Mini ITX PC I Have a Few Questions

[enteraname]

TL;DR How to paint psu, GPU, and RAM. Where to get custom SSD cover, where to get custom short-ish PSU cables? Also, what are any improvements you could suggest for my build? (I'm going for looks here BTW.) Please at least read all the questions below though I would really appreciate it! ;D

So this is my second build, my first build turned out great I asked the community a lot for questions and they were all answered! But I again need a little help, this time I will be building a mini ITX PC as you can see by the first link, for this PC I am planning on purchasing a custom SSD plate, painting my PSU, painting my GPU, and painting my RAM; along with getting custom PSU cables, and bringing it on a plane multiple times. It will be used for gaming on one 1080p display, I'm thinking of playing Overwatch and maybe Fallout 4. I do not need peripherals. My questions are as follows:

1. What are any suggestions you have for my build, on how to perhaps lower the price? Also, what liquid cooler should I use? (Please keep in mind that I'm going for looks here, espiaclly with the GPU that has two fans!)

2. Will my PC inside the Core P1 be able to survive going on a plane twice a year? (If so how should I transport it? If not what could I do to make it portable?

3. Where should I purchase a custom SSD plate? (Or should I make it myself? Also, I only need a simple design on white and blue.)

4. What is the safest way to paint my PSU, what paint should I use, and will it vood my warrenty? (It will right?)

5. How should I paint my GPU, should I use spraypaint?, what are the chances that I destroy it? (Can I paint the fans?)

6. I assume painting RAM is pretty easy but how should I do it? (Such as what paint to use?)

7. Finally, how, and where should I order my custom PSU cables? (I don't just want one color, I want half white, half blue. What would be the cheapest option? Also, I don't need super long cables, this is a mini ITX buils after all!)

P.S I typed this entire thing on my phone, God the pain

P.P.S I know some of this should go in Modding/DIY but part of it is in parts list opinions wanted.

[Origami Cactus]

That is one expensive, but crap motherboard.

Get atleast a b350 mobo, not a320.

Gigabyte and asrock both have b350 itx boards for about the same price.

Also ram is a bit slow. Get atleast 3000mhz, it shouldn't more expensive.

 

The liquid cooler is totally unneccesary, because you cant overclock on a320 mobos, and because the amd stock cooler is good for even moderate overclocking.

 

Also 120gb ssd is a bit small.

 

TLDR: drop the unnecesarry watercooler, instead get a b350 mobo, and a 3000mhz ram, and maybe even a bigger ssd.

 

[enteraname]

1 hour ago, Origami Cactus said:

That is one expensive, but crap motherboard.

Get atleast a b350 mobo, not a320.

Gigabyte and asrock both have b350 itx boards for about the same price.

Also ram is a bit slow. Get atleast 3000mhz, it shouldn't more expensive.

 

The liquid cooler is totally unneccesary, because you cant overclock on a320 mobos, and because the amd stock cooler is good for even moderate overclocking.

 

Also 120gb ssd is a bit small.

 

TLDR: drop the unnecesarry watercooler, instead get a b350 mobo, and a 3000mhz ram, and maybe even a bigger ssd.

 

I'm so sorry use this link instead, I'm such a fool. D:

[Origami Cactus]

8 minutes ago, PcNoob23 said:

I'm so sorry use this link instead, I'm such a fool. D:

yeah on intel your choices are a bit logical. Due to the thermal toothpaste, you have to use a more powerful cooler to cool the processor, so the watercooler is fine.

Also intel doesn't benefit from fast ram, so 2133mhz is fine, maybe try to find 2400mhz, but if not that is not the end of the world.

Keep in mind that with that mobo and that cpu you cant overclock, but if you already know it then it is a fine build.

 

But i think you would be better of with this system:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($159.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI - B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  ($117.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Patriot - Viper 4 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($80.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX6000 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($144.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Thermaltake - Core P1 TG Mini ITX Tower Case  ($78.88 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $651.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-12 09:42 EDT-0400

 

It has a much better cpu, especially if overclocked, faster ram, better mobo, and it costs just a tiny bit more.

