ITX build

[youpla]

I want to build a small form factor PC, easy to transport and with enough power to play some games fairly decently.
So here is what i am thinking about for the rig:

Case: bitfenix prodigy
MB: asus itx p8z77-i deluxe
CPU: i5 3570k
SSD: crucial m4 128gb
RAM: corsair vengeance 1866mhz 8gb
Video: evga gtx 650 sc 2gb

For the cooling i am thinking of a h60 or h80?

Not going to build this rig very quickly so any inputs advices are more than welcome.

TIA

 

[rumblejack101]

I want to build a small form factor PC, easy to transport and with enough power to play some games fairly decently.
So here is what i am thinking about for the rig:

Case: bitfenix prodigy
MB: asus itx p8z77-i deluxe
CPU: i5 3570k
SSD: crucial m4 128gb
RAM: corsair vengeance 1866mhz 8gb
Video: evga gtx 650 sc 2gb

For the cooling i am thinking of a h60 or h80?

Not going to build this rig very quickly so any inputs advices are more than welcome.

TIA

What is your budget?

 

[andrewmchugh]

I would go with a better graphics card, everything in the system is great apart from that. Also I think I have seen h100s in that case before.

 

[youpla]

Budgetwise i would like to stay under 800 USD...
What about a 660ti then not oc?

 

[Josh Weston]

Trying to shop around on Newegg for you, and i'll be damned if I can fit this into a $800 budget.

$993 with $40 worth of Mail-in Rebates.

 

[youpla]

Thanks Josh,
Indeed i calculated using 1USD for 100JPY, it's actually closer to 900USD (80000JPY) budget. Wife will probably not scream (too much) as long as it stays below 100000JPY
I actually already have the PSU (550W) and the RAM.
But i actually forgot to count the cooling part though... I guess i will end up closer to 100k JPY

And is the MSI itx MB better than the Asus? I was checking a comparative test of several itx boards and the p8z77-i deluxe was on top!?

 

[Josh Weston]

The only reason I picked the MSI is that it was a fair bit cheaper on Newegg than the Asus. If you can get the Asus for a similar price, go for it
Happy building, dude.

 

[jamesriley94]

I'vbe built a couple of mate's systems in Prodigys recently, and I have to say, on ITX, things are a lot worse if you skimp out on components.

The cheaper ITX boards I've found offer next to no overclocking abilities. My mate's gigabyte has no voltage control options, and another mate on an ASrock sees similar things.

Also, with the power supply - cabling will be an absolute nightmare with a non-modular power supply.
Both mate's PCs I've built, we've used a Silverstone Strider 500w -
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w...onze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx-v23-
The first didn't use the short cable kit, the second did.

Without it, it makes things quite messy. You have to awkwardly put wires to the side of the PSU, and when you have cables having to come up for power to the motherboard, it does make things very awkward. The second did use the short cable kit:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silv...-cable-set-for-strider-series-psu-100-modular

That made things a lot easier, but even with those space is still tight.

I'd go with the P8Z77-i, 3570k and 500w silverstone strider.
An H100 will make things look a lot better than an h80, so I'd try and push for that, but if you need to save up a little more, even if it means running off stock for a few weeks/months, I'd try and push for an H100i.

Lastly, the graphics card...
Depending on how soon you're planning on building this, I don't really think we're able to recommend one. I'd say try and go for a 7950/7870 at the moment over the nvidia equivalents, but the next generation cards will be out in a few months, so it may be worth waiting to see how they perform - and even if you don't get one, the older versions should hopefully go down in price.

 

[youpla]

Thanks for the tip on the PSU james, i guess i better get a modular one then...
After checking some prodigy build on the net it seems that the h100 pr h100i fits very well in this case so i may go for that. Wonder if it is better to put it on the top or the front though...
I also heard that the audio on most of the itx board are not very good but the p8z77-i has better audio than the others.

 

[SmoulderingCircuits]

Personally, I'd say if it's a system that's likely to be tossed about in a boot and be picked up and plonked down every other hour of the day, it'd be advisable to avoid water cooling and a risk of shaking loose some aspect of the loop: with a heatsink you won't open your case at a LAN to find your video card covered in coolant.

 

[Josh Weston]

Personally, I'd say if it's a system that's likely to be tossed about in a boot and be picked up and plonked down every other hour of the day, it'd be advisable to avoid water cooling and a risk of shaking loose some aspect of the loop: with a heatsink you won't open your case at a LAN to find your video card covered in coolant.

I'd say that an enclosed loop such as a H100 is generally pretty reliable. There's far less weight on the CPU socket, which is a good thing if the system's going to experience bumps along the road.

 

[andrewmchugh]

Do you need both the 670s in the current machine? Why not split them until you see the prices of the next gen cards, or see if theres a price drop on the current gen.

 

[youpla]

True i could probably use one of my 670 and wait for new card or drop in price of the current ones... But i kinda like the fps i get with SLI and have to see if i can play again with lower fps on a single card

 

[Xayer]

Looks like it's going to be an interesting build, be sure to put up the work log/final build here on OC3D