smaller form factor

[Itsen]

I had a couple questions and I was hoping you guys could help me out. I'm looking to build a pc with a smaller form factor than my current one since it's become a bit of a big noisy orange eyesore.

Current system specs:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (Stock Cooler)
MOBO: P5K3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP
RAM: OCZ DDR3 PC3-8500 / 1066MHz (2x1028)
GPU: MSI GeForce 8600GTS OC
HD: 250GB Hard Drive Serial ATA
Chassis: NZXT Apollo Orange ATX Mid-Tower (3x120mm Fans: Front, Side, Rear)
PSU: OCZ 500W

I'm going to be using it for AutoCAD, 3dsmax and some gaming. I recently upgraded to a 24" LCD Monitor (BenQ V2400W) which I'm running at 1920x1200.

I've only had it for around 2 years now and since I'm on a bit of a budget I'd like to be able to reuse as many components from my current pc as possible. I'm looking to save space but to also reduce noise and hopefully not take a performance hit. Would the best way to limit the amount of space it takes up be to buy a mATX mobo and get a new chassis? Or is there a smaller chassis that would still fit my ATX board.

I'm willing to change my mobo, chassis, psu, and ram but I'd prefer to change as few components as possible. I'm already planning to upgrade my GPU soon so any help with that would also be appreciated. And any recommendations for cooling and minimizing noise would be really helpful. My current GPU and CPU Fans are really noisy.

If you have any suggestions where to start or what the best possible series of changes are I'd appreciate it. I've been going under the assumption that the best place to start is by changing my mobo and chassis. And I've mostly been looking at Thermaltake and Apevia Chassis along with BioStar, ASUS and DFI mobos though I really have no preferences.

I thought I'd ask here first since I've been checking out the news and reviews here for a couple years now and they've helped me make good choices in the past.

 

[Leshy]

dood i suggest you change your graphics card , psu and chassis

stick to the same mobo....

chassis------------ antec 300
PSU------------------- corsair TX 750
graphics card ---------- HD4870

if you have some extra cash you can go for a


Thermalright TRUE Black 120 CPU Cooler

and since u wanted a silent PC
add this fan


Scythe S-FLEX SFF21G

 

[Kougar]

What kind of OCZ PSU is it? You might not need to upgrade it. I do agree with the CPU cooler and graphics card upgrade, at that resolution you will need a good performing card such as the HD 4870 or the GTX 275 / 285.

Since you prefer to change as few components as possible then I don't recommend Core i7. A quadcore would be a good upgrade for you though, either a Q9400 or Q9450 or Q9550. If you are willing to overclock you could get even more performance out of it. Any of these would allow you to keep your current motherboard and system mostly intact.

As far as cases go, I'm not that familiar with small-sized form facters anymore... I'm not sure if the Antec Sonata III would be a good choice anymore.