Mini ITX Living Room Gaming/Multimedia Pc <$1200

[thewhrd]

So.. Im building my first PC and i am interested in following the Mini ITX form factor; its main purposes will be for video games and streaming hulu/netflix on the device, the monitor will be my samsung 1080p tv screen, and i already have a cordless mouse and keyboard, and i would like to use my PS3 controller as well (for the use of Steam games through big picture mode) I dont have all the money in the world but would like to build this system in the next 2-3 months while keeping it around $900-1200, i would also like the system to be able to live up to upgrades down the road as well as hold its own it terms of performance right now and for the next few years.

this is what i have compiled so far. i generally have the noob question of, does this even make sense? what are my PSU options, and what kind cooling/fan options should i be exploring?


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNnR
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNnR/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNnR/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive ($22.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $962.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-16 16:08 EST-0500)

 

[TheBigTroll]

dont see the hype behind the prodigy. it weighs as much as a m-atx case, uses components that cost as much as a m-atx case (matx boards), and is the size of a matx case. also limits what you can put inside

id rather get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNOr

 

[thewhrd]

i like how the prodigy has the audio and usb ports on the lower right side, as where as the fractal design case looks like it still has all the ports on the side, i do however like the recommended PSU and the cheaper SSD drive. Thanks!

 

[thewhrd]

and this is where i am standing now..

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNXW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNXW/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sNXW/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive ($22.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $980.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-16 16:51 EST-0500)

 

[TheBigTroll]

all the ports are on the top of the case. i doubt you would be using the headphone jacks if this is a media center pc and the usb drives often if you are to watch movies from it

you can easily benefit from the silencing foam that the define mini has to offer. and the non-wobbly legs

-liquid cooling is not a great idea. a fair bit louder than what a heatsink can provide
-for itx boards, you pay more for less. i dont see the logic
-most ram from a good company is the same. corsair ram is no better than gskill
-7950 performs better from what i know. and comes with 3 free games which makes it a much better value
-note that the power connectors on the 660ti are in the middle of the card, cabling will look terrible

 

[thewhrd]

thanks for the info on the cooling system, and ive been now comparing the difference benchmark results for games that i play (borderlands 2 , skyrim, the witcher 2) that i would like to play and am interested in the 7950, thanks for your input - and i will definitely look into changing the mobo as well to a stand matx design.

and this is where im at now...

my better 1/2, my wife, is insisting on the case design because she likes its design and the usb portals are useful to her, she puts video/photos from her laptop to view on the television (part of the system has to make up for a broken PS3 and the pedestrian internet priveldges it brought to our household...)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sOf2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sOf2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sOf2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($279.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Sony DDU1681S-0B DVD/CD Drive ($22.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $996.14
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-16 17:20 EST-0500)

 

[Karl Mose]

May I recommend the Sugo SG05 if you want a REALLY small case which, I believe, should be able to handle your gpu. It's a nightmare to change anything inside it but once you are done you will have a really awesome small pc which can still pack quite a punch. With the sugo sg05 also comes a high quality 450 watt Silverstone PSU which should be enough if you don't plan to do any serious overclocking.