<9 liter mini ITX PC for CAD, graphics, & a little gaming

[MikeJWms]

Hello,

 

I'm towards the end of the planning stage for my new PC, but since this will be my first build I thought I'd seek some input from the community before I start buying components.

 

A little background about my needs: Outside of my day job I'm an independent product designer, so I use a lot of CAD (Fusion 360), graphics software (illustrator & photoshop), and a little video editing (premier pro). I wouldn't classify any of these tasks as "heavy", but I'm starting to outgrow what my macbook air can comfortably handle, so I think it's time to step up. I'd also like to take this opportunity to start doing a little PC gaming. The titles that interest me the most right now are Crysis 3, Fallout 4, Battlefeild 1, along with some older titles (bioshock, some COD, CS, etc…).

 

I’m really interested in small form factor PCs because I like that they take up minimal desk space, and being able to easily transport is an added bonus. What I’ve decided to do is build my own case, optimizing it for my selected components and minimizing it’s volume. Base on some CAD I’ve done, I’m confident I can get it down under 9 liters. My current design is at 7.3L, but I may have to expand it a little bit. I’ll know more when I get parts in.

 

Anyway, I used PC part picker to put together the build. I don’t really want to spend much more then what’s listed, about $1350.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($75.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Intel 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($73.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($259.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($32.00) 
Other: Custom PC Case ($75.00)
Total: $1354.72

 

What do you think? Any glaring issues? Based on my thermal solution I'm not confident I'll be able to overclock very much - do you think it's worth replacing the Z170 mob with something a little less expensive like a B150 or H170?

 

Thanks for your input,

Michael

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, MikeJWms said:

Hello,

 

I'm towards the end of the planning stage for my new PC, but since this will be my first build I thought I'd seek some input from the community before I start buying components.

 

A little background about my needs: Outside of my day job I'm an independent product designer, so I use a lot of CAD (Fusion 360), graphics software (illustrator & photoshop), and a little video editing (premier pro). I wouldn't classify any of these tasks as "heavy", but I'm starting to outgrow what my macbook air can comfortably handle, so I think it's time to step up. I'd also like to take this opportunity to start doing a little PC gaming. The titles that interest me the most right now are Crysis 3, Fallout 4, Battlefeild 1, along with some older titles (bioshock, some COD, CS, etc…).

 

I’m really interested in small form factor PCs because I like that they take up minimal desk space, and being able to easily transport is an added bonus. What I’ve decided to do is build my own case, optimizing it for my selected components and minimizing it’s volume. Base on some CAD I’ve done, I’m confident I can get it down under 9 liters. My current design is at 7.3L, but I may have to expand it a little bit. I’ll know more when I get parts in.

 

Anyway, I used PC part picker to put together the build. I don’t really want to spend much more then what’s listed, about $1350.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($75.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Intel 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($73.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($259.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($32.00) 
Other: Custom PC Case ($75.00)
Total: $1354.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-17 15:46 EDT-0400

 

What do you think? Any glaring issues? Based on my thermal solution I'm not confident I'll be able to overclocker very much - do you think it's worth replacing the Z170 mob with something a little less expensive like a B150 or H170?

 

Thanks for your input,

Michael

 

get a b150/h170, because overclocking is going to kill it anyways

[kosamchetoo]

I wouldn't overclock a mini-ITX build too. For overclocking you need a decent cooler, which mini-ITX case is just not going to fit. You also need alot of airflow which mini-ITX cases definitely don't have.

[Katsunaka]

For what you want in a case, overclocking is out the window. 

 

Unless you want a bigger ITX case. 

 

The Node 202/RVZ02 are the type of cases you want. The best CPU cooler you'll manage is something like a Cryorig C7 which is basically an aftermarket version of the factory intel cpu cooler. So save the money and just pick up a 6700(which should come with a cpu cooler, so no need for the C7 cooler I mentioned).  I can't think of any ITX boards that aren't Z170 that have M2, so just keep your board, since it's like 160 for it and supports M2. 

 

The cases I listed don't support a 3.5 inch hard drive. So it's either go with an SSD or a laptop hard drive.

 

If you take one of the cases I listed, your PSU will work everything other than your watercooler will work. Thermals become a BIG issue in a tiny case. Overclocking and ITX don't work, unless you want a big case.

 

 

 

[porina]

In my 13L VR rig (link in my sig) I've just started undervolting it. I'm also using a 6700k, fixed it at 4.2 GHz, with the Silverstone 120mm rad watercooling solution so not that different from the Corsair. I am seeing how far I can drop the volts. Right now I'm stress testing at 1.2v and running a task similar to prime95 small FFT, it is topping out around 75C, compared to the 90C ball park at 1.25V earlier, which was itself undervolted from whatever the bios picks on auto. Now... being a work system of course this level of tinkering you'd really have to make sure it is 100% stable.

