Building my first mini-itx build (need advice :D)

[icheb]

Hello all,

I am planning to build my first mini-itx gaming rig but I need some advice. It's been many years since I build my own DIY computer (more than 7 years ago) and now that technology has advanced pretty far ahead, I am a little behind as to what build would be ideal for the right price.

So for this mini-itx rig, I plan to do some gaming, nothing hardcore but I do appreciate playing the latest games at decent performance of at least 1440 resolution with high settings. I don't play games using multiple monitors.

My budget would be around $2000, $2500 at most. If I can go further below $2000 that would be great (Hence the advice), though I am not sure how. So here were my proposed specs with prices rounded up:

Motherboard + CPU: Asus Z170I Pro Gaming + i5 6400 @ 2.7ghz ($570)
RAM: G.skill RipJaw V 2400 ($140)
Graphics Card: Asus GTX 970 Turbo OC 4GB ($510)
SSD Storage: Samsung 850 M.2 512GB ($260)
Traditional HDD Storage: Toshiba 7200RPM 2TB ($95)
Casing: Fractal Design Nano S Windowed ($175)
CPU cooling: Corsair H80i GT ($158)
PSU: Corsair CX 650M 650W modular ($119)

Total Price: ~$2027

A few questions:

I am aware that Nvidia just released the Geforce GTX 1080 at a really competitive price and now isn't a good time to build a rig until the new ones comes out.

If it's priced around $900. I don't mind getting that when it comes out. Is it overkill? I suppose future proofing the rig would be great with that level of performance. I am assuming that the price of Geforce 970 and 980 would drop considerably once the 1080 is out. So does the 970 and 980 still meet my needs if I get them when the price drops? The graphics card is a big question mark for me.

Is the PSU that I chose adequate for my needs? I am not sure how power hungry the build is after factoring all those parts. And since I am building a mini-itx gaming rig, cable management would be easier for a modular PSU right?

Should I ramp up my i5 6400 to something more powerful? I don't forsee myself doing lots of image or video encoding, so I don't think getting an i7 would be beneficial?

Does the CPU cooling I chose sufficient to cool my cpu that I have chosen?

Are there cheaper M.2 SSD out there?

Finally, thanks for reading this lengthy post. Any comments of advice would be truly helpful!

 

[harharhar]

Can look at my build for reference.

SSD M.2 that would be the best value for money. Can try getting from Amazon or Lazada

CPU cooling more than enough.

That case is quite big for mini itx, just so that you are informed

PSU should be ok, but you can see if there are shorter ones. Or can go for SFX if budget allows. It's about the same price.

6400 is ok. But you don't need Z170 if not overclocking. Can consider B150 or H110 (MSI has a good one at a budget)

 

[icheb]

Does the RAM clock speeds makes a lot of difference in terms of raw performance? Why is it that only the Z170 chipset motherboards supports ram of higher clockspeeds?

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Does the RAM clock speeds makes a lot of difference in terms of raw performance? Why is it that only the Z170 chipset motherboards supports ram of higher clockspeeds?

That will be depends on the application u will use. If ur app on CPU intensive and high ram usage needs high speed, den u will be benefit,otherwise normal ram speed is fine.

 

[icheb]

Thanks guys! It was very enlightening. So if I don't care much about overclocking, I can shave off dollars by getting the B150 motherboards and ram.

Now that the announcement of the new GTX 1080 is out, how much of a price decrease can we expect from older gfx card models like the 970 or 980? And how soon can we see the price drops?

 

[ZrE0_Cha0s]

Thanks guys! It was very enlightening. So if I don't care much about overclocking, I can shave off dollars by getting the B150 motherboards and ram.

Now that the announcement of the new GTX 1080 is out, how much of a price decrease can we expect from older gfx card models like the 970 or 980? And how soon can we see the price drops?

u might wanna get from 2nd hand market. still not sure if there is any on the shelf once the 1070/1080 is out for sales.

 

[mudxblood]

Can I recommend the Gigabyte H170 itx board? It's cheaper, have m2 sata and usb-c port, future proofing.

