- Local time
- 1:59 PM
- Posts
- 1,990
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
Full Size Desktop (FSD) vs Small Form Factor (SFF)
- Thread starter Haydon
- Start date
For me, nothing. I have three SFF Lenovos and an old HP SFF, and it's really easy to open them and work on things in there. If you happened to want to use a 3.5" HDD, you'd have a problem, but getting an external enclosure and plugging it into a USB port would fix that. And I use a good external optical drive with all four of my machines, if and when I need to use an optical disk -- which is increasingly seldom nowadays.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek HD Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG E2442
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
- Case
- Lenovo SFF
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome, sometimes Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
-
- Operating System
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
- Case
- Lenovo Think Centre SFF
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
I have 7 FS [most with older versions of Windows] and 1 USFF desktops and will be getting an other older USFF later this month when I take it out of service for a client. Only downside I've had is in getting low-profile add-in cards for the smaller case.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win11 Pro RTM
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 3400
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
- Memory
- 12GB
- Hard Drives
- 256GB SSD NVMe M.2
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 5890
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
- Memory
- 16GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 24" Dell
- Hard Drives
- 512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Yeah, I’ve bumped into that annoyance too, but persistence has so far always paid off.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek HD Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG E2442
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
- Case
- Lenovo SFF
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome, sometimes Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
-
- Operating System
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
- Case
- Lenovo Think Centre SFF
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
- Local time
- 1:59 PM
- Posts
- 15,497
- Location
- PA, USA
- OS
- Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.3775 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
For me... while SFF PCs are nice and unobtrusive, they're too small to work on, and have too many limitations when upgrading. I think (volume wise), I could fit 8 SFF PC's in my computer case. 24" x 24" x 10".
And maybe 24 NUCs, or a 90-100 lb. dog.
And maybe 24 NUCs, or a 90-100 lb. dog.
Last edited:
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.3775 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
- Motherboard
- Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5002)
- Memory
- G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
- Graphics Card(s)
- EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
- Sound Card
- Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Dell U3011 30"
- Screen Resolution
- 2560 x 1600
- Hard Drives
- 2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
- PSU
- PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
- Case
- Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
- Cooling
- CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
- Keyboard
- Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
- Mouse
- Logitech Optical M-100
- Internet Speed
- 300/300
- Browser
- Firefox (latest)
- Antivirus
- Bitdefender Internet Security
- Other Info
- Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
-
- Operating System
- Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Built by Ghot® (not in use)
- CPU
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
- Motherboard
- ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
- Memory
- TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
- Graphics card(s)
- EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
- Sound Card
- Onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
- Screen Resolution
- up to 2048 x 1536
- Hard Drives
- WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
- PSU
- PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
- Case
- Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
- Cooling
- ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
- Mouse
- Logitech Optical M-BT96a
- Keyboard
- Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
- Internet Speed
- 300/300
- Browser
- Firefox 3.x ??
- Antivirus
- Symantec (Norton)
- Other Info
- Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
- Local time
- 1:59 PM
- Posts
- 1,990
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
Does the card below fit in a SFF?
www.startech.com
7-Port PCI Express USB 3.0 Card - 5Gbps - Standard and Low-Profile Design - TAA
Get the scalability you need by adding 7 USB 3.0 ports with SATA power to your computer
www.startech.com
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
If you are referring to off-the-shelf PCs, there's really nothing to talk about when it comes to form factor. It's all about price vs performance no matter what the form is.
But if you are a builder and like to do upgrades a lot, there is nothing to miss about SFF. FSD is always the way to go.
