20 cm x 20 cm Mini ITX Computer

[GameMakerThomas]

Okay, so I'm building a tiny mini-ITX computer. The computer when it's done will be housed in a 20 CM x 20 CM custom made case. It will have a built in 6" screen and of course outputs for USB, monitor, PS/2, the usual.

Here are the features I am giving it:

1.2 Ghz Via Processor
256mb RAM
Onboard video/audio
8GB Hard Drive space (compact flash)
Wireless LAN card
Mini combo drive
Integrated 640x480 display
Tiny 20cmx20cm case
Cathodes and LED's and stuff
120W PSU
No fans

I don't know how think it will be yet. Maybe an inch or two.

Obviously it will be running Linux (although it could run Windows - slowly)

Part list:
MOBO - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16813181016
Absolutely tiny PSU - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16813995001
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16820141165
"Hard Drive" - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16820208050
CF Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16822998002
Combo Drive - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16827131045
WiFi card - http://www.newegg.com/product/product.as...N82E16833320104
Screen - http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl....tnumber=205-048


So what do you guys think? The harddrive is a Compact Flash card... But it boots like a normal harddrive.

The total is 600 dollars (400 without the screen)

Pretty cool. Only probably is coming up with that money. Now that I don't have a job, I don't know how to pay for it. Anybody want to invest in a custom made tiny computer?

[Zephik]

Your links ain't workin...

But it sounds cool. Any theme in mind or just going for that "custom" look?

^^^ Links Fixed for anyone else that is having my problem ^^^

Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813181016
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813995001
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141165
"HDD" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820208050
CF Adapter - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822998002
Optical Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131045
PCI2.2 - WiFi http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833320104

What is PCI2.2? I've never heard of that...

[patthemodder]

that sounds awsome, small and portable so you can take it with you

[DaveW]

Anybody want to invest in a custom made tiny computer?

ROFL! If that ever works out, let me know. I'll quit my job.

-Dave

[m4gnum]

It might seem like a cool idea to have a tiny computer, but they really are under powered for most a lot of things. Especially if you're used to using a decent spec machine most of the time. The tardis used a mini-itx board, I ripped it out last week and wondering what I can put it into next.

[GameMakerThomas]

This computer wasn't designed for practical use. It was designed to go "Hey, I built a tiny computer. Isn't that cool?"

[Dem Pyros]

dude, just buy a mac mini, paint it and slap on a sticker and say you made it :D

[DaveW]

dude, just buy a mac mini, paint it and slap on a sticker and say you made it

C'mon, if the guys wants to make a little computer, don't knock him.

Good luck with this dude. It's sounding like one of the smallest complete computers i've ever heard of, never heard someone booting linux from a compact flash to save space. Don't even know what you're going to see on a 6" screen. But good luck. :)

-Dave

[GameMakerThomas]

The flash drive is quite interesting... It boots like a normal hard drive. However using a swap file Linux will kill it quickly.

The 6" inch screen is 640x480. not too practical but you can hook the comp up to a TV or monitor.

[Zephik]

The flash drive is quite interesting... It boots like a normal hard drive. However using a swap file Linux will kill it quickly.

The 6" inch screen is 640x480. not too practical but you can hook the comp up to a TV or monitor.

That is crazy... you'll have like the smallest hard drive around! lol

That is true, I often hook up my computers to my TV using my GPU card. It looks like your mobo is ready-to-go with S-Video so that is pretty freaking sweet!


C'mon, if the guys wants to make a little computer, don't knock him.

Good luck with this dude. It's sounding like one of the smallest complete computers i've ever heard of, never heard someone booting linux from a compact flash to save space. Don't even know what you're going to see on a 6" screen. But good luck. :)

-Dave

I agree with Dave. If this is something you want to do man, then go for it! It would be really cool to see for sure.

I too want to make a tiny computer someday. I have this old Risk box that is made of wood that is the perfect size for a MiniITX PC. It's just such a cool concept to have a ultra small computer, I can totally understand your want to do this. :)

Good Luck!

[crazybillybob]

The thickness will depend on weather or not your wireless card is built into the mini-Itx Board or is an add on. My Mini-Itx had no Wireless card so I had to use a PCI one (from Netgear). It makes the thickness considerable more (close to a full PCI slot High, plus 1" for board, and slot). Now if's a Mini-PCI (like in a laptop) they're way thinner, so it should be no thicker then the heatsink on the cpu.
As for Prices the best prices I found was from mini-box.com
I think the whole thing was around $500 (mobo,ram,HDD,PSU) (ram and HDD from Newegg).

Idea's good, but the box better be very decrative or it will be a tough sell for most people. You may also want to look into the compact flash's read/write lifetime most solid state non-volitale memory has a finite (fixed) number of write cycles that it can handle in a lifetime. That makes them bad for a standard pc, great if all it does is load the same thing over and over (like embedd Pc apps) no good if it's swapping files and writing data all the time.

