System Builder Marathon, Q2 2013: The $400 Spirit Of Mini-ITX
How Small Is It, Really?
Photo Gallery of Relative Size
Before digging into the performance-related strengths and weaknesses of this build, let’s take a closer look at where it shines most brightly: small size.
For starters, our sub-$400 gaming PC is downright puny compared to more conventional gaming enclosures, such as the eight-slot Rosewill Blackhawk or seven-slot Antec Three Hundred Illusion mid-tower cases.
Three ISK300 enclosures stacked up would occupy approximately 1280 cubic inches, falling in between the pictured $650 gaming machine I built for this quarter's competition and the $1300 enthusiast PC in overall volume. This bonus build occupies less than 20% of the space consumed by the BitFenix Prodigy used in Thomas' high-performance build, assuming the upper and lower handles remain attached.
Unfortunately, fractional size also translates to a lot less performance, particularly in games. It's already maxed out when we install a Radeon HD 7750.
It’s wider and deeper, but quite a bit shorter (while standing) than the Xbox 360 gaming console. If we cropped Microsoft’s huge power brick in half and added it to the Xbox, the combination would equal the same volume as Antec’s ISK300, which of course includes an internal power supply.
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When it comes to mini-ITX, one size does not fit all. Pictured from left to right: Antec ISK110 VESA, this quarter's $400 bonus build (Antec ISK300-150), SilverStone SG05BB-450-USB3.0, this quarter's $650 PC (Cooler Master Elite 120), DIYPC V3Plus-B.
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ingtar33 great article. this type of look at how a low end "budget" build handles modern titles was perfect. Loved it. I think you got about the most you could hope for out of a $400 budget. Frankly i can't find a way to make something better at that price point. spot on really. nicely done.Reply
I do like how most of those games were "playable" on high settings at 1080p with that tiny rig... very cool. -
Crashman Nice build, makes me wonder how it would stack up to my old 4.0 GHz overclocked Core 2 Duo office PC. Which gets gamed on occasionally using its HD 6850 graphics card.Reply -
allanitomwesh FINALLY! I agree this whole system builder was almost a fail.Reply
Also, I can't believe you had a SG05 and didn't build with it,it has an awesome power supply. Again,if you weren't getting a disk drive the V3+ was the smaller, higher quality case than CM 120 ( though they're finished on newegg)
The obsession with ginormous cards in tiny places made your cases not tiny.Clearly,a more sensible build,like with a 670,would fit in a much smaller footprint.
The lack of the FT03 Mini is a fail. It's a Mac killing case,and should've been the go to case for the $2500 build, because at that price,my case better look it.
Otherwise I like that you were at least up to the challenge, and I applaud this last build. -
Crashman
The FT03 Mini would have probably caused the $2500 PC's graphics card to overheat, or caused the graphics card to overheat the CPU. And a 670 might have worked, but then it wouldn't have been a $2500 PC. But please don't let the facts get in the way of your opinion.11047601 said:FINALLY! I agree this whole system builder was almost a fail.
Also, I can't believe you had a SG05 and didn't build with it,it has an awesome power supply. Again,if you weren't getting a disk drive the V3+ was the smaller, higher quality case than CM 120 ( though they're finished on newegg)
The obsession with ginormous cards in tiny places made your cases not tiny.Clearly,a more sensible build,like with a 670,would fit in a much smaller footprint.
The lack of the FT03 Mini is a fail. It's a Mac killing case,and should've been the go to case for the $2500 build, because at that price,my case better look it.
Otherwise I like that you were at least up to the challenge, and I applaud this last build.
You could say that nobody should even bother spending $2500 on an ITX-based system, or that a system with ITX limitations should never be expected to provide top performance. At least those opinions would make more sense than the stuff you said above.
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brucek2 My favorite of the builds. Feels congruent to me in that budget, form factor and system capabilities all align to each other and to my personal sensibilities. I could see making a system like this for a bedroom or den.Reply -
Crashman
Or even an office! Really. I might not build one of these for a performance competition, but it looks like a solid alternative to my retired-gaming office PC.11047721 said:My favorite of the builds. Feels congruent to me in that budget, form factor and system capabilities all align to each other and to my personal sensibilities. I could see making a system like this for a bedroom or den.
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CommentariesAnd More PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / BenchmarksReply
CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Foxconn H61S Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M8 500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N180UB 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $371.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-27 03:06 EDT-0400)
Some improvements I would like to suggest , Maybe I am crazy , but felt I should do this. -
silverblue Even this diminutive little machine would significantly outpace my old Phenom II X3 710, XFX HD 4830 and 4x1GB DDR2-800 (4-4-4-12) for a pretty decent price.Reply