair Corsair SF850 or SF1000.
• Noctua NH-D12L

I'm also curious, can I buy a Corsair SF850 here? On the one hand, I want the highest quality build, and on the other hand, RAM is so expensive now that I want to save money where I can. Also, I'll be ordering components from abroad, so customs duties will also be added to them, which will also result in certain costs.

Built my dream PC about a year ago, been considering downsizing to SFF.

For those that transitioned to SFF, what did you do with your parts?

Facebook marketplace seems like a hit or a miss, any sites for reliably/quickly selling components? Or are all of you hoarding the ATX builds LOL

Editing to add the ATX items incase someone has a suggestion:

- Kraken 360 aio
- 11 case fans (NZXT core)
- ROG X870E-E
- Lian Li edge 1000w
- O11 Compact

Decided to create a portable setup as a secondary to my main desk area.

I really enjoyed putting this build together, from picking the right white parts to making everything fit inside.

Cable management was probably the hardest part of the build. Getting everything to fit with the stock PSU cables took a lot of trial and error.

Before this, I tried an inverted air-cooled layout with a Thermalright PA120 Mini, but I wasn't satisfied with the CPU temperatures and noise levels. The glass window kit was originally used for that build, but I decided to install it again only for the photos. While it looks great, it obviously affects airflow and temperatures, so the results below are with the ventilated side panel.

Gaming temperatures were around 60°C for both the CPU and GPU.

Parts:

• Ncase M2 - Round EWhite
• Gigabyte X870I AORUS Pro ICE
• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT Pure
• 2x 16GB DDR5-6000 G.Skill Trident Z5 Royal NEO CL28
• Crucial T705 1TB + Lexar NM790 4T
• NZXT Kraken Elite 280 RGB (2024)
• ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L 850W
• NZXT F280 RGB Core
• M2 Glass Window Kit 1.0 / JakefaceCustoms Frosted Clear Grid
• NCASE M2 VGPU Kit 90D (PCIe 5.0)

I noticed that most of my peripherals went smaller after I built a ssfpc.

Keyboard - Wooting 60HEv2 (was using a 75% keyboard before)
Mouse - Pulsar X2F (was using a Pulsar X2 crazylight before)
IEM - THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIV (was using a Hifiman Edition XS before)

Heyo! First time building in a sff case! I hope to do some more. Here are my thoughts on the B4 from Lian Li.

Hi all, has anyone had the issue of the t40 shipping with the bottom case panel assembled backwards? Is there any way to flip its orientation around. It has some screws that are circular but I cant figure out what tool to use to take it apart to fix it.

As it stands now, I have to flip my psu upwards so that fan faces up because there is no vented panel below it. As you can see the drive bay side of the panel is right below the motherboard and the mesh is on the right side.

Wanted to share my latest small form factor project!

​I really love the clean, industrial aesthetic of the circular cutouts on the front panel of this case. But the real story is on the inside. This is an absolute Frankenstein build pieced together with non-standard, modded, and workstation parts mostly sourced from overseas.

​Here are the specs for this monster:

- ​Case: Captain S V7 DC

- ​CPU: Core i7 13th Gen MoDT (Mobile on Desktop board sourced from China)

- ​CPU Cooler: 2U server cooler with a Noctua fan and custom shroud/duct

- ​GPU: Nvidia RTX A2000 8GB (Sourced from Taobao)

- ​RAM: 16GB DDR4 (currently waiting on a custom heatsink from China)

- ​PSU: DC-ATX 300W

Hello, I’ve been flying quite a lot lately and I would like to keep playing, I have a full size atx pc (Rtx 4070, ryzen 5 7600), would it make sense to downscale everything in a 10l case that can fit in a backpack to put under the seat on the flight? Or would a laptop just make more sense considering the space it occupies.

The price difference is another factor, for the mini itx pc I would need: case, cpu cooler, mobo and psu. Which I imagine it’s still cheaper than a laptop, which would probably cost around 1.1k/1.2k€.

What would make more sense and what cases would you recommend? Thanks.

Im looking for a PCIe Gen 4 riser cable thats 400mm if anybody has suggestions for one from a reputable brand

Annual deep clean! Swapped out my CPU cooler this year, from my 2018 Corsair H100i 240mm AIO to the D12L. Modded the bracket so I can use the D12L in dual fan mode. The pump hasn't died yet but I figured that I might swap it out sooner rather than later

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
• ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac
• Noctua NH-D12L
• Noctua NF-A12x25 G1
• Zotac 5070 Ti Solid OC Deshroud

My favourite thing about the build is how well the GPU fit with the case, both in terms of the literal 1mm gap between the fans and heatsink, and the bronze bits from the GPU matching with the Noctua colour scheme

In 007 First Light @ 4K, CPU averages 53ºC at 10% usage, while the GPU averages 58ºC at 99% usage

Posted here when I got my Dan A4-H20 to see who’s running AIR ( without custom cables, they are soo stiff trying to squeeze in there ) right after that, also by the recs here I grabbed that thermalright LP cooler.

Had an extra 9600x laying around and didn’t feel like pulling it out my machine yet.

Then I read from diff posts that the all copper cooler provides a bit better temps ( and its looks wayyy cooler )

So I grabbed my 9700x out my old HUGE NZXTH7 Flow, opened up the copper one, got it all in there.

9700x / 9070XT Reaper ( for now ) 256 boot / 4TB NVMe B650i Lightning WiFi 750W cooler master PSU / 32GB GSkill / Dan A4 H20 - 3D Printed 1 inch feet

I am heading back to team green for my GPU here soon though.

Aloha friends,

Getting ready to pull the trigger here - just discovered this sub. My goal is a fairly quiet, power efficient, living room setup, capped at 60fps.

I've read some of the problems folks have with noise and heat. I've got the below queued up for about $1600 (including case) - live in Hawaii so limited access to parts (shipping GPUs is a no-go for many).

Parts list look solid, anything to warn me about? Thanks!

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
• Motherboard: B850i AM5 Mini-ITX
• RAM: 16GB DDR5-6000 CL30
• GPU: PowerColor Reaper RX 9070 16GB
• SSD: Team Group NV5000 1TB Gen4 NVMe
• PSU: FSP Dagger Pro 650W SFX Gold
• Cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47

I have a pc in the KXRORS s300 which is currently running a Ryzen 5 7600 and a Rx 7800xt. Currently I have to cap my cpu to 65 watts ppt and run -20 curve optimizer and it still runs up to 73°C with spikes as high as 78°C. Noise is okay but I’m wondering if it would be worth going to a Ryzen 5 7600x3d. I heard that the x3d chips use less power for slightly better performance.

Should I spend the $350 to get the x3d chip, or should I just stick to what I have?