- SFF PC builds used to be a stressful and time-consuming challenge for the builder to take on and complete.
- Nvidia has decided to ease all this by setting new standards for everyone to follow so SFF builds become more common.
- Consoles may lose another edge over PCs, namely their portability, as SFF builds become more prevalent.
In my whole life, I stayed away from SFF builds and only indulged myself once when one of my close friends asked me to help him build an SFF (Small Form Factor) PC. That was first and last because of various reasons.
Now this thing is getting a makeover because of the new standard that Nvidia has announced recently for all of the PC industry. This news has got me excited to try to do an SFF build again.
Only The Capable Could Do
This kind isn’t anything like building in an ATX or mATX chassis. As we work with highly restricted space for the components, everything has to be measured and double-checked so nothing goes wrong.
Otherwise, you would be trapped in a big problem where you have to bear more patience and monetary costs. Most of the time, while selling you small-sized components, they don’t tell you about the power cable bend space, especially in the case of a graphics card.
Most notably when building an SFF build that features an RTX 4000 series graphics card requiring the controversial 12VHPWR connector. Besides that, if somehow you end up completing the build, the uncertainty of how it’s going to run rises, like how cool it is going to stay throughout the full-use session.
Since we’re dealing with so little space inside such mini-ITX cases, we are limited in terms of choosing a cooler for the CPU. Liquid cooling is out of the equation, and we’re left with small-form-factor air coolers that can’t handle top-tier CPUs easily.
Which is why the SFF builds couldn’t match the performance of mATX or ATX builds. Even though we can pretty much fit any component now, their top-of-the-line variants are still a hassle and big enough to not fit into the mini-ITX chassis. Ultimately, the SFF builds were considered a niche for so many years. Fortunately, it’s finally getting better for good.
Nvidia Is Determined To Make A Change
Nvidia, being known for manufacturing some great and powerful graphics cards like the RTX 4090, is also determined to make them fit in SFF cases with the new set of standards announced at Computex 2024.
These standards are for both Nvidia’s AIB partners and chassis manufacturers. This is so people could easily build SFF PCs and not end up in stressful situations like they used to.
The new standards strictly state that the cards should have 155 mm, including the bend of power cables, and they should measure 304 mm in length and 50 mm in depth or 2.5 slots in space, whichever is easier to understand.
The work is already in progress to manufacture such GPUs that meet Nvidia’s SFF criteria, including an RTX 4080 Super. This is impressive, as previously, GPUs of such tier and power were impossible to install in an SFF chassis.
So, the only option to have a powerful portable computer was to purchase a laptop. They are great, for sure, but not on par with desktop computers of similar specs. Besides guiding the AIB partners, Nvidia has also shared guidelines for chassis manufacturers to follow while manufacturing mini-ITX cases.
According to the shared guidelines, every SFF chassis has to be spacious enough to house an SFF-ready Nvidia graphics card. All this can bring a huge change to the way people see SFF builds.
A Great Console Replacement
It does seem like now the SFF builds will finally start to get the recognition they lost between the abundance of desktop computers and gaming laptops. Being at the very early stages of the guidelines, it’s going to take a while to become quite common and make its image worth looking at.
Also, the console might get a hard time too, since being portable was one of their plus points over PCs. However, the price and plug-and-play factor would still favor the consoles. So they don’t have to worry about anything until we start to see some great-performing and budget-friendly SFF builds on the market.
However, those who don’t have an issue with paying more and the building process would go with the SFF builds over the console any day to have superior performance and access to many other things.
A New Era For SFF Builds
Efforts are being made in favor of the SFF builds to bring them out of the niche segment and make them more common among casual users. I’m pretty excited and looking forward to seeing more and more SFF builds on the shelves for sale, and I might get myself one too.
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[Reviews Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
- 8+ years of specialized PC hardware coverage
- 6+ years of in-depth PC hardware analysis and reviews
- Lead PC hardware expert across multiple tech journalism platforms
- Certified in Google IT Support Specialization
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