the not so ultimate gaming mini-itx :/

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lost66

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ok, so I wanted to build the 'ultimate' itx
(big thanx to Chayan4400 and DonkeyOatie for the time and effort on another thread)
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2850525/mini-itx-ultimate-gaming-rig.html

it would have looked something like this:

Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B-W HTPC
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)

in south Africa, this would cost a small fortune and not all the parts are available yet.
with the possible release of a new gpu in a year or so (that would probably not fit current motherboards) I thought that I would be better of with something smaller for now.

I was thinking something like this:
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/210910009/MSI_INTEL_Z97I_GAMING_AC_MINI_ITX_MOTHERBOARD.html
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/210907504/Intel_Core_I5_4690K_3_50GHz_6MB_CACHE_SKT_1150_BX80646I54690K.html
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/211874896/GIGABYTE_NVIDIA_GTX_970_OC_MINI_ITX_4096MB_GRAPHIC_GV_N970IXOC_4GD.html
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/212658884/Corsair_H5_SF_hydro_series_120mm_low_profile_cpu_water_cooling.html (a second one for the gpu might be fun)
(just for starters)
these items would probably cost the same price as the above mentioned gpu ;)

so what does tom think? ;)
 
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bliq

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Just a datapoint- I use a Coolermaster Elite 130 case. I have in there:

core i7-4770k
Asrock Z87E-ITX
EVGA full size GTX970 FTW
Seasonic G550 PSU
16GB RAM
500GB SSD
and a corsair H80i cooler for the CPU

So I'd say what you can fit really depends on what case you use.

if you can put a H5 in there, see if you can fit a H80i since it works so much better but not sure if budget fits.

You don't need to pay a premium for the ITX GTX970, a regular one fits in a lot of ITX cases, just double check.

There is no space for a second water cooler in my case for the GPU, and the GPU can get loud during gaming sessions.

 
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lost66

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thanx for that.

"You don't need to pay a premium for the ITX GTX970, a regular one fits in a lot of ITX cases, just double check."

funny enough it is the cheapest on that site. as I am cutting down on performance, I thought I would also cut down on size (makes me feel better lol)

I am thinking about a custom case
 
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bliq

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that case you chose seems very limiting. how would a radiator fit in it? I'd say the nicest I've seen was the Ncase M1, but that's so expensive. For ~$40, I don't think I've seen anything close to as nice as my Elite 130. There are a few though that are a bit more expensive- Fractal has one, NZXT too.
 
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lost66

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what sort of performance do you get out of your rig and how do you think it would compare
I mainly play bf4 on my laptop. on medium settings it would run +/- 60fps, but would dip every now and then, so I set it down a bit for a constant 60.
I also have ARK, but I don't play it because I must have the settings on low it looks crap and almost still unplayable @ 27fps I also have dayz,h1z1, arma and a few other games that I don't really play any more
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Right, now that we're on the same page (Literally :D) let's get started! I think it is best we get back to basics, and outline what you need and expect from the PC. Fill this out:

Budget in local currency:

What you expect the PC to do:

Any software you use frequently, and any games played:

At what general setting do you want to play games (Medium, High, Ultra, etc.):

Brand preferences:

Any preferred sites (If none, all local sites will be used):

Will you be overclocking:

Any extras to be included in the budget (Extra peripherals like Monitors and keyboards, software like Windows or MS Office, etc.):
 
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lost66

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Budget in local currency:
cost per performance (sorry but I must just feel happy that I am not wasting money unnecessarily)

What you expect the PC to do:
I am not to worried about getting the latest/greatest hardware now, but must still be capable. thinking compact (very compact) and when the new tech arrives and becomes reasonable, then I will use this one as a entertainment center/console

Any software you use frequently, and any games played:
bf4 a lot (to much) I have ARK but looks $h!t with low fps so I don't play it now, h1z1, dayz, arma, might get fallout4 still have doom3, assassins creed and some odds and sods. any other program I use works well enough on the laptop so it should be fine on this build.

At what general setting do you want to play games (Medium, High, Ultra, etc.): 4k is unnecessary now. would like ultra but high is fine, 60fps.

Brand preferences:
...tba

Any preferred sites (If none, all local sites will be used):
I am not registered with any sites yet.

Will you be overclocking:
if I have to overclock to get 60fps with good settings, yes

Any extras to be included in the budget (Extra peripherals like Monitors and keyboards, software like Windows or MS Office, etc.):
win10. open office or similar is good enough (open source is good for karma)

 
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bliq

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The most important question is what resolution are you playing at? I have a 1920x1200 monitor and I've been playing witcher 3 at ultra with no problems whatsoever. I also played Skyrim with the full list of mods at STEP (there are like 300 mods or something), and again, no problems at all.

