Ugh, what would you do?

[AlienALX]

OK guys so here is the deal.

I'm currently gaming on my main PC with two Titan Blacks and a 4k monitor and am very happy with it. So far the only games I've played at 4k are Dying Light and BF4 (the latter doesn't look any better to me at 4k ) and both run a pretty solid 60 FPS maxed out with G-sync.

Any way I got a little paranoid about people saying that my GPUs weren't enough for 4k and sort of panic bought a third Titan Black. I got it cheaply enough (£390, so far less than a good 980) and was going to go Tri SLI with it but I'm already having remorse.

Obviously I can't send it back because it was a private sale and I'm loathe to sell it given how rare they are. A while back I shoved a 770 in between my Titans and the noise and temps shot through the roof. So I'm paranoid about tri SLI from a heat and noise perspective. Also, and I'm a total friggin dumb ass, I listened to people saying it was good these days and worked really well.

After looking around it clearly isn't that good and in some cases it's worse than what I have now.

So.

I have an ITX rig that I bought when I wasn't very well to play with. It's never even been used so yesterday I set up Windows on it and had a poke. I'm pretty sure I can overclock the Pentium Anniversary so now I'm thinking use the third Titan and build a pocket rocket.

I don't like the 250D, I feel it's too big to be an ITX chassis so was thinking maybe a Rajintek Metis or something similar (like the SS FT03 mini).

What would you do?

The board I bought is pretty good (B85N Phoenix) and I have a damn good PSU for it (Corsair RM 750) and so on.

I really have absolutely no idea what cases are any good. I know the FT03 is ok and would hold the Titan Black OK but I'd rather something a bit more modern.

So help me ! I have absolutely no clue about ITX, so what cases would allow me to fit all of the hardware? Hadron? air? water? any others you can think of?

Posts merged

Or option 43789078902347892304 - throw it in the power mac

 

[tinytomlogan]

Id personally stick with two - 3 can cause a butt load more problems, but most of all based on your other posts is going to be the need to go full water with 3 but lets face it in 2 way SLI things are dandy right now.

If I was going to build a rig for someone with 'no budget' Id still advise dual cards just because of my experience with multi card set ups and their quirks.

Ill edit in about ITX

Cases are a hard call because of airflow - you may have to get used to the idea that its never going to be 'as good' as an ATX case if you want something compact. Prodigy, Air240 and the Node are all keywords for both google search and the OC3D review search.

There are a few ITX/MATX cross over cases that will give you more breathing room but obviously take up more space.

Be much easier to work out whats what when we know if its performance or "honey I shrunk the kids" kinda size youre after

 

[JR23]

I wouldn't run three cards without watercooling, just no, and even then it's not about the performance. One or Two cards is the way forwards for gaming especially on air.

I would definitely build a Titan Black ITX rig if I had one standing me at sub £400 though! A Parvum X1.0 would get my vote, as you say it has to be genuinely small unlike the 250D. Depends how many rigs you realistically need too

JR

 

[barnsley]

I'd go for a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX. It has plenty of future upgrades and even some rad support.

I currently run a very restrictive ITX case (InWin 901) and if you value a bit of quiet under load, I'd go for one of the 'bigger' ITX cases.
Or you could get a case that supports two motherboards.


-edit-
if you really don't care about money in the slightest and want something that is even more of a pretty window then a functioning case, you could spend £215 and get this Lian Li case. Not that I'd really recommend spending that much on a small aluminium case (My 901 was £180 ) but it does stand out.

 

[AlienALX]

Yeah I saw that Barnsley, she's a beaut !

Good call on Parvum JR I forgot all about that tbh. I might even go with a Caselabs, if I get over the idea of customs giving me one up the Khyber.

And you're all right of course, it would have to be full water and for the 30% absolute max gains I would get it's not worth it.

So definitely sold on the idea of ITX now given all I need is a case. Would be nice to have one I can throw in a ruck sack and take over my mum's house when I stay there.

 

[barnsley]

So definitely sold on the idea of ITX now given all I need is a case. Would be nice to have one I can throw in a ruck sack and take over my mum's house when I stay there.

If you don't care about not being able to see the card, try the Silverstone RVZ01. Its a very good case to carry around with.

 

[AlienALX]

If you don't care about not being able to see the card, try the Silverstone RVZ01. Its a very good case to carry around with.

Good idea but wouldn't work for me. Well it would if I bought a SFX PSU and new cooler for the CPU but that would soon add up.

Right now I'm seriously tempted to order a Caselabs Mercury. It would work out around £250 which is a lot but what a gorgeous little rig it would make for.

Then of course there's the Hadron Air which can be bought for a shade over £110.

 

[JR23]

Good idea but wouldn't work for me. Well it would if I bought a SFX PSU and new cooler for the CPU but that would soon add up.

Right now I'm seriously tempted to order a Caselabs Mercury. It would work out around £250 which is a lot but what a gorgeous little rig it would make for.

