It used to be that any tiny system was too underpowered to be a real workstation. Mini-ITX systems with Atom processors and integrated graphics are no good for gaming or HD, let alone having enough horsepower to run professional applications.
Over the past year, many manufacturers have put out Socket 1156 (Intel Core-i3/i5/i7 compatible) Mini-ITX motherboards, completely changing the custom mini-build landscape. Now one can build a tiny powerhouse capable of running a full-sized graphics card, and a modern quad-core CPU.
The transition to 1156 has also altered people's ideas of an HTPC, as now your television can be the centerpiece of a very fast, and quiet computer build. We've put together the following spec build based on a rig that was contributed to the site earlier this year. It's meant to be a jumping off point for further customization, but if purchased verbatim would work 100% with audio + video through HDMI. This system is fully supported by iBoot + MultiBeast and the CustomBeast Project.
CustoMac Mini
Core i3-540 - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 - NVIDIA GT 240 1GB - 4GB DDR3 RAM
$616.96
Case + PSU: SilverStone SG05B with SFX 300 Watt PSU $104.99
or
SilverStone SG05BB with SFX 450 Watt PSU $119.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1 TB $56.99
or
SilverStone SG05BB with SFX 450 Watt PSU $119.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1 TB $56.99
RAM: OCZ 4GB DDR3 1333 (2 x 2GB) $61.99
Adapter: Micro Sata to Sata (for Slim Optical) $14.99
Operating System: Mac OS X Snow Leopard $26.99
Adapter: Micro Sata to Sata (for Slim Optical) $14.99
Optional Accessories
Apple Magic Mouse $69.00
Targus USB Bluetooth Adapter $22.98
NOTE: Only MODEL NO: ACB10us v1.0 will wake from sleep.
SSD: Corsair 120 GB Force Series Ultra Fast TRIM Supported Solid State Drive $248.68
Oh, and don't forget, if you end up buying anything, click through one of these links. That way, you'll be supporting the site, as well as getting the best prices. Thanks in advance!
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