BitFenix Phenom - Build

gregbird101

gregbird101

gregbird101

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19 Feb 2010
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Uni: Loughborough
Evening Gents,

I know this is definitely the place to come to get advice on a new spec, I have around £900 for a new gaming rig. I know that I would like the new phenom snazy case and a couple of SSD's in raid 0 to get some crazy I/O speeds? anything else is by your recommendation.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Artic white :P
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-148-BX
 
Do you need monitor/OS/peripherals etc? And do you definitely want the ITX Phenom over the mATX?
 
i don't need any peripherals. Whats the difference between ITX and mATX? I am guessing the processor type? so for speed I guess going with Intel?
 
gregbird101 said:
i don't need any peripherals. Whats the difference between ITX and mATX? I am guessing the processor type? so for speed I guess going with Intel?
Click to expand...

ITX and mATX just refers to the size of the motherboard. ITX boards are smaller - consequently they don't support multiple graphics cards, for example, but performance is pretty much the same if you get a good one.

The reason I ask is that despite the smaller form factor of the motherboard, the Phenom is the same size as the Phenom M.
 
Also quick question, With a small case like this is it recommended to go the water cooling route, to make sure everything is ok with temps etc?
 
gregbird101 said:
Also quick question, With a small case like this is it recommended to go the water cooling route, to make sure everything is ok with temps etc?
Click to expand...

Nah, you'll be fine. Big fan in the front for cool air, a few in the top/back to remove the warm air. Some quick questions from me: what size SSDs do you want? And do you need two of them? Do you have a 3.5" drive from an old rig that you can reuse (assuming you want one)?
 
Fulax said:
Some quick questions from me: what size SSDs do you want? And do you need two of them? Do you have a 3.5" drive from an old rig that you can reuse (assuming you want one)?
Click to expand...

I not super bothered about size of SSD, around 120gb would be awesome. I will just usb my old drives if I need any space. I think its best to concentrate on speed?
 
I'm at work and can't do the shppong basket thing, but here goes:

GPU: HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell)
MOBO: Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX
SSD: 2x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s
Case: BitFenix Phenom Mini-ITX Cube Case - Arctic White
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
RAM: Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler
Fans: Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow - Dual Pack
Fans: BitFenix Spectre 200mm Fan White LED - black

That comes to £897. Shipping is free due to the GPU, which also comes with 5 free games. Two 120gb SSDs.

Or one 64gb SSD and one 120gb SSD, plus a Corsair h100i cooler:

GPU: HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150
MOBO: Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX
SSD1: Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic
SSD2: Kingston 60GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5"
CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
Case: BitFenix Phenom Mini-ITX Cube Case - Arctic White
RAM: Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze'
Fans: Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack
Fans: BitFenix Spectre 200mm Fan White LED - black

That would be £921


No OS included in either, as you can get a 3-month trial of Windows 8 then buy it afterwards once your bank balance has recovered.
 
 
not really that similar to a prodigy imo, and even if it were the handles were the worst part of the prodigy tbh, adding a large amount of wasted dimension to the case which is the last thing you want in itx
 
Apologies for the mild thread hijack, but I am also thinking about building a machine based on this case, with almost the same requirements as the OP. The OP might find my question useful :)

Would it be possible to use 2 graphics cards in the Phenon MATX case? If so, would any compromises need to be made?
 
Last edited:
thewanted said:
Would it be possible to use 2 graphics cards in the Phenon MATX case? If so, would any compromises need to be made?
Click to expand...

You wouldn't be able to use the 5.25" bay - although you can only use for an extra HDD/SSD anyway.

I assume you wouldn't be able to fit a radiator in the top, either - so no h100i, for example.
 
That's alright. I haven't needed an optical drive in forever, and I think I might prefer air cooling, although I have zero experience with these sealed water cooler thingies.

Thanks :)
 
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