Best mini case gaming build under 1500 dollars

[Thirall]

My friend is going to buy a bew gaming computer. His budget is around 1500 dollars (US). Get a 970 and a i7-6600k in there ey! Nah, it is not that easy. His parents are divorced so it would be convinient if the case was as small (and light) it could be, while being able to run all games at ulyra settings 1080p 60fps (or at least close). And please do add a monitor (don't worry about this affecting the prize, I am wanting 1500 dollars for the main computer).

Hopefully you guys that are so awesome could fit all this piwer in a BitFenix Prodigy. Thanks in advance!

Edited March 18, 2016 by Thirall

[TheRandomness]

What country? Does he need the OS or any peripherals in that budget?

[Thirall]

The country is Norway, and he needs a windows 10 copy

Edited March 18, 2016 by Thirall

[Najuno]

I´ve got more power in a smaller form factor here. The Fractal Node 304 packs a full size ATX PSU (not all models though), a full size GPU and a mITX mainboard. The airflow is for such a small form factor impressive. I´ve got this running with an i7 6700K, 16 GB DDR4 OCed with a Cooler Master Seidon 120V to 4.7GHz and a GTX980. The case is really nice and has a superior build quality and it´s so small you can just grab it under your arm and walk away. I use this machine at home as highend HTPC for my 4K home entainment system and as my travel PC for gaming and editing.

[Moonzy]

11 minutes ago, Thirall said:

Get a 970 and a i7-6600k in there ey!

here ya go (i5 + r9 390)

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4PpQ8d
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4PpQ8d/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Best Buy) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($87.95 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VX239H 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($0.00) 
Total: $1302.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 15:53 EDT-0400

 

add a bit more budget and u get a hell of a machine (i5 + 980Ti)

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YgMMJx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YgMMJx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($107.99 @ Best Buy) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($653.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($87.95 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($0.00) 
Total: $1626.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 15:51 EDT-0400

 

[Thirall]

My friend is going 1080p so a 980ti is way overkill, we want the cost as low we can. That Fractal Node 304 seems nice. You got full specs on that? An r9 390, please include a full build :).

[brob]

Here is a build in a smaller, aluminum sided case with a handle. All the parts are available in Europe. Pricing should be right around budget.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9x65 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390X 8GB SOC Video Card  ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian-Li PC-TU200B Mini ITX Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($117.99 @ Directron)
Total: $1324.56
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 16:14 EDT-0400

[Thirall]

What about: 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/78GhnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/78GhnQ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($36.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.75 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($300.80 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  ($107.00 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($87.95 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Total: $1133.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 16:29 EDT-0400

[brob]

2 hours ago, Thirall said:

What about: 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/78GhnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/78GhnQ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($36.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.98 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.75 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($300.80 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  ($107.00 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($87.95 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Total: $1133.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-18 16:29 EDT-0400

Pretty good. I might go with a better, IPS panel monitor but that is just personal preference.

 

The gpu needs to be a little more powerful to meet all the gaming goals expressed in the OP.

 

[Thirall]

I guess the msi card is the overall best from what I have read. And the i5-6600 seems good, a guy got  62 fps minimum max gta with a 970 and a i5-6600. But he had a z17 board, does this reallly matter?:

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kF8xD3) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kF8xD3/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600) | $215.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master GeminII S524 Ver 2 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrg5v220pkr1) | $38.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h170mitxac) | $99.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16grr) | $58.99 @ Newegg 
**Storage** | [Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e500bam) | $149.89 @ OutletPC 
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $49.75 @ OutletPC 
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) | $332.45 @ B&H 
**Case** | [Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-cc9011061ww) | $107.00 @ Newegg 
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii520bronze) | $63.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-kw900140) | $86.99 @ Amazon 
**Monitor** | [Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vx238h) | $109.99 @ Micro Center 
**Monitor** | [Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vx238h) | $109.99 @ Micro Center 
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1474.01
 | Mail-in rebates | -$50.00
 | **Total** | **$1424.01**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-03-19 05:57 EDT-0400 |

[Thirall]

FYI, the stock GTX980 only averages 14% faster for gaming than a GTX970 and costs about 67% more. I think the best I've seen it do is 19% faster.

You really sure about this? We don't want to use to much money. In our country the cost got to around 1900 dollars for all in total.

Also, any alternative for the geminii cooler, our country dealer doesn't have that exactly, but they had all the other parts. Please go to proshop.no to check if they have it. Here is the current build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII S524 Ver 2 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($36.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($87.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.98 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($329.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  ($107.00 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit)  ($86.95 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Total: $1357.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-24 11:36 EDT-0400