Mini ITX Build which case / mobo?

Boomstick777

Boomstick777

Boomstick777

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Right so having bought a new desk that is reem and stunning and fits my two screens perfectly, my PC tower (CM690III) no longer fits next to it :rolleyes::p

The desk is on side of the room with PC next to sub on corner onto the bay Window and PS4 etc and looks ridiculous. Not just the look, run the risk of destroying it with my chair when moving back from screen :p:D:o I like our bedroom as minimalist as pos, this big case has to go !

I've wanted to go smaller for ages and think now will be good time as PC just looks out of place..

I am going to give my Haswell -E monster build PC to my kids as it will fit in there setup fine hidden away beside their desk and should keep them going for years. I can recycle some of their 'old' bits into the mini build.

So now I'm looking for a small case etc that will better fit into room (Not stand out like) and still be good enough for gaming etc.

Parts I already have.

4770K.
8GB DDR3 2666.
2x SSD 2 x SHDD.
290X 8GB or GTX 980.

All I need is case + mobo.

I love Gigabyte and would prefer Gigabyte mobo. Which one is best bet, price VS performance?

(Also will Z97 support Broadwell / Broadwell -K) ???

Case wise I've been looking at Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX, anybody used that one or think of anything better?
 
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Just to add my 2p...I was in a similar situation and wanted a smaller form factor to keep ony desk. Ended up going for the Asus z97-I plus and elite 130. Glad to say I'm more than happy with it.
 
stulid said:
How about a small matx case?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97MX-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £111.95
1 x Antec ISK600M mATX Cube Case - Black £56.99
Total : £182.44 (includes shipping : £11.25).





Possibly not.
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Cheers but It's got to be mini ITX, as small as pos but still able to fit decent GPU. Liking the look of this case small but will fit GTX 980..

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skaif said:
Just to add my 2p...I was in a similar situation and wanted a smaller form factor to keep ony desk. Ended up going for the Asus z97-I plus and elite 130. Glad to say I'm more than happy with it.
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Been looking at that mobo it's a lil beast.

Tough decision between Asus Z97 I and Gigabyte Gaming / Z97N-WIFI..
 
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stulid said:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-496-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2811

itx board with a 4yr warranty when you register it.

That case has some great space inside it. Limited to 140mm high coolers, so what cooler you have?
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Really like that mobo, would that do 5.1 over optical?

Torn between these 3.. The two Gigabyte's or ASUS Z97 I Plus.

The Gigabyte Z97N has Wifi and an extra Sata port plus Realtek Audio so I know it will do 5.1 over optical.. Leaning towards this one atm.

Saw some nice EVGA's as well but over twice the price.
 
Boomstick777 said:
Really like that mobo, would that do 5.1 over optical?

Torn between these 3.. The two Gigabyte's or ASUS Z97 I Plus.

The Gigabyte Z97N has Wifi and an extra Sata port plus Realtek Audio so I know it will do 5.1 over optical.. Leaning towards this one atm.

Saw some nice EVGA's as well but over twice the price.
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Gigabytes site is a going a bit slow so cant check the specs for the board.

But it seems you asked a question and answered it at the same time?
 
stulid said:
Gigabytes site is a going a bit slow so cant check the specs for the board.

But it seems you asked a question and answered it at the same time?
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I don't know about the gaming, I know the Z97N will do it as it has Realtek Audio, looks like the gaming uses creative?

I don't know much about audio tbh, just want something that can send 5.1 to my speakers over digital optical. The gaming looks nice and probably would be better for overclocking etc, but I doubt I will bother clock the CPU and the extra sata port / Wifi has me sold on the Gigabyte Z97N atm. Think I'm gonna go for that one.
 
tamzzy said:
if it were me, i'd get this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone SST-RVZ01 Raven Mini-ITX - Black £63.94
Total : £72.64 (includes shipping : £7.25).



console sized case
review:

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Case is really nice, but I'm looking for something small / squarish as it's going to stand on carpet next to a sub. I think the case in your link would be ideal for lounge like setup, under a TV sort of thing or within a desk. Problem is my desk is in an enclave next to a fireplace, PC can't fit next to it.

Freestanding small ish case would be ideal, pretty set on the thermaltake V1 for my first mini iTX build, it can take my GTX 980.
 
You might want to look into dust filtering too, since with the size of the mesh the internals are gonna be clogged in no time.
 
kaku said:
You might want to look into dust filtering too, since with the size of the mesh the internals are gonna be clogged in no time.
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Yeah this is a good point mate, it's def gonna get dusty. Because of the size it should be easy enough to take it outside and use compressed air to get rid any dust. I'm sure it will build up fast because of the way mesh sides don't have any filters.

I've gone for,

Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX
Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI
4770K
GTX 980
8GB DDR3
Antec 550 Watt PSU
2 x SSD + 2 x SSHD
 
That Thermaltake looks like a complete internal rip off of the 250D.

On that subject I don't like the 250D at all. It's not built very well and aside from the sliver of alu on the front is not worth the asking price.
 
ALXAndy said:
That Thermaltake looks like a complete internal rip off of the 250D.

On that subject I don't like the 250D at all. It's not built very well and aside from the sliver of alu on the front is not worth the asking price.
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Yeah internally they are very similar, the reason I like the Thermaltake is that it's a plain mesh sort of look at the front with Window on top, and the way the front panel fits it acts as extra space for the GPU to push out of the case so the can fit bigger GPU's. So I can fit my 980 inside that is def a priority lol.

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I've had a few ITX cases and currently have the Silverstone SG05, Elite 130 and Corsair 250D

Without doubt the Silverstone is the smallest and nicest looking case but is restricted to SFF PSU's and requires some modding for longer video cards. The 250D is a very practical case but it's quite big and not great looking. The elite 130 is not as nice looking as the SG05 but it's only slightly bigger, takes ATX PSU's, full length video cards and is cheap. All things considered the elite 130 is probably my favourite Mini-ITX case and I've owned a few!
 
Boomstick777 said:
I am going to give my Haswell -E monster build PC to my kids....
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Do you want to adopt me :D

I was contemplating a Corsair Air 240 for my X99 build before I went to the darkside (Alienware), but I think it's an MATX case rather than mini-ITX so might be slightly too large for you purposes. I like the design of it though!
 
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pumaz said:
I've had a few ITX cases and currently have the Silverstone SG05, Elite 130 and Corsair 250D

Without doubt the Silverstone is the smallest and nicest looking case but is restricted to SFF PSU's and requires some modding for longer video cards. The 250D is a very practical case but it's quite big and not great looking. The elite 130 is not as nice looking as the SG05 but it's only slightly bigger, takes ATX PSU's, full length video cards and is cheap. All things considered the elite 130 is probably my favourite Mini-ITX case and I've owned a few!
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I love my SG05 and you can get 600w PSUs for it now.

There is also an SG13 on the way which is slightly bigger.
 
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