As for the people that say Mini's are under powered. Your not using them in the correct application. They are not designed to be desktop replacements. They are designed to be embedded or run dedicated tasks (think Kiosks at the mall, or run a Robot arm on an assembly line, or I've even seen them used to control an HVAC system (heating, airconditioning system). My Little mini-ITX only has a 1.2G proc but runs as a BF2 server quite well (20 players no lag!)
They are sweet for your home theater system, they've got 6 or 7 channel sound built in with digital and optical Spidiff outs, onboard RCA Out for video, and can handle multiple HDD and DVD drives. One for movies, on for Mp3 (or WMA's).... just don't plan on it taking over your desktop pc, unless all you do on your desktop is, Word Proc, e-mail, Spreadsheets....you know buissness apps.
It would be great for your parents, little sisters 1st PC, or Grandma's PC to e-mail the family and play solitare. just not Gamers, or Graphics artist types.


Good luck,
CrazyBillybob

[GameMakerThomas]

The thickness will depend on weather or not your wireless card is built into the mini-Itx Board or is an add on. My Mini-Itx had no Wireless card so I had to use a PCI one (from Netgear). It makes the thickness considerable more (close to a full PCI slot High, plus 1" for board, and slot). Now if's a Mini-PCI (like in a laptop) they're way thinner, so it should be no thicker then the heatsink on the cpu.
As for Prices the best prices I found was from mini-box.com
I think the whole thing was around $500 (mobo,ram,HDD,PSU) (ram and HDD from Newegg).

Idea's good, but the box better be very decrative or it will be a tough sell for most people. You may also want to look into the compact flash's read/write lifetime most solid state non-volitale memory has a finite (fixed) number of write cycles that it can handle in a lifetime. That makes them bad for a standard pc, great if all it does is load the same thing over and over (like embedd Pc apps) no good if it's swapping files and writing data all the time.

As for the people that say Mini's are under powered. Your not using them in the correct application. They are not designed to be desktop replacements. They are designed to be embedded or run dedicated tasks (think Kiosks at the mall, or run a Robot arm on an assembly line, or I've even seen them used to control an HVAC system (heating, airconditioning system). My Little mini-ITX only has a 1.2G proc but runs as a BF2 server quite well (20 players no lag!)
They are sweet for your home theater system, they've got 6 or 7 channel sound built in with digital and optical Spidiff outs, onboard RCA Out for video, and can handle multiple HDD and DVD drives. One for movies, on for Mp3 (or WMA's).... just don't plan on it taking over your desktop pc, unless all you do on your desktop is, Word Proc, e-mail, Spreadsheets....you know buissness apps.
It would be great for your parents, little sisters 1st PC, or Grandma's PC to e-mail the family and play solitare. just not Gamers, or Graphics artist types.


Good luck,
CrazyBillybob

Finally, somebody who understands the purpose of this computer. Seriously. On other forums, people flame me because it can game or edit video and it's slow but it's not meant to be used as a normal computer! You can use it for searching the web, hosting servers, typing up something. It's not a regular computer and it shouldn't be used as one! So thanks. :)

And the case... Don't worry, it will be plenty decorative. We're mostly making it out of plexiglass, and it will have cathodes and LED's all over the place. The PCI WiFI card is thin, about as tall as a stick of RAM. So that shouldn't be a problem.

On a side note, SCHOOL JUST GOT CLOSED FOR THE FIRST TIME.

The CF card hard drive will not last long under a swap partition (only a few days) but without the swap partition it should last a year or two. Besides, you should be storing most of your files on a USB key anyways, since this probably won't be your primary computer. And you might not even need it for the application of the computer.


I'm working on a 3d model (still don't know the height however) and of course, I still don't think I should blow half of my savings on this.

I'll keep you updated.

[progbuddy]

Despite what others may think, having a small PC has so many good things about it, such as:

1 small space (duh...)
2 Better cooling than many ATX PCs (one fan will do the trick for the whole thing)
3 less to cool
4 less wattage
5 less heat output
6 cost efficient

EDIT: Why not use a laptop/micro drive instead of a CF HDD? They last quite a lot longer. Toshiba just came out with a 100 GB harddrive about 1.5 to 2 inches in square.

[luciusad2004]

I also second the idea of useing a small form factor laptop hard drive. But its not my mod, so its up to you.

You could also boot the OS off of the flash card and at the same time, use a laptop hard drive for the page file and for data storage.

I sort of find these Mini ITX boards fascinating. I was looking to build maybe a small pc for playing music off of; that wont be anytime soon though.

Hope this all works out for you, it sounds like a good project.

