New build (mini ITX)

Barron2110 · 3 Apr 2014 at 22:43

Hey guys I'm currently the owner of a Acer aspire g7200. As many of you know these are an absolute animal in terms of size. They don't fit under regular desk etc. so I'm looking to downsize to BitFenix Phenom mini ITX case so I can have it in my sitting room in the tv stand.

I'm a gamer, however the main game I play is world of Warcraft which isn't the most demanding. However I do have sky rim etc and I am looking at some new releases maybe in the future. I'd like to be able to play wow at a consistent 60 or so FPS so I don't have any screen lag etc while raiding and have my settings turned up for spells etc.

I'm wondering if u guys can help me build PC to do this for as cheap as possible. One question I do have is if the gtx card in my g7200 could be used in this case/motherboard to save me some cash and just upgrade it in the future to save a nice chunk of money. If so I'd be over the moon.

All my old build pcs have been AMD but it's been about 7 years since I've built a PC or looked at any new stuff so I'm well out on today's stuff. So is AMD still king or or Intels i5/7 better?

Like I say it must be in the bitfenix mini ITX case. And if I can fit my old gfx card in for now it's a massive plus. CPU wise which ever will get me the biggest bang of my buck. Also would like it run as silent as possible as not to annoy the misses/kids haha. Around £500 would be my target, anything less is bonus. Anything more is achievable providing misses ok it. lol.

Cheers fella's.

TL;DR.
EDIT: moved over to the idea of ATX Mobo in the dead silence case. Proposed build near the bottom.

t31os · 3 Apr 2014 at 23:08

What does the build need to include? OS, Peripherals, Monitor, GPU?

Barron2110 · 3 Apr 2014 at 23:13

t31os said:
What does the build need to include? OS, Peripherals, Monitor, GPU?

OS yeah. I'm on vista at the minute and really don't like the new windows but guessing I'd have to deal as vista would limit performance on new chips etc would it not? If I could use my old vista copy that would be a bonus.

I have monitor etc so just rig and possibly so if I could not use vista

cmndr_andi · 3 Apr 2014 at 23:14

Hi there, The graphics card the G7200 should fit in the prodigy - as with the main drive cage removed it can fit a 320mm long graphics card.

Right now the best CPUs for playing games are Intel Quad cores. Also when playing games in small cases the new Intel chips are preferable due to their heat dissipation requirement. The AMD CPUs are good if you have a tough budget and can't afford an Intel Quad.

Here is my suggestion:

Edit: If you also need an OS then you could take the above build and drop the RAM down to 4GB and remove the HDD (if you can reuse your old HDD).

Danny75 · 4 Apr 2014 at 04:31

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Aero Cool Dead Silence Gaming Black Mini Tower Windowed £72.95
1 x EVGA 600W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0600-KR) £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Asus H81M-PLUS Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £16.99
Total : £567.98 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Windows 8 can be removed from the basket to bring it down below budget, and a free trial of the same can be used for 3 months. At which point you can tell your missus that you need to pay for it now.

Put in the Aerocool DS case for consideration instead of the Phenom. Pretty much the same size. It already brings a 200mm fan and all. And with a micro-ATX mobo you can even add a soundcard or whatever, if needed.

PSU will handle any single GPU on the market right now, for any future graphics upgrade, and is quiet.

240GB SSD to get started. You could add a HDD later on if you need more storage room.

t31os · 4 Apr 2014 at 05:42

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £83.99
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) £74.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £53.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 450W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
Total : £466.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).

+ add your choice of case.. (and maybe a cooler to)...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=2362&catid=2279

FYI: The Bitfenix Mini-ITX cases also support a large fan at the front also(200 or 230mm).

Barron2110 · 4 Apr 2014 at 08:03

should have really mentioned the gfx card in my current PC is the Radeon HD 4850. Will this fit into these boards? As for my current HDD I would be more than happy to use that as it has a lot of personal stuff on, pictures of the kids etc. so I can save some money there if it will for into the mini cases.

Also I have no experience with SSD. Are they the best to install windows and games on with their superior loading times?

I can just use my DVD Rw from my machine too as I'm guessing there all standard size and fit the mini cases.

mgsdetail · 4 Apr 2014 at 08:13

t31os said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £83.99
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) £74.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £53.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 450W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £53.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £43.99
Total : £466.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).

+ add your choice of case.. (and maybe a cooler to)...

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=2362&catid=2279

FYI: The Bitfenix Mini-ITX cases also support a large fan at the front also(200 or 230mm).

Near on the same as my kids spec I just built for her and runs WOW great.

korgtronix · 4 Apr 2014 at 08:24

Barron2110 said:
should have really mentioned the gfx card in my current PC is the Radeon HD 4850. Will this fit into these boards? As for my current HDD I would be more than happy to use that as it has a lot of personal stuff on, pictures of the kids etc. so I can save some money there if it will for into the mini cases.