 

On the rest of the system, do you really need the 3.5" drive especially as it is only 1TB, which is easily attainable in SSD also. SSD will cost more, but it would reduce the size and weight further. Failing that, maybe consider a 2.5" drive.

[ARikozuM]

31 minutes ago, MikeJWms said:

-snip-

You could probably cut down on space by using 2.5" HDD alongside the M.2. I wouldn't get an AIO and overclocking isn't a good idea with anything that needs stability like CAD/Autodesk. I'd get a 6700 since it comes with the Intel cooler and an H-board. The GPU will serve you fine as Autodesk loves to use VRAM to contain the graphics. Lastly, I'd invest in a single 16GB stick of RAM.

[MikeJWms]

Thanks for all the advice!

 

To give a little clarity to the case design, I've attached some renders of my mockup. Right now I'm thinking I'll make the final case out of laser cut 3mm bamboo.

 

 

 

Thanks reality check on the feasibility of overclocking. I'm okay with not doing it, I'd rather keep acceptable temps that will prolong the life of the processor. That being said, I think I'm still going to go for the K skew since I have access to the employee discount. Since no OCing, I was looking into the Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI. Sees to have M.2 and everything else I need with good reviews.

 

Regarding the cooling solution, my ideas was to use the extra space of the short EVGA 1060 OC to hold a 120mm liquid AIO radiator. Based on the research I've done, this will give similar cooling performance to a Hyper 212 evo, which I'd be happy with considering the space restrictions. The dual fanned radiator would pull air in from one side of the case, and exhaust it out the other relatively unobstructed. Based on all the time I've spent looking at compact offerings from cryorig and noctua, this seems to be the best solution, but I'd be really interested in getting feedback from those who have more practical experience than I do.

 

I'd really like to keep 3.5" drive support because of the low cost for mass storage. I think I'll end up building the system with the intel 600p first, then adding an HDD when I fill the SSD up. At that time I might be ready for a 2TB+ capacity drive. Plus, with the current case design it doesn't add any additional thickness to go with he 3.5" format.

 

1 hour ago, porina said:

In my 13L VR rig (link in my sig) I've just started undervolting it. I'm also using a 6700k, fixed it at 4.2 GHz, with the Silverstone 120mm rad watercooling solution so not that different from the Corsair. I am seeing how far I can drop the volts. Right now I'm stress testing at 1.2v and running a task similar to prime95 small FFT, it is topping out around 75C, compared to the 90C ball park at 1.25V earlier, which was itself undervolted from whatever the bios picks on auto. Now... being a work system of course this level of tinkering you'd really have to make sure it is 100% stable.

 

On the rest of the system, do you really need the 3.5" drive especially as it is only 1TB, which is easily attainable in SSD also. SSD will cost more, but it would reduce the size and weight further. Failing that, maybe consider a 2.5" drive.

 

That's a really nice VR rig you got there. I like the idea of undervolting. I'll be sure to try that when I start tuning the system.

 

1 hour ago, ARikozuM said:

... The GPU will serve you fine as Autodesk loves to use VRAM to contain the graphics. Lastly, I'd invest in a single 16GB stick of RAM.

 

Good to know about Autodesk's use of VRAM. Earlier I was debating single vs dual channel RAM. I was't sure how big a deal bandwidth is, but I think the single 16gb with the option of upgrading to 32gb dual is the worthwhile thing to do.

[MikeJWms]

Okay, made some changes to my PC Part Picker build. Went with an H170 chipset because not overclocking, and this mob gets great reviews.

 

I also opted for a single stick of 16GB DDR4, rather than two 8GB sticks. Still a little conflicted on this after watching this video. If I can get a used 2x8GB kit then I'll do that, but f I buy new I'll probably go single 16.

 

Lastly I switched the Silverstone PSU to a Corsair unit after reading reviews saying the Silverstone was a little noisy.

 

/dDnYNN/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url]

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($72.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Intel 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($73.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($259.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair SF 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($32.00) 
Other: Custom PC Case ($75.00)
Total: $1308.72

[ARikozuM]

Looks good. You might want to lose the K-series unless the price is the same.

[MikeJWms]

Thanks. Yeah I have access to the employee discount so there's a negligible difference between the cost of the K and non-K there.

[porina]

The k also has a higher base clock so even if not overclocking, it will be faster.

[MikeJWms]

Yeah that bace clock increase is nice.

 

So quick update, I started ordering components. I found an Asus Z170I Pro Gaming on eBay for a good price, so I picked that up. It was $120 w/ free shipping so that's about the same as the H170 board I was going to buy new. I also picked up some ram from eBay. Ordered the processor, PSU, CPU cooler, and graphics card after that. The SSD is backordered so I'll have to use an HDD for the meantime. Parts should get here next week and I'll probably post a build thread.

 

Thanks everyone for the help!