£500 build around ml07

Phildebeest

Phildebeest

Phildebeest

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11 Nov 2009
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Hi guys, after a light gaming htpc. Mainly for playing a few games on high settings and ultimately for xbmc it's to settle in the living room in the entertainment unit and must please the lady hence the ml07. Pref quadcore, no overclocking. I'm after as silent as possible. Don't require peripherals but do need an os. Budget £500.
Cheers people.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD Kaveri 7850K 12 Compute Core APU w/ Radeon R7 Graphics (4 CPU + 8 GPU Compute Cores) - Retail £119.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A88XN-WIFI AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x BeQuiet SFX Power 2 400W '80 Plus Bronze' SFX Power Supply £53.99
1 x Silverstone SST-ML07B Milo Mini ITX Case - Black £51.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £47.99
Total : £531.48 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).




YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £99.95
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Sapphire Radeon R7 250X 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £59.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
1 x BeQuiet SFX Power 2 400W '80 Plus Bronze' SFX Power Supply £53.99
1 x Silverstone SST-ML07B Milo Mini ITX Case - Black £51.95
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD38G1600HC11DC01) £41.99
Total : £544.43 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).




The i3 has four threads.

Noise-wise it would take spending quite a bit more to get it as quiet as possible. For example going for a passive video card:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Palit GeForce GTX 750TI KalmX SILENT 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £119.99
1 x Palit GeForce GTX 750 KalmX SILENT 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £99.95
Total : £229.54 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).




And adding an aftermarket low-profile CPU cooler that will fit.

Having no mech drive will help a lot with noise but I don't know if you'll be fine with just 250GB. You could also bring the spec closer to budget if you don't mind a larger mech drive in place of the SSD.

Went for a 400W PSU instead of 300W so the fan doesn't spin up as much.

I've checked the official limitations for video card length/width and all video cards listed in this post do conform. But only just when it comes to the Palit 750/Ti. Buy at your own risk or after obtaining confirmation from Silverstone or OcUK (or a forum member who owns an SST-ML07) that it will all fit.

Could get more bang for the buck if the case was micro-ATX and could fit a normal ATX PSU. Also, have a look online for the MSI Z87i AC motherboard (not the Gaming model). Some bargains to be had. Z87 is a better chipset than H81 if you go with Intel. And you could then change the RAM to a 2133/2400MHz kit. It'll make no difference except in a handful of games, though.

Now, the i3-4160 is a "Haswell refresh" that came out after the first Z87/H81 etc mobos. Depending on the mobo manufacturing age, it may not be compatible without a BIOS flash (compatible CPU needed to flash). If you don't want to take the risk/bother, then look for an original Haswell i3. Or again, this is something you could ask OcUK if you buy from them. Alternatively, buy a newer (more expensive) Z97 or H97 motherboard that is compatible.
 
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What games are we talking about here?
This will decide the power of the Graphics card you need to be able to play at high settings.
 
If I bumped up my budget to £600 would I be giving you guys abit more headroom, I would sooner not compromise given that this machine will be on nearly 24/7.
 
Definitely mate, will allow for much better graphics that would give you a good shot at running deus ex. P.s the weekly deals end on wednesday. The GPU is currently out of stock but worth waiting for as it is has a quiet cooler.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 280 Gaming 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £155.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Silverstone Grandia GD04 Desktop - Black (SST-GD04B USB 3.0) £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Intel Pentium K Anniversary G3258 Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £59.99
1 x MSI B85M-P33 V2 Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £44.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD38G1600HC11DC01) £41.99
1 x Seasonic Eco Series 430W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £37.99
Total : £603.01 (includes shipping : £11.75 Ex.VAT).




Another option is you could look at picking up a used 7970 or 280x as they go for under £100 at the moment.
 
The 430W Eco only has one PCI-E cable and the 280 requires two.

It's a slightly more powerful card than the 960 but the 960 is what I'd go for here. Much lower TDP for that case, the fans will have less heat to cool, so it'll be less noisy. Plus the passive mode up to a certain temperature (55/60C or so). Some games won't even stress it that much.

Pentium-K v i3, it's a tough one. Pentium-K does better in single-threaded games. Two thread games and it can start to struggle with other processes going on. i3 does better in games using more threads.

Deus Ex seems to be a game that uses more than two threads but doesn't need too much GPU power, for instance. http://techbuyersguru.com/CPUgaming2.php

To be honest Phil, if you really want no compromises noise-wise then let me show you a £700 spec that covers everything except an Intel quad-core i5. And then make compromises if you need to to bring it down.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 960 DirectCU2 OC Strix 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £169.99
1 x Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £99.95
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Silverstone SFX-L 500W '80 Plus Gold' Fully Modular Power Supply £74.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
1 x Silverstone SST-ML07B Milo Mini ITX Case - Black £51.95
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD38G1600HC11DC01) £41.99
1 x Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler Low Profile - 92mm £34.99
Total : £710.42 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).



500W SFX-L PSU with larger and quieter 120mm fan than typical 80mm SFX. The max load on it with that system will be about slightly less than half-to-half, so the fan should only spin nice and slow.

960 with half the TDP of a 280, quiet cooler, and fans' passive mode up to certain temp.

Quiet Noctua cooler.

Only way I can think of to get that even quieter is fanless PSU (very expensive) and fanless CPU cooler (expensive and most won't fit in the ML07). And both would be a bit overkill, as a PSU that isn't stressed and a good, quiet CPU cooler like the Noctua achieve great results for a lot less cost.


