MINI ITX (Travel Friendly Build)

[Magicman]

I'm currently speccing up a build, which will be compact enough to travel with, even to the point of being able to taken on a plane (boxed, under 7kg, if possible). It will eventually be retired to the TV for general media viewing / gaming / and design (Creative Suite). I'm based in NZ, so we are somewhat limited in what is offered here.

 

I have purchased the Antec ISK600, but am yet to finalise the hardware.This is what i'm considering thus far;
 

CPU - Intel Haswell Core i3 4160

Motherboard - ASUS Z97I-PLUS Intel Z97 ITX (Wifi Version)

Ram - Mushkin Blackline FrostByte G3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-2400

Power Supply - Corsair HX-750i (750W) overkill, but nice and quiet while not under load

Graphics Card - EVGA GTX 750ti

SSD (OS) - 128 GB Samsung 840 Pro Series 

HDD - Western Digital Green (3TB)


Interested to hear your thoughts!
 

[TheSLSAMG]

Spend a lot less on the motherboard, there is almost no reason you would need Z97.

[FatalityDiablo]

remove the 'overkill' psu and get a slightly better cpu maybe? 450-550W still does the job without breaking a sweat.

[ForsakenLive]

Z97 for a i3? There are cheaper 1150 motherboards with Wifi (Asrock, Gigabyte), Save some money there!

With this system the power consumption will hardly reach 200W.... 750W is not overkill it's like going back in time and shooting caveman with a laser gun. Just get a 500W bronze unit, the system will be as quiet as the loudest component (case fans, GPU, Stock Intel cooler).

Get a 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD, it costs the same as the PRO, has very good performance and double the capacity.

Finally, put the excess money on a better case, the Antec case you listed is a good budget small case, but it's not portable (it's like a Node 304). Get the Lian Li PC-TU100B, it has a all aluminium solid but lightweight construction, very sleek design and aesthetics, it's very compact and has a sturdy handle.

[Magicman]

Spend a lot less on the motherboard, there is almost no reason you would need Z97.

 

Do you have any recommendations for a specific Mobo alternative? One that has good features etc.

 

 

remove the 'overkill' psu and get a slightly better cpu maybe? 450-550W still does the job without breaking a sweat.

 

Will look into that for sure

 

 

Z97 for a i3? There are cheaper 1150 motherboards with Wifi (Asrock, Gigabyte), Save some money there!

With this system the power consumption will hardly reach 200W.... 750W is not overkill it's like going back in time and shooting caveman with a laser gun. Just get a 500W bronze unit, the system will be as quiet as the loudest component (case fans, GPU, Stock Intel cooler).

Get a 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD, it costs the same as the PRO, has very good performance and double the capacity.

Finally, put the excess money on a better case, the Antec case you listed is a good budget small case, but it's not portable (it's like a Node 304). Get the Lian Li PC-TU100B, it has a all aluminium solid but lightweight construction, very sleek design and aesthetics, it's very compact and has a sturdy handle.

 

Great suggestion! Love the idea of this, may have to build two rigs, since I have purchased the Antec already.

[maximum]

corsair 550w rm power supplies are great and it will save you a few bucks from your current option. 

[Swndlr]

either swap out the cpu to match the grade of the mobo or swap out the mobo to meet the grade of that cpu and other than that this seems like a fun build, i love mITX builds

[Fgtfv567]

Logan from Tek Syndicate uploaded a video about a R9 285 ITX compact, so look up the compact GPUs if you have the money for it, and if you do, you can get a CM elite 110, which is shorter http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mini-itx-elite-series/elite110/  Your case: http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=706714&fid=5022033&lan=nz

[Magicman]

Logan from Tek Syndicate uploaded a video about a R9 285 ITX compact, so look up the compact GPUs if you have the money for it, and if you do, you can get a CM elite 110, which is shorter http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mini-itx-elite-series/elite110/  Your case: http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=706714&fid=5022033&lan=nz

I looked into this case, but it doesn't visually appeal, mainly because it is so stumpy looking. R9 285 ITX compact

looks interesting!

