Epic Mini ITX Gaming Rig Help

tanner775

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Sep 23, 2010
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Ok I was able to get a credit line increase on my credit card so now I'm jelly for a high-end gaming rig! lol

So the basics -


  • Budget: $1,500 - $2,000
    Location: U.S.
    Use: Pure Gaming - I want 1440p@80fps+ on the following games anywhere between medium-ultra settings; Elder Scrolls Online, WoW, Black Desert Online, GTA 5, ARK, BF4, Assassins Creed Origins, PUBG, Total War Warhammer 2
    Peripherals: I need a 1440p 144hz monitor with G-sync support
    OS: Yes, Windows 10 full please.

As the title suggests, I want to build a mini ITX gaming rig that is somewhat future proof and allows me to upgrade for the future. That means the case is high priority for me and should be the first item to build around. I want a high quality case and if I have to drop from a gtx 1080 to a 1070 then so be it. I can upgrade that later, the case I want to last me for a lot longer.

Please do not suggest any AMD products to me, I am only interested in Intel and Nvidia - don't take it personally, that's just my preference. I know for sure that I want the new coffee lake series CPU (I know they are hard to get so I will settle for the i3 8350k since I know that is still in stock @newegg).
 
Solution
Only issue I see is the budget. You state that you need a 1440p/144Hz monitor that's also G-Sync enabled. That monitor alone is going to run $500+, add another $100 for OS, you are looking at a $900 to $1400 build, which considering the fps wants is going to mean Extreme shortcuts on other components, which really wouldn't be worth much after all.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($279.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($136.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill -...

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Only issue I see is the budget. You state that you need a 1440p/144Hz monitor that's also G-Sync enabled. That monitor alone is going to run $500+, add another $100 for OS, you are looking at a $900 to $1400 build, which considering the fps wants is going to mean Extreme shortcuts on other components, which really wouldn't be worth much after all.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($279.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($136.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Video Card ($509.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: BitFenix - Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($105.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer - Predator XB1 27.0" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($499.99 @ B&H)
Total: $2118.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-22 04:41 EDT-0400

I'd have prefered the Asus ROG board, but that was $186 vrs the ASRock at $136 and it's still over budget, but end result will look damned good and performance is top notch. The oversized cpu cooler will handle any OC requirements you could use on that cpu and still be whisper quiet, downgrading to a budget cooler just adds limits, but would be closer to budget limits as well. I'd also have prefered a 1080ti for expected fps needs but lowering details in some games will also accomplish that on a 1080. With crypto-mining still going strong, prices on a gtx1070 still put the 1080 as a better value so dropping to a 1070 now will only end up loosing money later on resale to upgrade the gpu when the market starts getting flooded with used 1070's.
 
Solution
If you just want buttery smooth graphics(is that y u requested Intel and gsync pairing?) in a small footprint :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus - TUF B350M-PLUS GAMING Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - PM961 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($224.01 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX VEGA 56 8GB Video Card ($454.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Node 804 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - XF270HU 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor ($518.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1964.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-23 05:56 EDT-0400

Price can be further reduced by going for a TN panel display.