Is Micro-ATX a pain to work with?

Im looking at a (used) micro-ATX machine, just wondering if it they are a pain to work in, with Memory, etc,
this is a newer Asus M4N68T-M V2 MicroATX. Or should I hold out for standard ATX? I just might add soundcard. It has a video card.

What are some good quiet fan sets for micro's? :wave

 

Yes, they are a real pain. There is barely enough room for the components. That leaves no room for your hands. And if you do manage to get your hands in there, you've blocked your line of sight so you can't see what you are doing.

But, once done, and you cleaned up all the blood from your scraped knuckles, you have a really nice little microATX (or even smaller, ITX) computer that makes a great Home Theater computer (HTPC), a nice computer for a small child - or even a decent office/school machine for a student/adult.

So, if this is a once and (hopefully) forget thing, then the "pain" is once and short-lived. But if you plan on swapping in and out hardware over the next few years, get the largest case you get your hands on.

I built a system last year with a Lian Li Mini-ITX case. It is one of the better case makers but it was still a struggle getting everything inside, then routing/hiding/stuffing the cables to minimize impacting air flow. But it was worth it.

 

As to fans for the case, I like Noctua for their quietness but they only go down to 80mm and 1/2" thick, not sure what size you'd need. A bit pricey but not too heavy.

 

Ok, thanks, -Ha ha, well then maybe I will wait for a standard sizer to come up.

 

Keep in mind that the microATX motherboards are not the issue... It's the microATX cases that are the issue. If you put a microATX motherboard into a standard ATX case, there will be plenty of room...

 

Thats a good point, I (now ) have a used but real good Dell case, but can you replace the power-on button-dont think it would work with new power supply? And I suppose I would have to get fancy with the mounts for power and MB?

 

If that power button is more than connecting two wires to the motherboard, then get a new ATX case.

If your power button has a wiring harness that extends to the back of the computer and directly hardwired to the power supply, then that is an AT (not ATX) case and probably belongs in a museum.

Dell is infamous for using proprietary parts - either to force users to buy upgrades only from Dell, or to save a couple pennies during assembly.

If me, I would get a new case anyway. One with lots of large (120mm or larger) fan support and a removable, washable air filter.

 

Since were talking about cases. The big plastic hood thing that usually goes from the CPU to the rear fan. Are those important?? Because they are usually in my way so I rip them out.
(I've only seen them on Dell caes)

 

I don't like them either but no one here can say if safe to remove or not. You need to monitor your temperatures with it in and out and see what happens.

 

I've always removed them and the rigs seem to work fine.
(Just my 2cents)

 

And if your case provides good to front air flow through the case, I suspect most users will not have problems. But not all cases provide adequate cooling, and /or fan support.

 

Very true