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Z97 Micro-Atx Motherboard for gaming?

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I've looked for platinum cause I thought it was a good idea to have the best efficiency since I wanted my PSU to last.
I can't buy cases much smaller than the Prodigy cause the noctua nh-d14 has already arrived...
 
If mATX look at the CS 350D or for mITX look at the CS 250D. really not many cases i can think of suggesting since you already have the cooler. i would figured out a mobo/case first, then the HS. everything is about compromises sometimes you cant have that bulky hs in a small ff case. only two cases i would thing that hs will fit in, one i listed and the other has been posted about. the hs might even fit in the smaller bitfenix case mentioned as welll as the larger mATX version. the CS 350D matx case from what i can see/read might have some issues. if looking at the cs 250D from just looks, it doesnt seem it would fit.

*edit*
i was at one point between the three boards, the msi gaming maxt z97,GB gaming 5, Asrock OCF. well you can see in my sig which i choose to go with, i just have to wait for my cpu to finally get in stock at newegg to ship.
 
Efficiency has NOTHING to do with how long a PSU will last.
That is all in the quality of the parts.
 
Sorry last post I wanted to say and orgot to link.


the 250D , howeverr i do not know your cooler would fit, but it may

Much higher quality than the prodigy
 
Have you looked at the bitfenix colossus? that will hold the graphics card and the noctua cooler.
just curious, whats your beef with the hadron?
id also suggest a 600w psu just for some extra headroom. i like being atleast a few hundred above my required amount of power.
 
colossus is the same as the other matx case, only difference is the skin or outside of the case. there is another case i came across that uses the same internal structure/layout, possibly is the same case just another "skin", cant recall by who or find it atm.
 
Thanks again for your replies. So, I can see that you wouldn't recommend the prodigy, even the normal one; I liked the design of it and its handles, cause I was planning to move it from a room to another once every while. I've seen that all the bitfenix micro and mini atx cases share the same internal design so I guess if the prodigy isn't good, none of them will be. I'll have a look at the cases you've told me.
I'd like to ask you just a few questions if I may.
Isn't the fact that asrock offers only one year of warranty for the z97 oc formula a symptom that it won't probably last long? And, as for its compatibility with my noctua nh-d14, both if the mobo will be placed vertically or horizontally, the cooler will always be in horizontal orientation, and so it shouldn't obstruct the first pcie slot am I right?
Last but not least, there is another case that I really like, it is the vengeance c70, and now I was thinking of buying since the prodigy isn't an option anymore ; what do you think of it,? Given that this case has space for them, which Atx motherboard for gaming and overclocking would you suggest, knowing that it will be placed vertically?
 
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The 250D is mITX case, how that plays out with your cooler I do not know. If it will cover your first PCie slot I would guess not but check. I find it hard to believe the design would hamper the first slot on the board. If it does the product is total fail

the OCF is a rediculous board. I am not fimiliar with the warrenty. I can tell you it is arguably the best mATX board availible. The price is so low on it that anyone who does not take a serious look at when when building in a mATX form factor is either misinformed or very closed minded. The board is only limited by the quality of the CPU and the cooling solution. The BIOS is rediculous and the memory profiles are solid.

reading through I can not determin if you are going mITX or mATX
the AsRock mITX ATM linked is a great solution for that platform and would be the board I would buy if using that platform, the ROG solution prices itself out of contention IMO. the mATX as stated the mATX z97 OCF at any price is rock solid, the fact that you can get it for a reasonable price puts the agument of overkill under the table.

MY two cents.

Personally I would send the air cooler back and grab an AIO. IMO their simply is no compelling argument for air cooling in this day and age. I for one would not have my case and memory selections dictated to me to accomidate such a large cooler. Many will disagree with this opinion, and that is cool.... This is simply my take on modern computing. However the D-14 is a very a popular cooler as it is a top preformer.
 
What do you think of the Corsair Vengance c70? Cause from what you've written in your replies I can't see any advantages brought by micro ATX boards, since as it has been said two VGA in SLI on a mATX board would generate too much heat; at this point I must decide whether to do a microATX rig or one with a normal ATX board, and I was thinking at the Vengance c70 as chassis
 
Not fimiliar with that case, it does have hadles that seem to be a big thing for you.

It could be a nice case for a full ATX build
 
I don't see why you're set on sli capabilities. And if you like the prodigy go for it. But for someone who's built in both itx and m atx prodigies. If you like it, stick with the itx model. Whether it fits is determined by the board you choose. Most itx boards don't conform to each other and have the CPU socket slightly moved.

