New Mini ITX build - Would like your thoughts

[porkstone]

So i have a decent size apartment but my better half hates anything on display that is not a MAC (even my HP laptop is an Eyesore apparently) Anyway i decided i want a decent PC for a bit of Gaming \ Video watching \ running a few applications, but in a Case that was small enough to hide from disapproving eyes. So this is what i have ordered its not been delivered yet let me know what you think. (I got the i7 - K and Z87E so i can do a bit of overclocking would be great if people could leave their thoughts on cooling - as the cooler i ordered was just an impulse purchase.. i know very little about coolers.)

1 X Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced - Mini-ITX

1 x COOLER MASTER RR-H101-22FK-RI 80mm Long life sleeve bearing CPU Cooler

1 x ASRock Z87E-ITX LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

1 x COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS500-PCARD3-US 500W ATX12V v2.3 Power Supply

1 x Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770K

1 x Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PV316G160C9KRD

1 x EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Cheers
Doug

 

[Norlag]

If you don't use professional applications (programming, photoshop, CAD), you don't need an i7 or 16gb of ram. Instead, get an i5 (4670k) and 8gb of ram, and put the money you saved from that into the video card and a better case. At the new gpu budget, the gtx 770 would be excellent for you. Some good models are the msi lightning, evga acx, and gigabyte windforce. For the case, the bitfenix prodigy is popular, and can suport closed loop water coolers for your cpu. Cases are really to your preference, just make sure you get one that you like and has the features you want.

 

[jmsellars1]

If you care at all about quietness, I'd be tempted to get something a bit more low power to keep the heat/noise down. i3/GTX 660 would still be great for gaming and it would use a lot less power and therefore be much easier to cool.

I agree that an i7 is overkill for games, it would be unnoticeably faster than an i5 for a lot more cash. Same goes for 16GB RAM, 8GB is plenty.

I'd get a better quality PSU as well, the cheapest one I would dare use in your situation is a CX-500 or something. Ideally I'd get a 520W Seasonic PSU.

 

[jmsellars1]

The Silverstone FT03 mini might be worth a look as well, it's a very expensive case but it's gorgeous, well built and has very efficient cooling.

 

[porkstone]

That Silverstone case is really nice but so expensive! If it was $100 i would have ordered it today and sent back my Coolermaster, but i cant justify spending an additional $100 on a case. (Also the plan is to try and hide this thing so my Wife doesn't know its there )

With regards to the I7 and ram i will run GNS3 and a few VM's it can be a massive resource hog so CPU and memory should get utilized. You do have a good point about the i5 and better GPU, Unfortunately i purchased the GTX660ti a few months back and installed it in my office PC to test it out so im stuck with it until i upgrade again.

 

[Norlag]

If you care at all about quietness, I'd be tempted to get something a bit more low power to keep the heat/noise down. i3/GTX 660 would still be great for gaming and it would use a lot less power and therefore be much easier to cool.

I agree that an i7 is overkill for games, it would be unnoticeably faster than an i5 for a lot more cash. Same goes for 16GB RAM, 8GB is plenty.

I'd get a better quality PSU as well, the cheapest one I would dare use in your situation is a CX-500 or something. Ideally I'd get a 520W Seasonic PSU.

That Silverstone case is really nice but so expensive! If it was $100 i would have ordered it today and sent back my Coolermaster, but i cant justify spending an additional $100 on a case. (Also the plan is to try and hide this thing so my Wife doesn't know its there )

With regards to the I7 and ram i will run GNS3 and a few VM's it can be a massive resource hog so CPU and memory should get utilized. You do have a good point about the i5 and better GPU, Unfortunately i purchased the GTX660ti a few months back and installed it in my office PC to test it out so im stuck with it until i upgrade again.

Well then, it sounds like we can't do much to help then. Oh well. I love silverstone cases, but they do tend to be on the expensive side. If you haven't already bought the power supply, try to get one that is 80+ certified. You only need about 500w, so the seasonic s12II 520w should be perfect for you. The xfx core edition 550w is also quite good.

 

[porkstone]

do you think the cooler i have ordered will fit in this case ?

 

[Norlag]

I'm not sure. You might want to get a low profile cooler such as the Gemini 2 from cooler master. You might want to get low profile ram such as g. skill ares to fit.

 

[jmsellars1]

It definitely won't fit, you need something a maximum of 65mm high.

 

[porkstone]

Just wanted to follow up on this you guys were right about the i7 should have gone with the i5 and put the money into the graphics card. Saying that the PC still runs great and it boots like a beast. Coming up with some specs for a new tower build so will be consulting the tech heads once again.