- Jan 27, 2006
- 37,037
- 12
- 89,965
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as everything on the finalized parts list is available, plus up to a few weeks if appropriate to let prices on the newest items come down.
BUDGET RANGE: Open, but considering the parts I already have, $500-$550 should be sufficient.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Multi-purpose, meaning all typical uses of a home PC. Gaming is the highest priority, but will not include extremely demanding, newer FPS titles. Gaming or other functions should not require typical background tasks like virus scans, firewall, etc. to be terminated. Blue Ray is not required, but DVD R/W is. Current games include Dragon Age, Sacred 2, Guild Wars, Torchlight and casual games; will include Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 when they are released.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, O/S (Win7 Home Premium), one 80GB Intel SSD, printer, LAN cable (but wireless is an option, preferably "N"), extra fans (80mm and 120mm). Have video card(s) for testing, but will need to add the "real" one later.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, but I will consider Zipzoomfly and others.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: Must be mini-ITX. Would prefer a 300W power ceiling, but can go higher if a Lian Li PC-Q07/08 is used for the case. PSU must have full range active PFC, as it needs to be legal for possible use in Europe. Case must include at least one fan out of the box, but I may mod in another.
OVERCLOCKING: Would like to avoid, as minimizing power use is a goal, but I will probably go for minor tweaks and/or unlocks.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Mine will be 1920x1080, but "copies" of this build may use lower resolutions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is "Green Gamer Part II," and minimizing power usage and space taken are among the chief goals. This may be a prototype of machines I will build for at least one (and up to 3) of my nieces for use in college and during extended international study. I have been waiting for three weeks for the new 45W AMD CPUs to be out, and either of the rumored mini-ITX boards from Sapphire and/or Gigabyte that support socket AM3 and have a PCI Express 2.0 slot. However, it seems in benchmarks that a 73W Core-i3 may have even lower power usage in actual use. How can that be, I wonder; given that a CPU will not use near its max TDP except when artificially loaded, the comparison benchmark at Anandtech seems to indicate that total power draw for an i3-530 is lower than for an Athlon II X3 415e. I'm otherwise favoring an AMD chip, as 1) they are cheaper, and 2) I feel a strong preference for "real" cores over hyperthreading, but it looks like decent i3 parts may already be available.
NOTES ON THE VIDEO CARD: I will not get one with the initial parts purchase, until I have done some testing. Test cards available to me include a HD4670, a HD4850, and a HD5770. Once I have determined where performance lies, in particular with the HD4670, most likely I will put a HD5670 or HD5750 in mine. The nieces will probably get the HD4670, a HD5570, or a HD5670, as their priority (truthfully!) is more on their studies and office-type tasks than games.
OTHER TESTING: If the 45W AMD CPUs become available, I may pick one up and test its performance in an existing machine before deciding if I want four cores, or if three is sufficient. I'm hoping three will do.
---------------------------------------------
Here is one sample of a partial parts list, for the Intel option:
LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Model #: PC-Q08B
Item #: N82E16811112265
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
Out Of Stock - Bummer! I am pretty sold on this case for the first one, but I'm also considering the Silverstone SUGO SG-05
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163149) because it is smaller, lighter, and comes with a decent 300W 80+ PSU (reviewed favorably at www.hardwaresecrets.com), although it needs a slim optical drive and a special SATA adapter. This is a lot to pay for a case, but looks really good, especially for the number of drives it will take.
ETA: 6/3/2010 12:29:00 AM
$129.99 $129.99
ECS H55H-I LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Model #: H55H-I
Item #: N82E16813135259
$79.99 $79.99
While ECS doesn't inspire confidence, Zotac seems more likely to inspire dread. Is it any wonder I wish those Sapphire and/or
Gigabyte boards would turn up?
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Model #: EA-380D Green
Item #: N82E16817371033
$59.99 -$10.00 Instant $49.99
Nothing bigger; in fact I may choose instead to get the same 300W 80+ PSU that the SG05 uses; or, I may consider one of the low-cost OCZ modulars. Their quality isn't as good, but it won't be stressed, it doesn't suck, and modular cabling is a big plus in these builds. The first build, if done in the Lian Li case, may use a 500W 80+ Enermax Liberty I still have, but the ones for my nieces are more likely to have that 300W ceiling.
Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale 2.93GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80616I3530
Model #: BX80616I3530
Item #: N82E16819115222
$124.99 -$10.00 Instant $114.99
I'd much rather have the real cores, and multiple builds are possible, but this may be the only option if I want to get this done
within a reasonable time frame. Performance benchmarks vary, and CPU performance is not likely to be the deciding factor in this
minimalist build, although this chip may better serve my nieces than one of the AMD offerings.
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Model #: F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Item #: N82E16820231253
$96.99 $96.99
Physically small (no heat spreader) and only 1.5V, although it's only CAS9. Meh.
Subtotal: $471.95
I don't list a HDD or optical. As mentioned, I have an 80GB 2nd generation Intel SSD (yay TRIM!) that I will use in at least one of these. I'm leaning toward a 500GB 7200.12 for the magnetic drive in the Lian Li, or a 2.5" laptop drive for the SG05. The Lian Li will take a standard optical drive, which will probably be an Optiarc or other cheap alternative.
===============
Thoughts? Comments? Know a source for the 45W AMD chips, or an ETA for a good socket AM3 mini-ITX board? THANKS!
