First Build, ever. (Need some part help/verification)

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

Hello!

I've never built a computer before, but the idea has always intrigued me, so I here's my plan. I decided to do an SFF Mini-ITX build due to space constraints, and because I thought it was pretty cool how much people are able to fit into such a small case. This computer would be mostly for gaming, with my two main games being TF2 and SWTOR, neither of which are hugely demanding, so I don't need a top-of-the line system, but I'd still like to run both of them on very high settings with good framerates. I am mildly interested in overclocking, I don't aim to get ridiculous results, but I might consider messing around with it in the future, even though I know the motherboard I've chosen isn't the most-overclocking-oriented board out there, there aren't many that are. I think the Z68 chipset is important to me because I'd be interested in later upgrading to an Ivy Bridge CPU, once the Sandy Bridge I've chosen becomes outdated. And yes, I do have a MicroCenter nearby, but the CPU is the only product I've found to be cheaper there. Not really sure if I need Ultimate for what I'll be doing, but I know that I don't want an OEM Install, incase something goes wrong and I need to reinstall Windows, I don't want to run into any licensing issues. I'd also like to keep the price at about $1500 before any tax is calculated. Also, if you notice there is anything that I am missing required in the building of a computer, feel free to add, because I am basically starting from scratch, besides a Phillips-head screwdriver.

CPU - 2500k - 179.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

Memory - G. Skill 8GB 2133 MHz - 64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231519

Mobo - ASRock Z68 Mini-ITX - 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157268

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM - 124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 90GB - 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227759

Case & PSU - Silverstone SG08 - 199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163187

Graphics Card - EVGA GTX 560 Ti 448-Core - 279.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738

Heatsink - Prolimatech Samuel 17 - 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242009

Heatsink Fan - Cougar 120mm Fan - 16.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553002

Slim Sata Cable - 4.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270183

DVD Drive - Samsung Slim DVD driver - 24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151242

Wi-Fi Dongle - TP-Link 802.11 b/g/n - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

Operating System - Windows 7 Ultimate - 289.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116718

Thanks for any help that you can provide!
Amzee

xyexz · Jan 28, 2012

I'd go for the EVGA GTX 550 TI as it's about the same as what you picked but half the price.

WiSK · Jan 28, 2012

xyexz said:
I'd go for the EVGA GTX 550 TI as it's about the same as what you picked but half the price.

Hahaha, obvious troll is obvious?

-Ducky- · Jan 28, 2012

ignoring xyezy comment, I think it's a great build and don't really have any suggestions. The build is almost identical to what I will be building in a week or so. IT should tear SWTOR apart. If money is no concern, and you aren't trying to save on parts, it will be an amazing build.

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

-Ducky- said:
ignoring xyezy comment, I think it's a great build and don't really have any suggestions. The build is almost identical to what I will be building in a week or so. IT should tear SWTOR apart. If money is no concern, and you aren't trying to save on parts, it will be an amazing build.

Thanks!

If I was trying to save on parts, is there anything you might suggest changing?

Dangman · Jan 28, 2012

Amzee said:
Memory - G. Skill 8GB 2133 MHz - 64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231519

For Sandy Bridge platforms, higher speed RAM really doesn't provide that much of a real world performance difference to justify the costs. As such I recommend this RAM instead since you're gonna get the same performance:
$44 - G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Amzee said:
Mobo - ASRock Z68 Mini-ITX - 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157268

One of the main reasons why I try not to recommend a Z68 ITX setup is due to the poor choices for mobos available. That AsRock only has a 1-2 two year warranty and the HardOCP reviews of similarily priced AsRock Z68 ATX motherboards was pretty bad:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/12/07/asrock_z68_pro3_lga_1155_motherboard_review/
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/09/asrock_z68_extreme4_gen3_motherboard_review/

With that said, that AsRock is the lesser of two evils considering that the other choice is Zotac, a company with known QC and CS issues. So if you really want a Z68 mobo, all I can say is: Good luck.