Don't let us necessarily deter you away from what you want. But I do prefer itx and m atx builds personally, and I also heavily dislike the idea of sli and xfire. And this is from someone running 2560*1440.
 
the c70 vengeance seems like a really good case that im actually looking to get myself. it would work perfect for you imo because it is easily movable as long as you have some sort of muscle. this case is made out of steel almost entirely except the bezel and i believe the bays.
id suggest the gigabyte board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128706
it has not a single bad review and everything you seem to be lookign for with a 3 year warranty. to me i see the warranty as the companies faith in their products. 1 year does not bode well with me either.
 
hollywood96 said:
the c70 vengeance seems like a really good case that im actually looking to get myself. it would work perfect for you imo because it is easily movable as long as you have some sort of muscle. this case is made out of steel almost entirely except the bezel and i believe the bays.
id suggest the gigabyte board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128706
it has not a single bad review and everything you seem to be lookign for with a 3 year warranty. to me i see the warranty as the companies faith in their products. 1 year does not bode well with me either.
Click to expand...

I liked the prodigy, but I want to build something that will last, so if a product has too many flaws as the prodigy m seems to have, i'll go for another one, probably the C70. Maybe i'll send back the noctua nh-d14 and get a liquid cooler for the C70, though I still don't know which one and I'm afraid of leaking. May i ask you, since you're also interested in the C70, which would be your configuration, especially as far as fans are concerned? Because I want it to be perfectly ventilated but also quiet, that's why I was planning to buy all noctua fans, cut the C70 has 10 fan slots so it would be a tremendous amount of money to buy 10 noctua fans (more ore less 200 euros)
 
keep in mind that it has ten fan slots but you wont be able to use one or two of them because of that full length card and general space concerns. i will most likely be getting a 240mm radiator liquid cooler for up top with some silenx fans that i have. ill also be putting a single rad aio for my video card on the bottom rad area.
intake- removing top drive bay-putting a fan there.
removing bottom intake on the drive bays and putting a single aio rad there.
exhaust- consists of my double rad and another exhaust fan(silenx 120mm aw)

the top three fans will all be silenx's and the bottom two will probably be some new noctuas.
if i can find some decent adapters ill put my hard drives in the 5.25 bays and put another noctua up front.(i only have one ssd a dvd/cd and a hdd)
you definitely do not need ten fans. the ten fans will consist of a limited number of actual configurations.
 
hollywood96 said:
keep in mind that it has ten fan slots but you wont be able to use one or two of them because of that full length card and general space concerns. i will most likely be getting a 240mm radiator liquid cooler for up top with some silenx fans that i have. ill also be putting a single rad aio for my video card on the bottom rad area.
intake- removing top drive bay-putting a fan there.
removing bottom intake on the drive bays and putting a single aio rad there.
exhaust- consists of my double rad and another exhaust fan(silenx 120mm aw)

the top three fans will all be silenx's and the bottom two will probably be some new noctuas.
if i can find some decent adapters ill put my hard drives in the 5.25 bays and put another noctua up front.(i only have one ssd a dvd/cd and a hdd)
you definitely do not need ten fans. the ten fans will consist of a limited number of actual configurations.
Click to expand...

Aren't you afraid of leaking? I've read countless posts of people whose AIO coolers leaked, even the best ones such as the swift tech h220. That's what led me to buy the noctua cooler(even though I was and still am concerned about the stress put on the mobo). Moreover do you know any other fans capable of standing the comparison with the noctua ones, though less expensive?
 
Should i be any more worried then if i set up my own custom loop?
Corsairs cx fans(i think cx) are good i have two in my case right now and theyre pretty much inaudible unless the room is silent. I think those are around the same price though. Silenx is good in my experience but ik quite a few people have problems with them apart from just the products. As for noctuas ive actually never used them myself but ik how well rated and liked they are which is why i would be willing to rely on them when i get a new case.
 
hollywood96 said:
Should i be any more worried then if i set up my own custom loop?
Corsairs cx fans(i think cx) are good i have two in my case right now and theyre pretty much inaudible unless the room is silent. I think those are around the same price though. Silenx is good in my experience but ik quite a few people have problems with them apart from just the products. As for noctuas ive actually never used them myself but ik how well rated and liked they are which is why i would be willing to rely on them when i get a new case.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your replies, I'll consider whether to send back the air cooler then and go for a liquid one, hoping it won't leak ^^
 
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