MicroATX board: what are your reccommendations?

[camyoung11]

hey guys, long time visitor, first time poster,
I'm new to HTPC but I'm an experienced PC user/builder/nerd and i've just been commissioned by the parentals to gather info regarding making/installing a HTPC.

I really like the look of the Antec Fusion case, its also very well priced. however this forces me into the MicroATX form factor. any forum members got any suggestions on good MicroATX boards?

currently CPU type is not specific. nor is Ram type ect. i will probably want Gigabit Ethernet and sata I/II compatability.

thanks in advance

[TiggerK]

Hi camyoung and welcome to life as a member!!!

Everyone knows I'm an Intel fanboy.... so here we go.

Intel DG33TLM mainboard

or even the slightly older, but very well proven

Intel DG965OT

Antec fusion is a good case... get big hard drives, 2GB DDR2 667 or 800, Core 2 Duo E2180, E4600, E6750 or Q6600 depending on your budget and uses.

Cheers
TiggerK

[woohoo]

camyoung

I agree with TiggerK - I've put both of those motherboards into Antec Fusion cases for family members and they have been great - and well priced. One advantage of both is that they have onboard graphics which save you space, heat and money - and which I think handle average media centre requirements perfectly well. Both the DG33TL and the DG965OT give you VGA, and the DG33TL also gives you DVI (though the Intel graphics driver only offers you basic options). If you want HDMI as well as onboard graphics you will need to look at other options. And if the machine will be used for games, the onboard graphics won't be good enough for you.

[dgaust]

Another option is the abit fatal1ty f190-HD. I use it and it's a good stable board for HTPC use.

Has HDMI and 7.1 sound, so it's good for HTPC use. Never had a problem with resume and I'm using it in the fusion case (great case by the way).

[krypto]

I am building a WHS and I just bought a GA-MA69GM-S2H (matx) with a BE-2350 and 2Gb of ram for $270.

I am using the GA-MA69G-S3H (atx)in my media center and its a fantastic board (The S2H comes with a component/svideo bracket and the S3H doesnt). Runs vista trouble free. Some people say it struggles with 1080p although I had no problems running 1080p samples over DVI.

Highly recommend both boards. They run cool (I'll be running the S2H based server with no fans) , quiet, low power and excellent value.

[daza]

Hi krypto,

I am looking to get a combination similar to yours (MB, CPU & RAM). Did you purchase your goods online, and if you did where abouts did you get them from? Be great if you could let me know! Thanks mate.

[krypto]

I'm in Perth and bought the last lot over the counter from Austin computers. I think they do on-line sales. I have a 5600 X2 in my media centre, however in hindsight that was overkill and the BE is more than adequate and runs cooler.

The previous one I bought on-line, can't remember where from.

[jimbojumbo]

I'm building my new HTPC over the weekend

Antec NSK2480b
Asus m2a-vm HDMI
amd 4000+
kingston 2gb twin
Seagate 400gb
pioneer sata 215d

I'm thinking of passively cooling it with a Scythe Ninja Mini Cooler

The board has a riser card for HDMI and Svideo which uses the PCI-e slot.

I should be done by Sunday night, I'll let you know how it goes!

[krypto]

The MA69G cards have the HDMI mounted on the board and the card for s-video/component can be put any where.

[jimbojumbo]

Originally Posted by krypto

The MA69G cards have the HDMI mounted on the board and the card for s-video/component can be put any where.

is that the GA-MA69G-S3H?

If so that'd be a full ATX board and wont fit in the case I'm using