I'm thinking of building a Steambox...

[Staggerwing]

...(or Steam Machine, according to Valve).

I want to use as small an enclosure as possible that will still let me build a decently-preforming, yet budget friendly, linux pc for under my big TV. I'll be spreading out my purchase over the next few months so I'm going to start with case and mobo first. I don't plan on including a lot of add-ons other than a good gfx card and possibly a sound card if the on-board chip is sub-par so I can try to keep both space and power needs as minimal as possible.

Has anyone recently built a small(ish) form factor 'puter (mini- or micro-ATX) with good gaming results that can recommend a case? I'd also be interested in knowing about any pitfalls related to using these smaller mobos so I can start doing my homework there as well. 

In the end all of this might be moot if decently priced ready-made Steam Machines come on the market soon but I like the sense of satisfaction that comes with using a machine I assembled (for the most part anyway) by myself.

[junk2drive]

The problem that I see with spreading out your purchase is warranty and exchange. In recent history I have had a bad mb and hdd. Both were replaced easily within the 30 day exchange period. Had I waited, I would have had to deal with the manufacturers warranty dept.

[Staggerwing]

True. I had not thought of that.

I could still run the box with inferior reclaimed parts from older computers in the beginning for less stressful games so that I will know if the mobo or ps fail w/in the warranty period and add better stuff like faster memory, gfx card, and hd later. I could even use it for a Netflix/Hulu box in the interim. Not that i need one with a PS3, 1st gen Roku, and AppleTV in various rooms around my house but it should provide a good stress test.

[eyebiter]

.

[Staggerwing]

Cool- thanks!

[Arctic Blast]

Incidentally, Valve has released some rough specs for their 300 prototype systems. http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/2145128928746175450

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components:
GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
CPU:   some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

[Staggerwing]

I actually stumbled across the beta badge requirements to be part of the beta Steam Machine 'lottery' and finished all the tasks except playing a game with a controller in 'Big Picture' mode. I tried both a ps3 controller and a generic controller from Foxconn that came with a gfx card a few years ago. No matter what I do the last badge won't unlock. Anyone else run across this issue? Anyone else successfully manage the task with a non-360 controller?

[eyebiter]

.

[Staggerwing]

I've been farting around with it for two days, on and off. I played several games that show gamepad support, switched back and forth from game to 'Big Picture' and it's store and achievement listings, remapped all the buttons several times, and even tried it with my PS3 controller just for S&Gs. No Joy. I know my odds at being one of the final beta machine testers are probably 1500:1 but now it's just bugging me that I can't unlock the damn badge!