Build for my brother-in-law

[ZiggyManSaad]

My BIL is sick of gaming on his 360 and he doesn't want a new console, so he's finally joining the PC side. He said he wanted a small form factor that's got plenty of power. He doesn't care what the color scheme is, so I figured all black with a little hint of red. I'm thinking he'll like it.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($84.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($139.99 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card  ($259.99 @ Amazon) 

Case:  BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply:  SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1124.90

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-16 09:56 EDT-0400)

[Bonsai99]

Would recommend 8gb of memory instead of 16 and a 7950 over a 760.

[lachyman]

Budget?

[tristan1035]

I would recommend a Silverstone psu, as you can get the short cable kit which is impeccably sleeved (Linus said so).

[zinton]

If you're not overclocking you can drop that watercooler and get a slimmer case aswell

[Guest GRRigger]

drop 8 gb of ram -> spare 60 bucks

for 25 dollar more you get gigabyte 7970

for little more get 4670 K and you can overclock it

[ZiggyManSaad]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

 

If you're not overclocking you can drop that watercooler and get a slimmer case aswell

 

He's not looking to overclock the CPU but he wants is quiet. He's also pretty in love with that damn case. I've tried pushing him in other directions.

 

 

I would recommend a Silverstone psu, as you can get the short cable kit which is impeccably sleeved (Linus said so).

I will definitely look into it. Thanks!

 

 

Budget?

He doesn't have a budget. He said he wanted it to be fast and quiet.

 

 

Would recommend 8gb of memory instead of 16 and a 7950 over a 760.

What's the best 7950 out there? I don't know much about AMD GPUs.

[megadarkwood]

Would recommend 8gb of memory instead of 16 and a 7950 over a 760.

no. 16gb is fine

[Ghost Taco]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

 

 

He's not looking to overclock the CPU but he wants is quiet. He's also pretty in love with that damn case. I've tried pushing him in other directions.

 

 

I will definitely look into it. Thanks!

 

 

He doesn't have a budget. He said he wanted it to be fast and quiet.

 

 

What's the best 7950 out there? I don't know much about AMD GPUs.

For $220 on Newegg you can get a 7950. For $300 you can get a 7970. Both come with 3 games of your choosing from AMD's list 

7950: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202026

7970: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008

Games list: http://sites.amd.com/us/promo/never-settle/Pages/nsreloadedforever.aspx

[ZiggyManSaad]

I would recommend a Silverstone psu, as you can get the short cable kit which is impeccably sleeved (Linus said so).

Which PSU would you recommend? The SFX 450 looks like a good alternative.

[KieranThePCGuy]

I would personally drop the RAM to 8GB, especially if it's just for gaming. That graphics card is good, but I would wait to see what the 9xxx series will bring before deciding on a new GPU. Or if you don't want to wait get a 7950/7970. If your not planning on overclocking than drop that water cooler and get a 212 Evo or something similar.

[ologiic]

Which PSU would you recommend? The SFX 450 looks like a good alternative.

I would go with a 600 so the PSU isn't always working at maximum, It'll last way longer that way.

[WorldDominator]

Show him the EVGA Hadron. It's a small, sexy case with a 500W gold certified PSU. (I really wanna see a build in one of these )

[Bonsai99]

no. 16gb is fine

No point of 16gb memory in a gaming build, its rarely/never going to get used.

 

What's the best 7950 out there? I don't know much about AMD GPUs.

Probably a Gigabyte Windforce 7950, apparently they have a voltage lock or something though.

[lachyman]

Go for i5 4670K, if you want a Z87 board.

[ZiggyManSaad]

Go for i5 4670K, if you want a Z87 board.

There's no need for an unlocked CPU if he won't be overclocking.

[ZiggyManSaad]

Thanks for all the help guys!

[lachyman]

There's no need for an unlocked CPU if he won't be overclocking.

Then get a H87 board.

[WoodenMarker]

The Prodigy isn't that small. It's as big as some micro atx cases and twice as big as some other itx cases.

 

Edits: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1EwVg

Replace the NH-L12's and case's stock fans.

Single Gelid for each the cooler (bottom mounted), and the front and middle of the case.

SilenX fan on the side.

[tristan1035]

Which PSU would you recommend? The SFX 450 looks like a good alternative.

This PSU (it's really small), and this cable kit (sorry, not impeccably sleeved but very short - basically made for itx and matx systems).

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=350&area=en%C2'>

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PSU                                                                                                            cable kit