Then of course there's the Hadron Air which can be bought for a shade over £110.

Wut, the Caselabs is massive and really expensive,the two things you've said you want to avoid. The best SFX PSU on the market is like ~£100 and you'll probably need a different cooler for any ITX build.

JR

 

[tinytomlogan]

Dont forget with ITX it might even be an option to get a riser card or PCIE 'cable' if you dont want to have it on water but still aid cooling?


If youre going SFX (assuming the psu is) http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=527&area=en

Thats the only one I know of with a 120mm fan rather than 80 or 92

 

[AlienALX]

Wut, the Caselabs is massive and really expensive,the two things you've said you wanted to avoid. The best SFX PSU on the market is like ~£100 and you'll probably need a different cooler for any ITX build.

JR

Hmm true. I gotta say, I really like the Rajintek. I think I could help it out, too. I'm thinking this.



With something like this cut into the top maybe?



Surely that would dramatically increase air flow. It's also cheap, £45 or so all in.

I can get it in white and then I would braid the Corsair PSU to green and white.

 

[tinytomlogan]

I posted on the page before - re cables though.

Both corsair and cablemod do kits for the RM's etc in green that are plug and play

 

[AlienALX]

Yeah choices are heavily limited on SFX PSU tbh.

I'm really starting to lean toward a modded Rajintek now. Mayhem does some really, really nice 240 Grills and the GPU would lie right along the vented area. Then there are white Phobya ones that could really lend to a green and white colour scheme and I've never done anything in green and white before.

Basically the Rajintek is alu, £40 all in and about the same as a Hadron and I can use my RM 750 in it (I think )

Well pumped now. Something I can chuck under my arm and travel around with with some seriously big gnashers. I know the Pentium Anni isn't that good but with DX12 and the fact I only want it for Fallout 3 (which only uses two cores or crashes) it could be perfect.

Even better, my TV isn't a TV. I got a 65" 4k monitor by Hisense and man, it's bloody lovely. Would be awesome to tap into that for gaming.

Posts merged

I posted on the page before - re cables though.

Both corsair and cablemod do kits for the RM's etc in green that are plug and play

Ooo really ! now you're talking !

I've never cheated before but tbh I am getting tired of braiding. My finger tips are rock hard from being burnt and cut lmao.

I only need a few cables too tbh. 24, 4 pin, two PCIE and that's about it.

Yup I think it's going to have to be modded Rajintek. I got a lovely choice of colours and options too. Heck, some are only about £30.

 

[Warchild]

Ooo really ! now you're talking !

I've never cheated before but tbh I am getting tired of braiding. My finger tips are rock hard from being burnt and cut lmao.

I only need a few cables too tbh. 24, 4 pin, two PCIE and that's about it.

Yup I think it's going to have to be modded Rajintek. I got a lovely choice of colours and options too. Heck, some are only about £30.

Pexon PCs do some outstanding work with cabling. They are working on mine at the moment, and I think they also did TTLs RED 40/WD40 cabling. (please correct me if I am wrong TTL)

I have had them do my previous builds. top quality, top customer service and all round nice guy.

 

[AlienALX]

Pexon PCs do some outstanding work with cabling. They are working on mine at the moment, and I think they also did TTLs RED 40/WD40 cabling. (please correct me if I am wrong TTL)

I have had them do my previous builds. top quality, top customer service and all round nice guy.

Yeah James is boss.

Shakmods are pretty good too, I used them when I did my purple rig.

I think I'm fully decided on specs now. I'm also pretty much decided on case and what sort of direction I want to go in so once I've made my mind up on the colour scheme and mods I will start a project log.

We got our TV back in December and I've still yet to hook a PC into it, so this could be the ideal time.

 

[tinytomlogan]

The cablemod stuff is paracord - direct replacement and actually cheaper than the corsair ones....

I did use Pexon for the server stuff though - even though I got a lot of flack having a custom server

 

[AlienALX]

The cablemod stuff is paracord - direct replacement and actually cheaper than the corsair ones....

I did use Pexon for the server stuff though - even though I got a lot of flack having a custom server

Does James use paracord? I really don't like that nylon stuff, it's all shiny.

I think with the Hadron you're pretty much stuck, though I could always mod it myself using the paracord I ordered. I've got black sitting around here too.

 

[tinytomlogan]

The Stuff I got from pex was the nylon based stuff, wouldnt hurt to ask if he can supply other braids

 

[JR23]

Does James use paracord? I really don't like that nylon stuff, it's all shiny.

I think with the Hadron you're pretty much stuck, though I could always mod it myself using the paracord I ordered. I've got black sitting around here too.

Pexon has an unimaginable amount of different sleeves, colors and patterns including loads of Paracord

JR

 

[AlienALX]

Been thinking about the Parvum and read a review of it yesterday. Not really for me sadly. I would need an AIO really the same as the FT03 mini.