Mini Itx Gaming Build Budget 1100

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costas270

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Feb 26, 2014
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Hello all, I was going to upgrade my build but instead recently sold it and now have a little more case to work with... Would like to see a fx 8350 version of this build and any alterations of it in its current Intel form. Just wondering how much cash the amd version could save me. Also, if someone has a cooler mini itx case in mind I would love to hear about it. Thanks in advance!

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week
Budget Range: Around 1000 after rebates (The less the Better but due to no SLI probably want to stick with the gtx 770, if i can go lower on the CPU without bottle-necking the GPU I'm all for it)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming then watching movies/productivity
Are you buying a monitor: NO
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon
Location: City, State/Region, Country: Illinois
Parts Preferences: No Preference
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No(Unless theres some miraculous way to do it in mini itx)
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (May upgrade to 4k in a year or two)
Additional Comments: Would like to have a window
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Sold old build just time for an upgrade

My Current Build set Up

CPU: Intel I5 4670k
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO8TBOW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Motherboard:Gigabyte Z87N-wifi
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D94X7WW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
RAM: GSKILL ARES 8gb (2x4gb)
SSD: Kingston 120gb
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
GPU: EVGA GTX 770
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CZIQXBA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
PSU: Seasonic 620w
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HE260I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RJQ3GQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Total:$1,016.43 (USD)


Sidenote about the PSU. If there is a modular one around the same wattage that would help with wire management and look cool thatd be greattttttttttttt.
 
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Rammy
You need a Z87. The Gigabyte and MSI versions are the cheapest, and pretty decent, but the CPU socket location can be limiting with regards to CPU cooler compatibility. If you go with water cooling (either AIO or custom-loop) then that isn't a problem, but given the ASRock isn't hugely more expensive, I'd be tempted to go with that one to give yourself more options. It'll slightly depend on features though, they all have a pretty huge list of things which you may or may not need.
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costas270

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Feb 26, 2014
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I'll prpbably just stick with the semi modular. I was thinking of adding a custom window eventually. Shouldn't be too hard. Any comments on the rest of the build?
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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The XFX PSU mentioned is likely to be excellent, but I can't find any figures on how long it is. Based on the pics I'd estimate that it is quite likely to be over the <160mm you need to fit comfortably in a Prodigy.
The semi-modular version of the Seasonic S12 620 is the M12 II 620, which is also available (basically) as the Antec HCG-620M. All of those should be 160mm in length.
Ignoring the window situation entirely, a Prodigy does have quite a lot of space within the PSU box, and the side sections of the case, in which to tuck/tie cables, so a wired PSU isn't necessarily a disadvantage in this case. I personally use an XFX Core 550, which tidies up pretty nicely.

High end AMD ITX builds don't exist. You can't get decent AM3+ motherboards at mATX, let alone ITX, and FM2 is pretty limited (and not necessarily cheap) right now.

As for your build, it's pretty decent. What I would say is that if you want to get the budget down the easiest thing to discard is the overclocking potential. If it's not important to you (it won't make a huge difference to gaming performance) then you can drop to any i5 really, and to a lesser motherboard (retaining whichever features you require, like Wifi).
Also, the biggest selling point of a Prodigy is how well it fits radiator(s). If you aren't looking to include a large amount of stuff, then it's a pretty big case relative to what you need. On the smaller side of things, if you want an ODD and don't need fantastic CPU cooler support, then the CM Elite 130 is pretty great value. If you don't need an ODD, but do want better airflow and cooling options, then the Fractal Design Node 304 is similarly sized.
As a final thought, for the components you need, it's actually possible to get a GTX780 into a $1000 build, so you should have a decent amount of money leftover if you go with a GTX770. Here's a proof of the concept, rather than a suggestion of what to buy.
 
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costas270

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Alright then guess I'll just forget about the AMD option. In terms of overclocking/water cooling down the road its a definite possibility but I may never get around to it. Most of the reason I picked the bitfenix prodigy was due to the fact that its th. only decent looking mini itx case I could find. The budget is a bit flexible if there is a sweet spot for this type of price to performance. I would LOVE to be able to squeeze a gtx 780 into something around this budget. Could you maybe recommend something that would achieve a couple of these goals?
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Yeah I like the Prodigy a lot (I've got two cases, and had a third case for a friend) but it's hard to overlook the disadvantages it has. It's big for ITX, wobbly, not terribly practical, very wide (even by large tower standards) and has quite a few "if you pick X you can't have Y" type of compromises. If you aren't going to exploit the many drive cages, or the excellent cooler/radiator support, then it starts to make a lot less sense as a build platform.