Also I have no experience with SSD. Are they the best to install windows and games on with their superior loading times?

I can just use my DVD Rw from my machine too as I'm guessing there all standard size and fit the mini cases.

Yes the graphics card will fit but you will need to remove the second drive cage in the Bitfenix Prodigy to do so (Don't worry still plenty of space for a couple of hard drives and ssds below)

Yes SSDs are best to put the OS on, I don't see much benefit in games but if the SSD is big enough then you may as well put stuff on it and games with large textures may be improved still.

Yes a standard DVD drive will be fine as long as its a SATA drive.

Barron2110 · 4 Apr 2014 at 09:53

Just to save money. My HDD will fit in the case, so to save more money and make my misses doubles happy would it be ok to go with the SSD to save the £65? Or would you recommend keeping it to improve the load time on windows? Just looking to trim stuff to the basics as I can always pick up a SSD and transfer windows on that eventually couldn't I?

t31os · 4 Apr 2014 at 16:15

Installed my first SSD drive in the build you can now see in my signature(was built on Wednesday). It's the first system in the house with one(yeah i know, behind the times) and if you're asking me if i'd give it up to save come cash, i'd say do so if you really really need the savings, else i'd stick with it for the faster load times(it's a good 3x faster then a regular drive, doesn't need defragging and runs in absolute silence).

If you have HDDs you can carry across, i'd say stick the SSD and use an older drive for storage for now(and/or buy a mechanical one later). 128GB is enough run for windows, some apps and a couple of games at least.

FYI, it's pretty easy to build a bootable USB stick if you have a Windows Disk and USB Stick 4gb in size or larger(note: i did try a 4gb stick but the tool told me there wasn't enough space, so i'd suggest at least an 8gb stick). Windows will install within 5 mins using a USB stick and an SSD. I prepped a stick ready for my build and didn't even bother sticking a DVD drive in, anything i play these days is digitally downloaded and i don't play DVD/CDs because the drive noise drives me crazy.

Graphics card should fit on the motherboard just fine(one slot available specifically for that), the only concern you should really have is with regard to whether it'll fit inside the case. Simply research your choice of case(use your google ninja skills), as these questions come up quite frequently(i don't have one, prodigy or similar, to advise specifically).

EDIT: Does the current GPU take up two slots at the back of your current case or one?

Barron2110 · 4 Apr 2014 at 17:42

Off the top of my head no. It only has 2 DVI inputs so it will just be 1. So it should fit nicely. Guess if google fails theres one way to find out haha.

As for one of my previous questions will running Vista decrease proformance any/if at all? Never used windows 7 but ive heard bad things about it. And as for 8...bleh!!! Feels horrible.

That is a good point regarding the dvd drive as i've never actually used mine for a long time. Everything is digital these days.

Can anyone improve on these builds or these as good of a spec i can ask for?

Barron2110 · 4 Apr 2014 at 22:41

Danny75 said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £157.99
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x Aero Cool Dead Silence Gaming Black Mini Tower Windowed £72.95
1 x EVGA 600W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0600-KR) £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Asus H81M-PLUS Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £16.99
Total : £567.98 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Windows 8 can be removed from the basket to bring it down below budget, and a free trial of the same can be used for 3 months. At which point you can tell your missus that you need to pay for it now.

Put in the Aerocool DS case for consideration instead of the Phenom. Pretty much the same size. It already brings a 200mm fan and all. And with a micro-ATX mobo you can even add a soundcard or whatever, if needed.

PSU will handle any single GPU on the market right now, for any future graphics upgrade, and is quiet.

240GB SSD to get started. You could add a HDD later on if you need more storage room.

I like the look of your setup. Would it be possible to use a smaller SSD just for windows. As I can re use my HDD from my old system for my games etc.

I will more than likely re use my DVD RW if at all considering most stuff is digital download these days.

Also was thinking of using my old Power supply as I'm sure it is around 500W, but would u recommend keeping the one u suggested?

EDIT: google returns results search of continuous power supply of 750W? Which I guess is more than enough. But will it fit in this case? Also I'm guessing my current PSU is part of all the noise my system makes.

Sorry for all the questions just want to get this right first time and it's been awhile since I've done it all lol :-)

Danny75 · 5 Apr 2014 at 13:30

Barron2110 said:
I like the look of your setup. Would it be possible to use a smaller SSD just for windows. As I can re use my HDD from my old system for my games etc.

Yes. If you don't intend to use the SSD for games, then get a smaller 120/128 GB. Samsung, Kingston HyperX and Toshiba are good choices, in that order (more or less).

Barron2110 said:
I will more than likely re use my DVD RW if at all considering most stuff is digital download these days.

