VMaxMuffin

More to the point I don't think most kids understand it. "I'm not making any money from it and it isn't school work so it isn't plagiarism" or something...

Sounds like a good idea

Thanks for your replys But is there any reason I wouldn't get the 2133 given that the price is exactly the same? I know lower CAS is better, but 1866 also isn't supported by the board (only up to 1600) - so my question is would the CAS speeds go down to 9 by running the 2133 at 1600 speeds?

Hi everyone, I'm looking at building a mini-ITX gaming rig (see this post here) and will probably be going with an i5 4440 or 4570 with an H87 motherboard, at this stage probably an MSI H87I but I have a question about RAM. At the moment, I can get 2x4GB G.Skill Ares RAM in either 1600, 1866 or 2133mhz versions for the same price of AU$105. Although my embedded PCPartPicker build has the 1866 selected, I am thinking of going with either the 1600 or 2133 simply because they're a red-orange colour, rather than blue and I've changed my mind about what colours I want . However, I am a bit confused about how RAM speeds work on H87 motherboards. Firstly, I understand that all non-Z Intel motherboards have a maximum supported RAM speed of 1600mhz. However, they also often support XMP, which I don't understand because I thought that was only to allow the RAM to run at speeds higher than 1600mhz. Does this mean it's not "supported" but "can be done"? Or is there something else about XMP which it is used for in this scenario... Also, at the moment I am thinking of buying the 2133 anyway because then if I upgrade to a Z-motherboard in the future I can utilise the higher speeds (may as well - seeing as its the same price) however I know that this RAM also has higher CAS latency (11 for the 2133 vs 9 for the 1866 and 1600). I think though that if I have to run the RAM at 1600 due to using the H-chip, the CAS latency will also drop, but is this the case? Also, if it won't, how much of a difference would it make having the "actual" 1600 RAM running with CAS 9 vs having the 2133 RAM running at 1600 with CAS 11? For reference, here are the three RAM kits I'm talking about: 1600mhz: G.Skill Ares F3-1600C9D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1866mhz: G.Skill Ares F3-1866C9D-8GAB 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2133mhz: G.Skill Ares F3-2133C11D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 Hopefully you can answer my questions

Just a bit of an update/question on graphics cards - I noticed the other day that the differences in size between the Gigabyte and Asus DCUII GTX 660s are not very great - here is a picture of the ASUS card in question: ASUS GeForce GTX 660 DirectCU II OC 2GB I think this is quite a different version of the DCUII coolers that haven't been fitting in the 250D, which have much, much taller coolers. This one definitely should fit i think, as the pipes only extend 1cm above the height of the I/O plate (or whatever it's called), which the 250D should have plenty of room for. Thoughts?

May I ask why exactly you're using a box? Just curious...

OK I think I'll go with the 500W + GTX 660 because it isn't much more expensive. Also, maybe you didn't read closely enough, but I did include a motherboard (under the "other" section, due to it not being on PC Part Picker), and I mentioned it several times in the post Here's a link to it anyway: https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24856

Anyone?

There is a possibility that I could squeeze some money out of my Dad if I can convince him that it will be beneficial in the long run as I can have the more expensive and stylish case (250D) whilst getting good performance, possibly increasing my budget to $1100. If I can do that, then I could have an i5, a GTX 660 and the 250D. What do you guys think of this proposed build? And would it be worth getting the extra $100? ----------------------------------------------------------------- PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.00 @ CPL Online) Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($105.00 @ Mwave Australia) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($239.00 @ PCCaseGear) Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($119.00 @ CPL Online) Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.00) Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ Mwave Australia) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online) Other: MSI H87I Mini ITX Motherboard ($125.00) Total: $1097.00 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-09 16:29 EST+1100) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Also, PCCaseGear has three GTX 660s - one from ASUS with a DirectCU II Cooler (which is the most expensive and slightly out of budget, but also won't fit in the 250D I think due to its height? I read/heard this somewhere, can't remember if it was one of Linus' videos on LTT or NCIX or somewhere else), and the other two are both from Gigabyte: The "normal" version for $229: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1434&products_id=27076 The "OC" version for $239: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1434&products_id=21453 What would make me pay $10 more? Obviously the clock speeds are higher but how much difference will it make? That same $10 could (almost) upgrade me from an i5 4440 to a 4570, or get me a slightly nicer PSU. Also, I should mention that this is the Motherboard that I wanted to use - https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24856 - MSI H87I - because it has the "onboard" antennas (as opposed to a mini router thing that you plug in with cables) and other features that seem generally good (e.g. PCI-E v3). I just noticed that the one I selected in my original proposed build was the H81I (not H87I), which was a mistake (I got it by going to the US version of the site and selecting it with a custom price for Australia, but I didn't notice that it was the H81 not H87). What do you think of this H87 version? Also, if I go for a Corsair CXxxxM PSU (trustworthy brand, 80+ Bronze, semi-modular all means good for a budget mITX gaming rig in my view), should I go with the 430W or 500W version? The 430W is $14 cheaper but will be on the low end of my requirements I think, whilst the 500W version is perhaps more future proof? What would you recommend? There's a lot of questions in here, so I'll just quickly summarise: What do you think of the new proposed build (assuming I can get the extra $100)? Is it worth the extra $100 so that I can have a GTX 660 (or 750 Ti FTW) and an i5 CPU (assuming I 'have to have' the 250D)? Is it true that the ASUS DirectCU II GTX 660 won't fit due to the cooler's height? Is it worth paying the extra $10 for the OC version of the Gigabyte GTX 660 (and are there any benefits other than stock clock speed)? Is there any reason not to get that motherboard (MSI H87I)? Should I get the 430W or 500W version of Corsair's CXxxxM PSU? Sorry for having so questions, and if I seem a little stubborn with my ever-changing build requirements and desire not to budge from the 250D () but I really do appreciate your inputs!