The link I stuck in my first post includes an i5 and a GTX780 for ~$1000, though you'd obviously need to tweak it as required. It's actually jumped by $10+ since I posted it, but you get the idea. If you went to say $1100, you'd have a lot of flexibility with regards to cases etc.

There's a lot of nice ITX cases, but they can end up being incredibly expensive. The Elite 120/130 are a great budget option, and I'm a big fan of the Node 304 for the stuff you can pack into it. On the dearer side, the Silverstone FT03-Mini is really nice but expensive and SFX limited (as is the new Raven RVZ-01) and if you want portable then the EVGA Hadron Air is really well laid out thanks to the custom PSU.
 
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costas270

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Thanks for the advice on the cases, but I feel as though the bitfenix still makes more sense as I genuinely like its looks and it gives me options down the road. As far as its size, I dont need the smallest possible case just something smaller( I'm coming from a haf 912 so it'll be fine). Heres my revised build. I need some help on fan setup.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32U1E
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Drop the K-series, makes no sense without an overclockable motherboard. Go for a cheap i5, at stock speeds there is very little difference between them.

You are going to be limited by fan headers, unless you add a fan controller, so the easiest thing to do is to keep the number of fans small. You should be able to run two fans off a splitter fairly easily, which should keep things fairly simple. I'd suggest a decent 120/140mm for the rear (you could just use one of the ones that comes with the case) and a larger fan for the front (ideally a 230/200mm, but a 140mm will suffice). I personally use a 200mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro, there's not a huge amount of options in 200mm+.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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You need a Z87. The Gigabyte and MSI versions are the cheapest, and pretty decent, but the CPU socket location can be limiting with regards to CPU cooler compatibility. If you go with water cooling (either AIO or custom-loop) then that isn't a problem, but given the ASRock isn't hugely more expensive, I'd be tempted to go with that one to give yourself more options. It'll slightly depend on features though, they all have a pretty huge list of things which you may or may not need.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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It's pretty decent. Just a quick FYI. Most GTX780s recommend a 600W PSU, (the one you picked specifies a +12V of at least 42A) and the XFX meets that criteria despite a lower total wattage. You shouldn't have any issues running a GTX780 on a 550W PSU, but you might well see other posts suggesting this is unwise due to the recommended specs.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Yeah I don't think 550W is a limitation by any means, you have people using 450W SFX PSUs on small systems and squeezing in a load of stuff, and the EVGA Hadron Air has a 500W PSU which EVGA themselves are happy to say will power (their own) GTX780Ti/Titan cards.

In an ATX system you could definitely make a case for stepping up to a 600-620W, depending on the price increase, but in your situation I'm not sure that it's worth it.

If you do want to go for a window (Bitfenix do sell windowed case panels, but do be aware they cut the graphics card airflow substantially) then having a semi/fully modular PSU might not be a terrible idea, as it does give you more options with regards to modifying cable aesthetics/lengths. The aforementioned Antec HCG620M/Seasonic M12II620 are decent bets, as is the Seasonic G-series 550/650. While it wouldn't be a standard pick of mine, the Corsair RM550 seems pretty well priced right now due to double discounts.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Not really. There is at least one system I remember which has a GTX Titan and overclocked 4770K (albeit fairly mildly) on a 450W PSU.
ITX systems are fairly frugal, so you can chop some overhead off the sort of allowances you might make for an ATX system.
In the Hadron Air, you are going to be slightly limited by CPU cooler selection and general airflow too, so you aren't going to be doing crazy overclocks if you want to keep temperatures reasonable.
For portability (and style) the Hadron Air is hard to beat, and it's remarkably practical when you consider it still takes full size HDDs and can fit a slim ODD in there too. The downside is it's expensive, the airflow isn't amazing, and it's a bit limiting in some ways - I'd definitely go with a reference "blower" cooler to get rid of some of the graphics card heat.
 
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