Mini-ITX Build!

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CFCParadox

Junior Member
Aug 13, 2013
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First post on the forums! I've been a long time AnandTech viewer though and I'm excited to join the community.

Right now I am looking for parts for a mini-ITX build. I would like to go Haswell but I am not completely up to date with what is available and what would be best for my budget. Currently I have 4 Samsung 840 Pro drives, a stick of 4GB RAM Kingston HyperX and an OS I can use. I would like to go with the Core i5-4670k or the Core i7-4770k to do some mild overclocking.

What board, GFX Card, cooler and chassis would you guys recommend?

Requirements:

- Board must have built in wireless
- I would only like to go Haswell

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

Gaming and Video Editing

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1250 - $1500

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

U.S.A and Canada

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.

Intel
nVidia

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

1920 x 1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

ASAP
 
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wb182

Senior member
Nov 15, 2004
281
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They're going to tell you to answer the questions in the sticky, and they're right. But I'm going to use this opportunity to advertise this ITX case that I just "bought": http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ncase-m1-mini-itx-pc-case/x/4315802

Of course, I probably won't get it until December/January, but it is a beauty.

What's the use for this computer? gaming? if so, what GPU if any are you using today as a baseline for performance expectations?

You can get a Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI + 4670k for under $350, so the remaining $650 is for your GPU, add'l RAM, PSU, and case.

An SG05 w/ 450w PSU = $125
GTX 760 or AMD 7950 = $260ish
RAM = $60 Team Vulcan (fresh 2x4GB rather than trying to match your Kingston)

That leaves, what? $190 for a decent monitor? That's certainly doable.
 
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wb182

Senior member
Nov 15, 2004
281
0
76
i just noticed my mobo recommendation doesn't have a VGA port. I have no idea if a Haswell ITX motherboard exists with VGA and wifi, but I'm sure others will chime in if it does.
 
P

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
Shove a MITX motherboard in a small case and overclock it. Nothing can go wrong with that. Keep in mind clearance needed for any CPU Cooler.

Here is a somewhat small Case.
LIAN LI PC-Q28B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112402
$114.

A lot depends what kind of case you have in mind.

Some people like these BitFenix cases. Colors of the rainbow.
The motherboard sits Horizontal. May not fit in with your living room stereo, but it also comes in black, red, greet, blue, etc. Might be able to fit in a water cooler on top. Some colors are cheaper. The Power supply area does have limits in size.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811345017

Asus motherboard with VGA
H87
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132032
ASUS H87I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard With UEFI BIOS $110.99 + shipping

Some of the motherboards with DVI may be adaptable to VGA as well.
 
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ElFenix

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,408
8,596
126
4 840 pros? trade some of those for some more ram

and why the need for a VGA port? what specific hardware are you using that requires one (sony FW900?) ? you're asking for a graphics card as well, so are you trying to drive more monitors?



wb182 said:
They're going to tell you to answer the questions in the sticky, and they're right. But I'm going to use this opportunity to advertise this ITX case that I just "bought": http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ncase-m1-mini-itx-pc-case/x/4315802
Click to expand...


such a shame they couldn't get the M3A2 case going.

edit: and that's not an uITX case, as it has 3 slots. uITX only has 1. miniDTX has 2. this is a unique format. :colbert:

/pedantic
 
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CFCParadox

Junior Member
Aug 13, 2013
8
0
0
ElFenix said:
4 840 pros? trade some of those for some more ram

and why the need for a VGA port? what specific hardware are you using that requires one (sony FW900?) ? you're asking for a graphics card as well, so are you trying to drive more monitors?






such a shame they couldn't get the M3A2 case going.

edit: and that's not an uITX case, as it has 3 slots. uITX only has 1. miniDTX has 2. this is a unique format. :colbert:

/pedantic
Click to expand...

I've been wanting to put them in RAID0 as I do a lot of video editing and gaming and really enjoy having nice IO. I was also planning on getting another stick of RAM to make it 8GB. I've scrapped my requirement for the VGA port and I plan on using a dual monitor setup.
 
