Hi everyone, I built my current system in 2008 which is below. (The 460GTX is newish as I had an 8800GT that died): Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Socket 775 (2.66GHz) FSB1333 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP AiLifestyle Series P35 Socket 775 Socket eSATA 8 channel Audio ATX Motherboard Antec Sonata III Piano Black Quiet Mid Tower Case - With 500W EarthWatts PSU Hiper 120mm Case Fan *2 MSI GeForce GTX 460 Cyclone 768MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card Samsung SpinPoint 500GB SATAII Hard Drive 16MB Cache Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 DHX Memory Kit Non-ECC Unbuffered CL5 LG GH20NS10 20X SATA DVD±RW/DL/RAM Windows 7 Professional I mainly use it for gaming but it is struggling a bit now, which is why I want to upgrade and build a new rig. I will use the new machine also to primarily game. I would also like it to be really quiet as my current machine whirs all the time. I also really like the case I have chosen (The Node 304). I rarely use the CD drive so don't need a permanent one, and can use a USB one when I do. This is the spec: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk MSI GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) That comes to about £1100. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2EyDe I already have mouse, keyboard and a monitor (which is only a 1680*1050 22 inch, but i will replace in an few months). How does that look?
Generally on ITX I wouldn't bother with a K series CPU. Most itx motherboards are terrible overclockers due to reduced power phases compared to larger form factors. So if it's cheaper to buy non K you can shave a little money there. Check Xeon socket 1150 prices too! I don't care much for Asrocks... I would probably pick pretty much anything else. Also since most itx are poor clockers anyway you might as well go for a cheaper chipset motherboard. I would get a smaller PSU in the 460-500w range. You won't need all that power, so likely can save some money there as well. All the other parts are good, I might have other preferences but there nothing wrong unless you want to shop more for better price on something equivalent.
My experience of MSI motherboards would also tell you to steer clear. All of them have exhibited strange behaviour on boot. Doesn't fill me with confidence. Meanwhile the Gigabyte and Asus boards have all been a pleasure.
My ASRock Z77E-ITX overclocks pretty well. Certainly enough to see the benefit of the unlocked CPU vs the locked one. Depends whether you really need the extra power, I guess, but if it's a case of an extra £25 for 20% more power it's probably worth it IMO.
The 770 seems overkill for your resolution. If you stepped it down to a 760, it would still be more than enough for 1080p gaming, unless when you upgrade your monitor you're looking at 1200p+? I've had a few msi motherboards without any issues personally.
Likewise, I have benched my 2500K at 5GHz in there with no issues at all, all night. I keep it at 4.2 for daily use though, to save juice & heat. Bit managed to get their 3770K up to its maximum overclock here as well. Of course I can't vouch for the Z87 revision, but the Z77's a corker. And Parge (below) is bang on - downgrade the PSU a notch, and only go for 16GB if you need it - games don't by any stretch of the imagination. Consider a blower version of the 770 as well, the EVGA SC version I'm using is not intrusively or even noticeably loud and dumps all the heat outside the case.
Right. First off. Great build! I cannot see a single thing wrong this. However, if you wanted to save some money, you could cut down the RAM to 8GB, and you'd easily get away with a 500/550W PSU. ASRock have improved a lot in the last few years, but they still play second fiddle to Asus or Gigabyte. Is there any option to go with one of those two instead? Ivanovich says ITX aren't good overclockers. Ignore that, its 100% incorrect. The latest ITX boards are fantastic overclockers. If I were you, I'd half the RAM, go with a cheaper and lower wattage PSU and then either bank that cash, or reinvest it in a better GPU (if you play a lot of games) or an Asus/Gigabyte motherboard. I respect Law99, but the MSI Z87 motherboards also come VERY well reviewed by Bit Tech and they are the professionals at the end of day.
Yeah... I'm sure they probably are OK, or great even, with many a glowing appraisal. But I believe I've had 5 all with the same random freezes during boot. Mostly prevalent if I touch the keyboard at all during post. With the first board I put this down to an immature uefi BIOS. But with it happening on all subsequent boards for amd and intel, I've lost faith. This includes my current media PC itx build.
Sorry for bad advice about OC potential... I guess situation on ITX changed while I wasn't paying attention.
I think the release of the Z77E-ITX was roughly when they started getting good. CPC ran a feature comparing mini-ITX to larger boards, and built a watercooled mini-ITX system in a Prodigy, if I remember correctly. It was the performance they got from that machine that convinced me to go mini-ITX myself.
Mitx has certainly improved over the last couple of years when it comes to overclocking. Overall a good build, I agree with a couple of the other suggestions here, maybe lose some of the RAM (unless you're getting a very good deal on it), a lower wattage PSU will have no problems powering the rig, and if you're not planning on overclocking you could consider losing the k series chip if it's cheaper, although it may affect the value of it if you want to sell it on at a later date.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I've dropped it down to 8GB ram (1 stick), dropped the PSU down to 500W and switched the motherboard over to an ASUS one. With the extra savings I have stuck in a 2TB HDD. I know the GPU is utter overkill, but I will be looking to upgrade my monitor in a few months. http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2GhoQ
Good work. GPU is not overkill at all. A better GPU will let you game for longer. Things like RAM can be easily upgraded later just by adding another stick, and you'll never need more than a 500W PSU anyway since ITX only allows for one GPU. More hard drive space is always good too, in this age of Full HD - soon to be 4k. Makings of a great little system here. Be sure to post some pics!
Prodigy is certainly better suited for the gaming oriented build you've kind of gone for. Could have a look at the Bitfenix Colossus ITX too.
A lot of small gaming mini's seem to use the Prodigy, but the Node is a looker and I don't care for a ODD. Also, I am guessing I could drop the GPU down to a 2GB regardless of my res if I am sticking with one monitor?
How much does that save you? I mean, you'll never be able to run 4k with a 770 but the 4GB vRAM could be useful if you ever go 1440p/1600p. I used to have 1600p monitor and most games would eat up the entire 2GB on my 670.
Yes for sure, I also have 2GB 670 and 1440p... I really regret not paying the extra for 4GB. Even if you are going to get 1080 display... having the extra vram may be handy as well for some games with +HD mods which use up more vram. I don't think it's a good idea to skimp on that one. If you're thinking about other cases, the newer Lian Li PC-Q25 could also be nice candidate.
Also, you looked at the Corsair 250D? Great looks and great cooling. Could be an option. RRP is about £70.
