Mini ITX Gaming Build

[Griffolion]

First of all, this is just a hypothetical test to see if an ITX sized gaming build is do-able/viable.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Hypothetical so N/A (use current prices)

BUDGET RANGE: Shall we say £800 - £1000?

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming obviously

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Just want the machine including OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.scan.co.uk OR www.overclockers.co.uk

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England

PARTS PREFERENCES: Corsair for PSU and Memory, Samsung for HDD, Intel for CPU, equally open to ATI or NV

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, depends if the size of the case can handle the extra heat

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Again, this is hypothetical so i'd like some advice about whether an ITX gaming build is really worth it alongside part suggestions.

 

[WR2]

It's certainly possible to build a power-house mini-ITX build.
Example: GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 LGA 1156 H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX MB £85 and Core i7 860 Lynnfield, 2.8GHz £212

So the limiting factor, size wise, is what video card you want for your gaming. For example, a GTX 460 or HD 5850.
With a card that size the case that will fit a card that size will also fit a micro-ATX motherboard.

IMO the only reason to go mini-ITX is if you can find a half size video card to fit inside a really small case that also has a PSU powerful enough for the video card.
PowerColor Low-Profile HD 5700 Series Cards Spotted

Have you figured out what need for a video card? That will likely be the biggest, and most power hungry part and you can build your system around that.

 

[Griffolion]

The case i saw, Lian Li pc-q08b is able to fit a full sized, double slot card upto 11". But i'm not going to be in the market for a massive graphics card, maybe a 460.

Noise isn't massively an issue.

 

[WR2]

Nice find on the case.
At 13.58" x 8.94" x 10.71" (W:227mm x H:272mm x D:345mm ) in size that's a BIG mini-ITX case, as big as some micro-ATX or HTPC cases. It also fits full size PSUs and video card.
GTX 460 is a good choice - it's a bit shorter than HD 5850, and uses a modest amount of power and isn't that loud either.

GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 and I7-860 or i5-750, with a GTX 460 and a 450W-550W modular PSU should work out well.

 

[WR2]

What I thought might be a limiting factor turns out not to be a problem:
It even has expansion slot openings for a double wide video card slot cooler.

 

[Griffolion]

Best answer selected by Griffolion.

 

[Griffolion]

Selected a random post as best answer WR2 but all your posts have been helpful, thanks.

Its definately of interest to me, and something i can offer to people who come to me needing advice or a build doing for them.

Thanks.

 

[WR2]

I'll keep that case in mind too.
It's the best hard core gaming option I've seen for that specific form factor so far.