mATX gaming system

mugglemind

mugglemind

mugglemind

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30 Dec 2006
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9
So I'd like to upgrade to an i7 system, and also thought it would be sweet as hell to go down the mATX route. Ill be using it mainly for gaming, but as Ill be taking the beast to uni, it will also have to do cpu intensive tasks like video rendering. The specs I was looking at are:

*OVERCLOCKED* Intel Core i7 920 D0 2.66Ghz @ 3.40Ghz / Asus Rampage II Gene mATX Intel X58 / Patriot Viper 6GB 1600MHz Triple Channel DDR3/ Noctua NH-C12P Bundle

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600w Silent SLI Ready Modular Power Supply

and either
Silverstone Sugo SG01B-F Evolution Aluminium Micro-ATX Case - Black (No PSU)

or
Lian Li PC-V351B Aluminium Cube Case - Black (No PSU)

(Ill be keeping my old HDDs, and dvd drive)

Basically what I wanted to know is: Would you recommend any different components? (Bare in mind Im already over budget) And Will everything fit inside the cases?
 
if you have a large monitor you may want the 2 gig one and at the price overclockers have that at you might as well go 4870x2, or get 2 4850s if you insist on having them, works out cheaper. Out of curiosity what do you already own? If you go 4870x2 i'd advise a 750+ watt psu, just to allow headroom for future upgrades really as you may get away with a 600w one. you have a budget?
 
Was only looking at the 4850 x2 because of an article on tomshardware:
With rapidly-increasing prices over $220 offering smaller and smaller performance boosts, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Radeon HD 4850 X2. While more expensive solutions perform impressively in multiple-card configurations at ultra-high resolutions, there’s just not enough of a gain compared to the Radeon HD 4850 X2 for the money spent, unless you play at higher resolutions than 1920x1200.
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Id be open to going a different route, but like i say I cant really be factoring in any components that are more expensive then the ones on the list at the moment. My budget is £900 and im already at £925. Currently I have a radeon x1900 or something like that (using my dads old card because my nvidia 7950GX2 broke) so anything these days would be a substantial upgrade I guess?
 
Also toms are going to recommend based on American prices, which are a LOT different to ours. :)

Best cards in terms of VFM are 4890/GTX275 for under £200 or 4870X2 for just over. :)
 
I can only comment on the Lian-Li case, as I built a gaming SFF PC myself last December in a v350. That noctua cooler will fit, however that configuration of cooler is not recommended for this particular setup due to the proximity of the PSU fan being directly above affecting the flow of air available to the CPU cooler. It should be sufficent for stock settings, but it is likely to impair on any overclocking you intend to do.

From my research the best coolers for that case were either the Noctua NH-U9B (the one I went for) or a Scythe Mini Ninja, both coupled with 2 fans. I'm not sure how compatible these are with i7 though. I also swapped out the front 2 intake fans for Noctua's while I was at it.

I presume that you have put together PC's in normal sized cases before. If so, be prepared for a seriously fiddly and cramped build this time! You're going to want to plan out your cabble management before you get started as well (which I didn't and it ended up being a right PITA to get decent airflow through the thing). Also the screws to take off the V350's side panels are the crappest things in the world, i'm not sure if they've changed them for the V351 though. Both are decent little cases, but from what I read the Lian Li offered better cooling and hence overclocking potential than the Sugo. I prefered the cube shape to the shoebox as well. If you do a search there are a few threads around with detailed builds in V350's, some of them watercooled as well i think.
 
Maybe get a Nvidia graphics card? I'm forever hearing how hot high end ATI cards run and since heat is a major issue in this application.
 
Not really, as long as you choose one with decent cooling. Like an Iceq, or there's one competitor that does their own with dual fans.

And i thought the high end nVidia cards were a lot hotter than ATIs flagship, the 4870x2.
 
Neither runs hotter than the other when all's said and done. It's just that certain members like to spread FUD that ATI's cards use more power/heat than nVidias.

Just choose the best one for your budget.
 
Thanks for all your advice on the graphics cards, but I'm far more worried about my lack of knowledge about SFF. Looking at older threads it seams the SG01 doesnt have enough room for the noctua cooler at all (without grinding off the top 8mm), and it wont fit into the v351 without some turbulence issues from the PSU fan. Firstly I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm this. Secondly, how much will turbulence from the PSU affect the cooling ability? Considering the bundle Im looking at comes with an i7 920 clocked to 3.4ghz Im guessing even the slightest problem with cooling would screw things up a lot, however would it be ok running at say 3ghz or a little lower? Would you guys suggest:
a) buy the spec and hope it works, if not run the cpu at <3ghz
b) go a different direction and buy cpu/mobo/ram seperate in order to get a cooler that fits
c) Make some cut backs and watercool the mofo
 
mATX is always going to be a massive compromise. If it was me, I'd build in something like a Lian Li PC-A05 which isn't much bigger than mATX but has all the room in the world on comparison to something like the SG-01.

Or, if you insist on mATX, the Silverstone TJ-08 is still tiny but you can use a full-size cooler in it.

My experience of Silverstone's build quality though is that it's poor at this level compared to Lian Li.
 
I think the best cooler for the Lian-Li V350/351 is the Scythe Mini Ninja. I use one in mine and it doesn't cause turbulence - in fact it cools very well.

If you go for a Sugo you're going to limit your choices further. You have 70-something-mm to play with, giving you room for things like the Intel Stock Cooler, Silverstone NT06, or a number of the Zalman ones.

The SG01 is much more susceptible to turbulence though, I ran a Zalman CNPS8000 in mine and I was getting better temperatures with the Intel Stock Cooler!!! :eek:

Personally I would have the V351 with the Scythe, it's a really good cooler, and i'm going to be sad to have to break mine apart when I eventually do upgrade. ;)
 
siumatfung said:
why a 4850x2?

either move down to a 4890/GTX 275 or up to the GTX 285/4870x2:D

the case is self preferance but i like the lian li
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Why? That's quite a stupid thing to say... it's like if i wanted to get a 4890 that i should either downgrade to a 4870 or upgrade to a 4870x2... the 4850 is a good card and a nice mid point for what the OP wants. There are advantages of having two chips on one card that you don't get with crossfire, such as higher transfer speeds between the two cores. Not to mention that it is practically HALF THE PRICE of the 4870x2.

If only there were a 4770x2...
 
WJA96 said:
Or, if you insist on mATX, the Silverstone TJ-08 is still tiny but you can use a full-size cooler in it.

My experience of Silverstone's build quality though is that it's poor at this level compared to Lian Li.
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TJ08's do offer decent airflow, and can handle pretty much any cooler, I'd got a TRUE 120 in mine. pre owned they can be had from £30-40 and you'll be hard pushed to find better for the money.

I've just seen a silver one new retail for £54 think I'd prefer the black but either way superb cases for an matx i7 build
 
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