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Planning a multipurpose (Rendering, Streaming, Gaming, Development, Storage, etc) ITX Build

Gomenasai
By Gomenasai
in New Builds and Planning
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As the title suggests, I am planning a build for a small form factor system. There is a tldr statement at the bottom if this thread looks to long to read.

 

Background:

This system would be an extra rig in my dorm room. I want this to be an ITX system for the fact that I want a very portable system. I do some A/V work where sometimes my client requires streaming and live audio/video work and therefore this system would be moving quite a bit. This system should also be capable of doing some video editing and rendering. My roommate and I do some video editing in our room but system isn't that capable for editing or sometimes we might have friends over to help with editing, so having a system capable of doing that would be great. It would also be helpful for if I need to do editing while traveling. For the same reason as editing, the system should be able to do some gaming. Why? Because if it can do video rendering, it might as well be able to game, right? Streaming would be another thing. I would like. One of the reasons is the same as I mentioned above for the A/V work that I do. Another thing would be having an extra streaming box for my main system and for my roommates system. I have a few capture cards, and hooking our systems to the capture cards and streaming off of this rig would help take some of the stress off our main computers. 

 

The last factor part is I have a home server at home. Most of the important stuff is on two 2TB drives (its technically four in RAID 10, but its still only 2 drives worth of data). The server is at home (its a home server) and this system is almost never at home. This system should also have some drives (likely the same two drives) for backups of the home server's important drives every once in awhile.

 

So I have two configurations that I whipped up on PC Part Picker: 

 

Here is the first one:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6bMt23


 
Here is my justification for some of the parts.
CPU: Best of the best mainstream CPUs right now and it works with the board that I have.
CPU Cooler: It fits in the case and it performs admirably.
Motherboard: I don't like this board, but I already have it in an HTPC that I don't necessarily need so I can just pull it out.
Memory: I choose this kit because I've just had good experiences with Corsair Memory and their RMA process if anything goings wrong at all.
Storage SSD: Intel Reliability
Storage Hard Drives: These look like odd choices. The reason I have them here is because... I already own these drives. Like... I have three sitting around doing nothing, so I can just put them into this rig and I would only have to buy one more to have a set of four matching drives. I would use two as the backup for my home server and the other two for mass storage for this system. 
Video Card: Its a small form factor build and I want to get the components that have the best size to performance. This bite sized 970 should be able to do the job. 
Case: I need a very portable system and this is one of the few systems that I can fit all of this hardware (its hard to find systems where I can fit these many hard drives). I also have Silverstone's SFF Carrying Bag (I think its called the SUGO Pack) so this should fit nicely in there with still enough room for some peripherals.
PSU: Silverstone PSU with 80+ Gold Certification and I can purchase the short cable kit. The short cable kit will be important in such a small system.
 
And now here comes the second build. The only difference is the CPU, RAM, CPU Cooler, and Motherboard.  
 
 
 
Woah! X99!?
 
Yeah. Here are my thoughts. I would like to have a system that can also run some virtual machines. My field of study is computer sciences, and my classes are requiring different OSs (one wants Ubuntu Server, another prefers Windows, and another prefers Linux). I also have to do some testing with socket development, and I believe that X99 and the 6-core 5820k will do a pretty good job at running several VMs concurrently. The 5820k will also perform well for video editing and rendering. Another factor for this is the fact that it is using DDR4. Hopefully I can upgrade the RAM with some 16GB DIMMs and get 32GBs later down in the road. M.2 and SATA Express are also options later down in the road with this motherboard
 
I also want to brag about how I have an ITX X99 system :P
 
Other factors to consider:
-For my dorm room, having two NICs will be helpful just due to the configuration of the network here. Without going into too much detail, my main PC and my roommate will be connected to a router that will then go to the wall. With this system and two NICs, I can have one attached to the router so we can pull data off of the system with no hassle and the other NIC can plug directly into the wall to ensure that is has a fast(er than the router) connection to the internet for the fairly frequent back ups. 
-My budget is about $1500. The X99 fits in the budget (MicroCenter for the CPU saves me just enough so that it stays under budget)
 
tldr;
I need a small system that can hold 3-4 hard drives, is ITX, can do video editing, rendering, streaming, gaming, and run some VMs. The case that I am set on is the Fractal Design Node 304 for its size. My PC Part Picker lists are above and my budget is around $1500. I have most of the hard drives already.
 