So, I don't really care about framerates. As long as it never falls below about 35 or 40, I'm good- anything higher and you won't really notice it anyways. on 1080p/1200p, a GTX970 has no trouble with that.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Whoops, sorry I left that out since in the old thread he mentioned he was gaming at 1080p. If I'm correct, the OP also needs a monitor, right? OP, please confirm this.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Ok, we can easily configure a build that doesn't need to be overclock for 60 FPS; actually, you pay a premium for overclocking!

Here is what I came up with:

CPU: i5 6500: http://www.teslatech.co.za/Intel-Skylake-Core-i5-6500-3.20GHz-LGA1151-BX80662I56500 R3,301
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-GAMING5: http://www.teslatech.co.za/Gigabyte-GA-Z170N-GAMING5-Socket-1151-Chipset-Z170 R3,828
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 2400MHz DDR4: http://www.firstshop.co.za/corsair-vengeance-lpx-ddr4-CMK8GX4M1A2400C14-p-29400 R982
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB: http://www.pcshopper.co.za/cgi-bin/pcshopper/search.pl?id:MZ-N5E250BW R1,763
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB: http://www.teslatech.co.za/WD-Blue-1TB-WD10EZEX R719
GPU: Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX 970: https://www.estorm.co.za/index.php?shop_source=pricecheck&page_id=product_info&item_id=552&table=c_graphics_cards&category_id=6 R6,580
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W: http://www.comx-computers.co.za/SS-520GB-Seasonic-Power-Supply-S12II520-520W-Buy-p-107822.php R866
Case: Fractal Design Node 304: http://www.takealot.com/fractal-design-node-304-chassis-black/PLID32564583 R 1,142

Total: R19,181

As always, remember you pay a premium for smaller parts :(.

Ok, before everyone gets worked up about the Z97 motherboard, let me explain: in the whole of SA, there seems to be only 2 ITX motheboards for Skylake; an H170i-Plus from ASUS and the Gigabyte Z170N Gaming 5. The H170 one is a budget motherboard, and still only has DDR3. Basically, it is greatly inferior to the Z170, and since you want maximum price / performance, the Z170 is the way to go.

Moving on to another part of the build that I would like to clarify is the case. Yes, you can go cheaper but I would like bliq to give us first hand advice on the Elite 130 before making the call. Until then, the Fractal Design Node 304 remains my choice as my budget cooler master elite 372 is a bit lacking for a case (I could be wrong though) so right now I wouldn't recommend budget cooler masters for a relatively high end PC like this.

Other than that, everything seems self explanatory. If you have any further questions, please do ask!

 
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bliq

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The thing I like about the elite 130 is it uses a full size PSU. Node 304 is an excellent choice as well.
 
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lost66

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I did manage to find slightly better prices and also made two small changes (cpu & gpu)

Intel Core I5 6600 3.50Ghz 6MB Cache SKT 1151BX80662I56600 R3,299.99 (+R400 will get me the K)
GIGABYTE NVIDIA GTX 970 OC MINI ITX 4096MB GRAPHIC -GV-N970IXOC-4GD R5,449.99
GIGABYTE Z170N-GAMING5 MINI ITX GAMING MOTHERBOARDGA-Z170N-GAMING5 R3,399.99
Seasonic S12II 520W PSU R796.00
total R12945.97

I have a ocz trion 100, 240gb ssd that I can use for now.

I would really like a case like this
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1791404



 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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This may interest you: http://www.overclock.net/t/1538911/scratch-photographs-lan-rover-24-supersized-itx-based-gaming-laptop-updated-dec-19th

Unfortunately, this is the smallest you can get in SA. You can go with an Elite 110, but that is a bit too cramped for my taste. It requires liquid cooling, and could lead to overheating problems. If you aren't going with the 110, don't get the ITX 970. It is cheaper only because it can't be overclocked that much due to the smaller cooler.
 
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bliq

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I like it, I guess a potential fault is the PSU above the CPU but I watercool so no prob for me.

I like that it still has a 5.25 bay. I use it for a removable drive rack so I can swap SSDs as needed.

It not that pretty I guess but just fine for me and for the price it's great.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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I like it, I guess a potential fault is the PSU above the CPU but I watercool so no prob for me.

I like that it still has a 5.25 bay. I use it for a removable drive rack so I can swap SSDs as needed.

It not that pretty I guess but just fine for me and for the price it's great.
Click to expand...

The Node 304 and the Elite 130 are nearly the same in size (130 is longer, 304 is wider and taller). OP, it is up to you which one you go with.
 
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