"The Global Offensive Annihilator" Mini ITX build

[Mr.Meerkat]

Well the name "The Global Offensive Annihilator" name comes from how the most played video game on it will be CS:GO (and for those of you who does know the GO bit stands for Global Offensive) and how I'll be taking and travelling with this PC internationally.

As someone who travels a lot and doesn't have a grand plus to spend on a laptop, I decided to go with a small case that I can fit in my bag and build a Mini ITX PC. This will become the replacement of Matx secondary PC and take over some of my laptop duties. I was debating whether to save an ass ton of money by getting a h61 ITX motherboard but decided against it as I still needed a server...

 

I had a budget of 550 quid (well 300 of it was in the form of Yen so...meh?) and this is the parts list:

CPU: i5 6400

Cooler: Arctic Freezer 11LP (stole it from my old secondary rig)

Motherboard: Asrock H110M-ITX/AC

GPU: Inno3D GTX1060 (free advanced edition of 3Dmarks and VRmark plus OCuk gave me some haribos and a free steam game and free next day delivery so...win win win win situation? )

RAM: Panram branded DDR4 2133Mhz 8GB single stick

Storage: OCZ 150 120GB (had this lying around)-this isn't the final config as I decide to whether add a 2.5" 750GB drive or a 500GB 850 evo.

PSU: Bequiet 400W SFX power 2

Case: Lian Li PC-Q21

 

The actual build began with my usual routine of waking up and ea...oh wait, you guys don't need to read this part, ermmm...let's move along. Thinking about it, actually, infact, is there even a point naming that as a build log? All I'm doing here is putting some simple "lego" together for this PC...ah well, may as well add some pictures to show off  (note: Once again I was too lazy to properly set up some lighting and use my DSLR so...potato photos it is then )

 

Before anything was put together :

Spoiler

Missing the components like RAM, Cooler and SSD

 

Inside the case

 

Building the PC:

Spoiler

First Issue

The preapplied MX2 had dried up cementing the cooler to the i5 2300 

 

Cooler, CPU, RAM installed

 

Second issue, the cooler's mounting blocked the CPU fan header port...so I decided to plug the fan into the single only chassis fan header and hope it can control the speeds correctly  

 

Everything but the PSU is installed (but everything is wired up) and LOOK AT HOW MUCH SPACE IS LEFT IN FRONT OF THE GPU! LIAN LI LIEDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!

 

And finally the finished build :

Spoiler

Look at that cable management...not like there's any airflow anyway...

 

Finally, a picture outside the cas..wait, since there's no side widow, you can't see anything anyway...NEXT!

 

Now I've gotta install windows and whatever plus do some temperature testing .

 

Edit: Well, 6 months later, I've just re-read this and realised how cringy it is, time for some simple editing...

Edited February 11, 2017 by Mr.Meerkat
Well, 6 months later, I've just re-read this and realised how cringy it is, time for some simple editing...

[aeroencychris]

Nice build

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is how I usually do it

[PRTI]

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is good,then you can go online and just find a key

 

Nice build,but that case tho,that's freaking Pico-ITX

[Mr.Meerkat]

2 minutes ago, cdsboy2000 said:

Nice build

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is how I usually do it

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is good,then you can go online and just find a key

Thought so , I've never installed windows 10 before...just had my laptop upgrade to it by itself 8 months ago...

 

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

Nice build,but that case tho,that's freaking Pico-ITX

Actually it's still quite big at 5.something liters I think but small enough to fit in my bag  

[PRTI]

1 minute ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Thought so , I've never installed windows 10 before...just had my laptop upgrade to it by itself 8 months ago...

 

Actually it's still quite big at 5.something liters I think but small enough to fit in my bag  

Now that's portable,take it with you anywhere with like a router inside and like a large battery to power everything and there you go

[Mr.Meerkat]

Just now, keNNySOC said:

Now that's portable,take it with you anywhere with like a router inside and like a large battery to power everything and there you go

Add a 17/15 inch monitor and bam, laptop replacement while having the performance of a 1000 pound laptop  

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

Add a 17/15 inch monitor and bam, laptop replacement while having the performance of a 1000 pound laptop  

Yeah,its not portable like a laptop,but it still is portable and smacks laptops in the face

 

Great build,hope you enjoy it

[Mr.Meerkat]

Just now, keNNySOC said:

Yeah,its not portable like a laptop,but it still is portable and smacks laptops in the face

 

Great build,hope you enjoy it

Thanks  (the 1060 is as powerful as my lonely 290X so...technically it could just replace my desktop )

[PRTI]

@Mr.Meerkat At first i was like where is gonna freaking put the PSU,then the solution was like "Wha?" but hey it worked out

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

Thanks  (the 1060 is as powerful as my lonely 290X so...technically it could just replace my desktop )

+ The r9 290x can be a pain in the ass,firehazard and power hungry af

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

+ The r9 290x can be a pain in the ass,firehazard and power hungry af

Well I used to run 2 290Xs before one of them died because it sat on my desk for 2 weeks ;-;

 

3 minutes ago, keNNySOC said:

@Mr.Meerkat At first i was like where is gonna freaking put the PSU,then the solution was like "Wha?" but hey it worked out

It's not the best but it's nice and cheap plus it's "good enough"  

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

Well I used to run 2 290Xs before one of them died because it sat on my desk for 2 weeks ;-;

 

It's not the best but it's nice and cheap plus it's "good enough"  

In my new build i was thinking of a 290x,never gonna happen

 

And for some stupid reason i was thinking of getting 3x GTX 480's

 

Maybe i was drunk?

