Mini-ITX Gaming Build

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bmorecity

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Jan 11, 2014
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I’ve been out of the pc building game for the past 10 years and feel like throwing together a gaming rig. I wanted something small that would blend in with my living room and hook up to my TV. I would appreciate any advice on any parts as things have changes substantially since the last build I threw together. I have never used liquid cooling before but it looks like it might be a good idea for this case/processor or should I go with an air cooled solution? Thanks in advance.


CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Zalman LQ-310 Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87I GAMING AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($175.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($162.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($106.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Silverstone SST-FT03B-MINI (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($93.45 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1302.86

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2zFDz
 
Solution
g-unit1111
The thermal compound is a waste of money, and there's definitely better liquid coolers you could go with.

This is what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X40 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($82.05 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB...
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TheMohammadmo

TheMohammadmo

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1331.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-15 18:54 EST-0500)
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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The thermal compound is a waste of money, and there's definitely better liquid coolers you could go with.

This is what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X40 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($82.05 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.30 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($24.29 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1171.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-15 20:01 EST-0500)

The Prodigy will allow for more expansion and air flow, and while there is less storage, you do get a better GPU.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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The 4Gb version of the GTX770 is entirely pointless in this (and most) builds. As is a 750W PSU.

I think perhaps both of you have missed the point slightly in that the case he picked, the FT03 Mini, has a footprint a fraction the size of the Prodigy (roughly half the size). The Prodigy is great if you want/need to fill it with stuff, but it really doesn't seem appropriate for what he needs. The FT03 is pretty unique for that kind of form factor, most people looking to get something to blend in are probably more likely to go for a conventional HTPC/Shuttle-esque design which will slide into an entertainment centre, but if slim and tall is what he prefers then that case has the market fairly well cornered. It's certainly not cheap, and it boxes you into using an SFX PSU, but given they (soon) go up to 550W, that's not a massive drama, it just increases the cost.

Scaling down his storage needs without querying it is also a bit nonsensical imo. A 250Gb SSD and 3TB HDD are massive overkill for the average person, but given this particular case is a little limited in scope for expansion, I can understand the desire to add more early rather than run out. I have around 6TB in removable storage myself, and depending on what you use it for (pictures, movies, general filedump) they can work pretty well.

Personally, I'd consider ditching the k-series processor. It's not a great case for overclocking as it's airflow isn't great, nor is it's cooler compatibility. When you consider how much you've spent (motherboard+CPU+cooler) and the tiny percentage gain, in gaming terms, you are likely to get, it seems like it's an obvious place for compromise.

That case doesn't limit you exclusively to the short PCB graphics cards. Most standard GTX760s will fit into the 254mm maximum length provided. This could give a bit more flexibility.
 
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bmorecity

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Jan 11, 2014
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Thanks for the responses. I already ordered the FT03 Mini+Silverstone 450w sfx PSU. My main interest was in the small form factor. With regards to space, I wanted to futureproof it somewhat due to the apparent difficulty of assembling the components. For video cards I am interested in the smaller form factor MSI Geforce760 or the similar Asus card. I wonder if anyone has an opinion on which is better. Also cooling looks like an issue with this case. Is it work going with a liquid cooling solution? Also, sorry to ask so many questions, but is having the ability to overclock not worth it? It looks like it is pretty easy these days compared with what I was used to. Again, thank you for advice, I really appreciate it.
 
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lmaonade200

lmaonade200

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most of these are going to look pretty similar lol

whoops didn't see that you already had a PSU and case

imo, don't just go for the small form factor just for the sake of having small items lol, if your case can fit a full sized graphics then you should do it. The MSI 760 mini and their mini ITX gaming mobo are pretty attractive for what they are though…
and if I've never used your case before but if it it has slots for 2x 120mm fans it should fit a liquid cooling radiator also.

