[Build] Micro Marvel

P

Paradogma

New member
Hi all, first post here (lurked for a while now).

I've been working as a System Builder/Integrator and qualified Computer Systems Engineer for about 15 years, and LOVE building nice systems.

I have been commissioned to build a very portable and LAN-able box for a good mate, and decided I might actually document it, as its probably going to be one of the few early (fairly) high performance builds in the BitFenix Prodigy case.


The Kit is as follows:

ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini ITX Motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600K
Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3
Sapphire Radeon HD7970 3GB
SanDisk Extreme Solid State Drive 120GB
2x Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB WD2002FAEX
Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition Case Fan Twin Pack
Corsair Hydro Series H100 CPU Cooler
Corsair HX-850 Power Supply
BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Black Fan
BitFenix Prodigy Black

You'll note the utter lack of LED's ... neither he nor myself like them much... :P


Just waiting for the money to hit my bank now...
 
A: this isnt a project log yet is it...........

B: The H100 cooling would lead me to think overclocking is on the cards....

If so you need a 2700K or the 3770K. All the new 2600K's are just speed binned, ie: they were NOT* good enough to be 2700K's ;)
 
Also the HX850 is overkill as you cant ever even add crossfire in the future. Be far better going to an AX650.

whats the rig even for?
 
Welcome to the Forums and good luck with your build. Please post lots of pics and get things rolling soon.

Did your mate you're building the case for set the spec, or did you advise him of the spec above and essentially choose it for him?
 
He spoke to the local computer shop... *sigh* They convinced him "there's no point paying extra for the 2700K"

I've been TRYING to get him to change a few things, but not a huge amount of luck as yet...

And an OC is definitely on the cards
 
Last edited:
Paradogma said:
He spoke to the local computer shop... *sigh*

I've been TRYING to get him to change a few things, but not a huge amount of luck as yet...

And an OC is definitely on the cards
Click to expand...

Well tell him to come on here, and we'll talk him out of it :)

1) No point in getting an i7 for a LAN rig, just a waste of money as no programs he'll use will utilise the hyperthreading. Get a 3570k.
2) No point in getting 16gb of RAM for a LAN rig as no more than 8gb will ever be used.
3) Does he really need 4TB of storage space...? Plus an SSD...
4) As I said earlier, the HX850 is a massive, pointless overkill. Drop to an AX650.
5) May be better going for a GTX 670 and clocking the hell out of it.


With money saved from that, you should be able to upgrade other parts, such as the SSD. If moneys there, get an Intel 520. If not, I'd still recommend changing the SSD to a Crucial M4.

With that, I've just saved you around £200, for no performance decrease whatsoever.
 
Yes, for other stuff too... LAN-able != Lan only...

Hence the decent amounts of storage, and the i7 and the 16gb ram

can you imagine using a machine every DAY that only had 8gb ?
 
I'm unsure whether you're being sarcastic or actually think 'the more RAM the better' and 'i7 is always going to perform better than an i5 at everything'...

If the latter, probably explains why you have the 3930k yourself.
 
Actually, I build VM's for businesses, so having 32GB ram and a 6 core makes a helluva lot of sense for me.

And considering the price difference between 8GB and 16GB, why would you settle for less ?
 
And I thought 4gb was enough for me :L

What is he going to be using the rig for, if it's just gaming then an i5 and 8gb if ram will be more than fine, if he's doing editing, photoshop etc then an i7 and 16gb of ram may be needed
 
seumasbeathan said:
And I thought 4gb was enough for me :L

What is he going to be using the rig for, if it's just gaming then an i5 and 8gb if ram will be more than fine, if he's doing editing, photoshop etc then an i7 and 16gb of ram may be needed
Click to expand...


the first and ONLY person to question WHAT it is going to be used for...

Kudos and Karma to you !!!
 
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