Also was thinking of using my old Power supply as I'm sure it is around 500W, but would u recommend keeping the one u suggested?

EDIT: google returns results search of continuous power supply of 750W? Which I guess is more than enough. But will it fit in this case? Also I'm guessing my current PSU is part of all the noise my system makes.

Sorry for all the questions just want to get this right first time and it's been awhile since I've done it all lol

That case will fit PSU's up to 16cm Length and up to 17cm Depth (up to 19cm including protruding cables).

Barron2110 · 5 Apr 2014 at 20:59

Danny75 said:
Yes. If you don't intend to use the SSD for games, then get a smaller 120/128 GB. Samsung, Kingston HyperX and Toshiba are good choices, in that order (more or less).

That case will fit PSU's up to 16cm Length and up to 17cm Depth (up to 19cm including protruding cables).

The 120GB SSD should fit windows and wow on no problem at all. Everything else I'm more than happy to put onto my HDD.

I'll have to break open this case and measure the PSU, should fit I think. Will be a nice addition if so seeing as its 750W it'll handle a better GPU when I get the extra ££ to upgrade. Definately like the look of the aero cool case compared to the original prodigy one I seen.

P.S the Haswell Intel chips whats the difference between them and a standard i5? i guess more clockable or something? Also If this PC is no longer in use can I install Vista onto the new system and use my old CD key? I'd rather stay away from 7 and 8.1 as i've heard bad things as long as it wont affect performance.

Danny75 · 5 Apr 2014 at 21:07

Barron2110 said:
P.S the Haswell Intel chips whats the difference between them and a standard i5? i guess more clockable or something?

There are Celeron, Pentium, i3, i5 and i7 Haswells. Haswell is the name give to the type of architecture/socket (socket 1150) for 4th Generation Intel chips which began to be released in June 2013.

If it's socket 1150, it's a Haswell, regardless of whether it's i7 or less.

Note well: Only "K" version processors are overclockable, and on overclockable motherboards (Z87 for instance).

Jackboo89 · 5 Apr 2014 at 22:08

4850 to run wow at 60 fps best of luck , i have a prodigy build on same budget at the mo forget i5 and go i3 4130 and 750 ti from ocuk 99 quid thats atleast 20 quid cheaper than anywhere else

Barron2110 · 5 Apr 2014 at 22:16

Jackboo89 said:
4850 to run wow at 60 fps best of luck , i have a prodigy build on same budget at the mo forget i5 and go i3 4130 and 750 ti from ocuk 99 quid thats atleast 20 quid cheaper than anywhere else

Guessing the card couldn't handle it? I'd be open to getting a better gfx card if people can recommend a decent one that doesnt cost an arm and a leg ^^

honosuseri · 6 Apr 2014 at 00:07

Is the ODD and HDD in your current system Sata or IDE? IDE has been dropped from modern mobos. If you have sata that's a bonus

Bitfenix do mATX case variants. Same size as the mini-itx it's just the internal layout that differs to take the larger mobos....

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £169.99
1 x MSI GeForce GTX 750Ti OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (N750Ti-2GD5/OC) £99.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87M-D3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £82.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy M MATX Cube Case - Midnight Black £65.52
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD38G2400HC11CDC01) £59.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 500w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020059-UK) £55.99
Total : £614.52 (includes shipping : £11.75).

You've been told already that a 3 month trial of windows 8.1 is available to use. A semi modular PSU will help a lot in these small cases. A good tip with this case is to swap the side panels around, this puts the I/O cables behind the mobo tray.

Haswell is happy with fast RAM and it will help some games, the prices of 1600Mhz and faster kits are very close to be fair anyway. The CPU is the i5K and since it's paired with a Z series mobo it can be overclocked for more ooompf. Your family can buy you a better heatsink for £20-£30 as a gift for crimbo or whatever to improve the cooling to allow a higher clock speed.

All the best with it fella. We look forward to seeing what you settle on in the end

Barron2110 · 6 Apr 2014 at 10:01

After a few nights looking at it I think I'm leaning more towards the aero cool dead silence case. I like the layout a lot more. Although that uses a mini atx board iirc. Also the board mounts on a nice level so there is no heavy gfx card weight adding pressure to the board. Is there much difference between them? I noticed OC have a sale on at the minute for a mini atx board intel i5 and ram for around £250 which sounded like a bargin.

Its looking more likely 500 is my budget, maybe 600. Depends on how much she spends on the settee haha.

Another noob question. If I'm running the i5 just at normal clocking speed will it come with its own heatsink or will i need to get one seperate to cool it? Or will the cooling inside of aero cool be enough with the 200mm front fan and 120mm rear fan. Also is it worth installing the 2 120/140mm fans at the top for added cooling? Assuming i use silent fans as I dont want a really noisy machine