 

[Herman Mcpootis]

1 hour ago, PcNoob23 said:

I'm so sorry use this link instead, I'm such a fool. D:

stock cooler will work just fine for the i3, no need for the H60. if you're moving it around alot, it's better if you get something like a node 202 instead, much easier to transport.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($115.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock - H310M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($82.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX6000 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($144.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Silverstone - ML07B HTPC Case  ($69.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($85.43 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $628.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-12 10:52 EDT-0400

[enteraname]

4 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

yeah on intel your choices are a bit logical. Due to the thermal toothpaste, you have to use a more powerful cooler to cool the processor, so the watercooler is fine.

Also intel doesn't benefit from fast ram, so 2133mhz is fine, maybe try to find 2400mhz, but if not that is not the end of the world.

Keep in mind that with that mobo and that cpu you cant overclock, but if you already know it then it is a fine build.

 

But i think you would be better of with this system:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f2GkWD/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($159.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI - B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  ($117.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Patriot - Viper 4 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($80.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX6000 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($144.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Thermaltake - Core P1 TG Mini ITX Tower Case  ($78.88 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $651.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-12 09:42 EDT-0400

 

It has a much better cpu, especially if overclocked, faster ram, better mobo, and it costs just a tiny bit more.

 

Thank you I agree with the changes except for the Mobo and RAM. For the motherboard I'm thinking that the Gigabyte GA AB350N Gaming WIFI Rev 1.0 Mini ITX AM4 Mothrrboard might be better, lmn what you think? (Does this one has OCing?) For the RAM I'lll be playing Overwatch so do you the the G Skill Ripjaws V Series DDR4 2666mhz Memory will be fine? (Also will the red color mess up my plans to paint it blue?)

[Origami Cactus]

7 hours ago, PcNoob23 said:

Thank you I agree with the changes except for the Mobo and RAM. For the motherboard I'm thinking that the Gigabyte GA AB350N Gaming WIFI Rev 1.0 Mini ITX AM4 Mothrrboard might be better, lmn what you think? (Does this one has OCing?) For the RAM I'lll be playing Overwatch so do you the the G Skill Ripjaws V Series DDR4 2666mhz Memory will be fine? (Also will the red color mess up my plans to paint it blue?)

Well the gigabyte board is last gen, so if you are buying in store make sure that is has a sticker on it saying "ryzen 2000 series compatible".

I had the board and it was a bit meh with the r7, but with a r5 you should be fine. Yes the b350 boards support overclocking.

The ram you said is also fine.

[dizmo]

• Don't get a small AIO, unless you're seriously space restricted.
• Try to get dual channel RAM unless you're upgrading relatively quickly.
• 128GB will run out extremely quickly. You either need a mass storage drive, or need to save up for a bigger SSD.

1. The design of the P1 makes it a poor choice for constant travel. I'd look at a smaller case without a window.
2. Why do you need a custom SSD plate?
3. I'd just get components in the color you want, unless you're pretty confident in your painting abilities. It'll probably just look like ass.
4. Cablemods.

16 hours ago, Origami Cactus said:

yeah on intel your choices are a bit logical. Due to the thermal toothpaste, you have to use a more powerful cooler to cool the processor, so the watercooler is fine.

Also intel doesn't benefit from fast ram, so 2133mhz is fine, maybe try to find 2400mhz, but if not that is not the end of the world.

Keep in mind that with that mobo and that cpu you cant overclock, but if you already know it then it is a fine build.

Actually you'll see performance gains right up to 3600mhz on both Intel and AMD. RAM speed used to not make as much of a difference, however that is no longer true. Saying Intel doesn't get gains from faster RAM is simply incorrect.

[Origami Cactus]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

• Don't get a small AIO, unless you're seriously space restricted.
• Try to get dual channel RAM unless you're upgrading relatively quickly.
• 128GB will run out extremely quickly. You either need a mass storage drive, or need to save up for a bigger SSD.

1. The design of the P1 makes it a poor choice for constant travel. I'd look at a smaller case without a window.
2. Why do you need a custom SSD plate?
3. I'd just get components in the color you want, unless you're pretty confident in your painting abilities. It'll probably just look like ass.
4. Cablemods.

Actually you'll see performance gains right up to 3600mhz on both Intel and AMD. RAM speed used to not make as much of a difference, however that is no longer true. Saying Intel doesn't get gains from faster RAM is simply incorrect.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_8700K_Coffee_Lake_Memory_Performance_Benchmark_Analysis/4.html

 

The improvements from 2133mhz to 4000mhz are pretty minescule compared to ryzen.

