Bitfenix Gaming Build

[jegerkarl]

Hey,

I am looking around for a gaming build and after a couple of weeks i have finally reached a destination. Its a small form factor because i really like going to LAN's. Whould you do any changes/improvments? Does it all fit? Is there any difference between the H87N and the Z87N except OC?

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WiFi

CPU: i5 4570

RAM: Corsair Vengance 2 x 4GB

GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 770 (On sale, that's the reason)

SSD: Samsung 840 120GB

HDD: Western Digital 1TB Blue

PSU: InWin GreenMe 550W

[I'm Batman]

i LOVE betfenix they do sexy stuff i use their fans and led strips and they are just...SEXY O.o

[Masfiras]

Nice biuld, but i would do a few changes,

 

first the PSU, I would go with a more trusted PSU brands, like corsair or XFX.

and second the SSD, if you're going to only put the OS and Programs and no games, I would go with Kingston 300V 60GB

[tk421]

Hey,

I am looking around for a gaming build and after a couple of weeks i have finally reached a destination. Its a small form factor because i really like going to LAN's. Whould you do any changes/improvments? Does it all fit? Is there any difference between the H87N and the Z87N except OC?

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WiFi

CPU: i5 4570

RAM: Corsair Vengance 2 x 4GB

GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 770 (On sale, that's the reason)

SSD: Samsung 840 120GB

HDD: Western Digital 1TB Blue

PSU: InWin GreenMe 550W

 

Excellent choice!  Yes, basically the only difference between the H87 chipset and the Z87 chipset is the lack of overclocking features.  Besides that, the H87 is a fantastic chipset.

 

Nice biuld, but i would do a few changes,

 

first the PSU, I would go with a more trusted PSU brands, like corsair or XFX.

and second the SSD, if you're going to only put the OS and Programs and no games, I would go with Kingston 300V 60GB

 

I agree with the PSU.  I'm not sure what is available in Norway, but I would recommend an XFX, Corsair, Seasonic, etc.  I know that both the XFX 550W and 650W non-modular units fit perfectly.

 

As far as the SSD goes though, I do recommend at least a 120GB SSD.  It will fill up very fast with games.

[jaypro]

In an ITX Build, you only get 2 RAM slots, so I'd go with 2x8GB of Ram, because 2x4 leaves no room to upgrade.  If you are on a budget, you can even do 1x8GB ram and upgrade in the future.  The difference in speed between 1 module and 2 module is negligible.

 

Also, it may sound like 16GB of ram can never be fully used, but you can easily get a RAMdisk app, and load your favorite 1 or 2 games onto the RAMdisk, giving you data transfer rates that can be measured in multiple Gb/s.

 

For example, you could create like a 8GB ramdisk, leaving you with 8GB of ram still, and put Skyrim completely on your RAM, giving you near instant load times.

 

Or, for bragging rights, you could put LAN party games like DOTA2 or League of Legends on your RAMDisk, and "win" the loading screen contest.

[zonetrooper90]

maybe you should wait for the Prodigy M and upgrade to matx... you would still get the Prodigy design, and have room to expand your build in the future... 

[WoodenMarker]

maybe you should wait for the Prodigy M and upgrade to matx... you would still get the Prodigy design, and have room to expand your build in the future... 

This is a good idea if you're not in a rush.

 

As far as the SSD goes though, I do recommend at least a 120GB SSD.  It will fill up very fast with games.

The thing is, you're not supposed to fill up your ssd with games.

[tk421]

This is a good idea if you're not in a rush.

 

The thing is, you're not supposed to fill up your ssd with games.

 

Why not?  It makes load and boot times much more bearable.

[WoodenMarker]

Why not?  It makes load and boot times much more bearable.

Sorry for the bad wording. The thing is that games that often have bad loading times are quite large and fill up a 120GB ssd quite quickly. 

It's fine but hdds in raid 0 provide pretty good speeds as well while also providing capacity for a lower price.

[tk421]

Sorry for the bad wording. The thing is that games that often have bad loading times are quite large and fill up a 120GB ssd quite quickly. 

It's fine but hdds in raid 0 provide pretty good speeds as well while also providing capacity for a lower price.

 

That's a good point.  If you have lots of games, it may seem impractical.  I usually only have 2 or 3 installed at a time so it doesn't matter to me.

[jegerkarl]

I agree with the PSU. I'm not sure what is available in Norway, but I would recommend an XFX, Corsair, Seasonic, etc. I know that both the XFX 550W and 650W non-modular units fit perfectly.

first the PSU, I would go with a more trusted PSU brands, like corsair or XFX.

When it comes to PSU i have been looking around but all I seem to find are not Haswell compatible and modular. Do you have any suggestions on cheap 550w / 600w / 650w that are Haswell compatible?

[jegerkarl]

maybe you should wait for the Prodigy M and upgrade to matx... you would still get the Prodigy design, and have room to expand your build in the future... 

 

Do you know when it launches? I might do that, actually. 

[jegerkarl]

In an ITX Build, you only get 2 RAM slots, so I'd go with 2x8GB of Ram, because 2x4 leaves no room to upgrade. If you are on a budget, you can even do 1x8GB ram and upgrade in the future. The difference in speed between 1 module and 2 module is negligible.

Also, it may sound like 16GB of ram can never be fully used, but you can easily get a RAMdisk app, and load your favorite 1 or 2 games onto the RAMdisk, giving you data transfer rates that can be measured in multiple Gb/s.

For example, you could create like a 8GB ramdisk, leaving you with 8GB of ram still, and put Skyrim completely on your RAM, giving you near instant load times.

Or, for bragging rights, you could put LAN party games like DOTA2 or League of Legends on your RAMDisk, and "win" the loading screen contest.

It is a bit risky to go with a single stick now and buy a second one later. Usually it comes out new RAM every year and old ram is difficult to find on the market. I'll rather buy 2 x 4GB now and if I need to upgrade in the future, I'll upgrade in the future.

[zonetrooper90]

Do you know when it launches? I might do that, actually. 

I have found an article on sweclockers.com and in the video the guy says 2-3 months... that must mean 2-3 months after computex...

 

http://www.sweclockers.com/nyhet/17124-bitfenix-prodigy-m-for-micro-atx-pa-computex

[WoodenMarker]

I have found an article on sweclockers.com and in the video the guy says 2-3 months... that must mean 2-3 months after computex...

 

http://www.sweclockers.com/nyhet/17124-bitfenix-prodigy-m-for-micro-atx-pa-computex

[WR10]

Hey,

I am looking around for a gaming build and after a couple of weeks i have finally reached a destination. Its a small form factor because i really like going to LAN's. Whould you do any changes/improvments? Does it all fit? Is there any difference between the H87N and the Z87N except OC?

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WiFi

CPU: i5 4570

RAM: Corsair Vengance 2 x 4GB

GPU: Gainward GeForce GTX 770 (On sale, that's the reason)

SSD: Samsung 840 120GB

HDD: Western Digital 1TB Blue

PSU: InWin GreenMe 550W

Actually if you want to save some money you can consider going for a B85 board if it's available in your region. The biggest difference would be sata ports only. As for the RAM , go for 1x8GB first , then you can upgrade to 16GB in total compared to capped on 8GB only. For PSU , get something like the Seasonic G550 or Corsair CX600 ( or anything decent available )

EDIT: I did not read your post regarding the RAM. Go with what you think suits you / plan what's best for you.