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T_Yamamoto

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
126
what kind of video editing? like professional work or just casual.

if you're going to do professional work (like if this is for money), you should go with 16gb of RAM, also, check if the software supports cuda computering/whatever Radeon computering
 
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CFCParadox

Junior Member
Aug 13, 2013
8
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T_Yamamoto said:
what kind of video editing? like professional work or just casual.

if you're going to do professional work (like if this is for money), you should go with 16gb of RAM, also, check if the software supports cuda computering/whatever Radeon computering
Click to expand...

It is just casually and I will be sure to check that out.
 
Torn Mind

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
12,086
2,774
136
The Cooler Master is not one of the better cases in terms of thermal performance, but it is nice-looking. Then again, Haswell isn't exactly going to hit those really high clocks anyway.
 
T_Yamamoto

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
126
He's gonna need a big mitx case.

First thing I would recommend is a motherboard. The gigabyte boards seem like a good fit. The have on board WiFi via msata (I believe). And they're fairly well designed.

How about going mATX?
 
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CFCParadox

Junior Member
Aug 13, 2013
8
0
0
Based on everyone's feedback and research here is what I have planned:

Gigabyte Z87N
Silverstone SG05BB-450
Another stick of Kingston HyperX Genesis 4GB RAM
Noctua NH-L12
GTX 670 GeForce Direct CU Mini

What are everyone's thoughts so far?
 
T_Yamamoto

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
126
Is the mini priced higher than the regular 670s?

The mini isn't really worth it when a regular sized card can fit
 
Agent11

Agent11

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2006
3,535
1
0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811345021
BitFenix Prodigy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813132028
ASUS Z87I-DELUXE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171079
COOLER MASTER V850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131493
PowerColor AX7990 6GBD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1401782
Intel Core i7-4770S Haswell 3.1GHz LGA 1150 65W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770S
bundled with:
1x Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB)

$1,504.94
If you have storage, monitor, and OS this is the route I would go. Going with the 4770K wouldn't be any problem though.
 
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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
CFCParadox said:
Based on everyone's feedback and research here is what I have planned:

Gigabyte Z87N
Silverstone SG05BB-450
Another stick of Kingston HyperX Genesis 4GB RAM
Noctua NH-L12
GTX 670 GeForce Direct CU Mini

What are everyone's thoughts so far?
Click to expand...

I hadn't seen the Direct CU Mini before, that's a pretty cool little card! The price is a little high for 670-class performance at $295 AR, but that's the price you pay for a niche product. I think it's fine in this case (pun intended).

Be sure to check out Amazon for the case, they are nearly always a little lower than Newegg on Silverstone parts for whatever reason.
 
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CFCParadox

Junior Member
Aug 13, 2013
8
0
0
Agent11 said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811345021
BitFenix Prodigy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813132028
ASUS Z87I-DELUXE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171079
COOLER MASTER V850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131493
PowerColor AX7990 6GBD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1401782
Intel Core i7-4770S Haswell 3.1GHz LGA 1150 65W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770S
bundled with:
1x Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB)

$1,504.94
If you have storage, monitor, and OS this is the route I would go. Going with the 4770K wouldn't be any problem though.
Click to expand...

What about the CPU cooler?
 
Agent11

Agent11

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2006
3,535
1
0
CFCParadox said:
What about the CPU cooler?
Click to expand...

Whatever floats your boat, I would not get a sleave bearing fan though as they die too quickly.

You have 170mm height clearance to play with on the prodigy and LGA1150, LGA1155, and LGA1156 all share the same mounting configuration. Just be mindful of the heat sinks and memory slots on your motherboard when choosing one.

Or you could just use the intel heatsink and replace it later if you find it intolerable.
 
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ShintaiDK

ShintaiDK

Lifer
Apr 22, 2012
20,378
146
106
You dont need inbuildt wifi. You just need a mPCIe slot like most boards got, and you can then buy the best wifi there is for like 25$ instead of having to settle for some junk.
 
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