Mini ITX gaming build

[yachov]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Gaming @ 1920x1080 on 120hz 70' living room TV

2. What YOUR budget is. 15-1600$

3. What country: USA

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US: X

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. I prefer Intel and Nvidia

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Current copy Win 8 64bit home, Sharp 70'' 1080 120hz lcd led

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. small cpu overclocks without changing voltage etc

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1920x1080 native on the big screen9. WHEN do you plan to build it? As soon as Anandtech forum gurus say its good to go.

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? Xbone for blu Ray, Windows key provided by family member

I have an external Asus usb 2.0 drive to install windows and games on. I'm ordering the $40 chrome color xbox 360 wireless controller to game on. And I have the $30 wireless keyboard and mouse combo I purchased last year from a local store.

Thanks for your time. I'm looking to make sure all the parts are compatible and if there are better alternatives. Most of the parts I've researched are pretty quiet (which is important to me since it is going to be a media center box in the living room).

I understand that the 780gtx is somewhat overkill to game on @ 1920x1080, but I want max settings for games out now, and the titles on their way by the end of the year and hopefully next summer as well.

I might buy a 27'' Asus 1920x1080 monitor next year to game on in 3d but who knows. That's not in the budget yet.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.23 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($418.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($98.97 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1255.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 10:30 EDT-0400

 

[Termie]

Welcome to the forums!

I recently built a similar mini-ITX system (see sig), and can provide you a few tips:

(1) Ditch the H100i. It's the opposite of quiet. And furthermore, it's totally unnecessary in a build like this. What you want is a nice quiet cooler like the Noctua NH-L12.

(2) Are you set on the Corsair 250D? It's big and oddly-shaped. You can get the same amount of power into a Cooler Master Elite 130.

(3) Ditch the WD Black. It's loud and expensive. Go for a Blue and use the $20 you'll save to go towards doubling the size of that SSD. Way better use of funds.

(4) The Asus GTX 780 is very quiet, but it will dump huge amounts of heat into the case. Not ideal for mini-ITX. I'd at least consider an externally-exhausting model based on the Nvidia reference design.

Everything else looks good. Excellent PSU, motherboard, and processor. Fine RAM too.

 

[Kenmitch]

(1) Ditch the H100i. It's the opposite of quiet. And furthermore, it's totally unnecessary in a build like this. What you want is a nice quiet cooler like the Noctua NH-L12.

I'll agree that if one just drops it in loads the software and picks the performance mode it tends to be very loud....Thing is it doesn't need to be.

I'm running mine in the quiet mode with my 4690k @4.2Ghz. Running something like Intel Burn Test it'll top out around 70c which seems like a unrealistic real world temp.

Guess it could be considered overkill in a mITX build tho.

(2) Are you set on the Corsair 250D? It's big and oddly-shaped. You can get the same amount of power into a Cooler Master Elite 130.

The Corsair 250D is a pretty solid choice for his intended build as long as he like the look and the size of it.

The Elite 130 is kind of cheaply made and not really in the same league as the 250D.

 

[yachov]

Thanks guys for the input. I'm going to swap out the WD black for the blue, but hold onto the 250D (I like the look).

I've never played with liquid cooling and the h100i seems like a happy medium regarding effort and utility. I'll just keep it on low if it's noticeable, but I doubt that it would be.

Pushing the button, and placing the order. Cheers!

 

[mfenn]

IMHO, going for a 128 GB SSD is a mistake unless you're on a very strict budget. You're not, so I would recommend a ~256GB drive like the MX100 256GB for $115.