Mini ITX build

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deltadia

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Oct 15, 2014
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Hi, I am trying to build a mini-ITX system that doesn't use too much power yet gives decent performance for some time to come. I am thinking of the following build but my main worry is if 300W PSU will be enough and the potential heating issue. Also I am trying to reduce much noise as possible.

CPU: i7-4690T
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VII Impact Z97
RAM: Ballistix Sport Series VLP DDR3-1600 16GB (8GB x2)
GPU: GTX 750 Ti KalmX
PSU: Silverstone ST30SF
M.2 SSD: Samsung XP941 256Gb
HDD: Travelstar 5K1000 1TB
ODD: Panasonic UJ265 x6 BD Player
CPU cooler: Akasa Low Profile Intel AK-CC9101BP01 CPU Cooler - 60 mm
Case: Silverstone FT03 Mini

I was initially putting this in FT03 but more and more I see the difference in size between FT03 and FT03 mini, I would prefer the mini.

Any advice will be welcome!

Thanks.

Edit: Budget-wise I am thinking of going up to 1200GBP. Planning to use the build for programming mostly (MATLAB, ISE, C etc), hoping to take advantage of multi-thread and CUDA cores in processing. Gaming-wise I don't do much although I would like to try play RTW2 (when I get some time!) in high settings smoothly.
 
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DonkeyOatie
I asked so that I could confirm that your choices were aligned with your purpose.

The fan at the bottom of the FT03 is pretty stout and the 'chimney' case works very well, according to the reviews I have read. The GPU vents are at the top of the case so it vents quite well.

The GPU is very low power and intended to be run entirely from the PCIe drawing 60W, so I think that the 300W Strider will do it. It's a good powe rsupply and the reviews its efficiency at higher temperatures.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=368

It seems like a good build.
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Rammy

Rammy

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It's a bit of an odd build as it's a little mismatched. A budget and an intended usage would be helpful in giving you decent advice as without that it's really just speculation (there's a sticky for this on the systems forum).

As some general advice -
The 4690T is an i5, the 4790T is an i7. Both are T-series models which run at a reduced power consumption but consequently at a much reduced clock speed. It depends on your usage but this is unlikely to be a good solution as the standard i5/i7s don't necessarily use vastly more power but have a much larger window of operation.

A Z97 board is pretty much exclusively for overclocking at ITX level, as you don't have a K-series CPU this means it doesn't really add anything. The Maximus Impact is an extreme example of this, costing 2-3times the price of a decent ITX board and it's where a huge amount of your budget will go without any significant return.

A passively cooled graphics card is excellent in theory but it does require some case airflow to work well. The FT03-Mini has a solid side panel around the graphics card and fairly minimal internal airflow so it wouldn't be my first choice combination.
 
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deltadia

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Oct 15, 2014
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Thanks for your inputs guys, much appreciated.

The build will be used mainly for work (programming, word, powerpoint) with some gaming on the side. I will need to use MATLAB, ISE, C++ and possibly COMSOL later and although I can do these (minus the COMSOL) on my i3 laptop it is really slow and frustrating at times. Game-wise its been a while since I bought one but I am planning to have a go at RTW2 when I have some free time. I only had i3 laptop with its integrated graphics so I haven't enjoyed many games at high settings! So although I am not a heavy gamer and I don't see myself getting upcoming games I would like to play last years game without lags at high settings. I am looking at maximum budget of 1200GBP for my build.

I am aware of the gains in lowering TDP in "T" CPUs are low compared to how much they lose in performance especially when considering the quoted TDP are when they are their maximum. But even so since I am trying to lower the power usage much as possible I think having an upper limit of TDP set by your CPU will be better. I do feel like I am trying to chase two hares though!

I obviously would not be planning any overclocking (for now at least) but the reason I went with the Z97 board is to use the M.2 PCIe x4 SSDs. Far as I am aware ASUS Maximus Impact VII is the only Z97 mini-ITX board that has this (at the expense of 2 SATA connections and halved bandwidth on expansion slot). M.2 PCIe x4 is also another expensive component which I have a strong feeling I will regret later since the price seem to be inflated as its "new" technology. This is something that I am just indulging into since

For graphics card, the reason I went for passively cooled card was because I wanted to keep the power consumption (from fan) and noise low as possible. But I am also very concerned about the heat issue. I think I will build the system without the graphics card in the begining to check the airflow inside the case then decide on it. But if a graphics card with a fan is needed, which do you recommend? I also looked at Gigabyte's implementation of GTX 750Ti, GV-N75TOC-2GL. I actually was considering Xigmatek Nebula as case in the begining! :sarcastic:

Will the 300W be enough to power this?

@DonkeyOatie: I had a quick look at your build thread (I will need to read it more to get to current affairs of the build :D), I also considered ML07 as well but I read the air flow in that is not good when considering graphics card as well or something to that effect plus my better half was also against it.... I am pricing my build in sterling pounds and the list I wrote comes to grand total of around 1100GBP.

P.S. I signed up yesterday but the forum seems to be quite difficult to use... and it seems to have issue with chrome for me, this is my second writing of the reply :(
 
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DonkeyOatie

DonkeyOatie

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Sep 16, 2014
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I asked so that I could confirm that your choices were aligned with your purpose.

The fan at the bottom of the FT03 is pretty stout and the 'chimney' case works very well, according to the reviews I have read. The GPU vents are at the top of the case so it vents quite well.

The GPU is very low power and intended to be run entirely from the PCIe drawing 60W, so I think that the 300W Strider will do it. It's a good powe rsupply and the reviews its efficiency at higher temperatures.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=368

It seems like a good build.
 
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deltadia

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Oct 15, 2014
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Yes I have read them before but thanks anyways. I think none of the reviews used high TDP graphics card and CPU so I couldn't really relate to my build.
 
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