Mini-ITX Gaming PC ~$2000

Gerardw3

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Jan 28, 2014
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Hi,

I am looking at building a good gaming Mini-ITX Desktop and my budget is around $2000, but lower is better if it is the same quality.

WHAT I NEED
I would like this build to be able to handle the newest games (and ones to come) very well on high settings. I would also like to do quite a lot of video and photo editing with photoshop and after effects. This PC would also have to be able to handle game development, but that is not normally very taxing on the PC in my instance.

CURRENT BUILD IDEA
I am currently looking at this setup I have put together here:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.87 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($97.16 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($182.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($655.91 @ Newegg) [Just checked... It is actually $746 + $61 Postage]
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($83.17 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($53.82 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2090.85 [+ $152 = $2424... :'(]
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Any suggestions? Any ways I could lower the price without losing performance?
Another small problem I have is that I live in Australia and have had some bad service with Amazon not sending to Aus, so I would preferably stay away from them, but if it is a matter of $100 or more I am willing to risk it. I would like to buy locally (PC Case Gear, M Wave I think, I don't know what else is in Melbourne)

QUESTIONS
What is the best small, quite fan I can buy for a CPU cooler?

Is air cooling bad in this small case? I would prefer not to water cool...

Will all of the components fit in this case together?

Would I need a WiFi Card with this Motherboard?

What is a cheap 1tb Hard Drive? I will mainly use my SSD But I may need some extra space.

Anyone know where I can get a cheaper 780 ti? Or any good equivalents?[Not AMD...]

Well, that's about all from me.
Thanks for any help!
 
Solution
You've got a hot system mate, air cooling would get really noisy.
Also, why go Mini-ITX if you're going for such a high end build, I don't think you're gonna drag it around aye?
GPU equivalents...ehhh, the only GPU I can think of that will outperform the 780Ti in this price category IS AMD, the R9 290X.

Kevinsweijen

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Jul 10, 2014
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You've got a hot system mate, air cooling would get really noisy.
Also, why go Mini-ITX if you're going for such a high end build, I don't think you're gonna drag it around aye?
GPU equivalents...ehhh, the only GPU I can think of that will outperform the 780Ti in this price category IS AMD, the R9 290X.
 
Solution

Gerardw3

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Jan 28, 2014
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I wanted a ITX Because then I could take it places if I needed to, but I guess I could go with something like a H440, that looks good. Would you suggest a different build for ATX, or keep it mostly the same? Also, How hard is it to hook up water-cooling? Would it be worth my time and money?
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Okay, I have done some simple research on water-cooling - I conclude that it looks hard! I am sure that I can figure it out though. Would you suggest any certain kits? As you know, the budget is a bit of an issue. I may have to cut back on the graphics card a bit. I think I will go with a ATX case. It just seems easier. Probably lookking at something Bitfenix or NZXT.

Thanks
 

Kevinsweijen

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Jul 10, 2014
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Bit of a duh answer here: get an ATX motherboard :p
Water is an investment, so it's your choice really. You could easily go for air.

Feel free to ask anything and have fun on the build!
 

Gerardw3

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Jan 28, 2014
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That's what I meant by mostly the same :) . Do you still use fans when water cooling? I know you do with the radiator, but what about the sides of the case? Do you think I should cut back on the graphics card to stay in budget? This is what I have now [Without the cooling]:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.87 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($655.91 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($53.82 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1839.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Could you suggest a good motherboard?

Thanks for your help so far, it is my first build so it helps a lot!


 

Gerardw3

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Jan 28, 2014
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Okay,

I have chosen a case and motherboard, and updated my build but I still have a few questions. Here is what I have now:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.00)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.80 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($900.00)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($53.82 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Other: MoBo Link
Other: XSPC Water Cooling ($209.00)
Total: $2548.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Can you please suggest a good water cooling kit for me? I can't work out which one I need. The case is able to support a 240mm, so should I get the cooling kit I have added there?

Also, what would I need to cool? Would it just be the CPU or the GPU as well?

I am getting a bit worried about this price tag...

Thanks,
 

Iron124

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Jun 1, 2014
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An i7 is just overkill, especially for an mini-itx system. They also throw off a lot of heat that's going to need to be dissipated. This would be a better (and much cheaper) option for a build that comes in at $2000. Also not sure what you have against AMD, they're better performance than what NVIDIA offers for less, but hey, I made it work.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Value 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($175.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($138.99 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($399.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Silverstone SG08B Mini ITX Desktop Case w/600W Power Supply ($214.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: AOC E2460SD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($165.00 @ CPL Online)
Keyboard: Gigabyte Force K3 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($23.00 @ CPL Online)
Mouse: Razer ABYSSUS Wired Optical Mouse ($35.00 @ CPL Online)
Headphones: Razer Kraken Pro Headset ($78.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1935.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

No need for water cooling on this build, that case has good ventilation, and a built-in case fan. Also included a decent aftermarket CPU cooler for overclocking and the Windforce GPU can take care of itself. I believe that covers all of the peripherals as well, let me know if I missed anything.
 
Here's a build using Australian retailers that would be great for your intended use. The i7 will come in handy for the video editing you stated you would be doing on the system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($405.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($149.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($195.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($165.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($599.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($199.00 @ CPL Online)
Mouse: Logitech G500s Laser Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($59.00 @ CPL Online)
Headphones: Logitech H800 Headset ($99.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Total: $2497.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 

Gerardw3

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Jan 28, 2014
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Hi,

I like both of your builds, but a few things are different.

One thing is that I have windows 8 pro (Which was $10).
I would also like to get an i7, but maybe not the 4790k. I think it might just be a bit too expensive.

I know that AMD is good but my personal preference is N-Vidia as I like them and know they work.

I also already have a keyboard, and would prefer the G930 Headset.

So, as you can see, I have pretty much figured out my build now, apart from water cooling, which I would like.

I have created a new thread because so much has changed (Case, Cooling...) it is located here:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2216156/water-cooling-kits-lga1150-780ti.html

Thank you so much for your time and effort though, it is much appreciated :) :)! I would also like it if you can advise me on my water cooling!
Thanks :)