We've built countless gaming computers and the ones that are smaller in stature tend to impress us the most. We appreciate systems that manage to stand with full tower rigs in our benchmarks while maintaining a tiny footprint. For example, we managed to get an Asrock Z87M Extreme4 motherboard, Core i5 Haswell processor, a GeForce GTX 760, OCZ's 240GB Vector SSD and a pair of 2TB WD Red HDDs into Silverstone's 23-liter Sugo SG10 -- a chassis small enough that it could be carried under arm between LAN parties. What's more, that build cost just under $1,400, which is well within the realm of a typical self-built enthusiast machine -- because that's ultimately what it is, just smaller. Unfortunately, things get inflexible and unaffordable really fast if you want a brand name box, but that's not to say the splurge is never worthwhile.

Asrock's recently launched M8 barebones system, which we are reviewing today, may not be the best value for a Micro-ITX machine, but it may be one of the most attractive we've seen in years and that counts for something.

Even if the M8's style is not your thing, there's less room to argue that this is a unique gaming PC barebones kit and that was enough to earn our attention. We've been impressed with the looks of previous Asrock products -- including its mini PCs -- but the M8 is a clear step up having been designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the driving force behind Thermaltake's Level 10 chassis, a case as overpriced as it is iconic. The Level 10 put aesthetics and novelty before affordability and practicality, and we could see a repeat showing with the M8.