Sent from LGE NEXUS 5X using GAGT

 

[batniss]

Can I recommend the Gigabyte H170 itx board? It's cheaper, have m2 sata and usb-c port, future proofing.

Sent from LGE NEXUS 5X using GAGT

Jsut to highlight as well;

Missing USB3.1 iirc

IGP only supports up to FHD on DVI-D and 24Hz for HDMI with a total of 512MB allocated memory, is ok if TS will be getting separate graphics card and use the IGP first while waiting for price to drop

Imo TS should at least go for i5-6500 instead

 

[Skyline34_]

my itx rig on the right for reference; below $2k ; purchased in Feb

i assume u have a separate budget for the 1440p display? as some of the folks here have pointed out, the 970 might not be sufficient to drive it smoothly at high details so u might want to get the 980 or the r9 390

or i guess wait for the new line up later this year if u can

 

[samloi]

I'm in the midst of building a ITX rig as well, research for quite some time and the nano S was high up on my list. So maybe i chip in a little.

If not overclocking, go for a air cooler. Nano S has alot of space for big tower air cooler. A simple coolermaster 212+ will do the trick if you are not overclocking. Can saves you 100+bucks for a few extra fans+fan controller or more hdd space + taxi to/fro sls. You can even use the stock cooler but......mehz. I might be a little concern about the temp of the m.2, but dont think it should be a problem.

As other said, if not overclocking, see if any of the other H/B boards fit your needs. If you are overclocking, the cheapest cpu will be the i5 6600k which comes without any heat sink. Then it makes sense for a H80i, although i will go all out for the H100i/H110i personally.

Corsair CX series PSU should be avoided. For 6 dollars more, get the 620w Seasonic M12II. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Definitely wait for the GTX1070 and see how it performs. With low power consumption, you can even shave off a few bucks by getting a smaller PSU, not to mention the performance is consperm going to be better than getting a used card now. One more thing, the way the GPU is so close to the PSU means will have less air for the GPU. Thus recommend a blower style GPU.

 

[herman1314]

Corsair CX series PSU should be avoided. For 6 dollars more, get the 620w Seasonic M12II. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

this new corsair CX actually quite decent, based on the seasonic s12ii and the capacitators don't have the 40 degree celsius issue anymore, plus 5 year warranty.

 

[samloi]

this new corsair CX actually quite decent, based on the seasonic s12ii and the capacitators don't have the 40 degree celsius issue anymore, plus 5 year warranty.

woo. i din know that
Although personally i went for the EVGA 650GS from amazon.
80USD(top up some other stuffs for free shipping), gold rating, fully modular, just 150mm deep and made by seasonic based on the G series.

 

[watzup_ken]

I built my ITX rig some time back. To be honest, I recommend getting a cheaper motherboard, and spending the extra on at least an i5 6500. The difference in clockspeed between 6400 and 6500 is quite substantial.

I went for one of the cheaper Z170 boards that is from Asrock. It is missing features like M2 and USB 3.1 Type C, but I don't find it a deal breaker. PCI-E M2 SSDs are still very expensive, and there are not a lot of device using USB 3.1 and also costly.

 

[icheb]

I'm in the midst of building a ITX rig as well, research for quite some time and the nano S was high up on my list. So maybe i chip in a little.

If not overclocking, go for a air cooler. Nano S has alot of space for big tower air cooler. A simple coolermaster 212+ will do the trick if you are not overclocking. Can saves you 100+bucks for a few extra fans+fan controller or more hdd space + taxi to/fro sls. You can even use the stock cooler but......mehz. I might be a little concern about the temp of the m.2, but dont think it should be a problem.

As other said, if not overclocking, see if any of the other H/B boards fit your needs. If you are overclocking, the cheapest cpu will be the i5 6600k which comes without any heat sink. Then it makes sense for a H80i, although i will go all out for the H100i/H110i personally.

Corsair CX series PSU should be avoided. For 6 dollars more, get the 620w Seasonic M12II. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Definitely wait for the GTX1070 and see how it performs. With low power consumption, you can even shave off a few bucks by getting a smaller PSU, not to mention the performance is consperm going to be better than getting a used card now. One more thing, the way the GPU is so close to the PSU means will have less air for the GPU. Thus recommend a blower style GPU.

