M-ITX with some longevity

n0ugh7_zw · May 31, 2014

Hi Everyone,

I've been watching Linus' videos for about 4.5-5 years now.

I want to build a machine thats a competent gaming rig, whilst being fast enough for other tasks (Mainly dealing with ridiculously large photoshop files, and ripping said files for output on wide format printers)

Also I'd like it to be a pretty compact rig, that I can take to LAN's.

I'm not planing on any serious over clocking, the cooling choices are mainly to prolong the life of the system, as i'd like it to last me a while (maybe 18-24 months as my main gaming rig, and then some years as a media centre PC)

I also live pretty far off the beaten track, all the way in Harare, Zimbabwe.

So I kinda need to make all the right choices, because waiting for a month for a new batch of parts to get to me, because I'd forgotten something like a n00b, would suck... bad.

That all said, here's the list of components I've chosen.

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 X 8GB @2400MHz)

Mobo: MSI Z97I GAMING AC (or a Maximus VI Impact, but thats Z87)

GPU: MSI N780 3GD5/OC (Apparently Direct CU II coolers don't fit in the 250D, something about the heat pipe sticking out too far)

PSU: Corsair RM750 (probably overkill, but i figure some headroom, will let it run cool and prolong its life?)

Solid State Storage: 2 X 250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD's in RAID 0 (Pretty large for apps + scratch disks + working folders which will be backed up to the WD Greens)

Spindle Storage: 2 X 3TB Western Digital Greens in RAID 1 (again low power, low RPM, longer life?)

Case: Corsair Obsidian 250D

Other strange crap

I was also thinking of putting in some Bitfenix lighting strips in, and a Bitfenix spectre 200mm fan for the front intake. Possibly a USB DAC too with a headphone amp. (I have a set of HD555's)

Peripherals

Samsung Series 6 46" TV (for gaming at home)

2 X old ASUS 24" 1080p screens + a 27" ASUS 1200p screen (can't remember the models numbers, screens are at work)

For the whole lot I'm looking at about $1975.00 (my Budget is $2250.00)

I'll get better displays down the line, once i've recovered from buying the actual rig (really liking some of the 21:9 screens that i've seen)

Basically I've got 2 main questions.

Firstly, is there anything I can swap around to get me more bang for my buck? (the obsidian is not exactly cheap, but i really like the look of it)

Secondly, is there anything that jumps out as a possible bottleneck down the line?

xox · May 31, 2014

Anything will last that long, you have no need to worry, the chance of a part failing (well, here in England with low humitity) is literally 1% in the first 5 years.

Unless you do something to it, it should last 5 years easy, just when there's high humidity, use it less.

I'm not sure about that graphics card though, did you mean the GTX 780?

And if you want longevity, I'd just go with the stock CPU cooler for now.

helping · May 31, 2014

I would keep the EVO drives separate or in RAID 1 unless you have a backup system.

You might want to hold out a bit for 4790k chip

Sorry, yes I meant the GTX 780.

I figured I'd go with the H100i, because it looks a lot nicer, and if I do decide that I want to have a go at overclocking, it'll give me a good amount of headroom.

I'd be using it in an air-conditioned environment, so the humidity would be pretty low, year round.

If you want longevity, go air cooled.

H100 is much more prone to failure than a high end tower.

n0ugh7_zw · May 31, 2014

Sorry, yes I meant the GTX 780.

I figured I'd go with the H100i, because it looks a lot nicer, and if I do decide that I want to have a go at overclocking, it'll give me a good amount of headroom.

I'd be using it in an air-conditioned environment, so the humidity would be pretty low, year round.

n0ugh7_zw · May 31, 2014

Worst Advice Ever, awesome name. The EVO's would back up to the greens that will be in RAID 1, 75% of the stuff on the EVO's would be software, games and scratch disks, which, aren't really a trainsmash if they get lost. the working folder, would be set up to sync with a folder on the WD greens. Good point on the 4790k, though. Ok didn't know that about AIO water coolers. That's a pretty compelling argument.

SpyRosL · May 31, 2014

This is a pretty nice rig.

But you mention longevity all over the place so you will be better off waiting for the i7 4790k.

If you want the pc asap,then 4770k is ok.

Keep the H100i in my opinion because the case is very small so long towers might be a problem.

Flyguygamer · May 31, 2014

The h100i is more likely to fail. Get any of the small nocta coolers and youll be good.

ForsakenLive · May 31, 2014

Worst Advice Ever, awesome name. The EVO's would back up to the greens that will be in RAID 1, 75% of the stuff on the EVO's would be software, games and scratch disks, which, aren't really a trainsmash if they get lost. the working folder, would be set up to sync with a folder on the WD greens. Good point on the 4790k, though. Ok didn't know that about AIO water coolers. That's a pretty compelling argument.

AiO can last up to 5 years, a tower is eternal as long as you keep it clean and change the fan about every 3 years.

Have you considered other case? The Node 304 can fit a dual 140mm tower cooler, has nice fan filters right where the GPU intakes from the side, The PSU is on the front and has easy cable routing (as long as you get something like a short cable kit from silverstone) and also has a quite good hard drive availability.

n0ugh7_zw · June 1, 2014

ForsakenLive, I have looked at the Node 304, and the Bitfenix Prodigy, and even the Cooler Master Elite 130. But, I really like the aesthetic of the 250D.

Flyguygamer, I'll get the H100i, but I'll have the stock cooler as backup incase the AIO dies.

SpyRosL, Waiting for the 4790k, sounds like a good idea. I mention longevity, because I want the rig to last a long time. With the work i'll be doing on it, there will be pretty significant strain on the CPU, and the gaming will also strain the GPU. So thats why I'm very conscious of cooling it properly, even if I don't overclock it.

With that all in mind, here is a revised shopping list

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Micro Center)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: MSI Z97I Gaming AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($165.98 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($699.99 @ Micro Center)

Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ Newegg)

Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($24.15 @ NCIX US)

Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)

Case Fan: Enermax UC-MA8 34.1 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.95 @ Amazon)

Total: $2020.95

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-01 01:37 EDT-0400)

And a couple Bitfenix lighting strips.

Though, I guess it might be worth waiting for the 4790K and maybe the ROG Maximus VII Impact? (I'd probably have to stick to the MSI GPU though, because the Direct CU II cards that Asus makes, won't fit in the 250D)