Hey there Eggheads, Juan Carlos Bagnell here for Newegg Studios with our first
in a new series covering some of the lightest tech around
and what it can do for you. Today we’re talking about a PC form factor that
isn’t little known, but it's definitely little. Micro ATX cases allow you to fit
a full-power PC into a smaller space, something a bit
more compact than your full-fledged RGB battlestation. Now before we dive in, we
should note that we’re specifically looking at the
Micro ATX form factor here, not Mini ITX. Micro ATX is a bit smaller than
the standard ATX side, but mini-ITX is even smaller still
and more specialized. It’s easy to get the names confused,
I've done it myself, but for this video we're all about the medium-sized micro-
ATX option. In this video we’ll be looking at two
specific Micro ATX cases, the darkFlash DLM21, and the
Fractal Design Focus G Mini, giving you the lowdown on
what makes them intriguing. First off, the darkFlash DLM21
comes in white or black with a tempered glass side panel
and a stylish low-poly style front panel that gives it sort of a Cyberpunk 2077
vibe. The case measures 15.05 inches high, 8 inches wide, and 15.8
inches deep. The Fractal Design Focus Mini G is slightly larger
at 15.07 inches high, 8.07 inches wide, and 18.27 inches deep, with a
simple black frame, tempered glass side panel,
and perforated metal on the top and front. Now, already you may have noticed
what makes the Micro ATX case and format so interesting. Sitting them next to a
full-sized ATX case, it’s basically impossible to overlook.
The motherboards for this form factor are roughly 25% smaller than standard ATX
options, and the cases follow suit. With that
smaller size, you’re going to need to compromise a bit when it comes to ports,
hard drive racks, and often the cooling potential that comes with the bigger
full- and mid-size cases. Both these micro
ATX cases we’re looking at, though, have very efficient use of space
and can use AIO loops - even up to 380 mm in the case of the Focus G
Mini. You may be limited in the height of your CPU cooler, so
using a massive turbine to cool your overclocked processor
might not be possible with the slimmer widths and tighter tolerances of this
form factor. Water cooling loops, AIOs, and thoughtful
fan placement give you a chance to show off your PC building skills
while building something a bit less conspicuous
that still runs cool. If you want to build yourself a powerful,
compact, and quiet micro-ATX PC, you have a world of options open to you.
Grab a smaller form factor RTX 2070, your favorite VR headset, and nestle it
in your living room and you have the perfect family VR rig.
Both cases are sleek enough to blend in with the rest of your AV
gear, in case you’re looking for a build to host your Plex server.
Or let’s say you’re a video editor, and like most content creators,
your desk doesn’t have space for another huge piece of gear
on top of all the monitors, dongles, and drives full of footage.
Throw a small form factor AMD graphics card and Ryzen
or Threadripper CPU on the board, and you have a Mac Pro killer
that you won’t need to take out a second mortgage to buy.
You won’t be doing CrossFire or SLI with a Micro ATX case
as a general rule, but with the size efficiency and speed of the graphics
cards on the market today, you can get most average-sized cards in
these cases without harming performance. This also
goes for power supplies. You may need to pick smaller components
to have a standard ATX PSU in the case, and some won’t fit one at all, but
“smaller form factor” PSUs have come a long way in the last five years
and now supply massive power, excellent stability,
and a similar price to what you’re used to. With a Micro ATX case and
motherboard in hand, you can build a PC with a killer power-to-size ratio,
all without annoying other members of your household
who might be more sensitive to things like fan noise
and your lights dimming every time the machine is powered up.
So, if you’ve got a micro-ATX build finished or you’re planning on starting
one, let us know in the comments. And remember
to check out the Newegg PC builder linked
in the description below, where you can now put together your own build
with a list of compatible parts, right on Newegg. As always thanks so much for
watching. For Newegg Studios I'm Juan Carlos Bagnell and I'll catch you all on the next video.