Yeah I am definitely waiting for the GTX 1080/1070 to come out. The low power consumption is pretty interesting. I might save some money and get a smaller PSU as a result.

Yes I agree with the rest of you guys out there. Since I'm not an overclocker enthusiast, maybe I should set my sights on the H/B motherboards. The price difference is quite significant than the Z boards. I might be able to use the money saved and choose a slightly better processor.

As for the third party cooler, I was initially looking at air cooled units, but the liquid cooled system just makes the entire setup sexier. Just my opinion. The question is whether the one I selected is too much or too little. But some of you have mentioned that its more than adequate for the processor that I chose.

 

[icheb]

I doubt we will see price drops, more like older cards phased out.

That fast? I didnt know that...

 

[icheb]

Jsut to highlight as well;

Missing USB3.1 iirc

IGP only supports up to FHD on DVI-D and 24Hz for HDMI with a total of 512MB allocated memory, is ok if TS will be getting separate graphics card and use the IGP first while waiting for price to drop

Imo TS should at least go for i5-6500 instead

You're saying that I should just get everything else except the graphics card, use the onboard graphics and wait for a sweet deal?

 

[samloi]

Yeah I am definitely waiting for the GTX 1080/1070 to come out. The low power consumption is pretty interesting. I might save some money and get a smaller PSU as a result.

Yes I agree with the rest of you guys out there. Since I'm not an overclocker enthusiast, maybe I should set my sights on the H/B motherboards. The price difference is quite significant than the Z boards. I might be able to use the money saved and choose a slightly better processor.

As for the third party cooler, I was initially looking at air cooled units, but the liquid cooled system just makes the entire setup sexier. Just my opinion. The question is whether the one I selected is too much or too little. But some of you have mentioned that its more than adequate for the processor that I chose.

The i3 comes with a stock cooler which in 90% of the cases will be adequate. Downside is its way too noisy and performance will not be as good as after market cooler(by quite abit).

The H80i is probably overkill for the cpu you looking at. It can handle any consumer cpu with headroom to spare for some overclocking imo. Infact, ppl have been running a hotter cpu with a much smaller air cooler in SFF rigs for quite sometime.

For the looks....i thought its ugly to see 2 tubes flying around twisting and turning. Air cooler tower seems more tidy to me.....but its just me.

see one of the reviews here and compare the results (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-h80i-cpu-cooler-review/7/).

 

[samloi]

You're saying that I should just get everything else except the graphics card, use the onboard graphics and wait for a sweet deal?

this is actually what i doing now.

Mobo: MSI Z170i pro AC
CPU: i5 6600k
Case: Fractal Design core 500
RAM: Kingston hyperx 2x8gb 2666mhz DDR4
PSU: EVGA 650GS
CPU cooler: Noctua U12p se2(reuse)
Optical drive(reuse)
Secondary drive: 2TB HDD(reuse)
Primary drive: 850 evo 250gb(reuse)
Case fans: stock/noctua(reuse)

GPU: waiting for GTX1070/1080

 

[icheb]

Ok I got a silly question. Looking at the Corsair H80i with the 2 120mm fans and radiator provided, can I install on the front of the fractal design nano S? I am having difficulties calculating the thickness of the total setup and available space.

 

[icheb]

Ok so after factoring all the advice I have gotten from most of you, I have decided to revise my specs to the following:

NEW SPECS: Asus B150i Pro Gaming Aura + i5 6500 @ 3.2ghz ($491)
NEW SPECS: 16gb Ram 2133 ($108)
Graphics Card: Asus GTX 970 Turbo OC 4GB ($510)
SSD Storage: Samsung 850 M.2 512GB ($260)
Traditional HDD Storage: Toshiba 7200RPM 2TB ($95)
Casing: Fractal Design Nano S Windowed ($175)
CPU cooling: Corsair H80i GT ($158)
PSU: Corsair CX 650M 650W modular ($119)

Total Price: ~$1916