Debating itx

[Prokart2000]

Hi guys

so with my upgrades i am stuck either to go down the matx/atx route or have a cool looking small pc.

For matx maybe a 350d or arc mini 2

For itx i was thinking the 380t

The problem with itx is that i will have to get a new gpu with the upgrades as my current one wouldent fit (rx480 maybe?) and that my psu is only semi modular so cable managment??

Also for itx i would only get the locked i5 6500 instead of a 6600k at matx/atx. (mainly to save money spent on rx480)

 

Here is my ideas for itx

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/qM23Fd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/qM23Fd/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£161.08 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£44.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£98.28 @ Aria PC) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (£49.49 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£37.43 @ CCL Computers) 
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  (£80.04 @ Amazon UK) 
Other: 470/80x 
Total: £471.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-23 18:07 BST+0100

Many thanks again 

Pro

[bgibbz]

7 minutes ago, Prokart2000 said:

Hi guys

so with my upgrades i am stuck either to go down the matx/atx route or have a cool looking small pc.

For matx maybe a 350d or arc mini 2

For itx i was thinking the 380t

The problem with itx is that i will have to get a new gpu with the upgrades as my current one wouldent fit (rx480 maybe?) and that my psu is only semi modular so cable managment??

Also for itx i would only get the locked i5 6500 instead of a 6600k at matx/atx. (mainly to save money spent on rx480)

 

Here is my ideas for itx

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/qM23Fd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/qM23Fd/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£161.08 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£44.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£98.28 @ Aria PC) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (£49.49 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£37.43 @ CCL Computers) 
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case  (£80.04 @ Amazon UK) 
Other: 470/80x 
Total: £471.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-23 18:07 BST+0100

Many thanks again 

Pro

What gpu would you get otherwise? Also, absolutely do NOT get a liquid cooler with locked proccessor, it is an total waste of money. Also, keep in mind that the 480 is a budget orientated gpu, and therefore will be fairly cheap in the grand scheme of gpus. Besides that, how much does size mean to you? Itx builds can be pretty cool, but some cases uses proprietary psu so double check that if you want to use your psu. 

[Prokart2000]

1 minute ago, bgibbz said:

What gpu would you get otherwise? Also, absolutely do NOT get a liquid cooler with locked proccessor, it is an total waste of money. Also, keep in mind that the 480 is a budget orientated gpu, and therefore will be fairly cheap in the grand scheme of gpus. Besides that, how much does size mean to you? Itx builds can be pretty cool, but some cases uses proprietary psu so double check that if you want to use your psu. 

im not too sure about another gpu as the rx480 has hype that i hope it can live up it, the reason i put a liquid cooler is for aesthetics and space saving around the mobo as it is a small case. I wanted to try itx as my first pc is itx and im fed up of having a big case next to me all of the time. I will check the psu now

[TheRandomness]

3 minutes ago, Prokart2000 said:

im not too sure about another gpu as the rx480 has hype that i hope it can live up it, the reason i put a liquid cooler is for aesthetics and space saving around the mobo as it is a small case. I wanted to try itx as my first pc is itx and im fed up of having a big case next to me all of the time. I will check the psu now

The 480 will (at worst) perform like a 390 and at best perform like a Fury. What PSU specifically?

[Prokart2000]

1 minute ago, TheRandomness said:

The 480 will (at worst) perform like a 390 and at best perform like a Fury. What PSU specifically?

i checked mine, its an overkill semi modular antec hcg 850w i think, it doesnt fit in the 380t but does fit in the 250d

[TheRandomness]

1 minute ago, Prokart2000 said:

i checked mine, its an overkill semi modular antec hcg 850w i think, it doesnt fit in the 380t but does fit in the 250d

Then get a 250D Nice high quality psu c:

[Prokart2000]

2 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Then get a 250D Nice high quality psu c:

 

This is the psu(or similar, not quite sure)

The thing is i want a smaller pc that is still more powerful with my current.

Ive heard you can oc slightly on a h170 board?

 

[Quaker]

A few comments:

 

I have the exact same motherboard in my build, and the same RAM. You might want to consider an M.2 SSD for the extra speed. (The M.2 slot is on the back of the motherboard.)

 

Why spend the money on an AIO cooler if you're not going to overclock? I used a basic 90mm Zalman cooler, similar to a CM Hyper 101/103 simply for looks (and they run quieter than the stock cooler.)