Amzee said:
SSD - OCZ Vertex 3 90GB - 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227759

While a fast SSD, the Vertex 3 still has a chance of that random BSOD issue that's plaguing the Sandforce based SSDs. Not to mention OCZ's relatively poor customer support. Considering all of that and the fact that you have a fairly large budget, I recommend this more reliable, slightly slower, and larger SSD instead for $40 more:
$180 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD

Amzee said:
Operating System - Windows 7 Ultimate - 289.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116718

You won't need Windows 7 Ultimate. Drop down to Windows 7 Home Premium:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116716

Some additional questions:
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

0bzeek · Jan 28, 2012

Honestly, I'd save yourself 190 buck by going with Windows 7 home premium. Unless you need 35 different languages there isn't really any functionality that you can't get for free or for much cheaper than buying Ultimate. If for some reason you have a giant library of XP programs you want to hang on to, maybe then it'd be worth getting Professional. But you could save a boat load of money if all you're going to do is game. IMHO

compare different Microsoft versions here

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

Yup, home premium makes sense, so does the memory suggestion. Not so sure about changing the SSD to a 128GB model, I think I could do with the 64GB model, but the model you suggested seems to get very high reviews. Since you mentioned that Z68 ITX boards aren't that great, are there any other boards you'd recommend?

Dangman · Jan 28, 2012

Amzee said:
Yup, home premium makes sense, so does the memory suggestion. Not so sure about changing the SSD to a 128GB model, I think I could do with the 64GB model, but the model you suggested seems to get very high reviews.

If you're sure the 64GB Crucial m4 is enough for your needs space wise, then go grab it if you want to save money. But if you feel that you might need the extra space and slightly higher performance (remember that with SSDs, you actually get high performance the larger the size of the SSD is), grab the Crucial m4 128GB.

Amzee said:
Since you mentioned that Z68 ITX boards aren't that great, are there any other boards you'd recommend?

I'd recommend this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131727

Since overclocking is pretty non-existent with the H67 chipset, you can drop the Core i5 2500K down to the $150 Core i5 2400:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354590

Very similar performance wise but the 2500K can OC past 3.6Ghz whereas the Core i5 2400 can't. Since you can't OC anyway, might as well save the $30 and go with the Core i5 2400.

xyexz · Jan 28, 2012

WiSK said:
Hahaha, obvious troll is obvious?

-Ducky- said:
ignoring xyezy comment, I think it's a great build and don't really have any suggestions. The build is almost identical to what I will be building in a week or so. IT should tear SWTOR apart. If money is no concern, and you aren't trying to save on parts, it will be an amazing build.

Um... I'm sorry but how is my comment trolly, or one to ignore?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

This card is practically the same performance and is a whole heck of a lot cheaper, I just bought this card from a local Microcenter for my wife's pc and it rocks!

Whatever I guess I'm missing something, OP sorry if I've done something wrong that's apparently offended "Ducky" and "WiSK".

Dangman · Jan 28, 2012

xyexz said:
Um... I'm sorry but how is my comment trolly, or one to ignore?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

This card is practically the same performance and is a whole heck of a lot cheaper, I just bought this card from a local Microcenter for my wife's pc and it rocks!

Whatever I guess I'm missing something, OP sorry if I've done something wrong that's apparently offended "Ducky" and "WiSK".

Because you're wrong and/or misread what card the OP has? You listed the GTX 550 TI. The OP listed the GTX 560 TI 448 Core. No way in hell does the GTX 550 TI offers anywhere near the same performance as the GTX 560 TI 448 Core, a card that performs nearly as fast as the GTX 570. The performance difference can be seen here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/10

Note the performance difference between GTX 570 and GTX 550 TI. Huge difference. And that's the similar performance difference you'll see from the GTX 560 Ti 448 Core and the GTX 550 TI.

WiSK · Jan 28, 2012

xyexz said:
Whatever I guess I'm missing something, OP sorry if I've done something wrong that's apparently offended "Ducky" and "WiSK".

