Question Help me buy a lower cost Intel Windows 11 motherboard (Micro ATX?)

[mraroid]

Hello friends....

I am not really a computer guy, but among my group of friends, I am the default person they go to. I am helping my friends update hardware so they can run Windows 11. My friend gave me his full sized ATX case with a full sized 12 × 9.6 in (305 × 244 mm) motherboard inside.

He is not at all a power user. Mostly he surfs the internet, sends and receives email and watches youtube videos. He now has a 4K TV and asked if he could watch YouTube videos in 2K or maybe even 4K.

I am building it for him and buying parts on Amazon and other places. I am trying to keep the cost down for him. I have a few questions:

1) For the most part, can I install a Micro ATX motherboard to save him a little money? Or am I forced to install a full sized ATX motherboard in his full sized ATX case?

2) I already have a 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD. So I would like a motherboard that has at least one PCIe 4 slot for this SSD. He has never gotten close to filling up his 500 GB SS drive so the 1 TB NVMe card I have will work just fine for him.

3) To give him support for watching YouTube in 2K or maybe even 4K, I would like to install a modest video card for him. I have used Nvidia chip set cards in the past and would prefer that as I know how the software updates work. Any suggestions for a Nvidia video card? If the cost to get him to 2K is too high, then I can just give him a video card that will support 1920 X 1080 that is a bit faster than the video chip on the motherboard. He will be fine with that if the cost of a 2K or 4K video card is too expensive (maybe more then $250?).

4) I prefer a motherboard that will support an Intel CPU that supports Windows 11. I know Intel CPUs & motherboards cost a bit more than AMD, but Intel is what I know so I prefer that.

I will use one of the many websites that lets you choose a motherboard, CPU, etc to make sure it is all compatible. Any suggestions on a few that folks here like?

Any suggestions on some or all of the above would be quite helpful.

Many thanks and Happy Holidays to all,

Jack in Oregon

 

[rgd1101]

look up motherboard price at pcpartpicker. matx doesn't mean it cheaper

 

[Eximo]

You are asking for more than a motherboard. Motherboards don't generally come with onboard video, that is reliant on the CPU installed in the system.

Yes, you can install smaller boards in larger ATX cases, the mounting standoffs should all be there.

Honestly, an AMD build for light gaming and 4K playback is pretty doable. Onboard Vega graphics on the 5600G can get most things done.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($131.63 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M/ac R2.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $263.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-15 16:13 EST-0500

If you insist on Intel and Nvidia for just TV viewing, I would do this. Fair warning the CPU does not have onboard graphics, but that makes it a lot cheaper.

GT1030 can do 4K playback, but itself is pretty old. Low power though.

For a more entry level gaming experience, consider the GTX1650. Can't really recommend much past that, as AMD and Intel start really making more sense cost wise.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($92.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GT1030-2G-BRK GeForce GT 1030 2 GB Video Card ($98.17 @ Amazon)
Total: $343.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-15 16:11 EST-0500

 

[geofelt]

1) MATX motherboards have 4 expansion slots vs. 7 for ATX.
MATX would fit in an existing atx case.
2) 1tb of any kind would be fine. M.2 is a size format and is easy to install in a modern motherboard.
A ssd of any kind is the key to a quick desktop.

3. Most intel processors(excepting F suffix) include a very good integrated graphics capability that can display HD movies very well.
I would at least try integrated graphics first before investing in a "gaming" gpu.

4) if buying new, buy current gen. It is wise to keep with the infrastructure that is familiar to you.
At any price point, amd vs. intel and nvidia vs. radeon differences are minimal.

Current gen will be supported by windows 11.

Do you have a budget?

 

[thestryker]

If watching videos and doing email is all this person does is there any reason you can't just get a minipc to do the job?

It would use a lot less power than anything you can put together desktop wise and should have no issues covering those use cases.

If you so go with a desktop I don't see any reason why you would need anything other than integrated graphics.