Fantasies of a small, silent and powerful gamer rig (configuration questions)

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Hi there people,

I’ve got a monumental project in mind. I want a really nice gamer rig which is:

(very) Powerful
Silent
Small

I know, I know – master race is supposed to sound like polish factories – but after seeing a friend's PS4, I have fallen in love with smallish machines. It can’t be PS4 size, I know that – but surely we should be able to create to some aesthetically pleasing power beast.

I also know – I could read every single review ever done – but I do hope that you could help me out nonetheless :D Each component does not have to be expensive or the very best, but the “best” in terms of a cost-benefit perspective. I would love to create this machine, but I have to buy each component from month to month :p

If you got a good rig that is silent, small and powerful – please feel free to share your config.

PS: Is this the right forum? I didn't see any forum dedicated to building machines.
 
Solution
Onus
If you want small, there are "ITX" versions of the GTX760 which would probably offer satisfactory performance (if not "Ultra," then very close in any of the few settings that aren't). Although I don't know how loud they become, they should be near-silent when not gaming.
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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I've moved your thread to the "Systems" area, where new builds are indeed discussed.
Unfortunately, power and silence are often at odds, since the former implies heat which must be removed. If you're willing to accept lowered settings and/or resolution though, you could probably pull this off.
You say you'll be buying this over time; do you have a total budget in mind? Time frame? Specific games you want to play? Monitor resolution?
 
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G

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Thank you :) I wouldn’t like to lower the FPS. I’d rather make it less cool. I am talking 1080P with 60 with ultra. That sort of thing. I guess, was just hoping there was some magical way. Noise during active is not that overly important, more idle noise :) Total budget would be around 2500 USD (bought during half a year or so). I've got the monitor.
 
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Dylzan

Dylzan

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Aug 2, 2013
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GTX 780 Strix from Asus, the fan doesn't spin at idle or up to 75c, that kind of thing?
 
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G

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Wow. Yeah. Expensive though, but that's the thing. Got to up my max budget, I can tell.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
37,037
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If you want small, there are "ITX" versions of the GTX760 which would probably offer satisfactory performance (if not "Ultra," then very close in any of the few settings that aren't). Although I don't know how loud they become, they should be near-silent when not gaming.
 
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Solution
G

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Shesh, that also looks good. Tiny, forceful and affordable. With the risk of being a true noob, what sizes to do we have? We have the really small ITX - correct? And then the midi-tower and the maxi-tower?
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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ITX is the smallest, with space for no more than two slot covers (for a single, up to double-width card). Micro-ATX cases offer space for four slot covers. Standard ATX will typically have seven (some cases offer eight), and Extended ATX may have up to ten. If you're interested in small, ITX is the way to go.
 
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G

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Got it. But how big is Micro-ATX really? Either way, it sounds like it must be one of those. Perhaps even the ITX - but then it becomes a question of what perfomance and noise difference there would be. And covers? Does that mean room for a GPU? What else is required?
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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A compact micro-ATX case will just fit into airline carry-on bags (my wife took one I built for her brother in El Salvador in her luggage that way).
Most gaming graphics cards are double-width, most with two slot-plates. There are a few triple-width cards. There are single-slot cards, but the coolers on most of them extend into the next space; they need only one slot cover, but internally are double-width. The smallest cases won't take those. Most mini-ITX cases are very limited on card length as well, making that GTX760 a great option as long as you've got the double width. One of the Silverstone cases like a SG05B would be a good choice.
 
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G

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Wow. What about this one? Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/fractal_design_node_304_review,1.html

But what about the PSU then? And what should I get if I want this?

MSI Z87I Gaming AC Mini-ITX Motherboard
MSI GeForce GTX 760 GAMING ITX

And finally – what about the CPU? It says “4th Gen Intel Core”.

How far up can you go – before the cost becomes too much compared to performance?
:D Perhaps a Intel Core i7-4770K?
 
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G

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Sold! That seems to solid. But what about the PSU and the CPU? I did some detective work and it seems that the Core i5 I5-4670K 6 MB is the best - cost-benefit wise.
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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That is certainly an excellent gaming CPU. I believe the case has enough room for a 92mm tower cooler (maybe larger, but check first). If not planning to overclock (or only to a small degree), that would be sufficient. I always recommend brands other than Coolermaster. It isn't that CM offers bad coolers, but in my experience, there is always a competitor (e.g. Enermax, NZXT, Gammax) offering similar (+/- 1C either way) products for significantly (up to 30%) less money.
 
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G

Guest

Guest


You have been so awesome :) It's slowly begining to become a plan. But how do I know what amount of juice is required for the PSU?

So far it's this conf.

CASE Corsair Obsidian Series 250D / Black Aluminum / Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
GPU MSI GeForce GTX 760 Gaming ITX 2GB PhysX
MB MSI Z87I AC, Socket-1150
CPU Core i5 I5-4670K 6 MB
 
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G

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Yeah, I'm not into OC. I found these two silent PSU. One going at 460, the other at 1000. No middle ground?

Seasonic 1000W Platinum
Seasonic SS-460FL2 Active PFC F3, 460W Fanless ATX12V Fanless 80Plus PLATINUM Certified,
 
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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"Fanless," properly translated, really means "elsewhere-fan" as such a PSU still needs some airflow through it. As quiet as most PSU fans are (especially in efficient PSUs), I don't think fanless models are worth the price premium. I have a couple of their "G" series units, and their fans are inaudible.
 
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G

Guest

Guest


Ah. Then this one must be close to the best thing, silent-wise:

SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD

Getting there :D
 
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