[DIY] mITX gaming rig - advise pls?

[alphaone]

Hi guys,

I'm planning to build a mITX gaming rig. Won't be overclocking. Mainly FPS games, need not max out settings. Prefer value-for-money buys. Budget $1k+++

Waiting for Lazada's 12/12 sale for gd steals


Would like ur opinion on the following:

PSU: SuperFlower Golden HX600 (bought)

CASING: TT Core V1

GFX: GTX970 -- which ever offers best value. Zotac, Palit non-OC versions.
Core V1 casing seems to be able to accommodate pretty long cards.

CPU: not sure which to get but hv been seeing many recommendations for i5 as bang-for-buck. A little lost w the numerous models...

MOBO: mITX format. Won't need to SLI. Clueless abt brands, chipsets etc if soundchip is gd enuf, no need for sound card I suppose?

RAM: clueless

HDD: 256gb solid state for OS n fav game(s). Can stretch budget for 500gb if price tempting enuf
- Samsung EVO 256 seems like a hot fav?
- will reuse existing 3.5" HDD as secondary data storage.

DISPLAY: Not fussy for )super high refresh rate gaming monitors unless they come down in price significantly. Mainly watch movies, play games, surf net.

*reusing Mouse + KB + Speakers.


Thank u very much in advance!

 

[Alternative X]

1) Get an i5 4460 + Asus H81I Plus for $356.

2) Get the Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan for $448 at SLS, it is frightfully cheap for a GTX 970 and is relatively compact.

3) Get 2X 4GB sticks of DDR3-1600 RAMs, can be from any established brand.

4) Get Crucial MX100 256GB for $160.

5) Get a Dell S2340L for $199, dirt cheap IPS monitor.

6) The Thermaltake Core V1 does not have an external 5.25'' bay for a DVD-RW, you sure about this casing? If you want a better alternative with an external 5.25'' bay and a longer GPU clearance, get the CM Elite 120 for $89.

7) For sound, well, if you are not an audiophile, onboard sound will do most of the time. If you are one, go experiment with soundcards and external DACs and go for whatever is best for you. Opinions on sound quality vary widely among different people and there is no one sound enhancement solution that will suit everyone.

 

[Nekorin]

Core V1 is a good casing. Am running it together with Zotac gtx980.

 

[xRenol]

Is it possible for a silent gaming mITX rig or the minimum size is mATX?

 

[alphaone]

1) Get an i5 4460 + Asus H81I Plus for $356.

2) Get the Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan for $448 at SLS, it is frightfully cheap for a GTX 970 and is relatively compact.

3) Get 2X 4GB sticks of DDR3-1600 RAMs, can be from any established brand.

4) Get Crucial MX100 256GB for $160.

5) Get a Dell S2340L for $199, dirt cheap IPS monitor.

6) The Thermaltake Core V1 does not have an external 5.25'' bay for a DVD-RW, you sure about this casing? If you want a better alternative with an external 5.25'' bay and a longer GPU clearance, get the CM Elite 120 for $89.

7) For sound, well, if you are not an audiophile, onboard sound will do most of the time. If you are one, go experiment with soundcards and external DACs and go for whatever is best for you. Opinions on sound quality vary widely among different people and there is no one sound enhancement solution that will suit everyone.

Thanks Alternative X!

1a) Ok, more or less deciding between i5 4460 and i5 4590 (+$20) for slightly faster Turbo clockspeed. Reviews seem to say it offers a slight bump for gaming. Worth the $20 premium?

1b) Have used ur mobo recommendation as benchmark
Now calculating if I should top-up and get build-in WiFi mobos VS buying WiFi card?

2) Yup, those GTX970 have been seeing nice price dips recently. $400+ on Lazada (aft misc discounts, credit card rebates etc). I'm not in a hurry to build this system, so will wait for Lazada's 12/12... keeping fingers crossed for epic sale.

3) Noted - DDR3-1600. G Skill Ripjaws-X CL9 (4gb x2) seems to be priced attractively ($115 PCThemes), well-reviewed.

4) Will KIV that. Also waiting for Lazada's Samsung EVO 256gb promo or Amazon's Intel 730 480gb to drop to US$199.

6) Won't be installing DVD drive. When needed, I'll just open casing n temp-hookup my old DVD burner


Once again, thanks for taking the time to help me out

 

[alphaone]

Now reading up and trying to learn the diff between various mobo chipsets: H81, Z97 etc etc. See until eyes blurrr~

 

[Alternative X]

1) If you think that a 1-2 FPS bump (at best) is worth the $20, then go ahead.

