$1000 budget mini ITX build help
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stilep
April 8, 2014 6:17:03 AM
I am looking to build a mini ITXcomputer with gaming capabilities under or around a $1,000 budget. my last computer i built lasted 7 years so i have no knowledge of what is currently out there, and my computer won't work currently so it is difficult to do the proper research on my own.
right now i am torn between these cases. leaning towards the Corsair or coolermaster
Corsair Obsidian 250D : http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Obsidian-250D-Mini-CC-901...
Cooler Master Elite 130: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DRA4F06/ref=s9_psim...
BitFenix Mini-ITX: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RJQ3GQ/ref=s9_psim...
In this build i currently have a SSD that i won't need to purchase, and a Blue ray player that i wouldn't need to purchase so i can subtract those parts from the cost.
If anyone has any suggested builds or links to a current thread within this topic it would be appreciated. Also any suggestions or preferences on the cases. After that long a time moving a antec 900 i want something compact and easily moved.
right now i am torn between these cases. leaning towards the Corsair or coolermaster
Corsair Obsidian 250D : http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Obsidian-250D-Mini-CC-901...
Cooler Master Elite 130: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DRA4F06/ref=s9_psim...
BitFenix Mini-ITX: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008RJQ3GQ/ref=s9_psim...
In this build i currently have a SSD that i won't need to purchase, and a Blue ray player that i wouldn't need to purchase so i can subtract those parts from the cost.
If anyone has any suggested builds or links to a current thread within this topic it would be appreciated. Also any suggestions or preferences on the cases. After that long a time moving a antec 900 i want something compact and easily moved.
More about : 1000 budget mini itx build
tassietim
April 8, 2014 6:52:15 AM
careful with the bitfenix case as the one you linked is only the ITX mb style one not an microatx mb model
http://www.amazon.com/BitFenix-Power-Supply-MicroATX-BF...
is the microatx version
http://www.amazon.com/BitFenix-Power-Supply-MicroATX-BF...
is the microatx version
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stilep
April 8, 2014 7:20:23 AM
Related resources
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stilep
April 8, 2014 8:04:31 AM
I was able to find someone elses thread from a few months back. pretty much this is what they had. Is this still up to date?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3ofXR
I was able to leave out a few things because i already have them from my last computer. Operating system, Oprical drive, Storage.
Could someone update this if there has been any better parts that have come out or if anything on this could be better? I figure this could be somewhere to start
Will this Graphics card be too long for the case or could there be better?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3ofXR
I was able to leave out a few things because i already have them from my last computer. Operating system, Oprical drive, Storage.
Could someone update this if there has been any better parts that have come out or if anything on this could be better? I figure this could be somewhere to start
Will this Graphics card be too long for the case or could there be better?
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It depends what you need/want really. All three of those cases offer quite different features so I wouldn't consider them direct competition.
The Corsair is great if you need a 240mm radiator location AND a full size optical drive bay. If you don't need one or either of those things, I reckon there are better cases, mainly due to the fact that the Corsair is very expensive (though not $165 lol, more like $100). It can take most PSUs, which is great, but in other component selection it can be pretty limiting, your selection of coolers that make sense is small, and the number of motherboards which work well is limited primarily to the two(three) Asus Z87 ITX boards (though the ASRock version should work too). Finally, it's very wide, significantly more so than the much maligned Bitfenix, so it's not super-practical as a "desk top" PC.
The Bitfenix (and its other two variants, the ITX Phenom and ITX Colossus) are great for flexibility. If you want to fit something in these, there's almost always a way to do it. PSU choice is slightly limited (160mm), but due to the space available inside, a non-modular PSU isn't a significant disadvantage as it might be in a more compact case. The main disadvantages are size (it's not small) the wobble (noticeably better when ballasted with a heavy PSU) and the fact that deciding to use one thing may result in you not being able to use something else (240mm rad means no ODD for example). Great options for air and water cooling, pretty reasonably priced.
