THE MINI MAESTRO PC

When it’s not about gaming, what can you get on a budget?

- SAM LEWIS

SMALL FORM FACTORS are one of our favorite things in the mysterious depths of the tech industry. Year after year, hardware is condensing and we’re getting more punch from smaller devices. Yes, we all dream of having a monster machine as part of our setup, capable of rinsing everything we throw in its direction and giving NASA a run for its money. However, there is something intriguing about Mini-ITX builds that we just can’t escape from. Having a smaller rig can give you a cleaner setup and more room (obviously), and they look pretty neat, too, in our professional opinion.

It seems as though Mini-ITX systems are nothing but positive news, but that isn’t necessarily the case. GPUs such as the impossible-to-grab 3090 cards, for instance, are generally too big for these chassis, so we probably have some waiting to do before we can get cards that powerful in this format. Along with size restrictions on the GPU, there is the overall awkwardness of putting one of these rigs together. It goes without saying that PC building can be a tricky business that makes you want to scream out loud when things go awry. So, if that’s a regular occurrence in a normal ATX build, putting together a mini system is never likely to be a bundle of laughs.

We decided to rise to the challenge and build a machine that is more than capable of decent gaming performance and reasonably affordable, all bundled up in a compact ITX case. So, turn the page to see what develops out of our love of small form factors. –SAM LEWIS

MOTHERBOARD

ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-I GAMING MINI-ITX

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