BUDGET RANGE: Open, but considering the parts I already have, $500-$550 should be sufficient.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Multi-purpose, meaning all typical uses of a home PC. Gaming is the highest priority, but will not include extremely demanding, newer FPS titles. Gaming or other functions should not require typical background tasks like virus scans, firewall, etc. to be terminated. Blue Ray is not required, but DVD R/W is. Current games include Dragon Age, Sacred 2, Guild Wars, Torchlight and casual games; will include Diablo III and Guild Wars 2 when they are released.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, O/S (Win7 Home Premium), one 80GB Intel SSD, printer, LAN cable (but wireless is an option, preferably "N"), extra fans (80mm and 120mm). Have video card(s) for testing, but will need to add the "real" one later.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, but I will consider Zipzoomfly and others.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
PARTS PREFERENCES: Must be mini-ITX. Would prefer a 300W power ceiling, but can go higher if a Lian Li PC-Q07/08 is used for the case. PSU must have full range active PFC, as it needs to be legal for possible use in Europe. Case must include at least one fan out of the box, but I may mod in another.
OVERCLOCKING: Would like to avoid, as minimizing power use is a goal, but I will probably go for minor tweaks and/or unlocks.
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: Mine will be 1920x1080, but "copies" of this build may use lower resolutions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is "Green Gamer Part II," and minimizing power usage and space taken are among the chief goals. This may be a prototype of machines I will build for at least one (and up to 3) of my nieces for use in college and during extended international study. I have been waiting for three weeks for the new 45W AMD CPUs to be out, and either of the rumored mini-ITX boards from Sapphire and/or Gigabyte that support socket AM3 and have a PCI Express 2.0 slot. However, it seems in benchmarks that a 73W Core-i3 may have even lower power usage in actual use. How can that be, I wonder; given that a CPU will not use near its max TDP except when artificially loaded, the comparison benchmark at Anandtech seems to indicate that total power draw for an i3-530 is lower than for an Athlon II X3 415e. I'm otherwise favoring an AMD chip, as 1) they are cheaper, and 2) I feel a strong preference for "real" cores over hyperthreading, but it looks like decent i3 parts may already be available.
NOTES ON THE VIDEO CARD: I will not get one with the initial parts purchase, until I have done some testing. Test cards available to me include a HD4670, a HD4850, and a HD5770. Once I have determined where performance lies, in particular with the HD4670, most likely I will put a HD5670 or HD5750 in mine. The nieces will probably get the HD4670, a HD5570, or a HD5670, as their priority (truthfully!) is more on their studies and office-type tasks than games.
OTHER TESTING: If the 45W AMD CPUs become available, I may pick one up and test its performance in an existing machine before deciding if I want four cores, or if three is sufficient. I'm hoping three will do.
---------------------------------------------
Here is one sample of a partial parts list, for the Intel option:
LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Model #: PC-Q08B
Item #: N82E16811112265
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
Out Of Stock - Bummer! I am pretty sold on this case for the first one, but I'm also considering the Silverstone SUGO SG-05
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163149) because it is smaller, lighter, and comes with a decent 300W 80+ PSU (reviewed favorably at www.hardwaresecrets.com), although it needs a slim optical drive and a special SATA adapter. This is a lot to pay for a case, but looks really good, especially for the number of drives it will take.
ETA: 6/3/2010 12:29:00 AM
$129.99 $129.99
ECS H55H-I LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Model #: H55H-I
Item #: N82E16813135259
$79.99 $79.99
While ECS doesn't inspire confidence, Zotac seems more likely to inspire dread. Is it any wonder I wish those Sapphire and/or
Gigabyte boards would turn up?
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Model #: EA-380D Green
Item #: N82E16817371033
$59.99 -$10.00 Instant $49.99
Nothing bigger; in fact I may choose instead to get the same 300W 80+ PSU that the SG05 uses; or, I may consider one of the low-cost OCZ modulars. Their quality isn't as good, but it won't be stressed, it doesn't suck, and modular cabling is a big plus in these builds. The first build, if done in the Lian Li case, may use a 500W 80+ Enermax Liberty I still have, but the ones for my nieces are more likely to have that 300W ceiling.
Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale 2.93GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Model BX80616I3530
Model #: BX80616I3530
Item #: N82E16819115222
$124.99 -$10.00 Instant $114.99
I'd much rather have the real cores, and multiple builds are possible, but this may be the only option if I want to get this done
within a reasonable time frame. Performance benchmarks vary, and CPU performance is not likely to be the deciding factor in this
minimalist build, although this chip may better serve my nieces than one of the AMD offerings.
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Model #: F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Item #: N82E16820231253
$96.99 $96.99
Physically small (no heat spreader) and only 1.5V, although it's only CAS9. Meh.
Subtotal: $471.95
I don't list a HDD or optical. As mentioned, I have an 80GB 2nd generation Intel SSD (yay TRIM!) that I will use in at least one of these. I'm leaning toward a 500GB 7200.12 for the magnetic drive in the Lian Li, or a 2.5" laptop drive for the SG05. The Lian Li will take a standard optical drive, which will probably be an Optiarc or other cheap alternative.
===============
Thoughts? Comments? Know a source for the 45W AMD chips, or an ETA for a good socket AM3 mini-ITX board? THANKS!
.
That's one reason I'm willing to consider the expense of a Lian Li on this one. Also, that case is big enough to allow me to "salvage" the build if a low-wattage PSU just can't cut it, especially on mine.
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