Possible Micro ATX build. CPU and other questions

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

tojo78

Distinguished
Jan 2, 2009
21
0
18,510
Greetings!

My 5 year old Dell Studio XPS is getting a bit long in the tooth so I think its time to build a new one. My current XPS has an older i7 (920 I think), 6 GB of RAM and a 6800 series Radeon video card. I tried to upgrade the video card to a GTX 680 and had all kinds of issues. I think they were due to compatability issues with the mobo so I sent the GTX 680 back.

Since my current Dell is a micro ATX, I think I would like to do my new build as a micro ATX. I like the smaller size. I have built two ATX machines before but never a micro ATX. Is there anything I should be aware of before ordering parts or assembling the computer given its a micro ATX?

I am going to use this computer for everyday use (internet, iTunes, etc) and also gaming. Right now I play Eve Online and run up to 3 clients at once. Current machine does fine with 2 clients at max settings but dies when I add a third unless I reduce the graphic settings on all 3 clients.

I will not be doing any kind of overclocking.

I was thinking of going with a 4770K CPU, but I am thinking this might be overkill for my needs. Any suggestions on what CPU would be the best for what I want it to do? I'd like to have some newer technology without going overkill and paying too much.

Video card wise I was going to go with a GTX 760, but again I am thinking this might be overkill. Any suggestions?

Mobo wise I was going to go with a ~$80 ASUS or ASRock board as I do not need anything special. Any advice in this space would be helpful.

Lastly, to go SSD or not to go SSD? Obviously a big price difference between SSD and a tradtional harddrive. Would a SSD be worth the extra $$ for what I want it to do?

I dont have a specific budget but would like to keep it as economical as possible.

Thanks in advace for your help!
 
Solution
rvilkman
Most likely your issues with the GTX680 were due to lacking PSU juice, not compatibility issues with your motherboard.
Or possibly the existence of the AMD drivers on your PC.

Well here is a high end microATX build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)...
Sort by date Sort by votes
A

abokoj

Honorable
Oct 28, 2013
66
0
10,640
If you are planning to get a new you should get a new motherboard since your old motherboard support diffrent socket that the most of the new cpus. I think the 760 is too much for you as the game you play doesn't need that good gpu. if i were you i would go with something like gtx 660. I don't know about all the client stuff but i think the 660 is a good gpu for the cash
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
rvilkman

rvilkman

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2009
2,307
0
20,960
Most likely your issues with the GTX680 were due to lacking PSU juice, not compatibility issues with your motherboard.
Or possibly the existence of the AMD drivers on your PC.

Well here is a high end microATX build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2emOj/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1441.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-03 14:39 EST-0500)

Generally a i5 4670k will do, and you can probably manage with lesser mobo etc. But just pointing it out.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
T

tojo78

Distinguished
Jan 2, 2009
21
0
18,510
Thanks for the feedback guys. I updated the PSU to a 650W when I added the Radeon 6800, but 650 might still be borderline for the GTX 680. I would probably go 800W with the new build just for some extra padding. What am I really losing by going from a i7 4770K to the i5 4670K that was suggested? Or maybe a better question, how much would I gain from my current i7 920 to the suggested i5 4670K?

Would definitely get a new mobo. There was an Asus board that had a 1150 socket fot $80 on Newegg. So thats why I had mentioned that. The mobo in my Dell now is probably ancient compartively.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom