planning mini-ITX Build In The Raven RVZ01-E

[thehobbitin3d]

Hey there,

 

So I'm currently planning my new build. I want the build to last, so two core components are the RAM and the CPU. I'm going to list what I have, and what I'm going to need below.

 

CPU: i5 6400
COOLER: Something low profile

RAM: 16 GB DDR4

GPU: XFX R9 380 4 GB (own)

PSU: XFX 550W TS (own)

MOBO: ASRock H110M-ITX

SSD: Kingston UV400 240 GB (own)

CASE: Raven RVZ01-E

 

I have most of it figured out, but I'm still trying to figure out if I want to wait for Zen, my concern is that with new hardware comes a price premium, and there might not be any mini-ITX mobo's at launch or close to launch. I'm trying to figure out what CPU cooler I want to use, because price gets really steep here, and considering all I want is a dead silent PC, that's not something I'm willing to pay extra for aestethics, because from what I've come up with so far from my research, is that the CPU coolers do little to nothing to actual real world noticeable performance. It's either throttling or it's not throttling...

 

So, what else should I spend some extra time researching? If anyone knows of any good articles, doesn't matter how long, then please let me know. I'm trying to learn a lot about this subject in beforehand, so that I can avoid mistakes before they happen.

 

Budget is not a concern, but that doesn't mean I will go out and upgrade my GPU, etc, I want a balanced build which can perform the following tasks:

 

- Handle a multi monitor setup without any noticeable performance drops

- Multitasking (programs open at once), PaintShop, HitFilm, game (any Steam game really, will dynamically change graphics settings to improve performance), watch a Twitch stream at "Source" quality, studying (typical document(s) and research (multiple browser tabs).

 

For reference, my current PC specs are:

 

A8 5500, 4 GB RAM, R9 380 4 GB, XFX 550W, Jasmine 7778 mobo, generic "HP" case, loud ass case and CPU cooler fans.

 

So in conclusion; I want a dead silent PC in a tiny case at both idle and under load, I want to be able to perform my everyday tasks without hiccups. I have spent a ton of time researching so far, so I thought I could expand a little bit by posting on LinusTechTips.

 

 

Thank you in advance for any input!

 

 

 

[Guest]

Cryorig c7 or nuctua nh l9i 

Since no oc they all small and work nicely

Or stock cooler is not bad for saving money

Why not i5 6500 or i7 6700 if budget not an issue

[Mooshi]

Cryorig is a solid choice. Unsure about Zen for itx platforms judging by AMDs track record with their main series kit vs the budget APUs

[dizmo]

I'd go with at least a 6500. I believe it's about a 15% increase in performance in games.

Doesn't sound like a ton, but it's around 10 or 15 fps...good luck finding an increase like that for $10 in any other component

 

As for Zen, well you'll just have to wait for it to release like the rest of us. I'm sure they'll have lower tier SKUs as well as the 6c/12t, but motherboard selection won't be seen for a little bit. Might be worth it if you're not in a hurry, but don't expect massive savings. Everyone seems to think they'll price their 6c at $400 but I think it'll be a lot closer to Intels offering, as will their other SKUs. So if budget isn't really that big of an issue I'd just build now.

 

For a low pro cooler, I'd just go with the NT06 Pro? Recommended for the case, and does an excellent job of cooling. If you swap the fan out for a Noctua unit you'll have a very quiet set up as well.

 

Did you check to make sure that your PSU is short enough to fit inside the case?

 

 

 

[thehobbitin3d]

44 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

Cryorig c7 or nuctua nh l9i 

Since no oc they all small and work nicely

Or stock cooler is not bad for saving money

Why not i5 6500 or i7 6700 if budget not an issue

Yeah, that looks like a solid choice. The reason I don't think an i7 would be worth it for me, is because of the performance I'm getting right now with my current CPU. I took a screenshot and I'll show you what I mean by that: 

 

According to these Futuremark scores, the i5 6400 is almost twice as fast as my current CPU, so that should be enough: http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu/Intel+Core+i5-6400+Processor/review

38 minutes ago, Mooshi said:

Cryorig is a solid choice. Unsure about Zen for itx platforms judging by AMDs track record with their main series kit vs the budget APUs

Yes, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Availability is another one even if mini-ITX boards show up, I'm still in the too good to be true boat.

18 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I'd go with at least a 6500. I believe it's about a 15% increase in performance in games.

Doesn't sound like a ton, but it's around 10 or 15 fps...good luck finding an increase like that for $10 in any other component

 

As for Zen, well you'll just have to wait for it to release like the rest of us. I'm sure they'll have lower tier SKUs as well as the 6c/12t, but motherboard selection won't be seen for a little bit. Might be worth it if you're not in a hurry, but don't expect massive savings. Everyone seems to think they'll price their 6c at $400 but I think it'll be a lot closer to Intels offering, as will their other SKUs. So if budget isn't really that big of an issue I'd just build now.

 

For a low pro cooler, I'd just go with the NT06 Pro? Recommended for the case, and does an excellent job of cooling. If you swap the fan out for a Noctua unit you'll have a very quiet set up as well.

 

Did you check to make sure that your PSU is short enough to fit inside the case?

 

 

 

On paper the i5 6500 is about 10% faster than the i5 6400, and I definitely understand that it might bite me in the ass later down the line. After watching a ton of benchmark videos and articles, I just don't understand how people are seeing the difference between 2 similar CPU's unless they're monitoring the FPS counter, and I'm running FreeSync anyways so I don't know having never owned anything better than my A8 5500...

 

Thank you for the suggestion on the cooler, I like choice...

 

Here's some information about the case: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dizmo]

52 minutes ago, thehobbitin3d said:

On paper the i5 6500 is about 10% faster than the i5 6400, and I definitely understand that it might bite me in the ass later down the line. After watching a ton of benchmark videos and articles, I just don't understand how people are seeing the difference between 2 similar CPU's unless they're monitoring the FPS counter, and I'm running FreeSync anyways so I don't know having never owned anything better than my A8 5500...

 

I think for $10 the performance increase should really be a no brainer. I spend more than that on tea a day.

What you should be looking for are frame minimums. They're felt more. Generally the higher the FPS, the higher the bottom line.

[thehobbitin3d]

20 hours ago, dizmo said:

I think for $10 the performance increase should really be a no brainer. I spend more than that on tea a day.

What you should be looking for are frame minimums. They're felt more. Generally the higher the FPS, the higher the bottom line.

Fair point. At least I got the discussion up and running. We'll see how much, if anything changes after the release of the new Zen CPU's from my original plan. I will also post a build log with pictures, I've never done one of those before. =)