Micro ATX case

[squarenuts]

I was looking at the "Hornet" at the Monarch computer site. They have a case that will hold a Micro ATX motherboard. I was looking at those mini pc but it seems I would get more space and bang for the buck with this "Hornet" of theres. My question, is there anyone that carries a honet like case so I can build the system myself or is this something so new that no one else has thought of it. I am looking for a small puter that I can take along on trips and use other people's monitors and keyboard (aka no notbooks). Would I have a better upgrade options with going with a micro set up over the mini pc? Dose Abit make a motherboard in the micro size? Also with the smaller case what would be the better processor / chipset to go with. (thinking heat issues here)

[saphalline]

Sounds like you need one of those Shuttle XPC barebones. They're nice & small - 200mm x 181mm x 280mm (7.9" x 7.1" x 11") - and include the case, 200W power supply, and custom-fitted mobo (flex ATX size). The heat shouldn't be too much of a problem since the XPC's come with a custom heatpipe-based CPU cooling solution. They can fit one 5 1/4" drive and two 3.5" drives (one internal one external). They also look cool and have lots of ports up front! :D

On Newegg, these things range in price from $175 to over $300, with many AMD and Intel choices. If you're worried about heat, just plop in a slow CPU. That usually works...

[squarenuts]

I have looked at those barebone shuttle boxes, but can I upgrade the motherboard in them? Or are they attached to the case and I can only upgrade the other items. (ram, cpu, pci and AGP slots) I was going for one of those Shuttle's, but it seem like I would be able to install a diffrent MB in that "horent"

[saphalline]

Well that's true, you'd be stuck with whatever mobo is in the XPC when you got it. I haven't seen any upgrades available from anyone, not even Shuttle. I suppose if you want cheap, upgradability, and mobile, you'll have to go the MicroATX route. Not the most mobile PC you can get, but price is a concern, so...

You can certainly build a MicroATX system yourself. Most online vendors carry MicroATX cases & mobo's, quite plentiful. With the right parts, you could probably even get your price below $500 without sacrificing quality or upgradability.

What is the intended use of this mobile PC of yours?

[Budfred]

If your only problem with a notebook is hooking it up to a keyboard and monitor, that isn't a problem. I use my notebook at work with a USB keyboard that has a USB mouse plugged into it and I attach a monitor directly to the back of the notebook.