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Loading ...Over clocking a Micro-ATX: my search for the Holy Grail
obing1
Around March this year I decided to build the perfect media centre PC. It was going to be small, beautiful and above all very fast; so began my search for the Holy Grail.
After trawling websites for reviews, I was left with two options: (a) buy the Zalman HD160XT-S and build a full ATX system; or (b) buy the slightly smaller and cheaper Antec Fusion and build a micro ATX system. Both were rave reviewed by CustomPC.
The differences between the two cases were simple. The Zalman was more expensive and although beautiful was basically a full sized computer pushed onto its side. The Fusion meanwhile was smaller and cheaper and was therefore at the time, and in my opinion, a more sensible buy.
There was of course the one last consideration to contend with: the Fusion was restricted to a Micro ATX board.
It was therefore here where I made my 1st fatal mistake. I read CustomPC’s review regarding the ASUS P5B-E motherboard (again rave reviewed) and then naively assumed that the ASUS P5B-VM (its micro ATX cousin) would be similar in its over clocking capabilities. Dumb with hindsight, but you live and learn. Why didn’t I ask CustomPC first?!
On the basis of this false assumption, and heading down the ASUS P5B-VM route, I started with the following base build: Antec Fusion; Intel Duo (2.4Ghz); Corsair 800mhz; Nesteq semi fanless; ASUS P5B-VM; MSI NVIDIA Fanless 8600GT . By the way, buy from QuietPC. The advice I received there in terms of the best power unit was invaluable. The Nesteq is brilliant - the fan almost never switches on.
All went well with the build. The Fusion was everything I could have hoped for. However then came the moment when I tried to over clock: disaster. No matter how I tried to shift the frequency or voltages, the system kept on stalling, dying, rebooting, over-heating: generally playing havoc with my system.
It was at this point that I realised that the boards were indeed different in terms of capabilities. Sh%t. A couple of reviews enclosed, the first of which in my opinion is the best in terms of balance and acccuracy: No1; No2. In short a very good middle of the range board but if you’re thinking about overclocking - forget it.
Given this I went back to the drawing board and decided to buy a new motherboard. So began the search for the Holy Grail because the more I searched the more I discovered that either motherboard manufactures hadn’t cottoned on to the idea that over clocker’s might want to use micro-ATX boards, or motherboard manufactures had indeed thought about this problem and had (quite reasonably) decided that any serious over clocker would want to stick with a full ATX system. A couple of boards for reviewed: MSI G33M-FI ; GigaByte GA-G33M-S2H. Neither are particularly raved about in terms of overclocking.
I was at this point that I gave up hope. That was until I saw the recent publication by CustomPC that indicated that Antec had decided to market the P180 mini: a micro ATX case for gamers on the move.
At first I thought that this had to be some sort of marketing disaster: why build a micro ATX case if there are no micro ATX gamer motherboards out there? It was then however that I finally identified a couple of recently released boards that did have the gamer in mind: Fatal1ty F-I90HD; GigaByte GA-G33M-DS2R.
Note that the Gigabyte has received awards from both Australia’s Atomic and Germany’s Barebonecentre in terms of its over clocking capabilities.
It does therefore seem like times are changing - perhaps Antec is ahead of the curve? It does after all make some sense. To the average gamer all the needed is a horse power in terms of graphics and processing power. This makes the majority of the space on an ATX board redundant (i.e. the PCI slots for what exactly – one soundcard perhaps?)
I don’t unfortunately have any more information at this time regarding the best Micro-ATX board to buy. I will however update this blog either when I muster up the courage (and the cash) to buy the GA DS2R or when it gets reviewed in the UK.
If anyone has any further thoughts on the best Micro ATX board to buy, then please let me know. It would be great to collate a list of the best over clocking micro-ATX boards available in the market.
In the meantime many thanks to CustomPC for their invaluable help over the last few days – wouldn’t have blogged this information into the ether if it hadn’t been because of them. Hope it’s of use and best of luck to those Micro ATX gamers out there.