WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 Big PCs might look impressive, but there are plenty of arguments for building a tiny PC. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:08.960 Aside from being portable, lightweight, and taking up less space on your desk, 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:14.960 many people simply don't have a use for all the expandability a mid or full tower offers. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:21.200 So how do you go about building the tiniest PC that still gives you all the power you need? 00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:24.800 It all starts with having a small enough motherboard. The smallest commonly used 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:28.320 motherboard form factor is called Mini ITX, and although they're small, 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:33.440 they typically pack a pair of RAM slots and one full-size PCI Express slot, 00:00:33.440 --> 00:00:37.200 which is enough for a high-end gaming rig or a mid-tier editing rig, 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.720 especially considering dual GPU setups aren't that common anymore. 00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:47.200 If you want to go even smaller than that, there is also a variant called Thin Mini ITX 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:51.920 that uses Sodims that lay flat. Those are the kind of RAM modules you find in laptops. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:56.080 Keep in mind, though, that these Thin Mini ITX boards are mostly meant for those ultra-thin 00:00:56.160 --> 00:01:01.440 computers that look like big coasters. It can be hard to get models that support current-gen CPUs, 00:01:01.440 --> 00:01:06.240 and some of them don't even have PCI Express slots at all, so you might want to stick with plain 00:01:06.240 --> 00:01:10.480 Mini ITX unless you're fine with integrated graphics. Once you've got your Mini ITX board 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.800 in your hot little hands, you can start picking out other components, and the safest starting 00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:20.880 point is the case. Mini ITX cases come in a good number of sizes, and while the biggest ones support 00:01:20.880 --> 00:01:26.160 as many upgrades as larger form factors, most are more space limited, so you'll have to think 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:32.160 carefully about how much room you have for a CPU cooler, a graphics card, and any additional storage 00:01:32.160 --> 00:01:38.320 drives, as well as what kind of power supply it supports. So it turns out that ATX isn't the only 00:01:38.320 --> 00:01:43.120 kind of power supply out there, as you can buy an SFX power supply, which is significantly smaller. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:48.720 Many of the smallest cases only support SFX power supplies, but it's actually quite easy to find 00:01:48.800 --> 00:01:53.840 SFX models up to around 850 watts, so don't worry too much about not having enough power. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:02:00.240 But do keep in mind that, like ATX, there can be variation among SFX power supplies 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:06.480 as to their exact size, so be sure not to get one that's too big for your specific case. That's 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:12.080 something that's more important the smaller the case you get. Or maybe you just won't need one. 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:19.520 Some very tiny cases might have a built-in PSU, or even an external laptop style power brick, 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.840 more common in machines without dedicated graphics, though some small cases actually 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:31.040 do power discrete GPUs in this manner. Who knew? Of course, powerful PCs, even tiny ones, 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:36.960 produce lots of heat, so we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss CPU cooling. This is another area 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:42.480 you'll want to be careful of. Smaller cases, unsurprisingly, have limited clearance for CPU 00:02:42.480 --> 00:02:47.600 coolers, and may not even have enough space for an all-in-one water cooler. The good news, though, 00:02:47.600 --> 00:02:52.080 is that there are plenty of low-profile coolers out there that offer better performance than stock 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:58.240 coolers, and if you want water, low-profile closed-loop solutions do exist. As far as cooling 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:02.400 your other components, which could be packed in rather tightly, don't overthink it too much. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:08.320 Well-built, modern ITX cases should provide adequate enough airflow to avoid throttling your system, 00:03:08.320 --> 00:03:14.240 unless you're really pushing it. Or it's Alder Lake. Just joking. And with M.2 now, 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:17.840 are you very common standard? You don't even have to cram a 2.5-inch SSD into your computer 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:22.560 anymore, though most small cases will still let you do it without any problems. Once you've made 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:27.360 a decision on the storage front, add your favorite RAM, and you're more or less done. Just don't pair 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:32.640 your new small PC with that giant combo printer you got on Black Friday. Kind of defeats the purpose. 00:03:32.640 --> 00:03:36.560 So thanks for watching, guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit us up in 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.640 the comments section for your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.