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Mini ITX Recommendations For Home Computer

christo492
By christo492
in New Builds and Planning
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Hi all,

I want to build a cheap mini ITX computer for my living room that will be used for browsing the web, watching 4K movies and not much else. I will not game on this computer !

The reason for mini ITX is that I already have an enclosure and a PSU for it, and I like the form factor.

 

Since I won't be gaming on it, I figure I'll go for an integrated graphics solution. I'd need :
CPU, Motherboard, RAM. (I already have an SSD and a HDD lying around).

 

I thought about going for an i3 8100 or an 2200G, but I'd like your recommendations. Is there any chance I can find used parts on ebay? If so, what generation or what CPU should I be looking for? Performance wise, I had a FX-6300 with a GTX 960 for a while and it suited me well enough (the graphics performance doesn't really matter though).

 

Note : I'm in Canada if any of that matters for used parts on Ebay...

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4K playback via HDMI requires a modern spec so a current gen CPU is your best bet. The R3 2200G is cheaper of your selections, but you can go even cheaper with the Athlon 200GE.

 

Also, see my bio for obligatory recommendation.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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4 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

4K playback via HDMI requires a modern spec so a current gen CPU is your best bet. The R3 2200G is cheaper of your selections, but you can go even cheaper with the Athlon 200GE.

 

Also, see my bio for obligatory recommendation.

Ok thanks !

Any thoughts on what motherboard to get (whether it's on intel or AMD's side) for a current gen CPU? Given I don't need much in terms of features, would the cheapest mini itx board at the time be alright?

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Just now, christo492 said:

the cheapest mini itx board

Technically yes but I could never recommend an A320 board in good conscience. However I think the Biostar X370 GTN might be the cheapest for you so that is a good enough board for your purposes. Supports 3840x2160 at 60Hz.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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5 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Technically yes but I could never recommend an A320 board in good conscience. However I think the Biostar X370 GTN might be the cheapest for you so that is a good enough board for your purposes. Supports 3840x2160 at 60Hz.

Cool ! 

Any reason to favor AMD over Intel ? Both CPUs are similarly priced and performance is comparable from what I've read.

Maybe AMD's stock cooler is a bit better?

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4 minutes ago, christo492 said:

Cool ! 

Any reason to favor AMD over Intel ? Both CPUs are similarly priced and performance is comparable from what I've read.

Maybe AMD's stock cooler is a bit better?

Cheapest ITX motherboard and an Athlon 200GE is the same cost as a Gentium G4600 and some ITX board? (not aware of the cheapest Intel board for ITX at the moment)

 

graphics performance on the athlon is probably better.

 

edit: 

looks like this is actually cheapest

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Type Item Price
CPU Intel - Pentium Gold G5400 3.7 GHz Dual-Core Processor $88.99 @ PC-Canada
Motherboard Gigabyte - H310N Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard $101.99 @ PC-Canada
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $190.98
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-15 23:50 EST-0500  

But I'm not 100% sure on the HDMI spec. Should be 2.0 but it's not listed online.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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3 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

Cheapest ITX motherboard and an Athlon 200GE is the same cost as a Gentium G4600 and some ITX board? (not aware of the cheapest Intel board for ITX at the moment)

PCPartPicker has H110 boards for around 115$. This puts the 200GE less than 10$ cheaper.

 

If I go for the more expensive R3 2200G or i3 8100, any favorite here in your opinion ?

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Just now, christo492 said:

If I go for the more expensive R3 2200G or i3 8100, any favorite here in your opinion ?

Well, then the 2200g will take the crown for graphics performance for sure, so I would get that one. Not so sure about power consumption though, and if the 8100 has suitable performance it might work just fine. Kind of a toss up for HTPC, and again, I'd just pick cheapest.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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