The Coolermaster is just great value. It's very cheap, very compact, and can fit in pretty much everything you could want (unless you need a lot of HDD space). It's perhaps not the greatest choice for super-high end builds, due to the weak general airflow and limited CPU cooler options, but you can definitely make a case for a non-overclocking processor paired with a high end graphics card (GTX780/780Ti/R9 290X etc) as the graphics card gets plenty air. One other negative is that the PSU sits directly above the motherboard, and any loose cables will hang down, meaning a modular or semi-modular PSU is desirable if you don't want to use the ODD bay as cable storage (though this does remove a little of the value of the case).
The build linked above isn't really up to date, as prices bounce around so much you have to kinda roll with it. Things like graphics cards and memory bounce around a lot, and PSUs in the US are continually subject to rebates/discounts which wreck any consistency. If you want great value, you have to exploit these.
Quick version - 16Gb of memory is excessive if this is for gaming.
I'd advise against that cooler+motherboard+case combo. You are paying a lot for the luxury of overclocking, and on that cooler you aren't likely to generate a good return for that investment.
The PSU is great quality but overkill in capacity, cost and it's not modular, you can pick up an Antec HCG-620M for $70 or a Seasonic G-550 for around $85.
Go with a non-OC i5 build (4430/4440/4570) paired with a GTX780 for ~$1000, it's likely to be the best bang/buck option, and works well in the Elite 130.
OR
Go with an AIO closed loop cooler, Corsair H60 etc, with your 4670K, and whichever motherboard has the features you need (nothing wrong with the MSI), but find a better priced GTX770- they start at $310.
The Corsair is great if you need a 240mm radiator location AND a full size optical drive bay. If you don't need one or either of those things, I reckon there are better cases, mainly due to the fact that the Corsair is very expensive (though not $165 lol, more like $100). It can take most PSUs, which is great, but in other component selection it can be pretty limiting, your selection of coolers that make sense is small, and the number of motherboards which work well is limited primarily to the two(three) Asus Z87 ITX boards (though the ASRock version should work too). Finally, it's very wide, significantly more so than the much maligned Bitfenix, so it's not super-practical as a "desk top" PC.
The Bitfenix (and its other two variants, the ITX Phenom and ITX Colossus) are great for flexibility. If you want to fit something in these, there's almost always a way to do it. PSU choice is slightly limited (160mm), but due to the space available inside, a non-modular PSU isn't a significant disadvantage as it might be in a more compact case. The main disadvantages are size (it's not small) the wobble (noticeably better when ballasted with a heavy PSU) and the fact that deciding to use one thing may result in you not being able to use something else (240mm rad means no ODD for example). Great options for air and water cooling, pretty reasonably priced.
The Coolermaster is just great value. It's very cheap, very compact, and can fit in pretty much everything you could want (unless you need a lot of HDD space). It's perhaps not the greatest choice for super-high end builds, due to the weak general airflow and limited CPU cooler options, but you can definitely make a case for a non-overclocking processor paired with a high end graphics card (GTX780/780Ti/R9 290X etc) as the graphics card gets plenty air. One other negative is that the PSU sits directly above the motherboard, and any loose cables will hang down, meaning a modular or semi-modular PSU is desirable if you don't want to use the ODD bay as cable storage (though this does remove a little of the value of the case).
The build linked above isn't really up to date, as prices bounce around so much you have to kinda roll with it. Things like graphics cards and memory bounce around a lot, and PSUs in the US are continually subject to rebates/discounts which wreck any consistency. If you want great value, you have to exploit these.
Quick version - 16Gb of memory is excessive if this is for gaming.
I'd advise against that cooler+motherboard+case combo. You are paying a lot for the luxury of overclocking, and on that cooler you aren't likely to generate a good return for that investment.
The PSU is great quality but overkill in capacity, cost and it's not modular, you can pick up an Antec HCG-620M for $70 or a Seasonic G-550 for around $85.
Go with a non-OC i5 build (4430/4440/4570) paired with a GTX780 for ~$1000, it's likely to be the best bang/buck option, and works well in the Elite 130.
OR
Go with an AIO closed loop cooler, Corsair H60 etc, with your 4670K, and whichever motherboard has the features you need (nothing wrong with the MSI), but find a better priced GTX770- they start at $310.