2) A wifi USB dongle can be had for as cheap as $10+. Only top end mobos will have integrated wifi and they cost a bomb. Wifi cards are not an option as the 1X PCI-E X16 slot on the H81I-Plus will be used by the GPU. State internet plan and router used.

3) Or can consider the Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan for $448 at PC Themes if 12/12 turns out to be a disappointing day.

4) Differences in Intel chipsets:

H81: Budget chipset, PCI-E X16 2.0 slot (Negliable performance issues with modern cards though.), no front Panel USB 3.0 support (With some exceptions), up to 4 SATA ports.

B85: Mainstream chipset, PCI-E X16 3.0 slot, front panel USB 3.0 support, 6 SATA ports.

H87/97: Chipset with RAID support, otherwise, about the same as B85.

Z87/97: Enthusiast chipset, OC support, premium ones comes with proper SLI/Crossfire support, 8 SATA ports.

 

[alphaone]

1) If you think that a 1-2 FPS bump (at best) is worth the $20, then go ahead.

2) A wifi USB dongle can be had for as cheap as $10+. Only top end mobos will have integrated wifi and they cost a bomb. Wifi cards are not an option as the 1X PCI-E X16 slot on the H81I-Plus will be used by the GPU. State internet plan and router used.

3) Or can consider the Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan for $448 at PC Themes if 12/12 turns out to be a disappointing day.

4) Differences in Intel chipsets:

H81: Budget chipset, PCI-E X16 2.0 slot (Negliable performance issues with modern cards though.), no front Panel USB 3.0 support (With some exceptions), up to 4 SATA ports.

B85: Mainstream chipset, PCI-E X16 3.0 slot, front panel USB 3.0 support, 6 SATA ports.

H87/97: Chipset with RAID support, otherwise, about the same as B85.

Z87/97: Enthusiast chipset, OC support, premium ones comes with proper SLI/Crossfire support, 8 SATA ports.

2) 300mpbs Fibre. Asus AC66U router.
Current gaming desktop hooked up via LAN cable. This new ITX gaming rig might be placed in another bedroom (no LAN) thus my consideration for WiFi.
Alternatively, will also research/consider PowerLine adaptors to provide LAN in that bedroom.
3 handphones, 1 tablet hooked up to WiFi.
My area has plenty of WiFi noise, so gonna try 5GHz for future devices.

3) Yup. After 12/12, planning to get the outstanding components from TradePac or PC Themes (if $ diff not too great). Had many pleasant past experiences with PCT

4) Thanks for the detailed explanation!
Will take either PCI 2.0/3.0.
Realized I'll need USB 3.0 front port support -- Core V1 has 2x USB 3.0 ports.
Will narrow my research to B85 series then.

 

[eyz]

MSI H81I has support for 2 front USB 3.0, but unsure whether you still can find it at Sim Lim.

If not, HWZer t258jgn might have stock.

 

[Alternative X]

1) Nobody is bringing in B85 ITX boards, the Asus H81I-Plus does have front panel USB 3.0 support though.

2) Can consider the Asus USB-N53 for $70. Comes with dual band support for up to 300Mbps.

 

[Nekorin]

If a USB dongle costs $70 why not consider a motherboard with wifi capabilities like Gigabyte H97N-Wifi?

It has an integrated bluetooth + dualband wifi card and is around the extra $70 (considering a B85+USB dongle price)

 

[shadow84]

If a USB dongle costs $70 why not consider a motherboard with wifi capabilities like Gigabyte H97N-Wifi?

It has an integrated bluetooth + dualband wifi card and is around the extra $70 (considering a B85+USB dongle price)

Coz the external dongle have the ability to be used for other desktops or laptops. The built in 1 is only for that mobo.

But, if u dun intend to do so, then it is fine getting it.

From the website, it seems to be AC1700? looks good. But cfm its just $70 from the other boards?

 

[Nekorin]

Well I bought almost the same build just over a week ago, although Tradepac never did give me the pricing they list on their pricelist (they claim the Gigabyte Mobo+i5 4460 @$388 is a full rig price).

Fuwell does list it @$420 (with i5 4460) with their most recent pricelist. $420 is around $70 higher than other m-itx combos which hover around $350ish.