(Of course, you might just like the looks of the AIO.)

 

I'd suggest a Corsair 250D case. It's around the same size as the 380T, but easier to work with. I'm not sure of the interior dimensions of the 380T, but my 250D has no problems fitting my r9 390.

 

I'm using a semi-modular Corsair CX650. There is plenty of cable "space" in the 250D and it's easy enough to make any visible cables look neat. But, the space between the PSU and the front of the case does tend to be a rat's nest.

[Prokart2000]

18 minutes ago, Quaker said:

A few comments:

 

I have the exact same motherboard in my build, and the same RAM. You might want to consider an M.2 SSD for the extra speed. (The M.2 slot is on the back of the motherboard.)

 

Why spend the money on an AIO cooler if you're not going to overclock? I used a basic 90mm Zalman cooler, similar to a CM Hyper 101/103 simply for looks (and they run quieter than the stock cooler.)

(Of course, you might just like the looks of the AIO.)

 

I'd suggest a Corsair 250D case. It's around the same size as the 380T, but easier to work with. I'm not sure of the interior dimensions of the 380T, but my 250D has no problems fitting my r9 390.

 

I'm using a semi-modular Corsair CX650. There is plenty of cable "space" in the 250D and it's easy enough to make any visible cables look neat. But, the space between the PSU and the front of the case does tend to be a rat's nest.

sorry for the slow reply, was playing a quick game of csgo

Thanks for the reply about itx, i was not aware of the m.2 ssd (they are cheaper too right?)

I like the look of the 250d (what are the stock fans like)

I was thinking an aio as there would be more space around mobo cables as i technically havent built a pc before and would love the help from space. (got my first build for a present pre built by a friend) and i like the aesthetics.

Anything else useful to know about itx builds?

[Quaker]

20 minutes ago, Prokart2000 said:

sorry for the slow reply, was playing a quick game of csgo

 Slow reply? It's still Thursday.

 

M.2 drives can be cheaper sometimes, but the main thing is, if you get a PCIe x2 or x4 M.2 drive, they are much faster than SATA. Interestingly, although the 250D can hold 2 3.5" drives an 2 2.5" drives, I'm only using 1 M.2  and 1 2.5" SSD.

(I'm not sure if the Gigabyte board will boot from an NVMe drive.)

 

The stock fans seem to be adequate for a lower power build, but since I was using an R9 390 and i5-6600, I decided to replace the stock fans with PWM units. After testing though, it only seemed to make about a 4-5C difference at load.

 

There's nothing special about building in the 250D as it's relatively large for an ITX case. Some smaller ITX cases can present major challenges, though, especially involving cooling.

 

A note about the 250D. In their literature they specify a rather low height for the CPU cooler, but that's only if it needs to fit below an optical drive. If you don't use an optical drive, or, like me, you have a new short-ish drive, there is no problem fitting a moderate sized 90mm cooler such as a CM Hyper 101/t4/103 or similar sized unit. You can't fit a large CM Hyper 212 though.

[Prokart2000]

1 minute ago, Quaker said:

 Slow reply? It's still Thursday.

 

M.2 drives can be cheaper sometimes, but the main thing is, if you get a PCIe x2 or x4 M.2 drive, they are much faster than SATA. Interestingly, although the 250D can hold 2 3.5" drives an 2 2.5" drives, I'm only using 1 M.2  and 1 2.5" SSD.

 

The stock fans seem to be adequate for a lower power build, but since I was using an R9 390 and i5-6600, I decided to replace the stock fans with PWM units. After testing though, it only seemed to make about a 4-5C difference at load.

 

There's nothing special about building in the 250D as it's relatively large for an ITX case. Some smaller ITX cases can present major challenges, though, especially involving cooling.

 

A note about the 250D. In their literature they specify a rather low height for the CPU cooler, but that's only if it needs to fit below an optical drive. If you don't use an optical drive, or, like me, you have a new short-ish drive, there is no problem fitting a moderate sized 90mm cooler such as a CM Hyper 101/t4/103 or similar sized unit. You can't fit a large CM Hyper 212 though.

Its either the 250d or the enthoo evolv as the phanteks can fit my current cpu cooler in saving money allowing me to get a z170 and a k cpu for the same budget with great cooling