I need help deciding which of these builds is the best for a HTPC/Steambox/Media server. It will be running Windows 7 Ultimate and used in our living room for all three purposes already said. We play games like BF4, Skyrim, BioShock Infinite, Borderlands 2, Portal 2, NBA 2k14, Fifa 14, and some others. All of the parts marked as purchased, are parts I had laying around from previous builds, so those can not be changed, but if you see something wrong with one of the builds, let me know. Our budget was $70 on amazon and $250 elsewhere, and we don't want to go much above that. Also the smaller the case, the better as we want this to be small and easy to move.
Here they are
Build 1: i3 3240 mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-I5 (V1.0) Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($33.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $276.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:04 EST-0500)
Option 2: i3 4130 mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $287.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:05 EST-0500)
Option 3: Athlon x4 760k mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($69.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $277.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:06 EST-0500)
Option 4: i3 4340 mATX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($15.00)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Rosewill Legacy V4-B Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $307.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:06 EST-0500)
Option 5: FX 8320 mATX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Rosewill Legacy V4-B Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $292.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:07 EST-0500)
Here they are
Build 1: i3 3240 mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-3240 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-I5 (V1.0) Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($33.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $276.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:04 EST-0500)
Option 2: i3 4130 mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $287.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:05 EST-0500)
Option 3: Athlon x4 760k mITX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($69.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $277.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:06 EST-0500)
Option 4: i3 4340 mATX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($15.00)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Rosewill Legacy V4-B Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $307.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:06 EST-0500)
Option 5: FX 8320 mATX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 160GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Rosewill Legacy V4-B Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $292.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:07 EST-0500)