I am keeping an eye on SATA connections, I really don't want to be left short on that front.
Well, based on the OP and suggestions, we're looking at 4 HDDs, an SSD, and an ODD (with the potential for more HDDs). That's six SATA ports.
There are plenty of mATX LGA1150 mobos that support six SATA connections, but only two that support more (the ASUS Maximus VI Gene at $170 and the ASUS Maximus VII Gene at $200). The issue is size. There simply isn't enough room to put more.
Basically, here are your choices:
1) Stick with the six-port mobo and add a PCI to SATA card (which will give you, at most, six extra ports, but most often only four)
2) Go with the eight-port mobo and add a PCI to SATA card
3) Swallow your pride and desire for an SFF media storage computer and go up to an ATX motherboard, which has more SATA Ports on average (some have as many as ten, which really opens up your expansion capabilities when coupled with a PCI to SATA card.
Yeah, but to continue the car analogy, your idea is the same as getting a Mustang Cobra and adding a turbocharger, then giving it to someone who only drives it to pick up and drop off their kids from school and drive to and from work, with the occasional night out at the movies. It's wasted potential. Better to have the Civic that will cost FAR less and accomplish the same task.
Yes but with the turbocharge cobra.. you get a "turbocharged cobra"..
If you buy a civic with rims.. which is exactly what the g3258 + itx is gonna be.. after spending $800 on so little power..
An i5 is considered to be the top gaming CPU because it can handle any game you throw at it and the cost is manageable for nearly everyone who builds computers. This is why most people recommend it over the i7 for gaming.
Now, the G3258 is much better than you'd like to think, tp4... It comes unlocked, which means that overclocking is possible, and it has been clocked up to a stable 4.7GHz with 40-60 degree load temps, which when you consider its base clock of 3.2GHz, that's an increase of 50%, which is phenomenal. That's like taking an i7-4790K and OCing it up to a stable 6GHz. Plus, the 3258 has one of the best per-thread performances of any processor out there. Granted, it may not be designed for high end gaming (an i5 is better than it for gaming purposes) but it will MORE than fit the bill.
no one said u should get the i7.. i7 is honestly not even in the $800 budget if you include a graphics card..
I also don't see why you NEED to put storage in "this computer"..
if you can just put drives in your old one..
You put media storage... and ANY long term storage, really, in a separate chassis (like a home server) so that if your main rig takes a **** on you, your long term storage is still accessible and safe from whatever happened to the main rig.
