Suggestions for Mini-ITX with: smooth 4k gaming of light games + smooth everyday use + 250SSD + very quiet + elegant look.

BGCH24 · Jun 9, 2016

Any suggestions for a Mini-ITX build that upholds the criteria: relatively smooth 4k gaming of light games like dota2 + very smooth everyday use + 250SSD + Very quiet + dust resistant + elegant chassis. With these in check, as cheap as possible. Is it possible under 900$?

Bearmann · Jun 9, 2016

Just a smidgen over budget, but I think worth it for the quality MB and other components. It would be easy to bring it below $900 though. Not the smallest ITX case, but elegant, I think. If you don't mind spending a bit more, move up to the Ripjaws V 2800 1.2V RAM as the faster RAM may benefit some games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($26.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Sandisk X400 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: AMD RX 480 ($200.00)
Total: $920.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 15:10 EDT-0400

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/xDx9TW/gskill-memory-f42800c16d8gvr

BGCH24 · Jun 9, 2016

looks nice! do you think it would be possible to find a chassis that is completly silent and even smaller? or maybe this would require some water cooling..? btw, i think i can do without the harddrive - I would rather add another SSD later!

nukemaster · Jun 9, 2016

Silent, small and high performance(you want that for 4k) do not always work together.

Higher performance parts need to move air to cool them.

Liquid cooling may or may not be cooler since you add a pump to the system. Corsair has a SFF liquid cooler that is NOT silent and instead focuses on performance.

Is the a system you plan to move around or keep rather stationary?

Silverstone has a smaller case (SG13), but the small size limits hardware options(very short cpu cooler) and because of this may not be as quiet. The SG05 has slightly more cpu cooler room, but less video card room(without a slight mod and that only gets a small bit more) and requires SFX power supplies(smaller and not always quiet).

It is quite a balancing act to get what YOU want.

jmsellars1 · Jun 9, 2016

If it is just light games like DotA this is pretty achieveable. This benchmark shows a GTX 660 absolutely crushes it at 2560x1600 with a 70FPS+ minimum:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/dota-2-performance-benchmark,review-32678-7.html

Even a GTX 950 is significantly better than the 660, I imagine you should get a nice playable 40FPS minimum with a 950 based on that benchmark. For a 60FPS minimum, you'd probably want to look at a superclocked GTX 960 or something. Either way I'd definitely stay with Intel/Nvidia if you want something quiet, their power consumption/heat is much lower than AMD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H110I Pro Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($72.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.69 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($194.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Node 202 HTPC Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $788.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 16:15 EDT-0400

Something like that should be good, I have the same case with a hotter i5-6600k and GTX 680 on the same cooler with a similar PSU and at idle mine is completely silent. Under load it is reasonably quiet but audible. If you want to take the quietness a bit further in there you could do what I have done and swap the fan on that cooler for the 92x92x25mm model and take the shroud/fans off the GPU and put 2 x Noctua NF-F12's on the case blowing right onto the GPU instead. Brings up the cost quite a bit but should make it quieter under load.

BGCH24 · Jun 9, 2016

Thanks for the help guys!, I suspected this nukemaster! - if we fix the following, how would you finnish the build (assuming this chassis is compatable with stuff)
RAIJINTEK METIS SILVER
1x8gb RAM
250GB SSD
MB that supports 7.1 sound

Bearmann · Jun 9, 2016

As nukemaster noted, smaller usually means louder. Here is a smaller build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk X400 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone Sugo SG13B Mini ITX Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Silverstone 500W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: AMD RX 480 ($200.00)
Total: $924.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 16:33 EDT-0400

The C7 should be a bit quieter over the stock cooler. I think this bracket helps with this case:

https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Universal-Bracket-RL-PP08B/dp/B01BYB33J8?ie=UTF8&keywords=pp08b&qid=1463062889&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1&tag=viglink20237-20

Here is the Phanteks build with a quieter cooler:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($26.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Sandisk X400 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: AMD RX 480 ($200.00)
Total: $907.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 16:38 EDT-0400

Of course, with a Z170 board and an aftermarket cooler, you may want to spend extra and move up to the i5 6600K.

nukemaster · Jun 9, 2016

BGCH24 :

That case is pretty small. You will generally require a shot video card(may or may not be upto 4k gaming.). If your power supply is not too long(or one of the Silverstone SFX with the bracket[check since some come with adapter plates]), a longer video card should be possible in that case.

The large rear fan is pretty good for a SFF case.

The 480 is not out yet, but may offer good performance and low power. Nvidia may also have something hidden away to combat that card.

I highly recommend 2 sticks of memory for optimal performance on your ITX system.

If you went mATX, you would gain some space for larger, quieter coolers.

mITX is pretty cramped. This system is old (6 years by the end of the month. the video card was swapped)and not 4k ready(well not for games), but gives you an idea of space constraints(the case is slightly modded to move some parts). SG05 by SilverStone.

jmsellars1 · Jun 10, 2016

The Raijintek Metis has pretty terrible cooling, to get something quiet in that you would need very low overall power consumption and some careful planning. The reason for the terrible cooling is no vents for the GPU so you need a very cool card with a huge overkill cooler like a GTX 950 with a 10'' dual fan cooler or something. Also there's only 1 fan space and it is best used as an intake due to the design of the case. This means the PSU will be your exhaust and it has to cope with its own heat as well so I wouldn't put it under too much more stress.