I will, it will still be a few weeks though - I don't really have much time during term time so I'm watching for any specials on potentially useful parts . I'll post the build when I do it though! Yes I realised that's why you chose the case. Like I said, I need to work out how much I care about the case's looks. I'm also thinking that an EVGA 750 SC is definitely the way to go - it will get me the performance I need for now, save me a few dollars to get an i5 4440 and mean that I won't have to hesitate too much about buying a new GPU when I get the money. Of course, there's always the possibility that something goes on sale or something so I'm on the lookout between now and when I build this in a few weeks. New question - I've noticed that I can get a Gigabyte GTX 660 for the same price as an EVGA 750 Ti FTW - hypothetically, if I waited to get a bit more money to get an i5 AND one of these graphics cards - which is better? For reference, here's the exact 660 I'm talking about: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1434&products_id=27076

Thanks everyone for your inputs, I just have some comments on them: Hmmm I like this build except for one thing - I don't like the case... I know it's much cheaper than the others which I do like so I guess I need to make a decision as to whether I like those others enough to pay more. Good idea but I don't think I will be saving up enough to buy one of them, because I don't have a job (yet) and don't want to get one until the end of this year when I've finished Year 12. So really I am looking for the best performance I can get right now, and that seems to be with the 750Ti. Seems like a good build but I'm still not keen on the Cooler Master cases. Interesting about the 750, I hadn't even really considered it but I might now. The only thing is that you can get 2GB versions elsewhere but I can only find 1GB versions in Australia, do you think that will matter much? With both of the Intel builds I see you've gone for i5s rather than i3s. Is it really that important? I know that overall the i5 is much better, but given that this is essentially a AU$900 build (removing the price of windows) I thought that the i3 will be adequate. Of course it's not going to go well with a bigger graphics card but that upgrade's a while off at least and I want to think about what will get me the best overall performance now. So if we were talking about what will get me the best performance for that money now (not worrying about getting a better CPU and upgrading graphics later), would the i3 be the way to go or still i5 with lower-end GPU?

Hi everyone, first post here and first (proper) pc is going to be in the works soon! I'm here looking for some advice on parts. After much reading and watching on the internet (of Linus' videos and other sources too) I've come up with a list of parts that I think will suit my budget of ~AU$1000 (yay for Australian prices!) pretty well. But first - what do I want from this PC? Well, here are the general requirements: Almost exclusively for gaming (I have a MacBook that I can do any High School and in the not too distant future Uni work on). I play pretty much all kinds of games, but the main one for me is Assetto Corsa (I am a bit of a petrol head, so racing games are the number 1 component of my library). Other games that I enjoy include Skyrim, Bioshock Infinite, and a bit of Civ 5 and occasional Minecraft with friends. Yes, I am a very diverse gamer - pretty much the only things I don't play are MMOs. I will be using a 1080p monitor, and although in the future I'd like to move to triple 1080p monitors, I won't be any time soon and will get a new graphics card for that when the time comes. Must be small. I want to be able to transport it in luggage, particularly because I may be going interstate for Uni. Cases that I am most keen on are the Corsair 250D, the Silverstone Raven RVZ01 and the EVGA Hadron Air (although it is a little on the expensive side for me). Must have Wifi. Just needs it. Also, I'd prefer to have the slim sticking-out-the-back type of antenna which I think this MSI board has, whereas others seem to have separate antennas connected by long cables. I don't plan to over clock. So stock CPU cooler is fine. Needs an optical drive. Again, it just needs it. PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear) Motherboard: MSI H81I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00) Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($105.00 @ Mwave Australia) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($229.00 @ PCCaseGear) Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($119.00 @ CPL Online) Power Supply: FSP Group 550W 80+ Silver Certified ATX Power Supply ($85.00) Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ Mwave Australia) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online) Total: $1004.00 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-08 23:18 EST+1100) NB: PCPartPicker's Australian section seems to not have a lot of the latest stock at PCCaseGear, which is where I'd prefer to buy my parts from, FYI. Some notes on this parts list: This is pretty much the limit of my budget. I could perhaps go for a few more dollars but $1050 would be the ABSOLUTE maximum. The EVGA card there is the FTW edition. I know the Mobo only supports 1600mhz RAM and mine is 1866, but they are currently the same price so may as well get the 1866, even if it runs at 1600. I don't care for having an SSD, I'd rather spend the money elsewhere and then I'll think about an SSD in the future. Yes I'd like one, no I don't want to pay for it. I want Windows 7, because I often play some older games (racing sims) that I'm not sure behave well under W8. Also, a general question on RAM speeds - from what I can understand, you need to use XMP in order to get speeds higher than 1600mhz. So far, I've seen mixed opinions on whether a Mobo with an H87 chip with XMP support and RAM with XMP support can together use more than 1600mhz. Some say yes, others no... help? I think that's just about everything, so thanks in advance for your help