1155 M-ATX Build

[Fractal]

OK so I've decided I am going to build an 1155 Ivy Bridge build until the release of Ivy Bridge - E on LGA 2011 and at the point I will be taking the, SSD, HDD, GTX 670, RAM, PSU + Red Cables and H100 + Fans.

So as it goes here is what I have come up with...

Graphics Card
Gainward GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

CPU
Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM

Changed to: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail

SSD
Kingston 240GB SSDNow V+200 Drive SATA 6Gb/s - (SVP200S3/240G)

Changed to: Corsair Force Series 3 120GB SATA 2.5" 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (CSSD-F120GB3-BK)

Motherboard
Asus Z77 Maximus V Gene Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

RAM
Corsair Dominator PLATINUM 16GB (4x4GB DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit with DHX Pro Connector (CMD16GX3M4A1866C9)

Power Supply Unit
Corsair Professional Series AX750 High Performance 750W Modular '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply (CMPSU-750AXUK)
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX850/AX750/AX650 Individually Sleeved Modular Cables - Red

CPU Cooler
Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/LGA2011/AM2/AM3) (CWCH100)

HDD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS)

Fans
Silverstone SST-AP121-RL Red LED Air Penetrator 120mm FAN 1500rpm x5

Case
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-240-CM

Now what I am unsure with is the case...

I have chosen a Silverstone Precision PS07 - White (SST-PS07W) but I am not sure if all my hardware will fit and I am not sure about the H100 placement or if there is any other better M-ATX cases preferably in black...

Thanks : )

EDIT: I am also thinking about maybe getting a sound card but I don't know I head the audio on these Z77 ROG Motherboards is meant to be pretty good so I was wondering if it wasn't suitable for doing voice overs / capturing live audio what card should I consider buying.

 

[Josh Weston]

That's an interesting CPU

 

[Fractal]

That's an interesting CPU

Whoops. Fixed XD!

 

[andrewmchugh]

God that ram is expensive.

If everything did fit in that case, its going to turn in to a mini heater.

Do you really need a micro build?

 

[Josh Weston]

May I ask, is this for gaming? Or do you render videos etc. also?

 

[jamesriley94]

I'd consider spending a little more and getting the retail processor as you get the extra warranty but it shouldnt matter really

 

[Fractal]

God that ram is expensive.

If everything did fit in that case, its going to turn in to a mini heater.

Do you really need a micro build?

Not really I guess, Thought it would be fun to do as I have never built one before but I am open to suggestions for an ATX Case and motherboard : ).

Also that ram is Sexy and I thought fuck it might as well xD.

May I ask, is this for gaming? Or do you render videos etc. also?

The plan is to do both along with Photoshop work.

I'd consider spending a little more and getting the retail processor as you get the extra warranty but it shouldnt matter really

I was thinking about that and it makes sense to get the retail I guess.

 

[andrewmchugh]

Well you dont seem to care about money. I love this case, but the h100 will have to be swaped for a d14 or similar.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-168-SV

Comes in black too.

 

[Fractal]

Well you dont seem to care about money. I love this case, but the h100 will have to be swaped for a d14 or similar.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-168-SV

Comes in black too.

Not really a fan of the way the bigger silverstone cases look. I wanna get a case for no more than £120.

 

[Josh Weston]

Or, a Fractal Arc Mini?

 

[Fractal]

Or, a Fractal Arc Mini?

I was looking at that case and it seems like a pretty understated case. I was just looking at the http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-240-CM but putting a M-ATX board in the CM Storm Trooper would be kind of silly I was looking for a different motherboard and I found this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-513-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261 but if I was to use that motherboard it will ruin the whole red and black theme I wanted to go with so now im wondering if I should spring an extra £100 for the Maximus V Formula or that board. X_x.

 

[Josh Weston]

Understated's a bad thing?
And well, it's up to you, dude
M-ATX vs ATX is mainly just space constraints at work. If you could go ATX, there's no reason why you wouldn't.

 

[Fractal]

Understated's a bad thing?
And well, it's up to you, dude
M-ATX vs ATX is mainly just space constraints at work. If you could go ATX, there's no reason why you wouldn't.

I have the space for ATX I just thought it would be a good idea to go M-ATX but as someone pointed out I didn't think about the fact it would be like a room heater due to its small size.

I could put an M-ATX board in a CM Storm Trooper, but I guess it would be better if I did go for the Formula instead.

EDIT: So yeah when I started this thread I was going to do an M-ATX build but its turned into a Full Tower build xD.

Now I have on my list to buy is...

Gainward GTX 670
i7 3770k
Maximus V Formula
Dominator Platinum 16GB 1866MHz
AX 750w PSU and Red Replacement Cables
CM Storm Trooper
Corsair H100
Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD
Seagate 1TB HDD
x5 Red LED Silverstone Air Penetrators

So does anyone else have any thoughts on anything I should change?

 

[andrewmchugh]

Samsung 830 for the Corsair Force 3 - Sandforce... no tar.

 

[Fractal]

Samsung 830 for the Corsair Force 3 - Sandforce... no tar.

I though corsair made very reliable SSDs, sure the Samsung is cheaper but I've not heard about their SSDs before.

 

[Grizzly]

The 670 doesn't need a lot of power, and neither do Ivybridge processors.
You could get away with the AX650 as opposed to the AX750.

 

[andrewmchugh]

The 670 doesn't need a lot of power, and neither do Ivybridge processors.
You could get away with the AX650 as opposed to the AX750.

I was going to add that but the price difference is tiny.

 

[Fractal]

The 670 doesn't need a lot of power, and neither do Ivybridge processors.
You could get away with the AX650 as opposed to the AX750.

I know that but I want to take the PSU with me when I build the system after this so it's to give me a little head room for the future so to speak.

Edit: So would it be worth me going with the Samsung Drive over the Corsair as I just looked it up and apparently Samsung make very good drives and make all their components for the drives too.

 

[seumasbeathan]

I would personally suggest the Crucial M4 ssd, they currently have the lowest percentage of rma's

 

[AverageNinja]

Mate, I think you should swap the case. Not because it isn't a good case, in fact it's an epic case. But M-ATX in a full-tower would just look really, REALLY ugly.