First M-ITX build, PSU and cpu cooler

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alors

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Aug 21, 2014
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Hi,

I'm building my first m-itx system, these are the parts I selected: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CjwXVn

The system would be used for photo editing, mainly Adobe Lightroom and some Photoshop, no video editing or 3d rendering, so I think the onboard graphic will do fine.

As the case is quite small I'm a bit unsure about the PSU and coolers. I chose a Corsair 430W, modular, so that it should fit better, and I plan to use the cooler that comes with the i5-4570. The case comes with three fans.

In the future I might add one more HDD or SDD, and if needed another 8gb of memory. I attach a couple of external hard drives from time to time for backup purposes, plus a card reader and a USB wifi dongle.

Would the power be enough for my requirements? What about the cooler that comes with the cpu? Would it be enough considering the size of the case or should I go for an aftermarket? I don't plan to overclock, and I don't play games.

Thanks for any help,
Alessandro
 
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As far as I know, it wouldn't.

The ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI H97 boards has an on-board wi-fi, but the Asus doesn't. How is it better?

The i5-4590 is the best for the money at its price range, a low-profile cooler - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhl9i -, or this - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h60cw9060007ww -, those are good coolers in fact, I suggested them because those have the highest rating in PCPP.

As for the RAM, it's your choice, adding another RAM is very easy just buy another when you can, plug it and you're good to go.

Since you already got a hard drive, I have nothing to say anymore.

For the PSU - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m - don't forget to have some free...
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alors

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Aug 21, 2014
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If I install 2x4gb and upgrade in the future to 16gb, I will have to discard the old memory as the motherboard only have 2 DIMM sockets. From what I've read the improvement in having dual channel is not that dramatic, if that's the case I'd rather save some money and install only one RAM module.
 
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iEGOiST

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Aug 18, 2014
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Try this.
Intel Core i5-4590
ASRock h97m itx/ac
Corsair Vengeance Pro - Blue ( 2x4gb )
WD Caviar Black ( Seagate Barracuda if you can't afford )
Any case and psu of your choice.
 
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alors

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Aug 21, 2014
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UPDATE: I might switch to the Cooler Master Elite 110 case (http://eu.coolermaster.com/it/product/Detail/case/mini-itx-elite-series/elite110.html), which is even smaller than the Fractal Node 304. Would it get too hot with the components I chose?

Hi,

thanks for suggesting the H97 instead of the H87 chipset, I had not looked into those. I found the Asus H97I plus, which is a bit more expensive than the Asrock but seems better built to me. For what I've read the H97 should be compatible with the Broadwell processors, still I'll have to see if they'll still work with DDR3 by the time I upgrade.

About the i5-4590, I read on Newegg comments that the heatsink that comes with the cpu is not enough under heavy load, that worries me because of the small case, should I go for an aftermarket heatsink, and if so, which one wouldn't break the bank?

As for the memory, if the improvement is not that huge, I'd still go for 8gb single channel.

I already have the 3TB Seagate drive, but I might add one more in the future.

Is the Corsair 430W adequate or are there better alternatives at about the same price?
 
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iEGOiST

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Aug 18, 2014
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4,640
As far as I know, it wouldn't.

The ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI H97 boards has an on-board wi-fi, but the Asus doesn't. How is it better?

The i5-4590 is the best for the money at its price range, a low-profile cooler - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhl9i -, or this - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h60cw9060007ww -, those are good coolers in fact, I suggested them because those have the highest rating in PCPP.

As for the RAM, it's your choice, adding another RAM is very easy just buy another when you can, plug it and you're good to go.

Since you already got a hard drive, I have nothing to say anymore.

For the PSU - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500m - don't forget to have some free space in case you want to add a GPU in the future.
 
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