First pc build (Mini ITX, would like criticism)

Richard Perez

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Jul 29, 2014
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Hi, I was thinking about building my own pc before the end of the summer. The build is listed right here: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/richard.t.perez/saved/XnbCmG

Anyways, it's not finished; I want to leave a bit of room for expansion. Mainly a GPU so I can move out from the integrated card ASAP. I'm already including an SSD drive for the enhanced boot-up speed. I also chose Mini ITX because I want something portable enough to take with me to college and to be able to fit in my dorm.

I need a computer that can handle some light Adobe CS (Maybe after-effects or not), Sony Vegas Pro 12, and some light gaming like League of Legends. Besides from that, I want something that can handle multiple applications at the same time such as Facebook, Youtube and Pandora.

Any and all comments are appreciated. Thank you.
 
Solution
I think you are probably trying to do too much with too little. There's a lot going on, and if you are pushing your budget then you can't really do everything.

Processor is pretty weak. It's got better integrated graphics than Intel's options, but if you plan on adding a graphics card then this feature becomes mainly irrelevant and you are just left with a fairly weak processor. I'd usually suggest a 750K/760K, but these have no integrated graphics meaning that you can't do anything with the machine until you add a graphics card, so it's probably not a good pick for you. The dual core Pentiums though, are very well priced, have solid integrated graphics (pretty useless for gaming though). Something like a G3220 would be a pretty good...

Rammy

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I think you are probably trying to do too much with too little. There's a lot going on, and if you are pushing your budget then you can't really do everything.

Processor is pretty weak. It's got better integrated graphics than Intel's options, but if you plan on adding a graphics card then this feature becomes mainly irrelevant and you are just left with a fairly weak processor. I'd usually suggest a 750K/760K, but these have no integrated graphics meaning that you can't do anything with the machine until you add a graphics card, so it's probably not a good pick for you. The dual core Pentiums though, are very well priced, have solid integrated graphics (pretty useless for gaming though). Something like a G3220 would be a pretty good pick, and there's always the allure of the G3258 (the unique overclockable Pentium, which might sneak into your price range).

You shouldn't need thermal paste on most new builds.

Motherboard does limit you a little if you go down the AMD route as it's not compatible with the most recent AMD APUs.

Memory is quite slow if you are going to be using integrated graphics for any period of time, and 4Gb might be limiting in the long run as with a dual channel kit you have no room left for expansion on ITX.

At your budget level, I'd bin the SSD altogether. I have a 60Gb SSD myself, and after a year or two your Windows file has bloated significantly which makes it an awkward size for the long term. It's poor capacity for the money spent too.

You don't need a 2.5" HDD, I'd stick with 3.5". If you've binned the SSD, it should be easy to pick up a 1TB Barracuda or Caviar Blue, which is all you really need in a basic machine and should give you loads of space.

Big Bitfenix Prodigy fan but it's a bit out of sync with your build. Beware of the windowed versions, they remove the venting around the graphics card - not good in general and particularly bad if you live somewhere hot. It's probably too expensive for your build when you can pick up an Elite 120/130 for a third of the price and give yourself some extra funds.

If you are planning on getting a graphics card, get a bigger PSU than a 300W as this might limit your expansion, and this one has no PCIe (graphics card) power connectors. Something like the 550W XFX covers you for basically any graphics card, but if you only ever plan on getting something fairly basic, a 450W is more than enough.

You shouldn't need a Wifi adaptor. The motherboard you selected (as well as a significant amount of ITX boards) come with integrated Wifi.
 
Solution

Pr3di

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If you`re looking for a small case, also check out the Silverston Sugo SG10.
It`s a MicroATX, hence you can fit more stuff in there, and it`s smaller than the Prodidy by quite a lot when you`re comparing a MiniITX to a MicroATX.
 

Pr3di

Honorable
Here`s a modified build based on yours.
I removed the SSD, because you can add one later, and I recommend getting atleast 120Gb.
The RAM is only one stick, but better speed, and you`ll not fill the RAM slots with 2GB sticks when you upgrade.
The case is a smaller MicroATX one.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PrwddC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PrwddC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.95 @ Mwave)
Case: Silverstone SG10B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($108.68 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Buffalo Technology WI-U2-433DM 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($25.96 @ Amazon)
Total: $469.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 06:59 EDT-0400
 

iBeater

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Mar 15, 2014
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Just a few something..
CPU - The CPU is good for LoL but not forever, also, if you're adding a GPU, DON'T buy AMD's APU, coz the iGPU is stronger than the processing cores.
MoBo - ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI. Pick one from them.
RAM - get a faster ram, standard is 1600Mhz, and for APUs get 1866Mhz.
HDD - that is for Laptops, get WDC Blue coz it spins.
Case - there are cheaper options, if you really want it, then why not?
PSU - too small wattage. Great manufacturer tho.

Wait, I'm picking parts for you :)
 

Richard Perez

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Jul 29, 2014
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Richard Perez

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Jul 29, 2014
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Thank you, this was extremely helpful. I haven't actually assembled a computer yet but now I know that the Prodigy was an outlier and I don't need it in my build. I'm going wit the Elite 120 Advanced Black. I'm still going to stick with an SSD because I don't plan on filling it with anything other than Windows and other programs and have my other HDD for storage space. I also now know that I need to get a 3.5" HDD. And considering what you said about the iGPU's, I might just wait until I can afford a 750/60k and buy maybe 750 ti to go along with it, or better. I'll definitely upgrade PSU. You were an amazing help, thanks again :)
 

Richard Perez

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Jul 29, 2014
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Thank you for the advice and the build. It's better than what I would've made.

 

Richard Perez

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Jul 29, 2014
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Thanks, I'm taking your advice and sticking with a 4gb stick. I am also contemplating on getting a MicroATX build because expansion and portability are important.