[Magicman]

either swap out the cpu to match the grade of the mobo or swap out the mobo to meet the grade of that cpu and other than that this seems like a fun build, i love mITX builds

Thanks for the tip

[Magicman]

corsair 550w rm power supplies are great and it will save you a few bucks from your current option. 

Sounds like a good option!

[JuTheBarbarian]

If you want a really small desktop you can travel with, you could look at the Zotac Zbox EN760. It's got room for RAM and Netcard upgrades. Also I think it can even out-perform current gen consoles (ps4/xbox one) in terms of gaming despite being about the size of a medium textbook. Linus did a review on one if you wanna take a look ....

 

http://youtu.be/PaLbUXpXPSY?list=LLWUgfululu7drdc7iM3pkIA

[brob]

I would suggest a number of changes. An H97 motherboard is quite sufficient for the i3. For a general use and gaming system memory speed does not make a great deal of difference. I simply picked an inexpensive kit with good speed and timings. Consider getting a less expensive ssd. The WD Green drive is not really designed for active use. I would suggest a Barracuda instead. A smaller and quieter psu, although not modular. If a modular psu is a must consider SeaSonic SSR-450RM.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($117.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($102.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($62.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $745.12
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-11 22:24 EDT-0400

[Magicman]

So i've updated the list. Based on your comments thus far I have shaved about $200 off of the build cost.
This is not in concrete yet...so more feedback in welcomed. My choices are somewhat limited as to what
is available in little old New Zealand

 

Case - Antec ISK600 (Already Owned) Considering grabbing a Lian Li PC-TU200

CPU - Intel Haswell Core i3 4160

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Intel H97 Mini-ITX

Ram - Mushkin Blackline FrostByte G3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-2400

Power Supply - Corsair RM Series RM450 450W

Graphics Card - EVGA GTX 750ti

SSD (OS) - 128 GB Samsung 840 Pro Series (Already Owned)

HDD - Western Digital Green (3TB) (Already Owned)

[Magicman]

If you want a really small desktop you can travel with, you could look at the Zotac Zbox EN760. It's got room for RAM and Netcard upgrades. Also I think it can even out-perform current gen consoles (ps4/xbox one) in terms of gaming despite being about the size of a medium textbook. Linus did a review on one if you wanna take a look ....

 

http://youtu.be/PaLbUXpXPSY?list=LLWUgfululu7drdc7iM3pkIA

Yeh I watched that review when it was released, but I wouldn't consider one of these, I still feel that form factor has a long way to go mainly around cooling. I want the ability to have multiple high capacity HDD's and upgrade to the new CPU and GPU releases next year.

 

[Magicman]

I would suggest a number of changes. An H97 motherboard is quite sufficient for the i3. For a general use and gaming system memory speed does not make a great deal of difference. I simply picked an inexpensive kit with good speed and timings. Consider getting a less expensive ssd. The WD Green drive is not really designed for active use. I would suggest a Barracuda instead. A smaller and quieter psu, although not modular. If a modular psu is a must consider SeaSonic SSR-450RM.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($117.49 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($74.70 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($102.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card  ($139.99 @ Amazon)

Case: Antec ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($52.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($62.99 @ Mwave)

Total: $745.12

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-11 22:24 EDT-0400

Thanks for the suggestions. We get totally shafted on pricing being at the bottom of the world!

[JuTheBarbarian]

Yeah I guess it's not the best thing in terms of storage, but hey the tiny is awesome! Anywhoo, if you want more storage that case would probably be better, lol.

[brob]

Thanks for the suggestions. We get totally shafted on pricing being at the bottom of the world!

 

You should mention where you are from in the OP. If it is Australia or New Zealand, pcpartpicker can be configured for those countries and you can get a more accurate idea of pricing and availability. It also saves people from suggesting products that are not available.

[Magicman]

You should mention where you are from in the OP. If it is Australia or New Zealand, pcpartpicker can be configured for those countries and you can get a more accurate idea of pricing and availability. It also saves people from suggesting products that are not available.

Sweet, good idea...new to forums. Thanks.