Yup. I was really offended

xyexz · Jan 28, 2012

Danny Bui said:
Because you're wrong and/or misread what card the OP has? You listed the GTX 550 TI. The OP listed the GTX 560 TI 448 Core. No way in hell does the GTX 550 TI offers anywhere near the same performance as the GTX 560 TI 448 Core, a card that performs nearly as fast as the GTX 570. The performance difference can be seen here:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4221/nvidias-gtx-550-ti-coming-up-short-at-150/10

Note the performance difference between GTX 570 and GTX 550 TI. Huge difference. And that's the similar performance difference you'll see from the GTX 560 Ti 448 Core and the GTX 550 TI.

While I agree the cards are different in performance I focused more on the portion where OP said:

Amzee said:
...with my two main games being TF2 and SWTOR, neither of which are hugely demanding, so I don't need a top-of-the line system, but I'd still like to run both of them on very high settings with good framerates...

I can play SWTOR on my HP e350 with decent framerates with graphics turned down and I know the 550 is a decent budget card that can pull some decent numbers.

Either way OP sorry if I confused you but I figured I'd throw out my suggestion based on the other parts of your system.

No one has mentioned yet that your single GPU you've selected should at least have a 550Watt PSU, your case only comes with a 600Watt PSU, by the time you've added in your mildly overclocked 2500K and other components you'll really be stressing it out, hence part of the reason of my suggestion originally.

Dangman · Jan 28, 2012

xyexz said:
I can play SWTOR on my HP e350 with decent framerates with graphics turned down and I know the 550 is a decent budget card that can pull some decent numbers.

The problem is that he wanted max settings. And I'm assuming that he's playing at 1920x1080. Dunno what resolution you're playing at. As such, I'd recommend GTX 560 TI 448-Core for him if he's playing at 1920x1080 as even SWTOR is somewhat demanding at the level IIRC.

However if the OP was interested in saving money, that GTX 550 TI wouldn't have been that great of a choice due to its price: As shown in the above review that I linked, the cheaper HD 5770 as well its rebranded HD 6770 brother performs just as well as the GTX 550 TI. Not to mention that the signnificaly faster HD 6850 isn't that much more in price than the GTX 550 Ti. So from a price to performance standpoint in gaming, the GTX 550 TI still loses

xyexz said:
No one has mentioned yet that your single GPU you've selected should at least have a 550Watt PSU, your case only comes with a 600Watt PSU, by the time you've added in your mildly overclocked 2500K and other components you'll really be stressing it out, hence part of the reason of my suggestion originally.

Actually he'll be just fine: GPU manufacturers often overstate the power necessary for a GPU to cover their asses since they're know that a majority of their buyers are gonna get some crappy power supplies that are over-rated power wise. Not to mention that the power requirements usually consists of the GPU + a sample system rather than the GPU alone. As such, that 550W rating doesn't matter if you're using a solid PSU. AFAIK, the 600W PSU in that Silverstone case is fairly solid. So it should be more than enough for his needs.

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

Dangman · Jan 28, 2012

Looks good. But I still need you to answer these questions:
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

Danny Bui said:
Looks good. But I still need you to answer these questions:
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

-It's a 22" 1680x1050
-Within February, probably.

Also, I forgot to add to the previous post, I removed the aftermarket cooler, because I wouldn't be OC'ing, and the standard should be okay with the 180mm blowing on it.

D4rkn3ss · Jan 28, 2012

Danny Bui said:
AFAIK, the 600W PSU in that Silverstone case is fairly solid. So it should be more than enough for his needs.

yeah like twice enough lol. if it was me i would try that system on the FSP300, it seems small enough. mine is gonna be two years old in may and is using all the same parts from day one. aside from cleaning the fan filter once a month, it never bothered me

@Amzee: go gigabyte or intel for ITX motherboard, as a suggestion of course

Amzee · Jan 28, 2012

Think I could run it in a SG05BB-450, or would the PSU not quite be sufficient?

D4rkn3ss · Jan 28, 2012

Amzee said:
Think I could run it in a SG05BB-450, or would the PSU not quite be sufficient?

it would be more than enough but some people had issues with this PSU over 300W loads, its kind of a lottery. if i was you i wold get the SG08 and save me the trouble. unless you really want the SG05...