Any suggestions or thoughts?

 

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I would go with the X99 build.

                                                                                                                 Setup

CPU: i3 4160|Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE|RAM: Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB(2x4GB)|GPU: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB|PSU: Seasonic M12II EVO 620W Modular|Storage: 1TB WD Blue|Case: NZXT S340 Black|PCIe devices: TP-Link WDN4800| Montior: ASUS VE247H| Others: PS3/PS4

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the h75 is no different than the h60. i have all of the stats on these coolers. for a serious overclock, the h60 will not be sufficient to cool the 4790k if you're going to take it up to 4.7+ ghz on the core. for that chip, i would go with a h100i gtx.

 

for the 5820k cpu, i would go with the h100i gtx or the h110i gt or h110i gtx

 

alternatively, if you don't want liquid cooling, you can use the noctua nh-d14 or nh-d15 for both the 4790k and the 5820k

 

edit: the 390 performs better than the 970 and it's around the same price

 

edit: the liquid coolers may not be compatible for your itx case. you have to see if they will fit your motherboard as well. pc part picker says they don't

BigDay

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if i were to come up with a sample build for you, would you need the ssd or do you already own that as well?

BigDay

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the h75 is no different than the h60. i have all of the stats on these coolers. for a serious overclock, the h60 will not be sufficient to cool the 4790k if you're going to take it up to 4.7+ ghz on the core. for that chip, i would go with a h100i gtx.

 

for the 5820k cpu, i would go with the h100i gtx or the h110i gt or h110i gtx

 

alternatively, if you don't want liquid cooling, you can use the noctua nh-d14 or nh-d15 for both the 4790k and the 5820k

 

edit: the 390 performs better than the 970 and it's around the same price

 

edit: the liquid coolers may not be compatible for your itx case. you have to see if they will fit your motherboard as well. pc part picker says they don't

The case does support a 120mm liquid cooler so any 240mm cooler (h100) would not fit. The incompatibility listed on PC Part Picker is between the H80i and the motherboard, however, Linus's video on the x99 ITX board shows that we could use an H80i with the system. 

 

This is the case that the system is revolving around: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-304-black so it isn't very big. I don't think the NH-D14 will fit with the hard drive brackets in.

 

I'm not really looking to overclock these systems too much considering the form factor so I'm pretty sure the coolers I have will suffice. 

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if i were to come up with a sample build for you, would you need the ssd or do you already own that as well?

I do have a spare SSD, but the one I have listed on PC Part Picker is one I do not own. I would prefer to buy a new one just so most of the components are new.

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The case does support a 120mm liquid cooler so any 240mm cooler (h100) would not fit. The incompatibility listed on PC Part Picker is between the H80i and the motherboard, however, Linus's video on the x99 ITX board shows that we could use an H80i with the system. 

 

This is the case that the system is revolving around: http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-304-black so it isn't very big. I don't think the NH-D14 will fit with the hard drive brackets in.

 

I'm not really looking to overclock these systems too much considering the form factor so I'm pretty sure the coolers I have will suffice. 

 

ah i see. i overlooked the case in this regard. the coolers will work, but you may be limited to a lower overclock, which is fine. i'm sure you could get 4.5-4.6 ghz on the core safely on the 4670k

BigDay

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ah i see. i overlooked the case in this regard. the coolers will work, but you may be limited to a lower overclock, which is fine. i'm sure you could get 4.5-4.6 ghz on the core safely on the 4670k

Do you think I would have better luck with overclocking by switching to an H80i (a thicker 120mm radiator) for the 4790k?

