DIY From Getting Started to Giving Up: Can ITX Host Really Play Games?

In the field of PC hardware, the ITX (Mini ITX) platform has been attracting users who are pursuing space saving and unique beauty with its compact size. However, the discussion about whether the ITX host is suitable for game applications has never stopped. Due to the lack of manufacturing process and cooling performance of early computers, ITX was once called "stuffy pot", which also prevented many players from building an ITX game platform.

First, let's understand the concept of ITX host. The Mini ITX motherboard is a small motherboard designed based on the ITX specification. Its size is only 170mm x 170mm, which is significantly smaller than the standard ATX motherboard. This means that the ITX host needs to carry small accessories, such as SFX or SFX-L power supply, short card graphics card, low heat sink, etc., to adapt to the limited space layout.

It should be noted here that the performance of computers is often limited by heat dissipation. The reason behind this is that heat dissipation affects the upper limit of the power consumption of the whole machine. The simplest example is that the performance of laptops is often not as strong as that of desktops, because the power consumption of most laptops is limited to less than 200W, while desktops can easily achieve more than 500W, The performance gap will come out.

In the past, due to thermal limitations and technical bottlenecks, ITX hosts did face the problem of limited performance release when carrying high-end hardware. Especially for 3A games with high performance requirements for graphics cards and CPUs, it is even common to get stuck and frame dropped.

However, with the progress of chip manufacturing technology and the continuous optimization of hardware manufacturers for mini cooling solutions, the modern ITX platform can already support high-performance processors and graphics cards. For example, the power consumption of RTX 4070 SUPER is as low as 250W, and its performance has exceeded that of RTX 3080, and killed RTX 20 series and earlier graphics cards, The ITX platform can provide excellent high resolution and high frame number experience.

That is to say, although the performance limit of the ITX host will still be affected, it has been greatly improved compared with many years ago. As long as it is not for game enthusiasts who pursue high image quality, it can meet the demand with mini graphics cards such as RTX 4060Ti.

In addition, the ITX host has the advantage of high customization. Users can choose appropriate components according to their own budget and needs to create a personalized system that can meet the needs of the game while maintaining a delicate appearance. In addition, the optimization of the cooling system makes the small ITX host more useful.