[john_smith_scot]

Just wondering, does anyone know what kind of wattage these things use? If it isn't too high you could very easily make this into a sortof laptop, that would be really cool..use something like this for your keyboard/mouse...

http://mesmarthome.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=1

Anyways, best of luck to you...

[luciusad2004]

Just wondering, does anyone know what kind of wattage these things use? If it isn't too high you could very easily make this into a sortof laptop, that would be really cool..use something like this for your keyboard/mouse...

http://mesmarthome.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=1

Anyways, best of luck to you...

From what i understand these computers use very little power. That is one of the major focuses of these tiny machines. Also one of the reasons a lot of people will use these when they make car pc's. Dont quote me on this, but i think they might even make psu now a days desined to be run from a 12volt source. Such as a car battery.

[john_smith_scot]

Just wondering if you could hook up some kind of battery and make it really portable...

[Luke122]

The flash drive is quite interesting... It boots like a normal hard drive. However using a swap file Linux will kill it quickly.


I read something about that the other day; the limited rewrite capabilities of CF cards.

I wonder if using a microdrive with a cf-ide adaptor would have the same weakness? But then you are back to having a drive with moving parts and slower seek time. :( Where these sshd's (solid state hard drives) that samsung etc have been promising us for 5 years? :P

[OvRiDe]

I read something about that the other day; the limited rewrite capabilities of CF cards.

I wonder if using a microdrive with a cf-ide adaptor would have the same weakness? But then you are back to having a drive with moving parts and slower seek time. :( Where these sshd's (solid state hard drives) that samsung etc have been promising us for 5 years? :P

The MicroDrives do not suffer from the problems of limited rewrite issues that flash drives do. Even though they do have moving parts they are still a pretty solid option. As for the solid state drives looks like Sandisk beat Samsung to it.. (Actually MSystems did, but Sandisk acquired them)..

http://www.linuxdevices.com/files/misc/sandisk_ssd_uata_5000_split.jpg

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7676844023.html

Now back to the thread topic at hand.. I saw this on Bit-Tech and thought GMT might be interested.. (if he hasn't seen it already)

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=129419

I really like the idea of this.. I think it would be neat to have like 3 or 4 of those in a Stacker case. It would be like a miniature server rack! Anywho, thought it might give you some ideas on how someone else tackled a similar challenge.. Good luck and anxious to see what you come up with.

[luciusad2004]

Wow that is really cool. I want one... even though i would never use it.

[Yotendoten]

If I may make a few suggestions...

Via just released a couple REALLY nice Mini-ITX boards, the EPIA EX Series. There are only two out right now, both use C7 Processors and come in a 1Ghz package and a 1.5Ghz package. The EX series has some nice features that some older models lack such as a DVI port, and Component Video(red green blue) outputs for 1080i, 720p, and 480p Televisions as well as the more widely used standard AV(yellow, red, white) outputs to older TVs that are only capable of handling 480i signals. For people that would use this as a set top box type computer it also includes an optical audio output for high definition audio in surround sound systems. In addition to the great video and audio functionality it also boasts a DDR2 slot for DDR2-533 Ram and on-board Serial ATA for newer desktop and notebook drives. Via has also stated that they will be releasing a couple new boards with similar specs as the EPIA EX series in both the Nano-ITX(12x12cm) and in Pico-ITX(7x10cm) form factors.
Sooo anyways.... if you were planning on building this for use with a TV you might want to considering trying to get one of these boards.

Also... use up a little more space and stick in a standard laptop hard drive. You'll get much better performance and it'll last you a lot longer than trying to run any OS off of a flash drive. The newer SATA laptop hard drives should work flawlessly with this. There are adapters for the ATA style laptop hard drives to convert them into Standard desktop ATA Hard Drives. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812203012

Lastly, if you are trying to save space keep a few things in mind when selecting a Wireless card.
1. You could select an ITX board with a mini-PCI slot and use a mini-PCI compatible wireless card such as the Intel 802.11G Mini-PCI Card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833106221
2. You could select an ITX board with a PCMCIA card slot and simply purchess a PCMCIA notebook wireless card.
ITX Board - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813181012
Wireless Card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833124138
3.Just simply build your system and attack a small external USB Wireless adapter. In some cases this may actually be more effective because if you put your small system inside of an entertainment center and you attach a usb extension cable to your USB wifi adapter you may get a better signal than if it were inside the entertainment center too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833130111
4. If you already purchased the compact flash adapter, don't let it go to waste, use a compact flash wifi adapter. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833147119

Pico-ITX - http://mini-itx.com/news/images/story0459-02L.jpg

Here is a video of the 3 types of boards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDrRjqOGM7E

I'm also working on a Mini-ITX project so good luck!

Here are some Commerical Mini-ITX machines.
1. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2443682&CatId=2313
2. (case only) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811165041
3. http://minipc.aopen.com/Global/news/20070214.html