I'm looking into putting together a mATX desktop over the next couple of weeks. My last rig is going on 3 years old now, and I've been using this thinkpad t43 for the past two. It's about time for a serious update. I hate laptops because you can't do much post-market with them. And I dislike desktops because they're a pain to move around.

The short an the sweet is I want to put together a microATX machine so that it won't be too bothersome to carry around.

Goals:
Gaming (can't help myself)
Intensive Computing Power (Doing some chemical engineering research, going to be doing a lot of data logging and modeling)
As portable as possible (things like blue tooth keyboard and mouse, wireless card, etc so that I can just throw stuff into a duffel bag and be done with it)

What I'm thinking so far:

Mobo:

I'm leaning towards a ddr3 capable mobo. The only one I've been able to find so far is the ASUS Rampage II http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010369&prodlist=celebros

CPU:

Looking at something around 3.0 ghz, dual core. I'm staying away from quad core because I haven't seen many useful implementations of that.

Ram:
3x2 gig ddr3

Video Card(s):

I'm pretty much at a loss here. Any suggestions on what to research would be very welcome. I always stuck to ATI, and was never too bothered by them, but am open to anything at this point.

Case (more or less unimportant):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144141 Only reason I'm looking at this one is because it fits a standard sized power supply. Going to ditch the stock one and put in a 550 or 600 watt replacement.

Misc:

Things like hard drive, optic drive, etc I haven't really listed because they're not foremost in my mind as of right now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. As well as any alternative suggestions to a micro case. Its not a perfect solution for me, just the best I've come up with to this point. Thanks in advance.

First off 500 Watt I don't think provides that much extra power compared to what you would need. That being said, go with a 9800GT for the GPU, and since you want DDR3, (Which hasn't really shown any peformance increases by the way), then you'll need a Intel processor. Try the E8400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 seems pretty good. (I don't really use Intel though due to my cheap skate nature). And for HDD I recommend a 1TB from pretty much anyone that IS NOT SAMSUNG. For the love of all the is electronic DO NOT BUY SAMSUNG PRODUCTS. IF they even work they barely do at all. And not even from defects, just shitty drivers and instructions for installing new drivers that don't make sense.

Thanks for the ideas striker,

I read up a bit more on DDR2 vs. DDR3. While DDR3 will eventually be the better choice, its still getting its legs. So, I'll eventually upgrade to DDR3, but for now I'm going to save some money and get a DDR2 mATX and ram and save some considerable money.

So, mobo:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009904-OP&prodlist=celebros

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773

500W is way more then enough. Could you state your budget? I would gladly make you a build.

I'm pretty sure that won't fit in a MicroATX case.

I have a hd4870 in a mATX rig.

No you did not. I have a 4870 and there is absolutely no way you're fitting this big bastard into a MicroATX case.

It fits alright. There's nothing else in there because I just updated my processor and got a new case and motherboard.

MicroATX cases are different. Much smaller.

Piipu, let the smart kids talk, please:



There is zippy chance you get a 9800 to fit in a microatx case. The goddamn card is longer than the board! A 9800GTX is significantly bigger than your piss-ant card, piipu. And the 9800 uses two PCI-e slots. You'll be lucky to get that many on a MicroATX board.

MicroATX boards are made for compactness, they are not made for heavy-duty, high-airflow, high-volume equipment. If you want to make a gaming rig, you are better off using an ATX-compatible case, preferably as large as possible to maximize air flow.

I have not noticed anything like this with my gpu.

Just telling you what the website says, ♥♥♥♥♥. That was for the 9800GTX. I don't know if you have some other designation, but the GTX says it is dual-slot (ie Crossfire, or w/e)