Mini-ITX Build in Need of a Review.

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lthy

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Dec 1, 2013
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Hey, how's it going? I just finished going through my build for the thousandth time. I got a little excited and bought a few parts prematurely but hey, they were on sale and I can always resell them if they turn out to be the wrong parts. Anyways below are the parts that make up my first build. This build revolves around the BitFenix Prodigy Case. I plan on using it for video editing, a little 3D modeling, and a little gaming/recording.

Because y'all are seasoned veterans when it comes to building PCs, I was wondering if you could take a look at it before I buy the rest of the parts; see if there's anything you would take out and/or replace.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.27 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($224.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $49.99)
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 550W 80+ Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $49.99)
Total: $866.21

I left out the GPU because I'm waiting for the 800 series by Nvidia. Coming from a guy who has never had a decent system in his life, I think the native Intel HD 4600 will do for now.

Anyways, thanks for your time!
 
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Rammy
I don't know if you saw, but Tomshardware did a roundup of a few Z87 motherboards a little while ago. Slightly frustratingly, the Impact wasn't present, but pretty much everything else was. It can probably cover some things better than I can.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/z87-motherboard-roundup,review-32835.html

Bottom line, the MSI is by a good margin the cheapest and performs very well, if you want value for money, it's probably the one to go for. They are all pretty good though, and if you want the Impact without the fancy paint job or sound card (more or less) then the Z87I-Deluxe is very impressive.

If I had an infinite budget and was building an ITX system, I'd buy an Impact in a second. There's certainly no harm in doing it...
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Rammy

Rammy

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Sep 3, 2012
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Firstly, it's very expensive. I'm sure you are aware of this.
If you want to trim some money from it, it can be done, but in general everything is fairly sensible. The motherboard for example is ~$100 more than is absolutely necessary to spend, but it is nice and does have an impressive feature-set.

Gaming at all on the internal graphics is probably a waste of time. I wouldn't necessarily advise waiting to buy a graphics card, as you could wait forever, stuff will always get better. If you wanted to spend a little bit of money as a short term solution then something like a HD7750 would be good for basic gaming, and not breaking the bank (even if you Ebayed it for half the price after a few months, it wouldn't have cost you much).
 
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bigcyco1

bigcyco1

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Feb 11, 2012
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It looks fine to me bud.I would recommend a ssd if you have some extra budget laying around, I’d definitely suggest going with a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro or 256GB Samsung 840 Pro in combination with your 1TB Seagate Barracuda. This will allow for plenty of hard drive space for storage while OS and application files may be placed on the SSD for that extra top notch performance.
 
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lthy

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Dec 1, 2013
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10,510

I was under the impression that anything around $1000 was considered mainstream. But yeah, I had a feeling I was spending more than I needed to when it came to the MOBO. This PC is suppose to last me a while and since the CPU comes bundled with this MOBO, if it is indeed worth the money, I don't mind spending it. Question is: is it worth it?

I checked out videos of gameplay utilizing the HD 4600. They were able to run BF3 fine albeit on low settings and 720p. That works for me haha. I mean this is coming from a guy whose current system can't even run Skyrim on low at 600p with decent frame rates.

Rumors are that the 800 series will be released Q1 of 2014.


I have looked around wondering why people invest in SSDs. Thanks mate, appreciate it.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Sep 3, 2012
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Beware of Youtube videos telling you anything. Whether its how to make millions while being a "stay at home mum", or that you can play games on Intel HD graphics :)
In all seriousness, Haswells HD graphics aren't bad, but given you are spending quite a lot on the machine, you'd be barely exploiting any of it's potential. I know from my own experience that upgrading your system and transferring your old graphics card (until you have the cash to spend) is pretty depressing after it runs exactly the same.

The motherboard is kinda worth it. It's among the best ITX boards for overclocking. It's (as far as I know) the only ITX board with it's own sound card. It has more acronyms attached to it than a Japanese car. If you want an ITX board that looks cool and can do everything, it's the one to get. Can it truly justify it's price tag? Probably not. I still want one though (Got a Prodigy myself).

As for system cost. If you add an OS, maybe an SSD (and the parts you already have), then add the cost of a mid-high end graphics card, that's a $1200-1400 build. To me, that's not cheap.
 
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L

lthy

Honorable
Dec 1, 2013
5
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10,510

Thanks. I get where you're coming from and I can imagine the disappointment. But as of now, gaming is but an additional use for this PC. I plan on utilizing it more for video editing and 3D modeling. If what I was told is true; if the CPU and RAM listed above can best take care of my needs without the support of a GPU, then wouldn't I be exploiting it's potential if only a fraction?

Then again there is always the chance where what I was told was completely wrong...

I understand the situation with the MOBO however and I would like to thank you for your input. I honestly don't know what makes the MOBO all that great. I haven't done enough research on MOBOs. I just decided on it based on all the reviews which, in hindsight, seems pretty rash. If you don't think it's worth the money then I think I'm just going to go for the Asus Z87I-Deluxe or the ASRock's Z87E-ITX.

I still plan on upgrading this system; adding a GPU and a SDD later on. Yes I will be spending money. It's just a matter of spending it all at once or spreading it out through a series of months and/or years. I believe to opt for the latter because only then will your PC feel more like a hobby than an investment. Is that a good mindset or am I just being an idiot?


Rumor suggest they pushed the released date back to 2H if not the 4Q of 2014. I can do without a GPU but I read that a CPU is a must in any build. :)
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Sep 3, 2012
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I don't know if you saw, but Tomshardware did a roundup of a few Z87 motherboards a little while ago. Slightly frustratingly, the Impact wasn't present, but pretty much everything else was. It can probably cover some things better than I can.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/z87-motherboard-roundup,review-32835.html

Bottom line, the MSI is by a good margin the cheapest and performs very well, if you want value for money, it's probably the one to go for. They are all pretty good though, and if you want the Impact without the fancy paint job or sound card (more or less) then the Z87I-Deluxe is very impressive.

If I had an infinite budget and was building an ITX system, I'd buy an Impact in a second. There's certainly no harm in doing it, as you say the reviews are all very positive. As a technical achievement its deeply impressive (AMD don't even do decent mATX boards) but it's hard to overlook the fact that it is double the price of the MSI and does more or less the same thing.
 
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