Project Sirius - Mid-Range $1,300 M-ITX 1080p Gaming Machine

[W3dge]

Hey guys!

I'm new to the forums so this is my first build log.

Before I start, I'll go ahead and drop the link to a PCPP list.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MMyP4D

Okay, now that thats there I'll explain the background.

So this is my first PC build, and Im upgrading from a 1050p Apple 15" CrapBook Pro 2010. I knew I wanted a 1080p machine and that I wanted to play games like Star Wars Battlefront, GTA V, Battlefield 4, etc. So I compiled a list of parts I thought would be good for me.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MMyP4D

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MMyP4D/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Micro Center)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($98.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($307.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $74.99)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.50 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1273.31

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-04 14:31 EST-0500

Processor:

I started off with the Intel Core i5 - 6600k. This has more than enough power to go with this build and I knew I wanted SkyLake for it's efficiency. I could have chosen a cheaper Haswell chip but I want to somewhat future-proof this build.

Motherboard:

The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI is a solid choice for an i5. I've heard horror stories about using it with an i7 but I think I should be safe. The onboard wifi is a must and it's the cheapest matte-ish board I could find.

CPU Cooler:

The Corsair Hydro Series H105 is one of the best 240mm CPU coolers on the market. Instillation should be easy in my case and the colored rings and LED's are a solid feature. The fans are less than exceptional but I can replace those with some nicer units. The reason I chose this over an air cooler is for aesthetics, cool-factor(pun?), and giving my CPU the longest life I can.

RAM:

I use chrome as a browser and I will frequently have 10-20 or more tabs open while doing homework. I also like to play Minecraft and I would love to dedotate more WAM to the game. 16GB should be way more than enough and them DDR4 speds though.

GPU:

Ahh the 970, god of 1080p gaming. I sure do love some light MSAA so with a good display this will be glorious. The EVGA cooler will allow it to stay nice and frosty (in comparison). I could have chosen the r9 390 as it's a better value but I really do love the ACX 2.0 cooler on this card and as I've heard, most games tend to be optimized for nvidia cards first, so driver support is a big factor.

Case:

The Evolve ITX has received nothing but good reviews. Installation of all my parts should be easy and the exterior and window will give Sirius an aesthetic worthy of the PCMR.

SSD:

I dont need an HDD just yet so I'm just going to pop in a Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500gb SSD. It has enough space for an OS and games as well as some backups for my phone. The reason I chose this over an m.2 SSD is purely because I like the looks of SSD's in a case and it gives me an excuse to use the Evolv's included SSD bracket to cover up the nasty stock cables from the GPU. I need this build to take up a decent amount of space as the case is somewhat oversized for an M-ITX SFF system already.

PSU:

EVGA FTW

Please drop monitor and peripheral suggestions as well as any other suggestions and comments below!

May Lord GabeN be with you all.

[PlayStation 2]

I just changed out the video card and cooler, keep the H105 if you feel that liquid cooling is worth the extra ~$80

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($254.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($163.75 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case  (Purchased For $74.99) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($76.50 @ Newegg) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($89.88 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $1223.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-04 08:57 EST-0500

[Snooli]

The performance decrease you get with a 970 compared to a 390 is not worth the 10$ you pay more for it. Even on 1080.

[Rolling Potatoe]

You should definitely consider getting a m.2 nvme ssd instead.

You can get them for around 05-0.6$/gb now, are super fast and get out of the way (just pop them in at the back).

You could just add an old hdd for videos and games you dont play right now.

 

Also about the cpu cooler:

 

1. You can install the fans in the top if you dont mind removing like 20 screws

2. You dont really need a 240mm aio for the 6600k, I run mine in the evolv itx with

a 240mm trition cooler @4,6 and I just let the fans+pump run at 5V because it stays so cool.

[Rolling Potatoe]

The performance decrease you get with a 970 compared to a 390 is not worth the 10$ you pay more for it. Even on 1080.

As far as I know the 970 is pretty much on par with the r9 390 and overclocks better + uses less power.

The extra vram is nice though. Because its a itx case the 970 might be better here.

[Snooli]

As far as I know the 970 is pretty much on par with the r9 390 and overclocks better + uses less power.

The extra vram is nice though. Because its a itx case the 970 might be better here.

They are dead even at 1080, but the 390 is cheaper and at higher resolutions and compute operations crushes the 970. Not even talking about DX12.

[Snooli]

You should definitely consider getting a m.2 nvme ssd instead.

You can get them for around 05-0.6$/gb now, are super fast and get out of the way (just pop them in at the back).

You could just add an old hdd for videos and games you dont play right now.

Also about the cpu cooler:

1. You can install the fans in the top if you dont mind removing like 20 screws

2. You dont really need a 240mm aio for the 6600k, I run mine in the evolv itx with

a 240mm trition cooler @4,6 and I just let the fans+pump run at 5V because it stays so cool.

1) NVMe SSDs are double the price of SATA ones.

2) When OCing SkyLake, you are limited by silicon, not temps. I would propably get a i7 HasWell Xeon with stock cooler and spend saved resources at NVMe drive.

[bobbywave]

Looks like a good part list. Good Luck with your first build!

 

I like my GTX 970 (390 is a good option too), but please don't use a Xeon for a gaming rig lol. Skylake i5 is perfect as you picked. With an H105 you can overclock a bit, but don't push that motherboard too hard.

 

Also you wouldn't notice any game changing benefits to NVMe vs Sata SSD in terms of game load times, and boot times are currently slower in Windows (correct me if there has been a firmware update). Only go m.2 if you need the space in the small build, else I don't think its worth the money (best spent elsewhere)

 

Subbed

 

 

[W3dge]

I just changed out the video card and cooler, keep the H105 if you feel that liquid cooling is worth the extra ~$80

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.99 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($98.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($163.75 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $74.99)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.50 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1223.97

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-04 08:57 EST-0500

Thank you for the suggestion! I picked the 970 mainly because I like the aesthetic of EVGA's ACX 2.0 cooler. The H105 is because I want to extend the life of my parts and also the aesthetic. Once again thank you for your suggestion!

[W3dge]

Can anyone tell me how to do progress updates on these logs?

[W3dge]

My Evolv ITX arrived yesterday.

[bobbywave]

That is one sexy case.

[W3dge]

Update: PC build is going on hold for a while, and I might return the case. As a high school kid I don't really have a source of income. Fear not! The meager amounts of money I receive as gifts should allow me to build a PC, two years after I graduate college and already have a well paying job. I will order a new case when I can afford the rest of the system. Right now I need to focus on my daily responsibilities rather than computers.

[W3dge]

Also, I broke my current computer. Therefore I am unable to make videos on the project.