[dizmo]

2 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_8700K_Coffee_Lake_Memory_Performance_Benchmark_Analysis/4.html

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_8700K_Coffee_Lake_Memory_Performance_Benchmark_Analysis/9.html

Would you look at that...

Gamer's Nexus has also stated several times faster RAM gives improved performance.

[Origami Cactus]

3 minutes ago, dizmo said:

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_8700K_Coffee_Lake_Memory_Performance_Benchmark_Analysis/9.html

Would you look at that...

Gamer's Nexus has also stated several times faster RAM gives improved performance.

Were are talking about 1fps here or there, compared to on ryzen:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raven-ridge-memory-scaling-benchmarks,5489.html

 

So while there might be some improvement, you will have to look at price to performance.

[dizmo]

6 minutes ago, Origami Cactus said:

Were are talking about 1fps here or there, compared to on ryzen:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raven-ridge-memory-scaling-benchmarks,5489.html

 

So while there might be some improvement, you will have to look at price to performance.

That wasn't the discussion. I simply stated you gain performance from faster RAM, which, as your link pointed out, is absolutely true.

Other people that have run benchmarks have shown greater improvements in other games as well.

[Origami Cactus]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

 I simply stated you gain performance from faster RAM, which, as your link pointed out, is absolutely true.

 

Well i don't know, on that link 3200mhz is constantly faster than 3600mz and 4000mhz, so if you want to state that it is "absolutely true" you are going to have to find a better source than my link. I don't know if they tested wrong or if they got memories with bad timing, but the scores are all over the place.

 

Anyways yes, faster ram is better should generally be true. I agree on you on that. It seems the sweet spot for intel is in 3200mhz cl14 ram. 

[enteraname]

7 hours ago, dizmo said:

• Don't get a small AIO, unless you're seriously space restricted.
• Try to get dual channel RAM unless you're upgrading relatively quickly.
• 128GB will run out extremely quickly. You either need a mass storage drive, or need to save up for a bigger SSD.

1. The design of the P1 makes it a poor choice for constant travel. I'd look at a smaller case without a window.
2. Why do you need a custom SSD plate?
3. I'd just get components in the color you want, unless you're pretty confident in your painting abilities. It'll probably just look like ass.
4. Cablemods.

Actually you'll see performance gains right up to 3600mhz on both Intel and AMD. RAM speed used to not make as much of a difference, however that is no longer true. Saying Intel doesn't get gains from faster RAM is simply incorrect.

1. Then what cooler should I use, will the Ryzen stock cooler be fine?
2. Can you give me a link to what RAM you'd recommend? (Please send me some that will be fine to paint blue!)
3. I barely use any storage, on main Pc I also have a 128gb SSD and I've only used l like 80gb out of my 128.
4. So I really want to build a beautiful Pc and want to explore Modding/DIYing some of my parts so they look exactly how I want them to, the P1 is a great way to show off my build and I really love the case! Is there ANY way I'd be able to make the Pc easier to not break? (Could I maybe put it in a cardboard box with lots of protective foam or something?)
5. I don't anymore because I'm using a NVME SSD but B4 when I wasn't I wanted the SSD to fit the color scheme.
6. As I mentioned before I really want to build a beautiful Pc and explore Modding/DIYing a little bit. Also, can you find a light blue and white GTX 1050 ti, light blue RAM, and a white and light blue diagonally striped PSU? 
7. I realise Cablemods but what I meant is which cables do I need to order, and which do I not, along with how long should I order them to be? (Because I don't want a ton of extra cable length as that'd be a nightmare in the P1

Sorry if I sound ungrateful for all your suggestions I really am as you are the only person who's basically answered all of my questions!

Oh, and about RAM speed for a game like Overwatch will it really make that much of a difference? Also say for example if I have fast RAM I get a consistent 75 fps and with slow RAM I get a consistent 68 fps it doesn't really matter because I'll see the same number of frames either way with a 60hz monitor!