Now £600:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Palit GeForce GTX 750TI KalmX SILENT 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £119.99
1 x Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £99.95
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £77.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
1 x BeQuiet SFX Power 2 400W '80 Plus Bronze' SFX Power Supply £53.99
1 x Silverstone SST-ML07B Milo Mini ITX Case - Black £51.95
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TPKD38G1600HC11DC01) £41.99
Total : £604.43 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).



Stock CPU cooler. You can improve noise results by smoothing the fan profile from within the BIOS. The default profile is quite steep and you hear the variations in speed more that way. Notch up the minimum RPM slightly and lower the max RPM slightly and you'll get a more gradual fan gradient.

Lower wattage PSU. Should still be quiet as 750Ti has half the TDP of the 960 so the load range will be about the same, proportionally.

With this £600 spec you could choose the Pentium-K over the i3 if you wished, to fit the GTX 960 into budget. If so, then also decide whether you want the 500W PSU (for the reasons I mentioned earlier) or keep the 400W.
 
Thanks for the tip tele.
I'm torn between the anni pentium K or the i3, the reviews and the price point of the G3258 are outstanding but will I be Gimping myself with dual core?
I'm only gaming at 1080p so I'd favour the silence of the 960 over the power of the 280 I think.
I've been looking at matx but I just can't seem to find a case small enough to blend in, that's the reason I went with the ml07, it also keeps the other half happy. Cheers for the suggestions guys.
 
Ok guys so here's were I'm upto
Msi r9 280
Msi z971 mobo
250gb EVO ssd
G3258
Bequiet sfx 400
Ml07b
Teamgrp elite 8gb.

I'm going to leave windows till next payday. Comes in at £553 without Os.
Are we all gravy?
To add aswell swapping out the Msi z971 to a asus h81i plus which apparently to online sources can overclock the G3258 at a £30 difference or am I turning into a filthy scrimper?
 
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The BeQuiet SFX 400W only has one power cable for the 280.

Would have to be one of these:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Strider SFX 600W Fully Modular '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply (SST-SX600-G) £104.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SFX Gold 450w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (SST-ST45SF-G) £79.99
1 x Silverstone SFX-L 500W '80 Plus Gold' Fully Modular Power Supply £74.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SST-ST45SF SFX Series - 450 Watt Power Supply £61.99
Total : £331.56 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).



The 450Ws will handle the power requirements for that rig.

I'd go with the 500W SFX-L just for the 120mm fan alone. Will also have a bit more power for any future CPU/GPU upgrades. It should fit, from what I've been able to make out. But I'd ask Silverstone or OcUK to confirm.

Since you're going Z97 it's a pity not to get faster 2133/2400 RAM but if every penny counts then not a biggie.

Are you going to run with Windows 10 Tech preview for now?
 
Phildebeest said:
To add aswell swapping out the Msi z971 to a asus h81i plus which apparently to online sources can overclock the G3258 at a £30 difference or am I turning into a filthy scrimper?
Click to expand...

Just noticed this.

Can do. Even better find a cheap new Z87i for less than that Asus H81. The issue of possible incompatibility with the Pentium-K will still be there with both, though, depending on mobo manufacturing age and the BIOS version they have. A newer H97 or Z97 would avoid that risk. So I'd ask the seller if the mobo (Z87/H81) has a compatible BIOS for the Pentium-K already.

Can always take it to a computer shop and ask them for a quick favour (update BIOS with a different chip so Pentium-K will be recognized) if needed. Should be a £10 jobby but who knows what they'll charge.

The price on this one isn't too bad but it's been out of stock for ages, no idea when more are due in (can always ask customer services):

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI H97I AC Intel H97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £79.99



That one is known to be able to overclock the Pentium-K too. http://www.overclock.net/t/1500423/non-z97-z87-boards-than-can-overclock-the-pentium-k-g3258/50
 
Ok Danny, excuse my epic scrimping but going off your advice ive come up with this.
msi r9 270
250gb evo
g3258
msi z87i b grade
ml07
teamgrp 8gb
seasonic eco 430w

comes in at £506

Now the gfx and psu are just one 6 pin and i can think i can sacrifice the gpu power as ill mainly be playing eve online which i used to play on high setting on an old inspiron many moons ago.
Are we golden?

ps. try as i might i cant get the cart to work in chrome so excuse my component short hand.
 
There's a few other things I want to throw at you here buddy.
The ML-07 is not quiet, if you put it into a restricted space with no air around it, it's going to drive you insane when the fans spin up to keep things cool.

It should "not" do this during HTPC duty, but there are much better choices out there for HTPC cases that you can also build quiet gaming rigs into.

If you absolutely must game on it, I'd suggest a Silverstone GD-04 / 05, which are mATX cases that I've done several builds in for myself and friends. you have a lot more cooling potential, the use of a full size low noise ATX PSU. and better and quieter fan and cooler options.

The size increase over the ML-07 is minimal and these cases are made to sit in with AV gear and look minimal.
 
Hmmm your right it will be placed within the entertainment unit I can see that being a problem. Hardwork this itx lark ain't it. To be fair though the grandia looks remarkably sleek and over all better. Seems it could be matx after all. I'm generally after best bang for buck and itx seems to go firmly against that grain :/

To add, Im glad you brought that up because I was one post off hitting the buy button. Hehe.
 
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