-Ducky- · Jan 28, 2012

I will be building mine in the SG05b-450. Im going with the 128gb Crucial M4 and probably the evga 560ti 448-core. The SFX 450 is enough to handle it, and if you have issues, RMA the PSU, and Silverstone will send oyu the 2.0 version that solves the stutter. Personally the SG08 size increase and the extra 80$ isn't worth it to me. The build is SOLID other than that =)

*Edit for Grammar*

Dangman · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
-It's a 22" 1680x1050
-Within February, probably.

Also, I forgot to add to the previous post, I removed the aftermarket cooler, because I wouldn't be OC'ing, and the standard should be okay with the 180mm blowing on it.

Hmm, to be honest, the GTX 560 TI 448 Core is tad overkill for that resolution. Unless you're planning on playing Skyrim or BF3 or plan on getting a larger monitor in the future, you should be fine with the the GTX 560 TI:
$213 - Gigabyte GTX 560 TI 1GB PCI-E Video Card

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

Danny Bui said:
Hmm, to be honest, the GTX 560 TI 448 Core is tad overkill for that resolution. Unless you're planning on playing Skyrim or BF3 or plan on getting a larger monitor in the future, you should be fine with the the GTX 560 TI:
$213 - Gigabyte GTX 560 TI 1GB PCI-E Video Card

I might be playing Skyrim some time in the future, and a display upgrade is very likely, considering this monitor is just one I have lying around, so I think I'll stick with the current graphics card for future use.

Also, I'm not so sure about that Asus Mobo you showed me, lack of Sata 3 doesn't seem very appealing, especially as drive speeds increase. I've been thinking about the z68 board, and I really might want that Ivy Bridge compatibility for the future, so I might go back to the original CPU/Heatsink/Mobo I had picked out, not quite decided yet though.

Dangman · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
Also, I'm not so sure about that Asus Mobo you showed me, lack of Sata 3 doesn't seem very appealing, especially as drive speeds increase. I've been thinking about the z68 board, and I really might want that Ivy Bridge compatibility for the future, so I might go back to the original CPU/Heatsink/Mobo I had picked out, not quite decided yet though.

Fair point about the SATA 6.0Gb/s. I recommend this Intel mobo instead for SATA 6.0Gb/s:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121507

Apparently Asrock has supposedly mentioned Ivy Bridge with that that mobo, However, do note that it's completely up to the motherboard manufacturer whether or not their mobos will actually support Ivy Bridge after a firmware update. In addition, technically, the H67 and H61 are compatible with Ivy Bridge after a firmware update.

With that said, if you want close to a sure thing as possible, you can always try to hold AsRock to what they mentioned in the specs for that mITX mobo. If you do go for the AsRock ITX, as I said earlier: Good luck.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

Do you think I'd need the Sata 3 with the SSD I've chosen, since you mentioned it was slower? If not, I think the following should work:

Asus P8H61-I
G. Skill 8gb 1600 MHz
Stock cooler
i5 2400
SG05BB-450
GTX 560 Ti 448
Crucial M4 128gb
Seagate Barracuda 1tb 7200rpm
Samsung slim DVD burner
Slim SATA cable

Is there anything else I'd need for the build?

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

Auto correct is bad

This is why I shouldn't post from my phone, lol.

WiSK · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
Do you think I'd need the Sata 3 with the SSD I've chosen, since you mentioned it was slower? If not, I think the following should work:

Asus P8H61-I
Crucial M4 128gb

I have these two items, and indeed my SSD read speed is slower than it could be with Sata3. For me, it wasn't an issue: 20 seconds to load Win7 instead of maybe 15 seconds. But maybe it will be an issue for you.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

WiSK said:
I have these two items, and indeed my SSD read speed is slower than it could be with Sata3. For me, it wasn't an issue: 20 seconds to load Win7 instead of maybe 15 seconds. But maybe it will be an issue for you.

Just noticed I'm building a very similar rig to what you have. Did you need any case mods or have any power problems to get it all to work?