But if you are a builder and like to do upgrades a lot, there is nothing to miss about SFF. FSD is always the way to go.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
- Motherboard
- MSI MPG Gaming Edge Wifi (X570)
- Memory
- 32GB Adata XPG DDR4
- Graphics Card(s)
- ASUS GTX 1070 8GB ROG
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG Ultrawide 34"
- Screen Resolution
- 3440x1440
- Hard Drives
- Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
- PSU
- EVGA 600 Watts Gold
- Case
- Deepcool Genome II
- Cooling
- Deepcool Fryzen
- Internet Speed
- 1Gbps
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- "Moderna"
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- CPU
- i7-4790K
- Motherboard
- ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
- Memory
- 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
- Graphics card(s)
- MSI R9 290
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG Ultrawide 34"
- Screen Resolution
- 3440x1440
- Hard Drives
- 500GB Adata SSD (OS Only)
- PSU
- Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
- Case
- Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
- Cooling
- Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
- Mouse
- Logitech G402
- Keyboard
- Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
- Internet Speed
- 1Gbps
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Moderna :)
I'll say No, appears the bracket is too wide. An example:
www.startech.com
4 Port LP PCI Express USB Card - USB 2.0 Cards | StarTech.com
4 Port USB 2.0 PCIe Card - Low Profile
www.startech.com
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win11 Pro RTM
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 3400
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
- Memory
- 12GB
- Hard Drives
- 256GB SSD NVMe M.2
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 5890
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
- Memory
- 16GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 24" Dell
- Hard Drives
- 512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Lots of cards come with two metal brackets - interchangeable - and if this has the short bracket included, you’re good to go.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek HD Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG E2442
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
- Case
- Lenovo SFF
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome, sometimes Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
-
- Operating System
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
- Case
- Lenovo Think Centre SFF
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
- Local time
- 1:59 PM
- Posts
- 1,990
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
Is the Low-Profile Bracket below the short bracket you meant?
Is there always an extra SATA Power connector inside an SFF?
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- Windows 10 Pro
Last edited:
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek HD Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG E2442
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
- Case
- Lenovo SFF
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome, sometimes Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
-
- Operating System
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
- Case
- Lenovo Think Centre SFF
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
I guess I use a mixture of both. For my main desktop machine that I game on, I use a typical mid-tower size case and ATX motherboard to run a video card and shove in big coolers, multiple drives, etc.
however, for secondary machines/test machines, I have a couple of Intel Nuc's, a BeeLink mini PC that I run Windows 11 (pretty much a knockoff nuc), and my M1 mac is a mac mini. I love these super small little PC boxes as I never feel the need really to upgrade them, and they are cheap enough that when i outgrow them, it's not costly to replace them with something that meets my needs.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Beelink SEI8
- CPU
- Intel Core i5-8279u
- Motherboard
- AZW SEI
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel Iris Plus 655
- Sound Card
- Intel SST
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Asus ProArt PA278QV
- Screen Resolution
- 2560x1440
- Hard Drives
- 512GB NVMe
- PSU
- NA
- Case
- NA
- Cooling
- NA
- Keyboard
- NA
- Mouse
- NA
- Internet Speed
- 500/50
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Defender
- Other Info
- Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
-
- Operating System
- Windows 10 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom
- CPU
- Ryzen 9 5900x
- Motherboard
- Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
- Memory
- 64GB DDR4-3600
- Graphics card(s)
- EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
- Sound Card
- Onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
- Screen Resolution
- 2560x1440
- Hard Drives
- 2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
- PSU
- Seasonic Focus 850
- Case
- Fractal Meshify S2 in White
- Cooling
- Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
- Mouse
- Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
- Keyboard
- Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
- Internet Speed
- 500/50
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Defender.
I have seen a MicroSFF/UltraSFF that used the same motherboard design and power adapter as in Notebooks. It's difficult to determine from some seller's description what is available.
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win11 Pro RTM
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 3400
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
- Memory
- 12GB
- Hard Drives
- 256GB SSD NVMe M.2
-
- Operating System
- Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Vostro 5890
- CPU
- Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
- Memory
- 16GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 24" Dell
- Hard Drives
- 512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
- Browser
- Firefox, Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Agreed. Even when they post what they call specs, one of my main gripes is that they leave at least half a dozen legitimate questions unanswered.
[I even find in the general shops (not to mention any names, but Staples and Best Buy come to mind) the computer sales staff can't answer simple questions like "Can I add a second SSD?" or "How many memory slots are there?"]
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
- Graphics Card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek HD Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG E2442
- Screen Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
- Case
- Lenovo SFF
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome, sometimes Firefox
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
-
- Operating System
- 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2454
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
- CPU
- i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
- Motherboard
- Lenovo 3132
- Memory
- 32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
- Sound Card
- Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
- Monitor(s) Displays
- LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1080
- Hard Drives
- 1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
- Case
- Lenovo Think Centre SFF
- Mouse
- LogiTech M510 wireless
- Keyboard
- Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
- Internet Speed
- Fast (for fixed wireless!)
- Browser
- Chrome
- Antivirus
- Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
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