The MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming should definitely be on your short list if you want to build a small form factor gaming PC or a compact Steam Machine. Its GTX 760 genes give it plenty of performance for all the latest titles at full HD and with decent framerates, without compromising on image quality. MSI also released a matching motherboard, the Z87I mini-ITX, to go with this graphics card. It supports Haswell processors, so you could cram loads of CPU processing power into a small mini ITX case that could double up as a media player and that ultra-portable LAN party case.
Compared to the NVIDIA GTX 760 reference design, MSI has overclocked their card out of the box, which yields a 2% performance improvement - less than what we've see on other fully sized GTX 760 cards, but every bit of free performance is welcome. This makes the card 10% faster than the GTX 660 Ti, a little slower than the GTX 670, and 8% slower than the HD 7970.
Noise levels are very important if you plan on running a mini-ITX system in your living room. What's the point of watching a nice movie on your big TV if you constantly have the media player's fans whining in the background? Idle noise levels of the MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming are almost whisper quiet, which should make it quiet enough to be inaudible when installed in a case. During gaming, the fan ramps up to keep the card cool, making it audible, but not in an annoying way. The card is quieter than any small form factor graphics card we have ever tested. Noise levels also depend on how well your mini-ITX case handles the heat. MSI's GTX 760 Mini-ITX exhausts hot air out of the case, so its thermal requirements are not that high. I really like the included backplate, which not only looks good and protects the card against damage during handling, but also cools four memory chips on the backside of the card.
Power consumption levels are also very reasonable. Power consumption is similar to that of the regular GTX 760, which isn't overclocked. What I found a bit surprising is that MSI's card is 10% more efficient in our "typical gaming power" test, which would suggest that MSI has optimized power usage around that scenario. I'd recommend allotting at least 150W power for this card.
The MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming is currently listed at $270 online, which is a reasonable price considering that reference designs are sold for around $240 and small form factor components always come with a price premium. Compared to the ASUS GTX 760 Mini, which is similarly priced, the MSI has better noise levels and comes with a backplate. The ASUS card has two DVI ports, though, which you could easily get with the MSI card if you don't mind using an adapter. This card could also work incredibly well in a fully sized desktop case, which would improve in-case airflow and make cabling with its single 8-pin power input plug easier. The full-sized MSI GTX 760 Gaming is, on the other hand, quite affordable, slightly faster, and even quieter.