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

In my new build i was thinking of a 290x,never gonna happen

 

And for some stupid reason i was thinking of getting 3x GTX 480's

 

Maybe i was drunk?

Come on...200 pounds for a new 290X back in summer 2014 was too good of a deal to pass up so I bought not one but 2 (760s costed as much back then...)

[PRTI]

2 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Come on...200 pounds for a new 290X back in summer 2014 was too good of a deal to pass up so I bought not one but 2 (760s costed as much back then...)

Well in my build i'm probably gonna have a GTX Titan (maybe a 780 Ti but the 3gb of vram is cutting me off) if i can find one for pretty cheap (but the Titan stock cooler is killing me) what card do you suggest that i can find cheap? (not a RX or a 1060 since those are expensive af in my country and used ones are usually US so the shipping is killing me)

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

Well in my build i'm probably gonna have a GTX Titan (maybe a 780 Ti but the 3gb of vram is cutting me off) if i can find one for pretty cheap (but the Titan stock cooler is killing me) what card do you suggest that i can find cheap? (not a RX or a 1060 since those are expensive af in my country and used ones are usually US so the shipping is killing me)

290/290X/390/390X if you can find them for cheap (and considering how the 780ti/titan uses just slightly less power than the 290/290X, you can't say they are more power efficient...okay maybe like 15 watts...) since it has more Vram than the 780ti while being cheaper (and faster) than the titan  (you really don't have many choices if that's the amount of power you want).

 

The damn tool isn't seeing my thumb drive...any ideas?  

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

290/290X/390/390X if you can find them for cheap (and considering how the 780ti/titan uses just slightly less power than the 290/290X, you can't say they are more power efficient...okay maybe like 15 watts...) since it has more Vram than the 780ti while being cheaper (and faster) than the titan  (you really don't have many choices if that's the amount of power you want).

Nah nah,its not about power efficiency its about sire power,so could you make a list out of the 290/290x/390/390x/780Ti/Titan by row of just sire power

 

3 minutes ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

The damn tool isn't seeing my thumb drive...any ideas?  

That happens to me often,try another one if you have one

[Mr.Meerkat]

Just now, keNNySOC said:

That happens to me often,try another one if you have one

4 sticks...none detected ;-; 

 

390X>290X=780Ti>=390>290=Titan

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

4 sticks...none detected ;-; 

 

390X>290X=780Ti>=390>290=Titan

Hmmmmmmmm,could you send me a SS of just going thru the tool step by step so i can see if everything is good

 

Thanks,will check out the prices

[Mr.Meerkat]

Just now, keNNySOC said:

Hmmmmmmmm,could you send me a SS of just going thru the tool step by step so i can see if everything is good

Apparently it's something to do with Sandisk drives not liking the tool...ermmm 3 of my drives are sandisk...with a generic drive that came with a laptop that had recovery stuff on  Why does my kingston drive's firmware or something act up? 8GB stick now becomes a 2MB stick...

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

Apparently it's something to do with Sandisk drives not liking the tool...ermmm 3 of my drives are sandisk...with a generic drive that came with a laptop that had recovery stuff on  Why does my kingston drive's firmware or something act up? 8GB stick now becomes a 2MB stick...

Could you send me a SS

[PRTI]

1 minute ago, Mr.Meerkat said:

Apparently it's something to do with Sandisk drives not liking the tool...ermmm 3 of my drives are sandisk...with a generic drive that came with a laptop that had recovery stuff on  Why does my kingston drive's firmware or something act up? 8GB stick now becomes a 2MB stick...

Wait wait,nooo that's not how you do it

[Mr.Meerkat]

Just now, keNNySOC said:

Wait wait,nooo that's not how you do it

What? Not use the tool? Anyway, it wants me to restart my PC now which I can't right now so...damn?

 

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

What? Not use the tool? Anyway, it wants me to restart my PC now which I can't right now so...damn?

 

Look,once you go into the tool,DO NOT click something like "install on a existing drive" since that has bugs click "create ios in computer" it should say something like that,once the ISO finished creating itself locate it,and download the Windows USB Tool http://wudt.codeplex.com/,once that finished downloading open it,locate the ISO,locate the boot drive (USB Drive/Thumb Drive) and it should create a bootable drive for you

 

Just erase everything on that drive before creating a bootable drive

[Mr.Meerkat]

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

Look,once you go into the tool,DO NOT click something like "install on a existing drive" since that has bugs click "create ios in computer" it should say something like that,once the ISO finished creating itself locate it,and download the Windows USB Tool http://wudt.codeplex.com/,once that finished downloading open it,locate the ISO,locate the boot drive (USB Drive/Thumb Drive) and it should create a bootable drive for you

 

Just erase everything on that drive before creating a bootable drive

Ah, thanks  

[PRTI]

Just now, Mr.Meerkat said:

Ah, thanks  

No problem,just tell me if it worked