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Check my ITX gaming build

Yuriman

Yuriman

Diamond Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Strictly gaming

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$1200 hard limit, lower is better

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
US

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
No preference

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Have mouse + keyboard

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No overclocking

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
No firm decision, thinking 1080P 27"

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
Within one week

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Windows 8.1 x64

~~

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mcxy3C

$720 with operating system, feedback wanted

~~

I'm building a gaming rig for my sister. She's seen mine, and is pretty excited at the idea of building a tiny ITX gaming computer. She's in the military and expects to have somewhat limited space, so the smaller the better.

Her expectations aren't incredibly high, so I'm thinking a 960 + 1080P screen will be about right. I feel an i3 is sufficient and a decent match for the video card, freeing up some budget for a nice set of headphones / speakers and a good screen, while staying under $1000.

I already have an open thread on the video card, and the Zotac model seems to fit the bill nicely. There are some 970's that will fit in the case, but space is at a premium and the heat output might be too much, especially since NV lately has been greatly exceeding their TDPs.

This is the screen I am considering, because I have experience with it and was fairly impressed. LG has this screen for $40 less, but the aesthetics don't seem as good to me.

I have no idea what's good these days for under $100 for headphones or speakers.

Thoughts/feedback?
 
Regarding the monitor, keep in mind that a 27" screen is big, and that's going to be the limiting factor in terms of portability here. You could go up to a MicroATX case, and a 27" screen would still be the issue.

The build itself looks OK to me. The GTX 960 isn't a great price/performance card, but it does run cooler than the AMD equivalents.
 
I'll run it past her, but I don't see a 27 being that much more difficult to move than a 24 or 23. Recommendations at those sizes? Thoughts on other components?

As far as video cards go, the 285 seems a bit power hungry, just like the 970, and the 960 is faster than a 270x.
 
Yuriman said:
She's in the military and expects to have somewhat limited space, so the smaller the better.
Click to expand...
Say, [thread=2417090]we have a thread on that[/thread]. Out of those cases I'm considering the SG05 for myself. (It includes a PSU.) The ncase m1 is even better, but impossible to get. Your case looks nice too, but I can't find the dimensions anywhere online! 😕

AnandTech likes the Transcend SSD370 if its relatively high power draw isn't an issue. But an MX100 is more of a known quantity; people haven't tested this new controller as much yet.
 
Yuriman said:
I'll run it past her, but I don't see a 27 being that much more difficult to move than a 24 or 23. Recommendations at those sizes? Thoughts on other components?
Click to expand...

The monitor is best moved in its original box where it's properly protected... and boxes for 27" monitors are definitely a lot bulkier than ones for 23-24" monitors. On the other hand, my 27" monitor's box comes with a carry handle, while my 24" one's doesn't...

I have no idea what's good these days for under $100 for headphones or speakers.
Click to expand...

HyperX Cloud II $100
 
Ken g6 said:
Say, [thread=2417090]we have a thread on that[/thread]. Out of those cases I'm considering the SG05 for myself. (It includes a PSU.) The ncase m1 is even better, but impossible to get. Your case looks nice too, but I can't find the dimensions anywhere online! 😕

AnandTech likes the Transcend SSD370 if its relatively high power draw isn't an issue. But an MX100 is more of a known quantity; people haven't tested this new controller as much yet.
Click to expand...

Without feet and excluding the little plastic cover over the expansion slot screws, my case is 275mm (L) x 188mm (W) x 240mm (H), similar to this case. With, it's more like 285 x 188 x 254.

I think I'll give that SSD a shot.
 
I think that screen size with full hd just isn't worth it (especially if she has space restrictions or might have to keep it too close to her face) but it's really a matter of what she's used to.
With full hd 24'' is the max for me.
 
I like the BenQ VA panel displays more than any IPS or TN that I've ever owned.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA24G1R19564


I especially hate the IPS black "glow." VA panels tend to handle blacks multitudes better than IPS or TN.

What VA panels give up is super-low response times, but I really question how much of a difference people can really tell. I've had several of my buddies play CS on my rig and there is absolutely no difference in how well they perform (and they don't notice lag).

They all remark how much better the colors and contrast are compared to their TN panels, though.

The monitor you listed has a dimmable backlight and a very high contrast ratio, though, so maybe I'm just behind the times. It's probably quite nice.

I personally would drop a little extra and get a 970. I don't think heat will be an issue, as the 960 and 970 are rated very similarly for power draw. It's a much higher performing GPU for the money. If you think it will be an issue, just pick up a couple of higher performance case fans with the build. It's usually pretty easy to double the CFM vs stock case fans for very little money.
 
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Thanks Stringjam. I've been using a pair of BenQ FP241W since 2006, and I'll consider a VA panel for her too.
 
After speaking with her, I'd like some recommendations on 22" and 24" screens as well. Acer seems to be the only current manufacturer with VA panels at 24", and HP at 22":

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009656
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824113040

At 21-22", these two IPS screens look reasonable and are quite cheap:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009628
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005588

IPS at 23-24" seems to have a lot more competition. I'm unfamiliar with AOC as a brand, but their screens, along with Acer, seem to be the lowest priced for their rated specs.
 
Acer and AOC are both similar budget brands. Their monitors have good panels relative to the cost, but the suffer in terms of quality control (color and backlight uniformity, etc) and stand quality. Basically, they are perfectly fine if you are on a budget and know what you're getting.

Right now, the best deal in the 22-23" range looks to be this LG 23MP55HQ-P for $130.
 
I have the lesser (to the one Yuri listed) Acer 24" panel on my game computer upstairs, it's a decent panel for sure but it is not my Samsung panel. I also have a 20" Acer (G205HV) on my desktop right next to my 20" Samsung... and the difference is night and day. If you are sensitive to eyestrain or just demand a good picture, don't cheap out on the monitor.
 
Shall I try to push a Dell Ultrasharp on her, perhaps?
Click to expand...
I have a giant crush on 16:10 monitors so I would recommend an amazon warehouse deal on the dell u2412m. Comes in at < $200. Both of the current ones are repackaged but undamaged and with all accessories.

The u2415 is certainly nice also (probably nicER!), but I don't think it's nice enough to justify +$100.

Also, I noticed that in your pcpartpicker your motherboard is from Microcenter and your CPU is from outletPC? Do you actually have a microcenter nearby?
 
I'm ordering from Newegg, I just added those to pcpartpicker as a way to show the build easily.

I'm a big fan of 16:10 screens too, so thank you for the suggestion. 🙂
 
Yuriman said:
Shall I try to push a Dell Ultrasharp on her, perhaps? Newegg has this one for $210:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA6R42AH7073

I may be able to find some coupons to get it a bit cheaper elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, that monitor isn't actually an Ultrasharp. Its not bad, and the build quality is definitely a step up from Acer, AOC, and the low-end LG's, but it's not built to the same standard as an Ultrasharp.

If you're willing to go used, the Amazon warehouse deal that Essence pointed out is definitely a better value.
 
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