Mini ITX build urgent help NEEDED!!

Darknessclaw

Reputable
Aug 18, 2014
14
0
4,510
I have no idea what I'm doing in terms of picking good parts and making a build that works so I am requesting some help for a mini ITX gaming build. I have done a pcpartpicker build without a power supply because...I'm not sure which one is the best. It's ok if it goes over budget a little bit, I work at best buy.

Approximate Purchase Date: within two months

Budget Range: 1400 after rebates/after shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Multi-tasking, gaming, websurfing, web watching.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Open

Location: Fairfax, Virginia

Parts Preferences: Intel Asus and Nvidia are my favorites but not having them isnt a big deal.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe?

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080p, not interested in 4k or 2k as of right now or in the near future.

Additional Comments: Would like a quiet PC with good cooling, small form factor (such as Mini ITX).

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I have a laptop for school and recently bought (but returned) a gaming laptop, loved it but it was a terrible value so I am looking for a small form desktop (small room).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.91 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87I-Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($152.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($319.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1139.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 20:24 EDT-0400
 
Solution
It's ok. The memory is a tricky one to judge, it's basically just guesswork and I don't like giving answers when I'm not confident in the outcome.

The motherboard is one I'd pick in a heartbeat (I have the Z77 version of the board myself) for good value/features. Be aware that although the cooler is compatible with the board it will cover up a significant percentage of it and will probably overhang a little at the top. It shouldn't be a problem in the Node, it has some spare space at the side, but if you want easy access you could look at something with a single heatsink like the NH-U14. Here's a decent image which illustrates the issue. It's likely going to be very effective and is among the largest heatsinks you could...

Rammy

Honorable
It's fine, there's nothing terribly wrong with it.
The only thing that stands out as an obvious error is the 4670K (and probably the Z87) as both have effectively been replaced with the 4690K and Z97 boards.
Also the 250D isn't exactly much of a space saver unless you can fit it in a bookcase/desk/shelf etc where you can take advantage of the low height - it's very wide and in most instances this is the limiting dimension.

If you want quiet then the H100i might not be the right path to go down. You'll likely get better value and lower noise from an air cooling solution and you have a bit more control over this.

As for the overal build/budget, you can potentially cut down the cost a lot if you need to. Sticking with a GTX770 rather than pushing for something higher is a solid choice if you are staying at 1080P. You can make an argument for spending more here, or at least a higher percentage of your budget, but it's not strictly necessary.
The 250Gb SSD is likely a luxury so this would be the obvious place to save if you want to get things a little more price conscious ($1000 or so for a build like this is very achievable).

Obviously the PSU is missing too. Anything in the 500-650W range is plenty for the build you have - if you want a modular/semi-modular unit then it'll cost extra. Suitable units include basically anything by Seasonic/XFX, the Antec-HCG range, Rosewill Capstones and if you desperately want a Corsair to match your case+cooler - the HX650.
 

Darknessclaw

Reputable
Aug 18, 2014
14
0
4,510
Thanks for the answer!

I went with the lower models/older models to save some money that way. The 250gb SSD is on sale for 20$ more than the 120, plus i get a hefty discount on them. I didnt think the obsidian was that large, it seems compact, other cases i have looked at are the: Coolermaster Elite 130, SilverStone RVZ01(i like this a lot), bitfenix prodigy, and the evga hardon. I dont mine loud while under load but i wanted quiet during idle and ive never heard a water cooler before, so i picked the h100i since its a dualfan and the 250D to fit it, where would you make the adjustments if you were going to make a mini itx build?
 

Rammy

Honorable
Well you aren't really saving money on the CPU/motherboard. Both are very similarly priced to their newer versions which have enough extra features/performance to make it worth the swap.

The 250D isn't particularly large in volume, but it's probably the single widest itx case on the market as it allows for a H100i to sit alongside the board. The issue here is that if you plan on putting it on a desk or even on the floor, it'll take up more effective space than most compact towers will, as they are much narrower (height is rarely a concern and depth is usually not a huge problem either).

I think you just have to decide what your priorities are, and how you practically will use the system.

As a no-nonsense, good looking i5+GTX770 build, there is really nothing wrong with what you have (though again I'd step up to a 4690K+Z97, minor thing though).

As a build focused on low noise, I wouldn't go with a closed loop cooler, I'd go with an air cooler and a substantial one at that. At idle something like a H100i still has to be pumping - a good air cooler can be almost off entirely.
Something like a Node 304+a hefty air cooler (think NH-D14 or similar) is probably what I'd use here due to the solid front, good air cooler support and integrated fan controller to have easy control over case fans.
Also worth consideration is ditching the K-series altogether. Easiest way to keep noise down is to keep temps down - a decent heatsink+fan combo on a stock clocked CPU is going to be incredibly quiet as it doesn't have much heat to dissipate. You could argue that this is a waste of money though.

