Help needed with an Mini Itx system.

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xtremeclowny

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Feb 26, 2012
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I already have a machine that I built about two years ago which is still usable for gaming. Right now, I am looking into building another mainly to play with the systems, learn some programming, install linux somewhere, etc. I might or might not game on it.

Here are the components I have decided on sofar:

FX- 6300 CPU.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286

Cougar spike case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553011

MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157323

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

GPU

R7 250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127763

R9 270
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202090

I haven't decided on the card yet. The 270 seems to be a decent card for $180. If I am already willing to pay $90 for the 250 then I might as well pay another $90 and get an okay GPU.

I'm lost when it comes to the RAM. How do I go about finding the right match for the CPU and MB?

Aside from the above, the only pieces I am missing are the optical drive, a wireless adapter, plus I might go ahead and get more fans for the case.

As for the power supply.Let's just assume that I am getting the R9 270 just in case I do get it or decide to upgrade in the future. I haven't looked into PSU because I have no clue on how to go about picking one but I did come across this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153173&ignorebbr=1

Think it will work?

Or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182076&Tpk=17-182-076

Do let me know if I happen to be missing any components. Thanks.
 
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2Be_or_Not2Be

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Aug 23, 2013
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Your Newegg links are all truncated, so you might want to just post the model #s of your parts. For memory, just see what the motherboard supports. Most motherboards support DDR3 - 1600 RAM, so it should be easy to obtain.

That being said, I would suggest the following changes:

1) CPU - for long-term functionality, I would suggest you go with an Intel Core i3/i5, like i3-4350 (3.6GHz dual-core) or i5-4460 (3.2Ghz quad-core).

2) Case - you listed the Cougar Spike, which is a discontinued MicroATX case. If you want a Mini-ITX case, you'll need to switch. I like the Silverstone SUGO series of Mini-ITX, especially the SG-05 case with the 450W SFX power supply.

3) Graphics - if you're looking at the 270, you might want to check out the 280 with the recent price cut. It will also give you more performance long-term than the 270 for not too much more in cost.
 
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xtremeclowny

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Oh, I did as bad copy and paste. Links should be working now.

Did they really discontinue the cougar...It was there just two days ago.
I'm going to stick with the 270 and under because I am having a hard time having to justify spending $180 on a GPU when I really don't need one. I really want to settle for the 250 but the 270 seems like a really good deal.
As for the CPU. I don't know. I could dish another 30 bucks and get the i3-4350 and settle for the R7 250. I really don't plan on pushing the machine too hard. If I do any gaming, it will be minor.

Ugh, I guess that the i3+ R7 250 is the better option. Plus, I get to save a few bucks by not buying the R9/
 
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AMD Radeon

AMD Radeon

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Dec 23, 2011
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for mini ITX build, you can start from here
if you dont want to game on it, strip down the gpu from the list

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($186.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85N Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($75.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($156.67 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $620.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 15:20 EDT-0400)

maxresdefault.jpg


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wait, did you mean micro ATX? because the case and the mobo you pointed are micro atx size...
 
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xtremeclowny

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Haha, you are right. It is micro, it's just that I have mini ITX in my head. And that dang elite 130 is haunting me. I guess that I am stuck with it seeing as the case I wanted is no longer on sale.

I have just been informed in another thread that there are no micro atx Mbs for the FX 6300?

I guess that you guys are right, I should probably dump more money into the processor and settle for a cheap GPU like the R7 250. I think the i3- 4350 should be good enough? I don't know if I want to go over $150 given that I won't be taxing the PC as hard as I could.
 
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sm620

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For the GPU, if you aren't gaming, look at newegg sales from time to time and find a low end one for $40 on sale. I think I saw a 640 for $40 one time. that would give you a dedicated GPU so your CPU isn't doing that job. A small card like that would give you good framerate for lowest settings if you ever wanted to play a 3d game. I have an old GTX 520 that plays a lot of games at 60 fps at minimal settings.

If you go with a small card like that instead of the higher end one you were looking at you could go with a small PSU and get better efficiency with it because efficiency will usually peak close to the max wattage. A 650W is pretty good for any single GPU setup so you could get that one if you think you will ever want a high end GPU.

RAM is pretty easy just look for the type DDR3 is the standard and that's what your MB uses, so just look under the memory section and check the DDR3 filter and all of those should be compatible but some will have super high frequencies that your MB doesn't support meaning they won't hit thier full potential. For that MB get either 1866 or 1600 DDR3 if you wnat OC'd RAM. Any standard frequency DDR3 RAM should also work. When it comes to the size of the RAM I suggest getting however much data you want in 2 cards instead of the max of 4 because in a cheap MB like that the controllers sending data to the RAM will get stressed with 4 which will slow down the RAM.
 
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