- Aug 12, 2017
- 9
- 0
- 510
TLDR: Have decided to build a photo/video editing PC in a Cougar QBX case - i *think* I've got half the parts decided, but they need a sanity check and some recommendations to fill gaps. Aiming for max £1200 / $1500.
Following my last starting post, it became clear that my idea of mounting a somewhat high performance machine behind my monitor wasn't really going to work. Similarly the smallest cases that could practicably work e.g.: Node 202, were going to be a pretty tight fit and need some pretty active temperature management and construction handiwork which is a it beyond me. I think the QBX probably just about qualifies as SFF though, so would be really grateful for any further advice
Having spend most of the last day reading about all number of cases, I think the QBX Cougar case is my best bet. Attracted by the NCase M2, but the price was a bit steep for me and I can't afford to wait for order fulfillment.
I considered AMD vs Intel. I think I'll be mainly doing things that don't benefit from multi-cores, so have decided to go for intel.
I have the following parts picked out already, grateful for any suggestions for those, there are also some gaps. Really grateful for build suggestions on the following:
Motherboard: The one selected is one that was put forward in another thread. I'm not really clear what makes that particular motherboard a good or bad choice. It is described as 'gaming' but gaming won't be a primary feature of the machine - but if it means decent sound and graphics card support great.
Case: Couldn't find the QBX case on PC Part Picker - but I'm going for this: https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6
CPU cooler: Not sure what will fit given the case being small-ish, have noted down Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler and Noctua NH-D15 in my research but what would you recommend?
RAM: I want 16GB, but how much does the brand (or speed?) matter?
GPU: I think I want a Geforce 1060 with 6GB memory, but which variant. This seems quite important for the machine, some of the other threads on Reddit talk about having a 'blower' model in the QBX case - likewise heard they can be noisy. Thoughts appreciated, but if the case can include any alternative cooling I might consider it. Don't care about asthetics, do care about noise/heat.
Storage: Will the SSD selected happily work with the motherboard slot?
Power supply: Again, going off another recommendation in a QBX thread in that the SFX PSU with adaptor fits well and gives more space inside. Happy for other suggestions though.
Monitor: Lots of photographers have recommended the Dell monitor listed. Again, will consider others but would like something that is a well supported recommendation for my price point.
Keyboard/Mouse: Want wireless variants, but don't need anything super special.
[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2kspcc) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2kspcc/by_merchant/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VKx9TW/intel-core-i7-7700k-42ghz-quad-core-processor-bx80677i77700k) | $306.89 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus - STRIX B250I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rdhj4D/asus-strix-b250i-gaming-mini-itx-lga1151-motherboard-strix-b250i-gaming) | $108.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Storage** | [Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/smBrxr/western-digital-blue-250gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds250g1b0b) | $89.88 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [Western Digital - Red 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rkV48d/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd40efrx) | $133.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Power Supply** | [Corsair - SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020105na) | $119.99 @ Amazon
**Operating System** | [Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wtgPxr/microsoft-os-kw900140) | $89.89 @ OutletPC
**Monitor** | [Dell - U2717D 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QpH48d/dell-monitor-u2717d) | $427.86 @ Amazon
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1287.49
| Mail-in rebates | -$10.00
| **Total** | **$1277.49**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2017-08-13 17:49 EDT-0400 |
Following my last starting post, it became clear that my idea of mounting a somewhat high performance machine behind my monitor wasn't really going to work. Similarly the smallest cases that could practicably work e.g.: Node 202, were going to be a pretty tight fit and need some pretty active temperature management and construction handiwork which is a it beyond me. I think the QBX probably just about qualifies as SFF though, so would be really grateful for any further advice
Having spend most of the last day reading about all number of cases, I think the QBX Cougar case is my best bet. Attracted by the NCase M2, but the price was a bit steep for me and I can't afford to wait for order fulfillment.
I considered AMD vs Intel. I think I'll be mainly doing things that don't benefit from multi-cores, so have decided to go for intel.
I have the following parts picked out already, grateful for any suggestions for those, there are also some gaps. Really grateful for build suggestions on the following:
Motherboard: The one selected is one that was put forward in another thread. I'm not really clear what makes that particular motherboard a good or bad choice. It is described as 'gaming' but gaming won't be a primary feature of the machine - but if it means decent sound and graphics card support great.
Case: Couldn't find the QBX case on PC Part Picker - but I'm going for this: https://www.amazon.com/Cougar-gaming-QBX-Case/dp/B00ZV5YKY6
CPU cooler: Not sure what will fit given the case being small-ish, have noted down Pallas 140mm Low Profile CPU Cooler and Noctua NH-D15 in my research but what would you recommend?
RAM: I want 16GB, but how much does the brand (or speed?) matter?
GPU: I think I want a Geforce 1060 with 6GB memory, but which variant. This seems quite important for the machine, some of the other threads on Reddit talk about having a 'blower' model in the QBX case - likewise heard they can be noisy. Thoughts appreciated, but if the case can include any alternative cooling I might consider it. Don't care about asthetics, do care about noise/heat.
Storage: Will the SSD selected happily work with the motherboard slot?
Power supply: Again, going off another recommendation in a QBX thread in that the SFX PSU with adaptor fits well and gives more space inside. Happy for other suggestions though.
Monitor: Lots of photographers have recommended the Dell monitor listed. Again, will consider others but would like something that is a well supported recommendation for my price point.
Keyboard/Mouse: Want wireless variants, but don't need anything super special.
[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2kspcc) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2kspcc/by_merchant/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel - Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VKx9TW/intel-core-i7-7700k-42ghz-quad-core-processor-bx80677i77700k) | $306.89 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus - STRIX B250I GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rdhj4D/asus-strix-b250i-gaming-mini-itx-lga1151-motherboard-strix-b250i-gaming) | $108.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Storage** | [Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/smBrxr/western-digital-blue-250gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds250g1b0b) | $89.88 @ OutletPC
**Storage** | [Western Digital - Red 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rkV48d/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd40efrx) | $133.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Power Supply** | [Corsair - SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020105na) | $119.99 @ Amazon
**Operating System** | [Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wtgPxr/microsoft-os-kw900140) | $89.89 @ OutletPC
**Monitor** | [Dell - U2717D 27.0" 2560x1440 60Hz Monitor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QpH48d/dell-monitor-u2717d) | $427.86 @ Amazon
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1287.49
| Mail-in rebates | -$10.00
| **Total** | **$1277.49**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2017-08-13 17:49 EDT-0400 |
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