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stilep
April 8, 2014 12:13:31 PM
Rammy said:
It depends what you need/want really. All three of those cases offer quite different features so I wouldn't consider them direct competition.The Corsair is great if you need a 240mm radiator location AND a full size optical drive bay. If you don't need one or either of those things, I reckon there are better cases, mainly due to the fact that the Corsair is very expensive (though not $165 lol, more like $100). It can take most PSUs, which is great, but in other component selection it can be pretty limiting, your selection of coolers that make sense is small, and the number of motherboards which work well is limited primarily to the two(three) Asus Z87 ITX boards (though the ASRock version should work too). Finally, it's very wide, significantly more so than the much maligned Bitfenix, so it's not super-practical as a "desk top" PC.
The Bitfenix (and its other two variants, the ITX Phenom and ITX Colossus) are great for flexibility. If you want to fit something in these, there's almost always a way to do it. PSU choice is slightly limited (160mm), but due to the space available inside, a non-modular PSU isn't a significant disadvantage as it might be in a more compact case. The main disadvantages are size (it's not small) the wobble (noticeably better when ballasted with a heavy PSU) and the fact that deciding to use one thing may result in you not being able to use something else (240mm rad means no ODD for example). Great options for air and water cooling, pretty reasonably priced.
The Coolermaster is just great value. It's very cheap, very compact, and can fit in pretty much everything you could want (unless you need a lot of HDD space). It's perhaps not the greatest choice for super-high end builds, due to the weak general airflow and limited CPU cooler options, but you can definitely make a case for a non-overclocking processor paired with a high end graphics card (GTX780/780Ti/R9 290X etc) as the graphics card gets plenty air. One other negative is that the PSU sits directly above the motherboard, and any loose cables will hang down, meaning a modular or semi-modular PSU is desirable if you don't want to use the ODD bay as cable storage (though this does remove a little of the value of the case).
The build linked above isn't really up to date, as prices bounce around so much you have to kinda roll with it. Things like graphics cards and memory bounce around a lot, and PSUs in the US are continually subject to rebates/discounts which wreck any consistency. If you want great value, you have to exploit these.
Quick version - 16Gb of memory is excessive if this is for gaming.
I'd advise against that cooler+motherboard+case combo. You are paying a lot for the luxury of overclocking, and on that cooler you aren't likely to generate a good return for that investment.
The PSU is great quality but overkill in capacity, cost and it's not modular, you can pick up an Antec HCG-620M for $70 or a Seasonic G-550 for around $85.
Go with a non-OC i5 build (4430/4440/4570) paired with a GTX780 for ~$1000, it's likely to be the best bang/buck option, and works well in the Elite 130.
OR
Go with an AIO closed loop cooler, Corsair H60 etc, with your 4670K, and whichever motherboard has the features you need (nothing wrong with the MSI), but find a better priced GTX770- they start at $310.
I tried to edit the list to your suggestions, but i know i am still not optimizing it and about $100 over the desired cost ($100 doesn't bother me too much)
would you be able to edit this list and relink it so i can see your suggestions. I hate admitting it but I was lost a little in your suggestions.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3okoP
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187Flatliner
April 8, 2014 12:26:32 PM
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($182.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($146.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 2GB Video Card ($140.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1001.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-08 15:26 EDT-0400)
the cooler will fit.
read this link
http://benchmarkreviews.com/9943/cooler-master-elite-13...
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($182.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($146.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 2GB Video Card ($140.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1001.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-08 15:26 EDT-0400)
the cooler will fit.
read this link
http://benchmarkreviews.com/9943/cooler-master-elite-13...
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Best solution
That's cool, I do tend to go on a bit (my post count is surprisingly low, but I bet my average post length is ridiculous).
The issue with the build you have is that it's hugely over-budget. Toss in a suitable CPU cooler and you are at least $150 over. What I was saying was that for $1000, you either go non-OC i5+GTX780 (probably in an Elite 130), or OC i5+GTX770 (probably in a Prodigy, though all three cases have some potential).
Sticking fairly rigidly to $1000 (you can decide if you want to spend more)-
Overclocking build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3okOY
You could spend less on memory and the cooler (significantly so), but I don't think you'd ever find enough money to step up to the next graphics card tier, so I just used it all up. You might want to add some extra, better quality case fans too.
Non overclocking build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3okYu
You easily come up under $1000, and there's not a lot of places to spend the leftovers, and as an exclusively gaming platform, it's likely to be significantly better than the previous build. You could buy a CPU cooler, but it wouldn't make a lot of difference, or you could go for a H87 motherboard if you fancied a feature (like SSD caching).
