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Mini-ATX gaming build - looking for final touches & advice

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  • PC gaming
  • Systems
  • Homebuilt
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February 18, 2014 3:47:32 PM

I'm putting a new gaming machine together:

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: ~$1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: N/A - new build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No preference

Location: Bay Area, CA

Parts Preferences: Intel, ASUS, Nvidia

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 2 x 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Hoping for mini-ATX to put on desk, but decent GPU is more important. This is mainly for MOBA's (League of Legends, Dawngate, etc.) to be run at full/decent settings.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Getting 19fps running Dawngate on low settings on a Dell laptop at the moment. Unplayable.

Here's what I've got so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($138.33 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($272.73 @ Microcenter)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N180UBE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($21.73 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($65.23 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1080.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-19 01:46 EST-0500)

Also, I'm not sure if standard ATX would work out cheaper than mini-ATX. Do I need the CPU cooler? Since it's not an overclockable CPU, maybe not.

Thanks.

More about : mini atx gaming build final touches advice

February 20, 2014 3:49:21 PM

I would not use the cpu cooler mentioned in a micro atx case, where space will be an issue. I noticed the top of the case has fan mounts, I would choose a small liquid cpu cooler like cooler master seidon 120v, its very slim and is very effecient even though your not oc;ing the small case and powerful i5 will require this type of cooling and take less space than the 212evo...A modular psu would be a must for me in a matx case and maybe a few hundred more watts on the psu if your 2gb video card is power hungry, other than that you have put together an excellent matx build,
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February 20, 2014 4:06:50 PM

cannonfury said:
I would not use the cpu cooler mentioned in a micro atx case, where space will be an issue. I noticed the top of the case has fan mounts, I would choose a small liquid cpu cooler like cooler master seidon 120v, its very slim and is very effecient even though your not oc;ing the small case and powerful i5 will require this type of cooling and take less space than the 212evo...A modular psu would be a must for me in a matx case and maybe a few hundred more watts on the psu if your 2gb video card is power hungry, other than that you have put together an excellent matx build,


Thanks for the reply. I've been modifying the build. It's now looking like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-DELUXE Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($195.19 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($90.25 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($363.85 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Silverstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($110.60 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.47 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.86 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1365.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-20 19:01 EST-0500)

The i5-4670K seems to be worth the extra $40 over the i5-3350P, especially with the OC option. I removed the Rosewill wireless adapter because the mobo has wifi built-in.

I've revised the PSU to a smaller (dimensions) modular one that will more easily fit in the case. I can't find power requirements for the MSI 770, but I think 550W will do the job. If not I can get the 650W.

Thanks for the advice on the CPU cooler. I'll have a look at that now.
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a b B Homebuilt system
February 20, 2014 4:15:34 PM

The Hyper 212 EVO does fit in the BitFenix Prodigy case. The build is looking pretty good. The official Nvidia requirement for a GTX 770 is a 600W psu.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce-gtx/GTX_770_User_...

You could probably get away with the 550W PSU, but I would go larger. You can save money on the RAM if you're looking for ways to lower the price a bit.

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Microcenter)

or

Memory G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
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February 20, 2014 4:19:06 PM

shortstuff_mt said:
The Hyper 212 EVO does fit in the BitFenix Prodigy case. The build is looking pretty good. The official Nvidia requirement for a GTX 770 is a 600W psu.

http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce-gtx/GTX_770_User_...

You could probably get away with the 550W PSU, but I would go larger. You can save money on the RAM if you're looking for ways to lower the price a bit.

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Microcenter)

or

Memory G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)


Thanks. I'm going to try the Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler instead of the 212 EVO. I'm not sure liquid cooling is worth the premium especially considering I'm not planning to OC straightaway.

I'll increase the PSU to the 650W one and swap the RAM for the one of the options you recommended. Thanks again.

EDIT:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.96 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler ($32.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-DELUXE Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($195.19 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.23 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($134.95 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($363.85 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Silverstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($120.48 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.47 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.86 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1333.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-20 19:21 EST-0500)
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a b B Homebuilt system
February 20, 2014 4:21:59 PM

You could go with that cooler, but I would stick with the Hyper 212 EVO if you plan on overclocking in the future. The Hyper 212 EVO does fit in the case, even though it will be tight.
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February 20, 2014 4:34:10 PM

shortstuff_mt said:
You could go with that cooler, but I would stick with the Hyper 212 EVO if you plan on overclocking in the future. The Hyper 212 EVO does fit in the case, even though it will be tight.


Ok. Sticking with the 212 EVO. I know Haswells get really hot when OC'd, so in a small case it's best to have decent cooling.

I saw a thread somewhere with a couple of people building with the same case, mobo and cooler. The first said it didn't fit, but then someone else said they got it to fit fine and linked another example. So it should be no problem.
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