Help Upgrade HTPC to High Spec Gaming Machine Ready for Oculus Rift!

Hmm...ok the problem is the size. My current case is: 220 x 130 x 330 (WxHxD)

Now with this i have some more space for its height and width only, the problem with the cooler master elite is its much bigger in height and depth: 240 x 207.4 x 401.4

I just measured the space i have and the max is:

500 x 180 x 360


I have been looking for a case online that might fit, problem is sometimes its difficult to make out if there is space for a 2 slot gfx card.

Heres cases that would fit in my cabinet (but im not sure if they are good or not):
CIT MTX001B, Black, mini-ITX Case with 300W PSU
Thermaltake Element Q Black mini-ITX HTPC Case with 220W SFX PSU

or this one if not for the slim drive bay :(
Silverstone SG05B USB 3.0 Sugo Black Mini ITX Case with 300W PSU
 
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Also one question about the RAM, im having trouble finding a single channel

4GB G Skill Ares 1600 RAM. I can find 8GB single channel sticks though from GSkill, is it ok to mix 4GB stick in one slot and 8GB in other slot? or do they have to be same size across slots?
 
You are always going to have issues with that comp/case being so small and since you dont want/cant go bigger because of the size restraints.
you wont be able to get the results you want have you thought of buying a bigger DVI or HDMI cable and a wireless keyboard and mouse and stashing you comp somewhere esle so you can get a bigger case.
 
scotsdragon said:
You are always going to have issues with that comp/case being so small and since you dont want/cant go bigger because of the size restraints.
you wont be able to get the results you want have you thought of buying a bigger DVI or HDMI cable and a wireless keyboard and mouse and stashing you comp somewhere esle so you can get a bigger case.
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Yeah i know, im sure there must be a case though that fits in my max allowance and allows for 2 slot gpu.

I am already using a wireless mouse/keyboard, length of the HDMI is not a problem also. What is an issue however is that the only place i can stash the htpc is behind the cabinet, however, then i run into other issues such as noise level increasing due to it being outside cabinet and also my USB peripherals such as xbox pad and other remotes not reaching the machine (although i guess i can get a usb splitter/extender for this problem).
 
Killer Nads said:
Am i right in thinking that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti and 660 Ti are single slot?
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No unfortunately not, and a 650 would be too slow to run at the rift's resolution especially at 60/120 Hz. I'm going to echo what other people have said and suggest you look for a bigger case as the one you have just won't fit in a top spec graphics card, unfortunately they now pump out loads of heat and so need to be cooled with some hefty copper heatsinks hence their size.
 
Killer Nads said:
Yeah i know, im sure there must be a case though that fits in my max allowance and allows for 2 slot gpu.

I am already using a wireless mouse/keyboard, length of the HDMI is not a problem also. What is an issue however is that the only place i can stash the htpc is behind the cabinet, however, then i run into other issues such as noise level increasing due to it being outside cabinet and also my USB peripherals such as xbox pad and other remotes not reaching the machine (although i guess i can get a usb splitter/extender for this problem).
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what you could do is get one of the cases you specced (except for the one with the 300w psu....dont touch it...please...) then you wouldn't need to get usb splitters and stuff as long as the case has a 2 slot pci bay

or

you could get another case and hide it behind with usb extenders and such and then buy a few silent fans to replace the ones that come with the case and that would remove your sound problem, although you would need to get a case big enough to fit a cooler so you can change the fans attached to the heatsink

tbh if you can get a case with 2 pci slots that fits your cabinet...that is probably the better option

graphics card wise get either a 7950 from amd or 7870 if you want to keep costs down or Atleast an nvidia 660 for benchmarks check here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU12/372 choose your gpus in the drop down
 
Thanks for your advice, yeah i understand what your trying to say. Its such a difficult decision, but yeh i think to get one to fit my cabinet is still the best choice i have.

The problem is trying to find one within those max measurements. Also most of them dont even say if they are a 1 or 2 slot pci bay.

The last option that i am looking at is to just go with the single slot radeon 7850, however i guess that would need upgrading again by next year to play games such as gta5 and watch dogs. Also if i do this, then theres no guarantee that i would even be able to get a single slot card better then this one in the future!

:(
 
Killer Nads said:
Thanks for your advice, yeah i understand what your trying to say. Its such a difficult decision, but yeh i think to get one to fit my cabinet is still the best choice i have.

The problem is trying to find one within those max measurements. Also most of them dont even say if they are a 1 or 2 slot pci bay.

The last option that i am looking at is to just go with the single slot radeon 7850, however i guess that would need upgrading again by next year to play games such as gta5 and watch dogs. Also if i do this, then theres no guarantee that i would even be able to get a single slot card better then this one in the future!

:(
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yeah getting a new case is really your best option, like you said it will probably need updating in a year or 2 down the line let me go googling and i'll see if i can find some that fit those measurements
 
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-160-SV

this would fit in although its a bit pricey pretty much all the cheaper one either don't have 2 pci slots or are 2 big to fit into your cabinet only thing is with that you would also require another power supply so build wise you would be looking a the following

YOUR BASKET
1 x HIS HD 7950 IceQ BOOST 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (H795QC3G2M) £239.99
1 x Silverstone Strider SFX Gold 450w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (SST-ST45SF-G) £94.99
1 x Silverstone Sugo SG05 HTPC USB 3.0 Case with 300W Power Supply - Black (SST-SG05B USB 3.0) £86.99
Total : £435.47 (includes shipping : £11.25).



unless you have a decent SFX power supply in your current case although it would have to be minimum 450w
 
Thanks mate, you've been a big help!

Ive just taken pics of the motherboard and case, it looks like the motherboard only has one slot and not 2 ??!?

photo1pd.jpg


photo2zv.jpg


photo2zv.jpg


Heres the motherboard spec:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H77M-ITX/
 
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lol no worries emm 250w isnt enough pretty much the build i put above would be the cheapest i could get on overclockers although you could drop the 7950 down to a 7870 and save 50ish quid
 
Oh man, the cost is ok i wouldnt drop the card model just for £50.

The problem is the case still, unfortunately the case you found still would have its issues with my specs, as my current bluray drive would not fit in there as its full size and not a slim version. :(

Hahah we were almost there as well!

PS:- the power supply i currently have, will it work with the one slot 7850?
 
Killer Nads said:
Oh man, the cost is ok i wouldnt drop the card model just for £50.

The problem is the case still, unfortunately the case you found still would have its issues with my specs, as my current bluray drive would not fit in there as its full size and not a slim version. :(

Hahah we were almost there as well!

PS:- the power supply i currently have, will it work with the one slot 7850?
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no 250w is just enough for your current spec but not for a g-card
 
ok i think ive sort of shortlisted that i want to go for this case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-127-SV

It does mean that i will have to sell my bluray drive and buy a slim one though :(

But i dont really see any other sensible choice.

Then i can atleast have the best GPU card which will be future proof also for atleast sometime. This case also comes with the 450w PSU, is this going to be enough to run all top end cards such as 7950 or do i need a 500w PSU?

thanks
 
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