If you want to go for a Metis I would either drill some holes in the top of the case OR go for a low power build like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.45 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($113.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Case: RAIJINTEK Metis (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: Silverstone 500W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.37 @ Amazon)
Total: $756.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-10 13:32 EDT-0400

In terms of cooling I'd have the F12 fan on the back of the case blowing onto the cooler, the cooler fan pulling from the other side of the cooler and into the PSU which will be exhausting. The GPU will be starved for air but that one has a ridiculously overkill cooler so it should be OK. I've heard of people running GTX 970's in that case without overheating (not quietly though).

Here's a pic to illustrate what I mean.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii66/darren0072/My%20%20Raijintek%20Metis%20-%20Silver%20Mini%20ITX%20Case%20Build/27122014205_zps681ea465.jpg

BGCH24 · Jun 10, 2016

Excellent advice nukemaster and jmsellars1. I have some questions! It seems fairly necessary to get a more open chassis, in order to keep it small - but is this possible while keeping it silent?

Also: is the EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC ACX 2.0 and other cards with similar "SSC ACX"- addons to the name tag generally smaller configurations of the (in this example) same GTX 950 chip set? will these smaller version then be less powerful?

In regards to the Metis chassis: what if i re-adjust the glass plate of the face of the chassis by about 1cm - could this substitute the lack of GPU airflow? (btw, there are these holes in the chassis opposite the window, did you think of these as reserved for the CPU cooler?)

Bearmann · Jun 10, 2016

SSC= Super Super Clocked. It will probably run hotter. EVGA ACX 2.0+ is their newest cooling system with fans that don't turn on until 60C.

nukemaster · Jun 10, 2016

Aftermarket coolers like that should be more quiet. Ventilation in the case helps reduce temperatures and thus keep the fans slower. If you are looking for quiet, you will be more happy with the system.

Even a NF P12(considered to be quite quiet). is easy to hear(not loud, but surly not silent) in my SG05 case if it hits full speed(1250 or so rpm).

I had a 5770 and that was LOUD compared the the MSI Cyclone II cooled 650ti.

jmsellars1 · Jun 11, 2016

BGCH24 :

Yeah you could easily get a quiet PC in a more open case. The more closed ones help to keep the noise in but they keep the heat in as well so the fans have to speed up anyway. The best way to go about quietness is to just design the system for quietness from the ground up in the first place rather than trying to quieten noisy components.

The best way to do that is to pick parts with low power consumption first of all, that will mean they won't generate much heat in the first place, then get the biggest heatsink you can on the CPU/GPU because heatsinks obviously dissipate the heat with no noise whatsoever then you will be relying less on fans so they won't need to spin up as much and therefore make less noise.

Then when choosing components/fans, make sure you pick those with fans that slow down/speed up based on temperature automatically. For case fans look for PWM fans that go to <500RPM minimum and for GPU/PSU you can usually find those that go down to 0 RPM minimum.

You can also minimise vibrations by avoiding optical and hard drives altogether.

That would mean overall you would have minimal vibrations, at idle the system should be completely inaudible and under load it depends on how hot your components are, how big the heatsinks are and how well the case is designed in terms of airflow.

EDIT: A high efficiency gold/platinum rated PSU is highly recommended as well because they run far cooler than bronze PSU's.
.
EDIT 2: You mentioned dust resistance as well, the best way to go about that is to have a lot more air coming into the case than you have going out. That means any 'stray' air not being pushed by fans will automatically go out of the case (and take the dust with it). Then the vast majority of the dust in the case will be coming in via the intake fans and you can just put filters over them

BGCH24 · Jun 11, 2016

Allright!, lets try this for a new start:
case: Lian-Li PC-Q10WX
MB: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151
GPU: AMD RX 480
CPU: something that will run everyday use very smoothly - skylake something?
CPU cooler: Corsair H110i GTX

Will this half-build work as a start?
Do you know of any cutbacks in price there can be made without much performance loss?
Power supply?

jmsellars1 · Jun 11, 2016

I'd get a much cheaper cooler and a H170 or B150 motherboard. Means you wouldn't be able to overclock but I wouldn't overclock in a small/quiet build anyway. For the CPU I'd go for a Skylake i5, the i5-6500 seems to be the best value.

nukemaster · Jun 11, 2016

BGCH24 :

The H110i looks too big for that case. It seems to only take 120mm fans(2 on the top) not dual 140mms.

jmsellars1 · Jun 12, 2016

Yeah I'd avoid a hydro cooler altogether as well personally, you might get annoying pump noise on top of fan noise.

Suggestions for Mini-ITX with: smooth 4k gaming of light games + smooth everyday use + 250SSD + very quiet + elegant look.

Commendable

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