Micro-ATX Gaming PC Component Recommendations?

[berderder]

Broadwell is the next batch of Intel CPU's. Your CPU is good for now, no need to go to Haswell Refresh (aka i5 4690K) and Z97 isn't compatible with your CPU.

 

Wait for Broadwell. 

 

Then my suggestion would be, (this will give you some more time to save up and go all out then) : 

i5 Broadwell

MSi Gaming Z97M

New GPU 

CPU cooler

New PSU 

350D or other M-ATX case you fancy. Note that the Prodigy M is overrated and makes inefficient use of it's space IMO.

Dangit!  Z97 isn't compatible with i5-3570k??

 

I'm confused because apparently, my i5 is overclockable, but it doesn't seem like there is a chipset for it.....my chipset right now is H77

[Devil0359]

Dangit!  Z97 isn't compatible with i5-3570k??

 

I'm confused because apparently, my i5 is overclockable, but it doesn't seem like there is a chipset for it.....my chipset right now is H77

I think the Z77 chipset whould be compatible with your i5.

[berderder]

I think the Z77 chipset whould be compatible with your i5.

Grrr, my friend didn't know what he was doing building this thing (my current rig)!   To be fair, he didn't seem to think I would be interested in overclocking, I suppose, haha

 

Now I think I have to buy two new mobos - one for my mATX rig, and one for my current rig

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Dangit!  Z97 isn't compatible with i5-3570k??

 

I'm confused because apparently, my i5 is overclockable, but it doesn't seem like there is a chipset for it.....my chipset right now is H77

Yup, you need a Z77 board like this one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vlk to overclock your 3570K. There are only a handful of mATX Z77 motherboards to choose from and none of them are really great IMO. If your friend didn't think you were going to be OC'ing he should have saved you a few bucks and gotten you a non-K CPU . 

 

In your case assuming you want to start OC'ing now, you could get a Z77 board for your current CPU and go Z97 + broadwell CPU when that comes out.

[berderder]

Yup, you need a Z77 board like this one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vlk to overclock your 3570K. There are only a handful of mATX Z77 motherboards to choose from and none of them are really great IMO. If your friend didn't think you were going to be OC'ing he should have saved you a few bucks and gotten you a non-K CPU . 

 

In your case assuming you want to start OC'ing now, you could get a Z77 board for your current CPU and go Z97 + broadwell CPU when that comes out.

That's perfect.  *head slam* haha.  But yeah, I am glad though because it all seems to be coming together in my head now

[Held657]

Nice, I love the 1TB internal SSD.  Also, it seems the ASUS parts have come up quite a bit, too, I will juggle both of those ideas in my head.  ASUS versus the MSI board.

 

I really, really like the two gtx 660 idea.  If I built the mATX rig, I don't know if that would fit, but that would be a great upgrade for my current rig

 

 

Ehm it's a 1TB HDD. If a 1TB SSD would only cost 50 bucks nobody would use HDDs anymore  :lol: . The problem with the GTX 660 SLI config is that you won't gain additional VRAM because they don't share their VRAM. So You would still only have 2 GB of VRAM. But it would work in a mATX rig.

[berderder]

Ehm it's a 1TB HDD. If a 1TB SSD would only cost 50 bucks nobody would use HDDs anymore  :lol: . The problem with the GTX 660 SLI config is that you won't gain additional VRAM because they don't share their VRAM. So You would still only have 2 GB of VRAM. But it would work in a mATX rig.

Ahhh, you're right.   And I don't know much about SLI but that's a shame.  Good to hear about it working for the mATX rig though. 

[Held657]

Ahhh, you're right.   And I don't know much about SLI but that's a shame.  Good to hear about it working for the mATX rig though. 

 

So I just checked your PSU and you won't need a new one. Neither for 2 GTX660s nor a GTX 780 or R9 290(X).

[berderder]

So I just checked your PSU and you won't need a new one. Neither for 2 GTX660s nor a GTX 780 or R9 290(X).

Oh, cool, thanks!

[droggelbecher]

Maybe watch out when buying a cooler because 140mm towers like the NH-U14s won't or just barely fit matx Mobos vertically. Horizontally maybe it blocks of your ram if its not low profile.

[berderder]

Maybe watch out when buying a cooler because 140mm towers like the NH-U14s won't or just barely fit matx Mobos vertically. Horizontally maybe it blocks of your ram if its not low profile.

Thanks!   Yeah, this is new to me so all concerns are definitely helpful

[droggelbecher]

i would go for the Noctua NH-U12s (the 120mm version) it should fit perfectly on matx boards and has a good performance/price ratio

[Held657]

i would go for the Noctua NH-U12s (the 120mm version) it should fit perfectly on matx boards and has a good performance/price ratio

 

Actually the NH-U12s can block RAM with high heatsinks and also can be too high itself for some cases. Else: Awesome cooler.

[droggelbecher]

Actually the NH-U12s can block RAM with high heatsinks and also can be too high itself for some cases. Else: Awesome cooler.

He´s building in a prodigy m so i would recommend him to mount the heatsink vertically anyways -> blowing to the back exhaust / in this case (haha) the ram surely won´t be blocked

[berderder]

Actually the NH-U12s can block RAM with high heatsinks and also can be too high itself for some cases. Else: Awesome cooler.

 

 

He´s building in a prodigy m so i would recommend him to mount the heatsink vertically anyways -> blowing to the back exhaust / in this case (haha) the ram surely won´t be blocked

 

I've never thought about mounting a heat sink vertically - I will think about that

[droggelbecher]

I've never thought about mounting a heat sink vertically - I will think about that

with vertically i meant this mounting orientation LINK didn´t find an other words for it

[berderder]

with vertically i meant this mounting orientation LINK didn´t find an other words for it

Yep!  That's what I thought.  I'll have to dig my hands into my current rig.  I lack the practice with components in general

 

A friend of mine built my current rig, and I am finding myself having to undo some of the damage, haha. 

[Held657]

Yep!  That's what I thought.  I'll have to dig my hands into my current rig.  I lack the practice with components in general

 

A friend of mine built my current rig, and I am finding myself having to undo some of the damage, haha. 

 

Building a PC is fairly easy. The manuals will tell you everything anyway^^

[berderder]

Building a PC is fairly easy. The manuals will tell you everything anyway^^

It seems like it's not too bad.  I had a heck of a time replacing the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU because I used something called lithium grease I got from my Dad who uses it on water boilers, haha.  It actually worked well with the GPU, but not with the CPU, and then I just went ahead and bought Antec thermal paste which worked fine

[Held657]

It seems like it's not too bad.  I had a heck of a time replacing the thermal paste on the CPU and GPU because I used something called lithium grease I got from my Dad who uses it on water boilers, haha.  It actually worked well with the GPU, but not with the CPU, and then I just went ahead and bought Antec thermal paste which worked fine

 

Lithium grease doesn't sound that good of an idea  :lol: . You did well going with real thermal paste afterwards.

[berderder]

Lithium grease doesn't sound that good of an idea  :lol: . You did well going with real thermal paste afterwards.

Yeah, I didn't think it did either, haha.  Surprisingly it worked somewhat, but thankfully I swapped out for the real stuff