 

Since I'm pretty much set on the case, I might just buy it now and play around with it. My main system has a 4790k in it already. I can just use the ITX Z97 board I have, plug in the drives that I have, and get some random PSU and graphics card that I have laying around and stress test it. 

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ppp has a bunch of compatibility warnings with this build, but if you say it'll fit then go for it. i changed the ssd. the extreme pro is very fast. changed the 970 to a 390 as it performs better. changed the psu to a higher wattage.

 

overall, great build:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($368.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock X99E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA2011-3 Narrow Motherboard  ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($119.95 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($142.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1995.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-31 11:50 EDT-0400

BigDay

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Do you think I would have better luck with overclocking by switching to an H80i (a thicker 120mm radiator) for the 4790k?

 

Since I'm pretty much set on the case, I might just buy it now and play around with it. My main system has a 4790k in it already. I can just use the ITX Z97 board I have, plug in the drives that I have, and get some random PSU and graphics card that I have laying around and stress test it. 

 

yes, i think that you will be able to push the core clock on the 4790k further with a better aio liquid cooler like the h80i gt as opposed to the h60

 

the case looks amazing! let us know how it looks and feels when you get it please

 

what kind of cooler do you have for your 4790k? were you thinking about buying the h80i gt for it?

 

edit: i prefer your x99 build btw

 

edit: keep in mind, the h80i gt has DUAL FANS and the radiator is slightly bigger than the h60. this is a much bigger 120mm unit. just make sure it fits!

 

edit: here are the dimensions of the h80i gt:

 

radiator dimensions: 154mm x 123mm x 49mm

fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm

 

here are the dimensions of the h60 for comparison:

 

radiator dimensions: 120mm x 152mm x 27mm

fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm

BigDay

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ppp has a bunch of compatibility warnings with this build, but if you say it'll fit then go for it. i changed the ssd. the extreme pro is very fast. changed the 970 to a 390 as it performs better. changed the psu to a higher wattage.

 

overall, great build:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($368.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Motherboard: ASRock X99E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA2011-3 Narrow Motherboard  ($249.99 @ Amazon)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($124.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($119.95 @ Adorama)

Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Storage: Western Digital RE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($142.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $1995.85

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-31 11:50 EDT-0400

I'll consider the change in change in GPU and SSD. I have heard good things about the Sandisk Drive so I'll give it a shot.

 

The graphics card is iffy, not because of the performance, but because of its size. The main reason I looked into the 970 that I did is because it is ASUS's ITX sized 970, which is not much longer (I'm not sure if it is any longer) than an ITX motherboard. The case takes in a full sized ATX PSU towards the front of the case, so hopefully the PSU with the modular cables and the card can fit together.

 

The dummy card I can test out if I get the case is a GTX 770 which is comparable in size to the one you suggested, so if I do buy the case to play around, that should give me a good idea if it will fit. 

 

yes, i think that you will be able to push the core clock on the 4790k further with a better aio liquid cooler like the h80i gt as opposed to the h60

 

the case looks amazing! let us know how it looks and feels when you get it please

 

what kind of cooler do you have for your 4790k? were you thinking about buying the h80i gt for it?

 

edit: i prefer your x99 build btw

 

edit: keep in mind, the h80i gt has DUAL FANS and the radiator is slightly bigger than the h60. this is a much bigger 120mm unit. just make sure it fits!

 

edit: here are the dimensions of the h80i gt:

 

radiator dimensions: 154mm x 123mm x 49mm

fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm

 

here are the dimensions of the h60 for comparison:

 

radiator dimensions: 120mm x 152mm x 27mm

fan dimensions: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm

For my current rig, I am running a custom loop with a 240mm (2x120) and a 360mm(3x120) radiator.

 

I have seen people running the H80i in the case so I'm pretty sure it will fit. 

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