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I've found the Zotac NEN (branded as a Steam Machine, but obviously perfectly capable with any other linux / Windows OS) to be another great solution to the pro

I've found the Zotac NEN (branded as a Steam Machine, but obviously perfectly capable with any other linux / Windows OS) to be another great solution to the problem of getting a very compact machine with capable hardware. https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/nen-steam-machine https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/nen-steam-machine It uses a soldered GPU roughly comparable to an NVIDIA GTX 960, so it does 4K@60hz over HDMI 2.0, and has some really killer IO options. Dual gigabit ethernet, Intel wifi chipset, M.2 PCIe and SATA, USB-C 3.0, etc, etc... Upgradable desktop-class CPU, upgradable RAM, and often runs totally silent. I spent a long time evaluating various mITX builds (I've been in the DIY enthusiast PC game for years and years), but eventually had to bite the bullet and realize that I couldn't build anything this small and this powerful for comparable cost.

tachion 10y ago
Any advice for someone interested purely in CPU cores/speed, power consumption, large amounts of ECC memory, silence and some storage options (like 2.5" SSD fitting the box) but not at all in GPU power, when it comes to such small systems?
- walrus01 10y ago
  It will be difficult to find anything with a mini-itx motherboard (170x170mm size, standard ATX type rear I/O plate) or smaller that supports ECC RAM. There's lots of ways to put a nearly silent water cooling system on a 65W TDP CPU, have an awesome GPU in it and keep it fairly small, but the ECC RAM part will require you to use a workstation/server class motherboard.
- sethhochberg 10y ago
  I'm only aware of one current-production motherboard which meets that criteria, and even then it is a bit older - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157... You could use this in the mITX case of your choice based on the other hardware you need to fit. Intel previously made one similar, but it has been EOL'd. http://ark.intel.com/products/67346/ http://ark.intel.com/products/67346/ Very narrow use case, indeed. :-/

tachion 10y ago

Any advice for someone interested purely in CPU cores/speed, power consumption, large amounts of ECC memory, silence and some storage options (like 2.5" SSD fitting the box) but not at all in GPU power, when it comes to such small systems?

walrus01 10y ago
It will be difficult to find anything with a mini-itx motherboard (170x170mm size, standard ATX type rear I/O plate) or smaller that supports ECC RAM. There's lots of ways to put a nearly silent water cooling system on a 65W TDP CPU, have an awesome GPU in it and keep it fairly small, but the ECC RAM part will require you to use a workstation/server class motherboard.
sethhochberg 10y ago
I'm only aware of one current-production motherboard which meets that criteria, and even then it is a bit older - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157... You could use this in the mITX case of your choice based on the other hardware you need to fit. Intel previously made one similar, but it has been EOL'd. http://ark.intel.com/products/67346/ http://ark.intel.com/products/67346/ Very narrow use case, indeed. :-/