Probably the 1 millionth BitFenix Prodigy build advice thread

OhPascal · 25 Apr 2013 at 21:00

So my other half wants decent gaming rig, but it needs to be a small as possible... So after showing them the prodigy they instantly fell love this is what I decided on so far but I didn't have a clue about which CPU coolers would fit in. Can anyone help me ? :confused:

please tell me if anything I have chosen so far wont fit in either thanks !

DaleTheWhale · 25 Apr 2013 at 23:09

Everything looks good to me, should all fit in, maybe grab a all in one cooler for the CPU?

Biz.Kid09 · 25 Apr 2013 at 23:22

I would be tempted to use a cheaper motherboard and squeeze an SSD in there. There really is a difference. Keep the 2tb for storage?

Leprechaun312 · 25 Apr 2013 at 23:35

yeah for £10 more the the 2tb is awesome, dont skimp on the mobo that one will allow you to overclock that cpu which is awesome from a mini itx mobo, otherwise looks perfect...hope you have fun building

Leprechaun312 · 25 Apr 2013 at 23:36

add an ssd at a later date

tamzzy · 26 Apr 2013 at 02:04

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATi Radeon HD 7950 Windforce 3X 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £247.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £103.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST3000DM001) HDD £94.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £89.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy 'Yin' Mini-ITX Cube Case - White/Black £69.95
1 x Silverstone Strider Plus 500W Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (SST-ST50F-P) £67.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLE2CP4G3D1608DE1TX0CEU) £43.99
Total : £921.44 (includes shipping : £10.50).

the asrock z77-e itx mobo would be the best compromise for price/performance, but ocuk dont seem to stock em anymore

Mr.Yellow · 26 Apr 2013 at 07:07

An AIO cooler is probably a good option for the CPU. The problem isn't really the height but the spacing on the mobo. A lot of coolers can block the ram or pcie slots.

I've heard good things about the AXP-100 if you're looking to air cool http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-105-TR&groupid=701&catid=2330&subcat=2352

LePhuronn · 26 Apr 2013 at 23:40

"Needs to be as small as possible" *chooses a Prodigy*

oh lol - you are aware of how massive the Prodigy is, aren't you? Gorgeous case but it's not small. The Silverstone Temjin TJ08 is the same and Micro ATX!

If you want small as possible, you could get that spec into an Elite 120, or even a Sugo SG05-450 with a little creative shuffling.

The spec is good though. If you stick with the Prodigy, then you might as well make use of it and get a Corsair H100 to cool the CPU and really crank the overclock. Fortunately the CPU socket on that Asus Deluxe board is right in the centre of the board so air coolers shouldn't be a problem, but I'd still go for a 240mm AIO water.

OhPascal · 27 Apr 2013 at 12:34

Yeh I know its far from the smallest case...but anyway the Asus should be fine with most air coolers ?

LePhuronn · 27 Apr 2013 at 13:53

Should be yeah.

MOOGLEYS · 30 Apr 2013 at 01:41

OhPascal said:
Yeh I know its far from the smallest case...but anyway the Asus should be fine with most air coolers ?

I had that board with a noctua d14 in a prodigy. It all fitted quite well.

Chris_83 · 2 May 2013 at 13:37

Moogleys, that's great to hear! Was planning on a Prodigy, Asus P8Z77-I and a Noctua D14, but wasn't sure if they'd all fit together.

Marine-RX179 · 2 May 2013 at 14:40

Yea the Prodigy is far from small, but it is probably the smallest mini-itx case that can fit the biggest air-cooler (provided that motherboard socket position is not an issue).

I have a Prodigy as well too, while sometimes I wish the HDD bays can be do without and making the length of the case shorter, it would also mean it would have some limitation for the length of graphic card.

johnny sublime · 2 May 2013 at 16:09

add this
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-110-BX&groupid=2362&catid=1850

rounddodger · 9 May 2013 at 13:03

Sorry to hi-jack the thread but am looking at a new build and love the case so for the first time I'm considering a Mini-ITX build.

Some questions.

Is the Thermalright AXP-100 sufficient for a 4.5Ghz+ overclock on a 3570k/3770k?

How many HDD/SSD will fit if the cradle centre/front is removed for a long GPU? I need at least space for 2 x 3.5" HDD (Ideally 3) and 1 SSD. (Boot/App drive)

Will my Tagan TG700-BZ PSU fit?

Cheers.

LePhuronn · 9 May 2013 at 21:14

If you're using a Prodigy you don't need to use low-profile coolers, so if you want to overclock an Ivy Bridge that high then go for a big Noctua or dual-fan AIO water unit - the Prodigy will fit it.

The Prodigy will fit standard ATX power supplies, so check the size of your Tagan. Same goes for the HDD cages - there's plenty enough pictures around for you to do a visual check I'm sure ;-)

Chris_83 · 11 May 2013 at 19:28

Installed a Noctua D14 on an Asus P8Z77-I last night. The heatsink just about takes over the board!

Fitted it into a Prodigy, however had to remove the middle fan on the cooler and fit it in again once the m/b was installed. Also managed to fit an exhaust fan.

rounddodger · 12 May 2013 at 18:03

Now that is mental! Cheers for the help, looks like I can only get 2 x 3.5" HDDs in there which is a shame so will have to get a couple of 4TBs to tide me over.