Mini itx gaming pc

[ChillFam]

Im relatively new to building pcs but I selected some parts for a new build im doing. What do you guys think?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/C37Xnn

[spiralfuzion]

1 minute ago, ChillFam said:

Im relatively new to building pcs but I selected some parts for a new build im doing. What do you guys think?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/C37Xnn

Are you going for a small gaming rig for a reason? Is your setup tight on space?

[ChillFam]

Just now, spiralfuzion said:

Are you going for a small gaming rig for a reason? Is your setup tight on space?

Thanks for replying. Im actually going to take this to my dorm room and would like something small but powerful.  

[TheRandomness]

2 minutes ago, ChillFam said:

Thanks for replying. Im actually going to take this to my dorm room and would like something small but powerful.  

Could get an i5-6500 and use the saved money to get a 240GB SSD.

[spiralfuzion]

Just now, ChillFam said:

Thanks for replying. Im actually going to take this to my dorm room and would like something small but powerful.  

it looks nice. I'd personally go water-cooled in a case and system like that honestly. 

[ChillFam]

1 minute ago, TheRandomness said:

Could get an i5-6500 and use the saved money to get a 240GB SSD.

Will consider, thank you.

[ChillFam]

2 minutes ago, spiralfuzion said:

it looks nice. I'd personally go water-cooled in a case and system like that honestly. 

I was actually thinking that but the msi seahawk is a bit to expensive for me. Would a blower style car be better? 

[Castdeath97]

3 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Could get an i5-6500 and use the saved money to get a 240GB SSD.

The i5 6600 does have a nice clock boost, not a massive difference but nice to have.

[Trav_X]

Looks great to me  

3 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Could get an i5-6500 and use the saved money to get a 240GB SSD.

Unless he really wants more stuff on SSD, it's not really necessary since you can fit Windows and a quite a few programs on a sole 120gb. And since he isn't overclocking anyway, the boost from 6500 to 6600 is an incremental step up in performance (albeit not a LOT, but still there)

[SPARTAN VI]

Excellent case choice. I've built 3 mini ITX machines in the past 6 months. Between the Cougar QBX, SilverStone Raven RVZ02B, and the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX, the Phanteks case's only compromise is that it's the largest of the bunch. Other than that, it comes with all the comforts and amenities you'd expect on mATX and ATX tower cases (e.g. cable management, velcro tie downs, fan slots, tool-less bays), but with an ITX footprint. 

[spiralfuzion]

aftermarket cards are the best and usually any card will work especially if you don't overclock. if you don't oc then get the cheapest one you can get. some cards provide better cooling and temps but performance is negligible. 

[ChillFam]

3 minutes ago, spiralfuzion said:

aftermarket cards are the best and usually any card will work especially if you don't overclock. if you don't oc then get the cheapest one you can get. some cards provide better cooling and temps but performance is negligible. 

Do you think the mini 1070 is better because its a little cheaper. Or will there not be enough cooling?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125893

[RollinLower]

4 minutes ago, ChillFam said:

Do you think the mini 1070 is better because its a little cheaper. Or will there not be enough cooling?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125893

in that case you have a 200mm fan blowing directly onto the GPU. so cooling a open air card won't be a problem. i used to have the ITX evolv before i switched to mATX. it's a beautifull case and a joy to build in

[spiralfuzion]

Just now, ChillFam said:

Do you think the mini 1070 is better because its a little cheaper. Or will there not be enough cooling?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125893

I've owned the gigabyte one and love the card. But a lot of people have issues with different branding of cards. I'd check out the cards comparisons on youtube to give you a better idea of performance and temps. But honestly I personally don't like the mini cards. I'd go with the cheaper ones because if you're not overclocking you won't be seeing much of a difference. If you're thinking about Overclocking the card look at some of the base and boost clocks and compare them to how much you want to spend. I reccomend you look at some reviews online. 

 

 

[ChillFam]

4 minutes ago, spiralfuzion said:

I've owned the gigabyte one and love the card. But a lot of people have issues with different branding of cards. I'd check out the cards comparisons on youtube to give you a better idea of performance and temps. But honestly I personally don't like the mini cards. I'd go with the cheaper ones because if you're not overclocking you won't be seeing much of a difference. If you're thinking about Overclocking the card look at some of the base and boost clocks and compare them to how much you want to spend. I reccomend you look at some reviews online. 

Ah yes the xtreme gaming card. With cooling not really a problem anymore I was wonder whether to get that one or the zotac amp extreme. I do plan on overclocking a little.  

 

 

[Trav_X]

36 minutes ago, spartanvi said:

Excellent case choice. I've built 3 mini ITX machines in the past 6 months. Between the Cougar QBX, SilverStone Raven RVZ02B, and the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX, the Phanteks case's only compromise is that it's the largest of the bunch. Other than that, it comes with all the comforts and amenities you'd expect on mATX and ATX tower cases (e.g. cable management, velcro tie downs, fan slots, tool-less bays), but with an ITX footprint. 

How did you like the QBX? That one has been a consideration for me

[SPARTAN VI]

20 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

How did you like the QBX? That one has been a consideration for me

I reeeeally liked the Cougar QBX, but it's a bit more limiting for thermal management. It's probably the better true-to-form ITX case since it's about the size of two vertically stacked shoe boxes, whereas the Enthoo Evolv ITX is maybe 4-6" shorter than your average mid-tower ATX case (e.g. Antec P280). The QBX, like the Enthoo Evolv, has a radiator/exhaust tray that's easily removable and supports up to 3x120mm radiator/fans.

 

On the downside, the QBX's size is a double-edged sword: you get a super sleek form factor, but at the cost of cable management. There's zero space for routing cables behind the mobo tray (no routing holes, grommets, etc.) so you're best off using a SFX power supply to bundle and tie up cables in the space an ATX PSU would have occupied. I wish the front and rear exhaust supported the same fan sizes since they pre-install a 90mm rear fan, but it's got a 80mm front intake slot.. 

 

I can't give it a true apples-to-apples comparison for cooling since my Phanteks Evolv Enthoo ITX houses considerably hotter components (i7 6700 and GTX 1070) than the QBX build (i5 6500 and GTX 950) I put together for my sister. 

 

Pro-tip: take a hair dryer or heat gun to the front panel to peel off the ugly Cougar sticker for a super clean front panel aesthetic:

Please ignore precariously placed lotion...