Overclocking is worth it imo, especially since you're trying to future proof your PC, you can squeeze the last juices out of your CPU when it's at the end of its life in like half a decade (assuming you're trying to preserve it for that long ofc), the more recent BIOS setups with GUIs make it almost elementary
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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SLI isn't necessary on an mITX rig because there's only 1 x PCI-e slot on the motherboard. You couldn't run an SLI setup on an mITX rig if you wanted to. :lol:

Storage is all relative to the user, I personally don't emphasize huge primary SSDs because you store everything on your mass storage drive anyways.

imo, don't just go for the small form factor just for the sake of having small items lol, if your case can fit a full sized graphics then you should do it. The MSI 760 mini and their mini ITX gaming mobo are pretty attractive for what they are though…
and if I've never used your case before but if it it has slots for 2x 120mm fans it should fit a liquid cooling radiator also.
Click to expand...

Any miTX case like the Bitfenix Prodigy, Fractal Design Node 304, Cooler Master RC-120, Silverstone SG06B, etc etc will house full size graphics cards and power supplies.
 
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tshrjain

tshrjain

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MoBo: MSI Z87I Gaming AC
GPU: MSI 760 ITX
CPU: Intel i5 4670
Cooling: Noctua L9I
SSD: ADATA XPG SX910
RAM: Corsair 16GB DDR3 1866 MHz
HDD: HGST Travelstar 2.5-Inch 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s 32M
 
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lmaonade200

lmaonade200

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ah that's pretty handy to know :) I thought that some cases wouldn't support full sized cards on the account of the form factor, but now that I think about it that makes no sense since it would alienate 90% of the cards out there... (or at least all the modern/newer chips that are elongated compared to old cards)
 
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bmorecity

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Thanks guys so much for the helpful feedback. I ended up with the following rig. Since I'm not super interested in over clocking at the moment, I am going to try using the stock intel cooler at first but if it doesn't work out I might look towards a liquid solution. The parts come on Tuesday so I'll see how it all works out. Again thank you so much for the advice and help.


CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z87I GAMING AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Silverstone SST-FT03S-MINI Mini ITX Tower Case ($157.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($104.99 @ Dell Small Business)
Total: $1360.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-19 20:34 EST-0500)
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Yeah it's definitely a common misconception about SFF builds that they can't hold certain size PSUs and GPUs. But most of the popular cases are designed with that in mind already. It's the motherboards on SFF builds that is the limiting factor.
 
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barryww

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g-Unit1111 wrote:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X40 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($82.05 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.30 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($24.29 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1171.58
Click to expand...
I have researched this build and believe I will mimic this setup. Do you think upgrading the processor to an Intel Core i7-3770 Quad-Core 3.4 GHz would yield drastic improvement in performance? I know there is talk about the poor heat transfer of the i7 processor, especially in overclocking, but I am not interested in doing that at this time, even though the choice of the Kraken cooler should handle it. In other words, would the price difference of the two processors be worth the upgrade? I could easily add another 1TB hard drive for the difference in cost plus change left to take the lady out. Also, any major hiccups or pitfalls to avoid during the build?
 
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withtheeye

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Jan 16, 2013
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Hi, how well do the WIFI antennas fit with the FT03 mini cover on top?

 
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sspooner587

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Oct 16, 2013
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sspooner587

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Have you considered the Fractal Design Node 605? This is a superlative htpc case that looks like a fine Stereo case. The tower case you choose is too tall and will look silly in your living room. Your selection of parts is great except for the case. Also, consider using 3-4 120 ssd's in a raid 0 array to significantly speed up your system. You can still use your Hdd for mass storage. I also prefer Seasonic power supply's but that's no big deal. Also, get 16 gigs of Ram so you wont have any issues with stutter. I have several of these HTPC's and they all work great but I have had to update them to better cpu's I started with i3 3225 and 8 gigs of ram and single ssd's with Hdd's and by upgrading to the i5 and ssd'd in raid 0 and 16 gigs of Ram my sytems are all performing much better with no stutter. Also have you looked at the Seagate hybrid drives? They work extremely well in these htpc systems and then you only need one drive which is better to avoid delays in the overall system from transfer. The hybrid drive gives you much faster speed than a conventional hdd/ssd set up.
 
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