System Builder Marathon Q2 2015: $1600 Mini Performance PC

How-to
By
published

We’ve seen how far I can push a six-core Haswell-E in our full-sized performance build, but can the same performance level fit into a mini cube?

Component Selection

I’ve fully described my selection of parts in Monday’s $1600 Performance Build, which included the previously-promised Core i7-5820K six-core CPU, externally-exhausted PNY GeForce GTX 970, value-winning Samsung 850 Evo 250GB SSD, and reader’s-choice WD Blue 1TB storage drive. There’s no better way to match the performance of these parts than to continue using them.

Image 1 of 4

Now it’s time to face the strange!

Image
ASRock X99E-ITX/ac
View Deal
Image
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 (16GB)
View Deal
Image
Rosewill RG630-S12
View Deal
Image
DIYPC HTPC-Cube-BK Black
View Deal
Image
Corsair Hydro Series H60
View Deal
Image
Lite-On EBAU108 External DVD-Writer
View Deal
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
37 Comments Comment from the forums
  • UltimateDeep
    Baby PC able to out-overclock the Papa PC, gosh, this shouldn't be happening but it did anyway!
    Reply
  • MasterDell
    PSU used is not Haswell Certified.
    Reply
  • eldragon0
    Great write up, but the 5820k has 6 cores ( OC section says four physical cores)
    Reply
  • RazberyBandit
    Tricky tricky tricky tricky!

    Relate to a younger generation? A reader would have to be at least 35-years old (and into Hip-Hop) to have gotten that reference...

    You Be Illin' =)
    Reply
  • Crashman
    16145478 said:
    Tricky tricky tricky tricky!

    Relate to a younger generation? A reader would have to be at least 35-years old (and into Hip-Hop) to have gotten that reference...

    You Be Illin' =)
    I'm just fighting for your right to party. No need to take this on all by yourself, any more.

    Reply
  • CaedenV
    @Razbery and Crashman
    Nice :)
    Reply
  • Aspiring techie
    Sweet. The mini itx form factor doesn't limit performance at this price level. I guess you learn something new every day :)
    Reply
  • daveys93
    "High-resolution performance might have been better still had that machine contained a pair of R9 290X cards rather than a pair of GTX 270s."

    Typo? I think you mean 970s.
    Reply
  • atheus
    Again you sacrifice cooling performance to pick up an optical drive. Are you being paid off by big optic...oil?

    Admit it, you just chose that motherboard because it lets you plug this bad boy in:
    Reply
  • Nythious
    It's about time people start realizing that smaller cases restrict the impact of ambient temperatures because the total air volume is recycled faster than larger cases.
    Reply