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Suggestions for mini-ITX gaming build around $500-700

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  • Gaming
  • Build
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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October 29, 2013 10:38:13 AM

Hi,

I am planning to build a mini-ITX gaming PC but I am not sure about the mbd, processor, ram and graphics card. I want to use the components which have the best bang for the buck.
I am planning to make use of the Black Friday sale in November for discounts on components

Components required: Processor, Motherboard, SSD, Graphics card, RAM, Case and power supply
Already have: Dell 24 inch monitor, CM gaming mechanical kbd, mouse, No optical drive required
Approximate Purchase Date: Black Friday (end of Nov)
Budget Range: $500-$700
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Occasional gaming (but latest FPS games), surfing, movies
Are you buying a monitor: No, have a Dell 24 inch
Parts to Upgrade: None
Do you need to buy OS: No (Linux/Win 7 dual boot)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, or any other good ones
Location: City, State/Region, Country - Tampa, Florida, US

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU): Intel CPU preferred (i3 or i5), Have almost finalized on a 256 GB Samsung Pro SSD, will use stock cooler,
Overclocking: Not much (mini-ITX)
SLI or Crossfire: No (mini-ITX)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Comments: I travel so I need a compact case which I pack with my luggage
I am also thinking of keeping it open and not using a case

Thanks

More about : suggestions mini itx gaming build 500 700

a b 4 Gaming
October 29, 2013 11:20:44 AM

Here's a suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.89 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $789.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-29 14:19 EDT-0400)
October 29, 2013 2:17:11 PM

Thanks for the great suggestions.

I need a wifi solution, so I was wondering if I should go in for a motherboard with WiFi or use an external Wifi adapter.
Also, the H81 has PCIe 2.0 only, all the other chipsets in the series have PCIe 3.0.

ASRock B85M-ITX
ASRock H87M-ITX

How are the MSI and Gigabyte Z87 boards ?
Related resources
a b 4 Gaming
October 29, 2013 2:31:31 PM

In reality no GPU will choke on PCIe 2.0 right now (well, some high end models may do) so it's not really mandatory to get PCIe 3.0.

The Z87 boards tends to have more robust construction due to their overclock capability, but it may not be sufficient to pay the premium if you're not getting an unlocked CPU.

That said, you can switch the MoBo for the GA-H87N-WIFI, which have PCIe 3.0 and also onboard WiFi.
October 29, 2013 2:37:13 PM

If we can get past obvious Intel favouritism you can get a better gaming computer if you go with an AMD CPU. Yes, CPU performance is worse. However, the graphics card matters more than the CPU.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($77.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A85XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($105.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 180GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB Video Card ($233.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $731.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-29 17:38 EDT-0400)'
I would say go with the Crucial M4 or M500 if you want a bigger SSD because I've heard bad things about the Samsung 840 EVO and AMD boards.
October 30, 2013 8:59:38 AM

PepitoTV, in that case I might as well get the the Gigabyte Z87 with a 4670K, so that I can overclock my system in the future. I'll probably not be going in for a high overclock, just a modest air cooled overclock.
Will the RAM and power supply need to be changed ?

I read that you can overclock on H87 boards as well. Then what is the difference between overclocking on a Z87 vs an H87 ?
Also, what if I went in for a Sandy Bridge with Z77 board, it could be cheaper on black friday. I read there is not much difference between Haswell and Sandy Bridge ?

UVB076, thanks for your suggestion. The AMD combo is definitely cheaper, however, the reason I don't want to go in for AMD is that I game only occasionally, my major usage of the system is programming, movies and web
Also the AMDs run hotter and this needs to be cool as this would be a mini-ITX system.

Thanks for your assistance
a b 4 Gaming
October 30, 2013 9:26:25 AM

There are selected H87 boards that can overclock but only using the unlocked multiplier of the processor and still I don't think they can handle a decent overclock very well.

The Z77 platform is Ivy Bridge, and Haswell, at the same processor level beats it by about 10-15% before overclock, which I don't think can be much in a mini-ITX system.

You're on a budget though, so I don't know if you want to raise it to address buying better components or, if it have to be a trade-off, then the GPU is the only component to cut from, but then your gaming experience will take the hit, that's your call.

October 30, 2013 10:08:31 AM

I don't need a case and an optical drive, so those can be removed.
I am willing to raise my budget 100-150 over for better RAM, power supply and 4670k processor for a modest overclock in the future. Would be better than buying new components. Also I don't need a cooler right now as I can add one anytime later.
I am also counting on prices being lower on BF/CM

Something like this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master i600 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $866.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-30 13:20 EDT-0400)

Thanks
a b 4 Gaming
October 30, 2013 10:33:59 AM

That build looks great then, you can go for it safely.
November 4, 2013 11:16:46 PM

Changed a few things, how about this build ?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $824.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 02:17 EST-0500)
November 5, 2013 12:25:28 PM

I trust Gigabyte a LOT more than ASRock.
November 5, 2013 6:04:31 PM

There is some contention between ASRock and Gigabyte but no-one seems to suggest MSI :D 
November 5, 2013 7:41:46 PM

ASRock is generally inferior stuff. Go Gigabyte or Asus.
!