What's interesting here is that cards like the GTX780Ti and R9 290X are within reach if you did want to spend a little more, though if you are running with a single 1080P display, that's of questionable merit.
The issue with the build you have is that it's hugely over-budget. Toss in a suitable CPU cooler and you are at least $150 over. What I was saying was that for $1000, you either go non-OC i5+GTX780 (probably in an Elite 130), or OC i5+GTX770 (probably in a Prodigy, though all three cases have some potential).
Sticking fairly rigidly to $1000 (you can decide if you want to spend more)-
Overclocking build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3okOY
You could spend less on memory and the cooler (significantly so), but I don't think you'd ever find enough money to step up to the next graphics card tier, so I just used it all up. You might want to add some extra, better quality case fans too.
Non overclocking build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3okYu
You easily come up under $1000, and there's not a lot of places to spend the leftovers, and as an exclusively gaming platform, it's likely to be significantly better than the previous build. You could buy a CPU cooler, but it wouldn't make a lot of difference, or you could go for a H87 motherboard if you fancied a feature (like SSD caching).
What's interesting here is that cards like the GTX780Ti and R9 290X are within reach if you did want to spend a little more, though if you are running with a single 1080P display, that's of questionable merit.
Share
Good advice here. A few things stand out though...
1.) No need for a performance drive like the WD Black when an SSD is in the mix. Scale down to a WD Blue, or my preference would be for an offering Seagate or Hitachi.
2.) The ASUS MB is nice and all, but overkill. Check out the MSI Gaming and Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WiFi (both with built-in bluetooh and WiFi). All these board will support a nice overclock.
3.) Good modules with the Vengeance memory, but for the price there are faster modules (less latency).
4.) Again great part, but at $100 for 450w the Corsair PSU isn't the best purchase for the money.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
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187Flatliner
April 8, 2014 12:56:13 PM
Rammy said:
@ Flatliner - that's awful. For a variety of reasons, nearly every component needs to be changed..
actually its not
yes a little overkill but its a great build, you just have an opinion and you know how the saying goes. Yes you can break down the build and give its faults, but at the end of the day it works.
the cpu is a great oc chip
the cooler will fit in the elite 130
the board yes is maybe a fault but it does overclock and is a decent board.
the ram can be changed yes but this ram is awesome
the black drive i included for a good reason, cheap and fast.
the case, not gonna say it. awesome
gpu, while outdated this gpu is an awesome beast still that will still (med-high) alot of the games out today
anything else?
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Guy is looking at a GTX770, you give him a HD7770? On a gaming platform, this makes absolutely no sense.
He explicitly stated he doesn't need storage, you give him 2TB.
Motherboard and Memory are both more expensive than they have to be, cooler is debatable.
The PSU is both mediocre and outrageously overpriced.
It might be an opinion, but it's also based in fact.
He explicitly stated he doesn't need storage, you give him 2TB.
Motherboard and Memory are both more expensive than they have to be, cooler is debatable.
The PSU is both mediocre and outrageously overpriced.
It might be an opinion, but it's also based in fact.
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stilep
April 8, 2014 2:06:56 PM
Rammy said:
Guy is looking at a GTX770, you give him a HD7770? On a gaming platform, this makes absolutely no sense.He explicitly stated he doesn't need storage, you give him 2TB.
Motherboard and Memory are both more expensive than they have to be, cooler is debatable.
The PSU is both mediocre and outrageously overpriced.
It might be an opinion, but it's also based in fact.
I think ilike that non over locking build a lot. My only question is will that graphics card support dual monitor? I see 1 dvi port but the back looks like it has two inputs for monitors. I forgot to mention I got into the habit of muti tasking with 2 monitors so I want to have the option if possible.
Yea from my last build or parts my brother has I have a few ssd drives and regular drives and blue ray player and windows 8 so I left them out of my costs.
I also don't know if I feel comfortable with a water cooling system. I've never messed with one in any of my builds. If it is a must and that much more beneficial I think I'd play with one but if not I'd stick with a fan heatsink if there was a suggested one
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You definitely get a lot more value for money with a non-overclocking build, it'd be my personal preference. The question is how much you "need" to spend. A GTX770 is actually more than sufficient for a single 1080P monitor (for gaming purposes), but going forwards there is some sense in spending more if you have the funds available.