As a build focused on small size, I wouldn't go with a 250D. The Node, Antec ISK600 and Elite 130 are all around the same size/shape and are likely to be easier to tuck away somewhere so might be good options. The RVZ01 is excellent for this as it'll fit more or less anywhere but it does limit you to SFX PSUs which can be seen as a negative.
The Hadron is about as small as it gets in terms of volume, it's a great option, but it does pose significant limitations to coolers and you'd ideally want to change the graphics card for a reference model too.

As a "good cooling" system, I probably wouldn't get a 250D. It's a lovely case but overall airflow isn't it's strongest area. It has decent fan support but they are all poorly located. ITX systems are always a compromise here but I'd consider the "kings" of airflow at ITX to be the Node 304 and Bitfenix Prodigy.

As a $1200-1400 gaming system, I'd spend more on graphics or less overall. Graphics cards are still by far and a way the significant element in gaming performance and most builds of this price range will be packing more in this department - likely a GTX780, R9 290 or 290X - all of which will significantly outperform a GTX770. Now at 1080P there's a solid argument for spending less money - a $1000 PC won't really perform any worse than a $1200 PC with the same graphics card.
 

Darknessclaw

Reputable
Aug 18, 2014
14
0
4,510
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($116.19 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1295.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-21 11:24 EDT-0400

How is this build...I'm worried about the ram hitting the heat sinks of the NH-D14?
 

Rammy

Honorable
It's ok. The memory is a tricky one to judge, it's basically just guesswork and I don't like giving answers when I'm not confident in the outcome.

The motherboard is one I'd pick in a heartbeat (I have the Z77 version of the board myself) for good value/features. Be aware that although the cooler is compatible with the board it will cover up a significant percentage of it and will probably overhang a little at the top. It shouldn't be a problem in the Node, it has some spare space at the side, but if you want easy access you could look at something with a single heatsink like the NH-U14. Here's a decent image which illustrates the issue. It's likely going to be very effective and is among the largest heatsinks you could hope to fit in an ITX build (along with the Phanteks version) but it won't be the easiest of installations.

Go for the EVO over the Pro unless you desperately need it, the EVO is really well priced usually. You were right originally that $120 isn't a bad price for a 250Gb drive - the 120Gb versions are a bit expensive right now (presumably due to popularity - they have been up to $20 cheaper). If you just want bang/buck, something like the Crucial M500 120Gb is only $65 and will do the job nicely.

The GTX780 is fine but it's probably overpriced. I'd ignore any brand bias and buy whatever is on offer at the time - right now the cheapest GTX780 is the Asus model and while it's not the quickest version it should comfortably overclock to be competitive without any issues at all. I'd also be tempted by the Gigabyte version as it's also a bit cheaper and very similar at stock speeds to the Superclocked.
Obviously the 290X is a serious option too at that price range - quicker for similar money. If you are looking towards a more quiet build though, they perhaps aren't that strong as they generate extra heat on similar cooling solutions - the fans will run faster than on a similar GTX780.

I'd ditch the Corsair RM - they aren't very good for the price. There's also no need for a 750W PSU - they are pretty much exclusively for multi-GPU setups and at ITX it's not like that's a realistic possibility. You are fine on 500-650W as before, so any of my previous suggestions still stand.
 
Solution

Darknessclaw

Reputable
Aug 18, 2014
14
0
4,510
MY FINAL BUILD, I THINK I LIKE IT IF IT WORKS. I hear the ML07 is just as quiet as the RVZ01, I keep going back to this case so I'm going to get the better looking one of the two.
I WILL NOT be overclocking, I simply do not see a point to it.
Replacing all stock fans with quiet noctuas (? i think they're quiet...)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4 58.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.06 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.64 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($429.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone ML07B HTPC Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($89.88 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12-1300 54.4 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12-1300 54.4 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P12-1300 54.4 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1183.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-27 23:27 EDT-0400
Does everything seem to work...?

Also! thanks a lot to rammy and his answers, I like how you educate me rather than throw a PC at me without explaining parts!
 

Rammy

Honorable
There's a couple of issues.

  • ■ If you aren't overclocking then the 4690K is a total waste of money - get a cheaper i5 like a 4430/4440.
    ■ H81 boards might need a BIOS update (if they've been sitting in a warehouse for months/weeks) to accept Haswell refresh models, which is another good reason to change the CPU rather than deal with the hassle.
    ■ I'd perhaps leave out the case fans for the time being. Two sit directly above the graphics card - have them as exhausts and they will work against the graphics card fans, having them as intakes is fine but the graphics card will likely self-intake to some degree anyway. The other fan sits directly above the CPU cooler - you have a down blower so you can use this as an intake but not as an exhaust and again, the cooler should self-intake.
    EDIT -you might not even fit the fan above the CPU cooler due to the CPU cooler height. Max height available = 83mm (according to Silverstone). Cooler = 59mm (Coolermaster) Fan = 25mm (Noctua). Even if it fits it's going to be incredibly tight.
    ■ I'd be inclined towards low profile memory. I don't think it'll clip your cooler but it's going to be reasonably close so why take the risk?


My pet hate is build spamming without context, they might have the best build, but I don't see how that can ever be the best answer.