Micro Gaming Rig under 1k

[chevmaro]

I need help picking hardware for a micro gaming rig. I already have a power supply but I will be buying everything else. Also will my Antec Quattro 1k fit in this little qpack?
Here is what I got picked.
Product Description Savings Total Price
Product Description Savings Total Price

APEVIA X-QPACK2-BK/500 Black Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply
Item #: N82E16811144139
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$99.99


HIS H585FN1GD Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...
Item #: N82E16814161330
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$299.99
$269.99


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
Item #: N82E16820231277
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$92.99


EVGA P55V 120-LF-E651-TR LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813188064
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge.(more info)
• 1 year: $9.99
• 2 year: $16.99
-$20.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$94.99
$74.99


Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3540
Item #: N82E16819115221
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty
The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge.(more info)
• 1 year: $16.99
• 2 year: $25.99
$124.99


G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series FM-25S2S-120GBP2 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820231378
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

 

[darkewaffle]

Those selections look fine, but I would definitely go with an i5-750 (quad) over the i3. It's only going to run you about $65 more in exchange for two more cores and pretty significant performance gains in a number of games. Also there's a combo deal for it with your mobo

Also I prefer GSkill ECO to the Ripjaws, lower voltage and great performers.

 

[mfenn]

IIRC the Quattro is pretty damn long, so I would be worried about whether or not it will clear the ODD cage on the QPACK. Needless to say, a 1KW PSU is also complete overkill for such a system.

I agree with Darke about the CPU, and would add that the GTX 460 1GB has performance similar to the 5850, but will run you about $40 less.

 

[chevmaro]

IIRC the Quattro is pretty damn long, so I would be worried about whether or not it will clear the ODD cage on the QPACK. Needless to say, a 1KW PSU is also complete overkill for such a system.

I agree with Darke about the CPU, and would add that the GTX 460 1GB has performance similar to the 5850, but will run you about $40 less.

I agree the 1k psu is overkill but I already have it. It is farily new and a good psu i have laying around. I'll look at the GTX 460. Another option would be to use this HD4870 I already have and get another one for crossfire. Would that be better then a 460 or 5850? Would that be too much heat for a little case? I chose i3 because of less power then the i5 and less then the amd cpu's.


I also thought about saving some coin on the SSD and maybe just get a single raptor and a better video card. This machine is for gaming ONLY. I wont be doing much else.

 

[mfenn]

I agree the 1k psu is overkill but I already have it. It is farily new and a good psu i have laying around. I'll look at the GTX 460. Another option would be to use this HD4870 I already have and get another one for crossfire. Would that be better then a 460 or 5850? Would that be too much heat for a little case? I chose i3 because of less power then the i5 and less then the amd cpu's.


I also thought about saving some coin on the SSD and maybe just get a single raptor and a better video card. This machine is for gaming ONLY. I wont be doing much else.

OK, I figured that you knew, but I just wanted to mention it to be sure.

I would definitely stick with the 460 or 5850 over a Crossfire 4870 setup, especially in a small case. Does the case really need to be that small? A normal mid-tower like an Antec Three Hundred won't have any PSU clearance issues and will be cheaper to boot.

The 30W that you save by going for a dual-core over a quad-core is not worth it IMHO. With the Nehalem's power-gating technology, the other cores are not even powered when they're not in use anyway. The TDP is just a theoretical maximum amount of power that the chip can draw. A quad-core maxing out 2 cores will use about the same amount of power as a dual-core that's maxing out 2 cores.

For gaming only, I could definitely see dropping the SSD and the Raptor. A fast 7.2K drive like a Samsung F3 or WD Black is nearly as fast as a Raptor for loading games anyway.

 

[WildW]

I feel compelled to voice a warning about the QPACK (unless its had a major redesign in the last year or so since I had one. Because of the way everything is arranged, installing some things can be tricky, and if you're likely to swap things like graphics cards often you get some tricky situations.

For instance, there is a crossbar that runs front-to-back across the case and is directly above the graphics card PCIe slot. This means that changing the graphics card means removing the motherboard tray. Removing the motherboard tray is fine (it slides out the back of the case), so long as you have a low cpu heatsink, otherwise the tray won't slide in/out of the case. You can end up with the situation that means you have to remove/reinstall the CPU cooler every time you want to change a card.

Alternatively you can temporarily remove the PSU (from above the cards) and install from above - if not for the crossbar above the graphics card. Eventually in mine I cut slots in the crossbar and bent it up out of the way when I wanted to change GPU. Also note that if you want a remotely large CPU cooler you will have to install it with the motherboard tray already slid into the case, which can be awkward. I (had to) cut some of the metal away to make my larger CPU heatsink fit.

Unfortunately my X-QPack ended up modified to bits, and they're sort of flimsy to begin with. It's a shame because its a nice size case (not many other mATX cases are so compact), and cooling can be great as removing the transparent plastic panels. Very mod-friendly case.

If interested, see the mods I did to mine in my old thread - pics in the first post. http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=295856

 

[Zap]

will my Antec Quattro 1k fit in this little qpack?

Yes, if you don't use an optical drive.