@alphaone
When you buy a gfx card do take note of the thickness of the gfx heatsink. Although the length can reach up to 28.5cm but the card thickness can only go up to 2 card slot thickness. Cards like the Zotac GTX970 AMP Omega edition which is 2.5 card slot thick cannot fit well, it will touch the side panel.

A 2 slot thick card already touch the metal chasis if choose to go above 265mm.

 

[alphaone]

Coz the external dongle have the ability to be used for other desktops or laptops. The built in 1 is only for that mobo.

But, if u dun intend to do so, then it is fine getting it.

From the website, it seems to be AC1700? looks good. But cfm its just $70 from the other boards?

Thanks guys, but I've decided to skip the WiFi mobos. Will get a USB dongle when the need arises.

 

[alphaone]

Well I bought almost the same build just over a week ago, although Tradepac never did give me the pricing they list on their pricelist (they claim the Gigabyte Mobo+i5 4460 @$388 is a full rig price).

Fuwell does list it @$420 (with i5 4460) with their most recent pricelist. $420 is around $70 higher than other m-itx combos which hover around $350ish.

@alphaone
When you buy a gfx card do take note of the thickness of the gfx heatsink. Although the length can reach up to 28.5cm but the card thickness can only go up to 2 card slot thickness. Cards like the Zotac GTX970 AMP Omega edition which is 2.5 card slot thick cannot fit well, it will touch the side panel.

A 2 slot thick card already touch the metal chasis if choose to go above 265mm.

Nekorin, sorry, I a bit blur, which Gigabyte mobo you referring to? So TradePac's combo price isn't truly a mobo+cpu price? No wonder, quite a bit cheaper than PC Theme's mobo+cpu bundle pricing...

Thank you v much for the card thickness warning! Yes, will def make sure it's max 2 card slot thick. Waiting for Lazada's 12/12 sale to hoot either:
- Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan
- Asus Strix GTX 970
- MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G

After the sales date, I'll swing by SLS to pick up the remaining components.

 

[alphaone]

RAM advise?

Appreciate if dear seniors can teach me a little on choosing RipjawsX RAM?
I'm looking to buy i5 4460 + Asus Z97i-Plus. Dual Channel 8gb kit (2x4gb).


1. DDR3-1600 (CL9) -- $117
F3-12800CL9D-8GBXM (1.35v) CL9-9-9-24
Advantage = lower power consumption = runs slightly cooler?
Sim Lim price list doesn't indicate model number. Should I bother with this Low-Voltage version? Or just grab the plain vanilla 1.5v?


2. DDR3-2133 (CL9) -- $123 (top up $8 nia)
Models run at 1.6-1.65v. Any concerns?
Stock voltage is 1.5, so to run at 1.6 means I'll need to OC via mobo BIOS?
Need to OC CPU also?
** I'm new to OCing and would appreciate any tips


G.Skills has the following models on their website:
F3-17000CL9D-8GBXLD
CL9-11-9-28
1.65v

F3-17000CL9D-8GBXM
CL9-11-10-28
1.65v

F3-2133C9D-8GXL
CL9-11-11-31
1.60v~1.65v


Again, Sim Lim pricelist doesn't list exact model, just states DDR3-2133 (CL9). Any specific model I should aim from the above?

 

[alphaone]

Any RAM experts can help me out pls? Thanks

 

[shadow84]

Why non-k cpu with z97?

Just get the 1st ram u posted or cheapest u can find.

 

[alphaone]

Why non-k cpu with z97?

Just get the 1st ram u posted or cheapest u can find.

non-K cos I don't have any experience OC-ing... and would probably avoid doing so cos I hope to use this setup for 3-5 years.

Was considering the Asus H97i-Plus, then saw +$50, can get me the Z97 version with Wifi, Bluetooth, better Power Phase feature (6 vs 6+2). A mPCIe WiFi card would cost me $50+ liao?


I know it's pretty overkill for a non-OC setup. Maybe can recomd me more suitable mobos?

---------------

As for RAM, get the 1600 cos not much gaming performance diff VS 2133? Sorry for asking so many questions. I'm curious to learn more about these stuffs :B

 

[alphaone]

Parts I've bought so far:

- Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan
- Samsung 840 Evo (250gb)
- SuperFlower Golden Green HX600


Going to SLS tomorrow to buy:

1. RAM
2. CPU + mobo (mITX)
3. Casing: Core V1 (mITX)


Appreciate any inputs