Anything I should know before building first mini ITX?

I have built atx desktops, but am considering a mini itx. possib ly with one of those pico power supplies, and an intel 2120t for low power. this will just be for microsoft office stuff and web browsing. I am not a gamer. I understand there is often not a case fan, and if I use a ssd I think the whole thing should be ok with just the cpu fan.

anything I need to know before getting myself into trouble?

not really. just make sure that everything (mobo, CPU heatsink, GPU, etc) will fit comfortably inside the case.
which case did you have in mind?

For case, just a cheapo. I am not worried about noise - the only noisy thing will be cpu fan. Should I look for a case that will dissapate heat better?

Absolutely... passive and active cooled GPUs still need the ambient heat to be radiated or ventilated out somehow unless they run quite cold.

My media centre has poor airflow and the stagnant air around the hard drive bays caused them to run quite hot so I had to pull one out and install hard drive coolers.

Unless your the type who likes to deal will chronic over heating, performance decreases, computer crashes and internal component damage, than sure, be my guest, get a case that is a heat catcher! If your going to go cheap on a case that you suspect in a non-ventilator, you best beef up your cooling solution budget! Buy a couple more intake/exit fans, maybe drop a couple buck on some inexpensive PCI slot rear exhaust fans, maybe buy a better CPU cooling fan, something! Before settling on this cheap case, I'd vest the time in doing a little more research about them, maybe find one that will ventilate better.

By the way, what is your budget on a computer case?

A 2120t is rated at TDP of 35 watts. a SSD has no moving parts.
Let's get serious.

Well a SSD drive may indeed have no moving parts, but the thing still has parts!


So what ya going to do to keep the SSD drives non moving internal parts cool? How is that circuit board and ceramic chips supposed to stay cool? I don't care how you try to slice this, if the sucker plugs into power and has to operate on electricity to work, it therefore by the natural order of things is going to generate heat! But that's okay, that's alright, you want us to get serious, that's fine! But if it was me I wouldn't try and skimp on buying a cheap case with virtually no pre-installed cooling solutions. I don't know about you, but with me, no matter how much I think something is going to stay cool on it's own in a case, I still go a little out of my way as to make sure the thing has proper air flow and ventilation. That way the internal parts inside the computer case stay cooler, keep performance levels up, keep over heating to a minimum and more important.......the parts will last longer!

To add to the 'suggested case' department, here's a few nice Mini-ITX cases that I think everyone would find agreeable.

1. Bitfenix Prodigy

great reviews. looks great. can fit huge GPU's, and a full watercooling loop. you can get this case in black or white for around $99

2. Coolermaster Elite 120 Advanced

not bad looking, and the ventilation is good. Smart design, too. You can pick this one up for around $59

3. Silverstone TJ08-E

arguably the most popular M-ATX/ Mini-ITX case in 2012. Great airflow, and looks quite nice too. Good Cable management. price is around $99

4. Thermaltake Armor A30

This one's more on the flashy/showy side of cases. I'm personally not a huge fan of Thermaltake, but those who've purchased this case seem to like it. can fit big GPU's. unfortunately, it's a little more on the expensive side, at around $119

5. Lian Li PC-A04

exceptional airflow/cooling. sleek design. good quality manufacturer. Air filters. Can fit any GPU. Is styled a little bit like the more conventional ATX tower style cases. This one's the most expensive of the bunch, at around $135

The cases I've listed here all have great airflow, look nice, and will accommodate pretty much any components.
Plus, they won't break the bank either. As Zen said, you can't completely disregard heat as a factor in the longevity/optimal performance of computer parts. Good cooling is crucial.
I think you'll find at least one of the cases I mentioned agreeable
good luck.

OK, for what I have declared thus far as far as this build: it seems that there are people who believe that if I get a cheap case, I will have malfunction due to overheating.

Is anyone willing to put their money where their mouth is? It seems that the less I spend on a case, the more sure I am to have a build that freezes.

Talk is cheap. If I avoid whatever bad outcomes might be in y'alls imagination, if I can document that I avoid it for some span of time, or through some stress test, will anyone defray my case cost? If I have heat problems as measured by infrared thermometer or internal thermocouple readings, I wll have to sacrifice what I thought I was saving going cheap versus a $100 case with carbon fiber?

I am not in the best spot to suggest such a wager - it gets hot here where I live. I cannot cool my system by opening the window in wintertime.

I have a sidelined Antec Sonata case gathering dust I could throw in to sweeten the deal.

When scouting through my chief computer supplier, I only found one case that I thought might do the trick here.



This mini computer case can be found at Fry's.com, as displayed for $69.99 + tax + shipping, probably all of it will come to just bellow $100.00! If interested I'm going to provide a link to this case....

http://www.frys.com/product/6164919?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

There you go.............have fun!

this is interesting - an acrylic case with an lcd screen! It has a case fan, for those who think a 35 watt processor and ssd will overheat with only a cpu fan to blow things around.

well looks like a nice find.
I myself am not a big fan of acrylic cases, since they tend to make cable management and making things look neat, nigh on impossible
plus, things look awfully cramped in there... maybe reconsider?
I'd probably go with one of the cases Zen or I mentioned. they are built by quality manufactures, don't cost much, have great cooling/Cable management, and are built very solidly.
if I were you, the TJ08-E would be my choice. It's an incredibly popular case, and with good reason too.