ITX Z68 Recommendations? Help?

[vin_g]

Anyone have any suggestions on where to find prebuilt ITX Z68 form factor gaming systems?

Seems it's so new that I have yet to see who's building systems on this board. Zotac finally released their new ITX Z68 mobo in the US, although noted as Out of Stock on NewEgg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ax+itx+z68

I checked out Digital Storm, CyberPower and iBuyPower, none of which have anything listed yet.

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[sadams04]

You may have to build that yourself. Not seeing anything either...

May I ask what part of Z68 appeals to you? If it isn't the SSD caching, then you may be just as well off with H67 / H61.

 

[vin_g]

I did find one build and that's the only company doing it... or so it appears

http://www.foxteknology.com/index.php?option=com_productbuilder&view=pbproducts&pb_product_id=21

As I'm not nearly as familiar as I should be on mobos, not sure if I would be better off on P67/H67... ??? :-/

 

[vin_g]

I guess I am looking at a custom build that I could use some recommendations for components.

Light gaming, home pc use - trying to keep the build under $1200

 

[sadams04]

For parts you would be looking at something similar to the build below. The case is a smaller form factor, but accepts standard sized GPUs and PSUs. Quiet fans (subjective, but good reviews), and you could add two additional 80MM fans. The GPU is pretty solid and should handle "light gaming" with ease. You could take out the 120GB SSD and just go with a single 1TB or 2TB drive, but your budget allows for it. What do you think?


Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 - $190

Low Profile CPU Cooler: Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 - $40

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H67N-USB3-B3 H67 Mini ITX - $85 after MIR

RAM: GSkill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 1.5v 9-9-9-24 - $50

Graphics Card: XFX HD 6850 - $130 after MIR

OS / Boot Drive: ADATA S511 Series 120GB SSD - $225

Apps / Storage Drive: SAMSUNG F4 2TB - $80

Case: SILVERSTONE Grandia Series - $70

Power Supply: Corsair CX500 V2 500w - $40 after MIR

Blu-Ray Burner: LG 12X Blu-Ray Burner - $80

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM - $95

$1085

 

[vin_g]

Definitely works from a budget point of view. I would keep the SSD but is the H67 mobo utilizing the SSD to the max? Also, is the 500W PS sufficient or should I spend a few more $ for a 650/700W unit?

 

[sadams04]

H67 has no drawbacks there... It has two SATA 6Gb/s ports which will allow for some very nice data transfer rates with the SSD.

Don't use Newegg's PSU calculator (if that is what you were looking at). It is self serving... The HD 6850 is not a power hog, nor is the rest of that system really. At full load that build would draw under 350w so the 500w XFX PSU will be plenty. It also gives some headroom for a graphics card upgrade down the road if desired.

 

[vin_g]

Thanks so much, extremely helpful info.

 

[vin_g]

I went back to Fox Tek as this is the only ""builder" I found and put together this:

Lian Li Q08BBlack Case
Intel i5-2400
Zotac Z68ITX-A
Corsair XMS 8GB (2x4)
Cooler Master eXtreme 500W PS
WD Caviar Black 1TB HDD
Corsair Performance 3 120GB SSD
Windows Home Premium
Samsumg LiteScribe optical drive

$1265 less $50 MIR or $1215

Thoughts?

 

[sadams04]

MEM - Corsair XMS is fine. Just make sure they are 1.5 volt modules.

PSU - I am not a fan of Cooler Master power supplies, but that one would be fine. Like we talked about above, 500w is oversized.

SSD - Corsair SSDs use Marvel memory controllers and do not perform as well as SandForce controllers. Look to upgrade to an OCZ Agility 3 or Vertex 3 if you can.

GPU - That build is using on-board / integrated video which is sufficient for a light workload, but you won't be gaming on that GPU.

Some parts could stand to be swapped out, but as-is it an OK machine. Add to it a comparable GPU to the one used in the other build in this thread and your price goes up to around $1350. Even then, the build from Fox Tek lacks the Blu-Ray burner, larger storage hard drive and faster SSD (again comparing to the other build). Obviously the parts choice is better when building yourself, but sometimes the convenience of having someone build it for yourself is a better option. Hope this helps!

 

[vin_g]

I will double check the memory mods. I've read good reviews for the Corsair power supplies.

I did see OCZ options on Fox Tek site, so I'll go back and see what the price difference is. You're correct in that I have also read SandForce rules!

I realized I did not choose a GPU and will have to consider that in my gaming quest.

I also appreciate the candid comments about building myself to save $$, but as I'm not very comfortable with doing that, my choice to have someone else do it is a matter of my lack of skill set.

Thanks!

I'll post my next build options shortly.

 

[vin_g]

BTW, I emailed the gurus a@ Fox Tek and as I found out there a new player in this space, they'd give me a minimum $50 Rebate on any new ITX system I built with free shipping as well. A little enticement ........

 

[vin_g]

Sorry for the delay in posting my new specs but my system crashed last week and it took me a few days to get new parts and get back up..... frustrating...... very frustrating. So, NOW I'm motivated to get this done. However, I'm seeing articles on new tech http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/new_powered-_usb_spec_development as well as an early release on next gen Sandy Bridge-E launching in Q4 not 2012 http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/leaked_slides_point_sandy_bridge-e_launching_q4 ... so, damn me if I should be waiting or not....... uuugghhh.

Any suggestions?