is it possible? small build (800 to 900 $) i5 or i7, quiet, no GPU or optical drive, 16 GB ram

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tassio

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Mar 26, 2015
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Hello,

I am considering a small build, spending around 800 $ and 900 $. It's not for gaming.

In particular


  • ■ no overclocking
    ■ no GPU
    ■ no optical drive

With those things in mind, it is perhaps possible to spend more on RAM and the processor.
(I am tempted by the i7 4790K.)

I live in a very quiet place (no cars in my street), and would prefer silent cooling and HD.

(Prices below are from amazon, newegg and pcpartpicker.)


  • ■ i7 4790K (350 $)
    ■ Gelid Solutions CC-TranQ-01-A 58.0 CFM CPU Cooler (40 $)
    ■ Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (110 $)
    ■ Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (60 $)
    ■ Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (40 $)

I am really unsure when it comes to power supply, motherboard and case.
Naturally, I'd rather have a small case, and a basic motherboard.

I thought of


  • ■ be quiet! 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (75 $)
    ■ Gigabyte LGA 1150 Intel Z97N IWi-Fi-Bluetooth HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX DDR3 1600 Motherboards GA-Z97N-WIFI (150 $)
    ■ Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel / Plastic compact ATX Mid Tower Case (60 $)

Which totals (+ 350 40 110 60 40 75 150 60) = 885 dollars...


Is this sound? Am I missing something important?
Perhaps it is possible to get better prices in some components, especially the last three or in RAM.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
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Pr3di

Pr3di

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Sep 18, 2013
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If you will not OC, what`s the point of the unlocked CPU and Z97 mobo? You can save some money with the i7 4790 + H97 mobo.

What`s the model name of that PSU? Since I don`t know that, I recommend you look for something cheap in Tier 1 or 2 in this list: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html
Since you will not have a GPU, you don`t need more than 400W now. However, you can go with a 500-600W PSU just to have the ability to add a GPU later on if needed.

The case is a decent budget case, so unless you want to put more money into it, it will suit your needs.

I hope this helps you adjust your build for the better!
 
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Bakhus Mps

Bakhus Mps

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The build seems fine, but what will you use it for? unless you will run a VM or plan to ad a GPU in the future, cant think why you would go for i7 and 2x8Gb ram.
I'm not very sure on the cooler, you might have better options at that price but seeing as you will run a mITX setup, doubt you'll OC so high as to matter.
 
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giantbucket

giantbucket

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Nov 17, 2013
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your list has:

i7 4790K (350 $)
Gelid Solutions CC-TranQ-01-A 58.0 CFM CPU Cooler (40 $)
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (110 $)
Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (60 $)
Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (40 $)


ok, if no overclocking, buy a non-K cpu and stick with the factory cooler (they're very quiet), save a few bucks. also, why bother with a 250G HDD? just combine your funds and for $100 (or $150+ if you skip the cooler and get non-K cpu) buy a 480/512G SSD.
 
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bignastyid

bignastyid

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case ($123.76 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 400W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $870.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 08:36 EDT-0400
 
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giantbucket

giantbucket

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too much money spent on a case, and does he really need an aftermarket cooler for a non-overclock setup? also, that psu is too expensive. nice, but unnecessarily elite.
 
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bignastyid

bignastyid

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I was going for quiet as possible not price/performance, hence the more expensive parts. The stock cpu cooler can get loud, the H7 is quiet and not very expensive.
 
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T

tassio

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Mar 26, 2015
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Thank you for all these answers, it helps a lot!

(I didn't know the meaning of the K suffix, or that Z motherboards
were meant for OC. Double thanks!)

But I also know zilch about benefits a case can bring...

An idea would be to start off with a basic functional case
and then improve it when/if I add a GPU.

Honestly, though, I don't know how much improvement
on performance I would gain from a GPU.

My daily uses are writing and internet browsing, but I do
some "scientific" computing and compiling as well, and
that's why I care for a stronger processor and larger RAM.

Typically: I will be running GNU/linux; usually 9 workspaces:
2+ browsers with about 30 tabs each, and 4 terminal
windows (one of which is compiling something) and
some video/music playing as well. I believe this is lighter
than most games, right?

A final piece of context. I am using this computer for two years,
after which I will leave it with my parents-in-law. They are unlikely
to update it for the following ~10 years. (This is how often they
update a build.) For this reason I think it might be worth it to
consider a stronger processor and RAM.)

Here is another attempt:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($294.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($50.31 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $717.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-27 07:49 EDT-0400

For the PSU, I really do not know how to evaluate the power needs of a build,
and the attempt I made gave me a wattage far lower than 400, even adding a
GPU...! (I've got a feeling am I doing something wrong then...)

Another thing I really don't know is how much to add to the build considering the shipping,
I was thinking something around 100$ for the shipping if I do not manage to group the
components... is this crazy? (That's why I kept under 700 for the components themselves.)

I am still processing the information, more soon!

Again, thanks everyone, and I am sorry it took so long to reply.
 
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giantbucket

giantbucket

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they're good for the intended purpose here. OP said no OCing, no GPU, no gaming. that means a relatively light workload and power drain, so an affordable CX / CX-M is perfectly fine.

unless the Seasonic you have in mind can be had for the same price? give or take a quarter...
 
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CTurbo

CTurbo

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Aug 27, 2013
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This would be small, silent, and fast

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1246 V3 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($277.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($41.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 400W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $778.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-29 12:15 EDT-0400
 
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