[dizmo]

1 hour ago, PcNoob23 said:

1. Then what cooler should I use, will the Ryzen stock cooler be fine?
2. Can you give me a link to what RAM you'd recommend? (Please send me some that will be fine to paint blue!)
3. I barely use any storage, on main Pc I also have a 128gb SSD and I've only used l like 80gb out of my 128.
4. So I really want to build a beautiful Pc and want to explore Modding/DIYing some of my parts so they look exactly how I want them to, the P1 is a great way to show off my build and I really love the case! Is there ANY way I'd be able to make the Pc easier to not break? (Could I maybe put it in a cardboard box with lots of protective foam or something?)
5. I don't anymore because I'm using a NVME SSD but B4 when I wasn't I wanted the SSD to fit the color scheme.
6. As I mentioned before I really want to build a beautiful Pc and explore Modding/DIYing a little bit. Also, can you find a light blue and white GTX 1050 ti, light blue RAM, and a white and light blue diagonally striped PSU? 
7. I realise Cablemods but what I meant is which cables do I need to order, and which do I not, along with how long should I order them to be? (Because I don't want a ton of extra cable length as that'd be a nightmare in the P1

Sorry if I sound ungrateful for all your suggestions I really am as you are the only person who's basically answered all of my questions!

Oh, and about RAM speed for a game like Overwatch will it really make that much of a difference? Also say for example if I have fast RAM I get a consistent 75 fps and with slow RAM I get a consistent 68 fps it doesn't really matter because I'll see the same number of frames either way with a 60hz monitor!

1. You could. there are also decent compact air coolers. The C7 CU isn't bad.
2. Just anything 3000mhz+. PCPartPicker lets you sort by color as well as speed.
3. You wouldn't even be able to fit one other AAA game on there with that much free space though.
4. Not really. It's a piece of glass supported by 4 posts and all of your parts are exposed. It's simply not a great case for travel.
5. ..
6. PCPartPicker lets you sort by color and model.
7. You'd have to have the case and components in hand, test fit them, and measure the length of the cables you'd need to order.

[enteraname]

6 hours ago, dizmo said:

1. You could. there are also decent compact air coolers. The C7 CU isn't bad.
2. Just anything 3000mhz+. PCPartPicker lets you sort by color as well as speed.
3. You wouldn't even be able to fit one other AAA game on there with that much free space though.
4. Not really. It's a piece of glass supported by 4 posts and all of your parts are exposed. It's simply not a great case for travel.
5. ..
6. PCPartPicker lets you sort by color and model.
7. You'd have to have the case and components in hand, test fit them, and measure the length of the cables you'd need to order.

1. Great thanks!

2. What I mean is will it work if something is red to paint it blue? There's hardly any blue RAM (There's one okay one but it has a huge ugly sticker on it and I don't know if there's paint underneath the sticker. Plus it's $35 more expensive.)

3. What do you mean Overwatch takes up like 25 GB and most games only take up at maximum like 40

4. So putting it in a cardboard box would do nothing to help protect it?

6. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough what I meant was there's no blue GTX 1050 ti/s

7. Oh that's a shame

[dizmo]

22 hours ago, PcNoob23 said:

1. Great thanks!

2. What I mean is will it work if something is red to paint it blue? There's hardly any blue RAM (There's one okay one but it has a huge ugly sticker on it and I don't know if there's paint underneath the sticker. Plus it's $35 more expensive.)

3. What do you mean Overwatch takes up like 25 GB and most games only take up at maximum like 40

4. So putting it in a cardboard box would do nothing to help protect it?

6. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough what I meant was there's no blue GTX 1050 ti/s

7. Oh that's a shame

Yes. It's just a heatsink. Honestly, they don't even do a whole lot in terms of cooling anymore.

GTA takes up something like 80GB. When I was modding it, it took up over 170GB. Other games also take up to 70GB when you include the DLC

It will protect it a bit, but honestly, it's a flimsy case with a glass panel. It's not meant for travel.

 

[enteraname]

3 hours ago, dizmo said:

Yes. It's just a heatsink. Honestly, they don't even do a whole lot in terms of cooling anymore.

GTA takes up something like 80GB. When I was modding it, it took up over 170GB. Other games also take up to 70GB when you include the DLC

It will protect it a bit, but honestly, it's a flimsy case with a glass panel. It's not meant for travel.

 

Ya you are right I think I'm going stick with a smaller case also. Thank you for all the help!