The standard layout on a GTX770/GTX780 is one DVI-D, one DVI-I, one HDMI and one Display port, which means you can easily support multiple monitors of various formats.
Closed loop coolers make sense in some situations, but if you aren't overclocking then they are unlikely to be worth it. Generally they offer inferior price/performance to air coolers, as well as potential extra complications with regards to routing pipes and noise levels. In the Elite 130, there aren't a lot of options so if you decide you do want to go for a cooler, you are sorta forced to pick a 120mm rad-based cooler of this nature, as low profile air coolers can be somewhat motherboard dependant.
I'd stick with the stock cooler if you aren't overclocking. It's always something you can look at changing later if it's an issue.
The standard layout on a GTX770/GTX780 is one DVI-D, one DVI-I, one HDMI and one Display port, which means you can easily support multiple monitors of various formats.
Closed loop coolers make sense in some situations, but if you aren't overclocking then they are unlikely to be worth it. Generally they offer inferior price/performance to air coolers, as well as potential extra complications with regards to routing pipes and noise levels. In the Elite 130, there aren't a lot of options so if you decide you do want to go for a cooler, you are sorta forced to pick a 120mm rad-based cooler of this nature, as low profile air coolers can be somewhat motherboard dependant.
I'd stick with the stock cooler if you aren't overclocking. It's always something you can look at changing later if it's an issue.
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stilep
April 8, 2014 2:27:19 PM
Thanx. Yea I gave myself a budget of $1,000 because I knew my comp was on its way out and was lucky to have about that. But from my experience with most things and this especially. I tend to go $100-$200 over. So if there is a suggested graphics card within the range that would be worth it I'd probably get it.
I'd rather spend a little extra now than run into a problem down the road and have to upgrade. I was surprised but happy my last on lasted since 2007.
I'd rather spend a little extra now than run into a problem down the road and have to upgrade. I was surprised but happy my last on lasted since 2007.
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You could comfortably set yourself a $700-900 budget and work to that, PCs are by nature pretty scalar so you can work something out for almost any budget.
It's hard to justify overspending to ridiculous levels, as nobody can know what the future will bring, and which component will become redundant quickest. We are currently in an era where CPU development has somewhat stagnated, so even a 5year old CPU is pretty competent these days, and a 3year old processor (like an i5 2400/2500K) is fairly similar in performance to the best money can buy today - at least to the point that upgrading is of questionable benefit. Graphics cards on the other hand, keep moving on. The current generation (GTX700s and R9/R7s) are predominantly recycled older cards at more attractive prices, so while the technology isn't advancing much, the price at which you can get it is much improved. Conventional wisdom (for a gaming machine) is to spend a bit extra on graphics as it's the thing that'll age most, but it's easy to forget that aside from AAA games, things like Minecraft and League of Legends are hugely popular and can run on ancient tech - I have a machine with an 8800GT, and it still works.
TLDR - Don't let idiots like me convince you that you need to spend all (or more) than your budget, it's very generous.
It's hard to justify overspending to ridiculous levels, as nobody can know what the future will bring, and which component will become redundant quickest. We are currently in an era where CPU development has somewhat stagnated, so even a 5year old CPU is pretty competent these days, and a 3year old processor (like an i5 2400/2500K) is fairly similar in performance to the best money can buy today - at least to the point that upgrading is of questionable benefit. Graphics cards on the other hand, keep moving on. The current generation (GTX700s and R9/R7s) are predominantly recycled older cards at more attractive prices, so while the technology isn't advancing much, the price at which you can get it is much improved. Conventional wisdom (for a gaming machine) is to spend a bit extra on graphics as it's the thing that'll age most, but it's easy to forget that aside from AAA games, things like Minecraft and League of Legends are hugely popular and can run on ancient tech - I have a machine with an 8800GT, and it still works.
TLDR - Don't let idiots like me convince you that you need to spend all (or more) than your budget, it's very generous.
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stilep
April 8, 2014 2:48:09 PM
stilep
April 8, 2014 2:49:18 PM
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