An ITX quiet all rounder

[Darth-san]

Hello everyone

 

I am trying to build a very small Mini ITX Media Center/ Gaming RIG and i'd want it to have the following specs :

 

 

1. Gaming mostly at 1080p (4k is not yet a very affordable option)

 

2. QUIET, I want this little baby to be as inaudible as an ITX configuration can get

 

3. Reliable (well, I just want to be sure the parts i'm picking are trustworthy and durable)

 

No real budget limit here, this build will take the time needed to be completed with care :3

 

I am aware that ITX build can be pretty tricky, especially inside the Lian Li PC TU100B so I will take note of all your comments, experiences and advices about that

 

I chose an i3 because i don't know if the 4 cores of an i5 would be really effective with my typical use.(and is the TDP of an i5 too strong for the cooler ?)

Also, I did a pre build and picked a noctua slim RAD but i was thinking of installing an AIO instead, to make sure the CPU is correctly cooled at all time.

It might be necessary to manually sleeve the power cables inside the case to maximise space for airflow.

Is 16g of ram overkill here ? is 8g plenty enough to do Gaming/Cinema/Blu Ray reading/web browsing ?

Same question about the GPU. Is it safer to go down one step to gain security  or is this card well suited ?

 

For the Blu Ray slim drive i have no knowledge of wich is good or not so i'm waiting for your advices

 

[PCPartPicker part list]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rB8wP) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rB8wP/by_merchant/)(

 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rB8wP

 

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i3-4370 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34370) | $148.50 @ Amazon 

**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhl9i) | $44.89 @ OutletPC 

**Motherboard** | [Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h97iplus) | $90.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Memory** | [Kingston Fury White Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx316c10fwk216) | $118.99 @ Amazon 

**Storage** | [Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct240m500ssd1) | $115.00 @ B&H 

**Storage** | [seagate  1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000lm014) | $69.99 @ Newegg 

**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx970dcmoc4gd5) | $348.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Case** | [Lian-Li PC-TU100B Mini ITX Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lian-li-case-pctu100b) | $90.99 @ SuperBiiz 

**Power Supply** | [silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-power-supply-st45sfg) | $88.99 @ NCIX US 

**Optical Drive** | [LG CU20N Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-cu20n) | $60.00 @ Amazon 

**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | $86.98 @ OutletPC 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1274.31

 | Mail-in rebates | -$10.00

 | **Total** | **$1264.31**

 

Waiting for your educated guesses

[WoodenMarker]

8GB is fine for that. 

Are you dead set on the case? There are smaller alternatives that are more flexible for components. 

[niofalpha]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yFNRbv

 

(Added PSU)

Performs better, while being cheaper.

 

(Maybe a bit louder)

[Misanthrope]

This is an overall good build however a couple of things

 

-You really should consider the 4440 instead as your processor: I have a similar system myself (290x instead of the 970 though) and it did made a difference for some recent titles like GTA V

-You really should consider another mitx case, Lian li cases are notoriously crappy for heat and this one in particular will suffer.

 

I recently have been looking at the Silverstone Milo ML07 it would be a lot better since you're already putting an SFX psu on your budget:

 

[Darth-san]

Then 8gb it will be

 

Yup, the case was decided as the base so this is the only part that will not change since it will need to be moved from time to time (> handle + size + ODD)

[Reno2792]

Since it seems like you will be playing games on this system, I would really recommend going with the i5. Some games really benefit from the extra cores, and I could be wrong, but I think Far Cry 4 had something that didn't allow dual cores to even play the game. It would be better to just spend the extra money now instead of later.

[Fgtfv567]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($224.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($116.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.79 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.50 @ Newegg) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card  ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($86.98 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $1061.19

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-29 22:13 EDT-0400

Get an elite 130 if you REALLY want that optical drive....

If you still have more cash to blow, get 16 gigs of ram...

[brob]

If budget is not an issue, you might consider going with a 1TB ssd. Quieter than a build with an hdd.

 

You may want to consider Silverstone SX600-G for the psu. It is much larger than needed but should be silent most of the time.

[Darth-san]

If budget is not an issue, you might consider going with a 1TB ssd. Quieter than a build with an hdd.

You may want to consider Silverstone SX600-G for the psu. It is much larger than needed but should be silent most of the time.

 

 

1Tb ssd are pretty expensive  

Fact is a got the crucial 240gb at a very low price (free  ) So would'nt it be better to add another 500gb ssd instead to keep noise low ?

I have a SSHD 2TB in my full tower and I have no noise issues here, maybe 2"5 disks are louder ?

 

For the PSU, if needed, would it not be better to get a 960 in place of the 970 ? So that the build won't draw to much from the PSU ?

 

 

I'm trying to keep this build at a reasonnable price but I'm not dead set on any parts beside the Case.

 

I do not intend to overclock it one bit to keep it as stable and cool as possible, so is the CPU cooler enough as it is or is an AIO a better option ?

 

I might add that being in France, availability and pricing is different so I try to pick components I can easilly find

[techguru]

when doing an itx system I usually use the corsair 250d...its an awesome little case...lots of nice features

[brob]

1Tb ssd are pretty expensive  

Fact is a got the crucial 240gb at a very low price (free ) So would'nt it be better to add another 500gb ssd instead to keep noise low ?

I have a SSHD 2TB in my full tower and I have no noise issues here, maybe 2"5 disks are louder ?

 

I'm trying to keep this build at a reasonnable price but I'm not dead set on any parts beside the Case.

 

I do not intend to overclock it one bit to keep it as stable and cool as possible, so is the CPU cooler enough as it is or is an AIO a better option ?

 

I might add that being in France, availability and pricing is different so I try to pick components I can easilly find

 

If you already have the 240GB ssd, then adding a 500GB would probably work. HDD start out fairly quiet. Over time they tend to get noisier. Also, as one lowers the noise generated by other parts, hdd and other noises start to become more noticeable.

 

An AIO would not be a good option. Since overclocking is not contemplated, the Noctua will do a nice job. It is good for non-overclocked cpu up to 65W according to Noctua - http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=nh_l9i_tdp_guidelines.

[Darth-san]

Hello everyone

 

Thanks to your advices I finally chose the different components (List here > http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9bsZdC )

 

I will try to keep a build log since I may have to make some tweaking inside the case to optimize airflow and temps (mostly changing the front fan and cable sleeving and "eventually" some mod on and inside the case :3)

 

Thank you all very much, hoping to see you soon

[brob]

Hello everyone

 

Thanks to your advices I finally chose the different components (List here > http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9bsZdC )

 

I will try to keep a build log since I may have to make some tweaking inside the case to optimize airflow and temps (mostly changing the front fan and cable sleeving and "eventually" some mod on and inside the case :3)

 

Thank you all very much, hoping to see you soon

 

Looks good. Post a link to the build log here, once you get it going.

[Darth-san]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/370541-an-itx-quiet-all-rounder-at-last/ 

 

Here is the build log Topic

 

Hope you like it