I think I might just get the SG08 for more upgrading possibilities down the line.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

D4rkn3ss · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
Is there anything else I'd need for the build?

hmm, some final considerations from me, as an advice, of course (^^)

you pair one of these 65w CPUs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115075
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115228

with the intel mobo recommended by Danny Bui and it would be a simple matter of turning the thing on and forget. it will never bother you, for years, with the stock cooler.

if you decide for other choices, like those crappy Z68s, it would probably turn into a nightmare, or not, i dont know because i would never buy that shit.

as for the cases, the only limitation between the 05 and 08 is the GPU lenght because for power theres people running GTX 580 on the SST450 and 590 on the SG07/08 600w default PSU.

thats it, good luck

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

D4rkn3ss said:
hmm, some final considerations from me, as an advice, of course (^^)

you pair one of these 65w CPUs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115075
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115228

with the intel mobo recommended by Danny Bui and it would be a simple matter of turning the thing on and forget. it will never bother you, for years, with the stock cooler.

if you decide for other choices, like those crappy Z68s, it would probably turn into a nightmare, or not, i dont know because i would never buy that shit.

as for the cases, the only limitation between the 05 and 08 is the GPU lenght because for power theres people running GTX 580 on the SST450 and 590 on the SG07/08 600w default PSU.

thats it, good luck

That 65w CPU is actually more expensive for me, since at Microcenter, the i5 2400 is only $150, is it really worth the $51 for the 65w feature, if I'll be running on the stock cooler?

D4rkn3ss · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
That 65w CPU is actually more expensive for me, since at Microcenter, the i5 2400 is only $150, is it really worth the $51 for the 65w feature, if I'll be running on the stock cooler?

hmm its $11 the difference between the two on newegg.. on your case i guess no, it doesnt worth the difference

xyexz · Jan 29, 2012

How stuck are you on that case and PSU?
The only reason I ask is from my reading micro atx boards with the z68 chipset are a lot more dependable and for the price of the combo you found you could upgrade to a silverstone micro atx case and get your own PSU for a great price:

Case: http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-SG02B-F-MicroATX-Desktop-Computer/dp/B001AZCUMA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876513&sr=8-2 $74.99

PSU: http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001IZ7MHU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327876486&sr=1-3 $79.99

Total Cost: $154.98

That would net you the ability to get a micro atx board with a little more room for cpu fan/heatsink combo as well as a bigger gpu; with the money you saved from using that case/psu combo you could upgrade your cooler to the Antec 620 or something similar; I just purchased this cooler for my two SFF builds each and it is awesome.

Edit: just looking the Antec 620 is cheaper than your fan/heatsink combo:

Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-K%C3%BChler-H2O-620-Cooling/dp/B004LWYE4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876808&sr=8-1 $61.17

Second Edit: I should note too right now the Asus z68-M Pro board is $50 off at microcenter.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

xyexz said:
How stuck are you on that case and PSU?
The only reason I ask is from my reading micro atx boards with the z68 chipset are a lot more dependable and for the price of the combo you found you could upgrade to a silverstone micro atx case and get your own PSU for a great price:

Case: http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-SG02B-F-MicroATX-Desktop-Computer/dp/B001AZCUMA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876513&sr=8-2 $74.99

PSU: http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001IZ7MHU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327876486&sr=1-3 $79.99

Total Cost: $154.98

That would net you the ability to get a micro atx board with a little more room for cpu fan/heatsink combo as well as a bigger gpu; with the money you saved from using that case/psu combo you could upgrade your cooler to the Antec 620 or something similar; I just purchased this cooler for my two SFF builds each and it is awesome.

Edit: just looking the Antec 620 is cheaper than your fan/heatsink combo:

Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-K%C3%BChler-H2O-620-Cooling/dp/B004LWYE4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876808&sr=8-1 $61.17

Second Edit: I should note too right now the Asus z68-M Pro board is $50 off at microcenter.

Hmm, I'll throw together a mATX plan of parts, and see how that goes

D4rkn3ss · Jan 29, 2012

xyexz said:
How stuck are you on that case and PSU?

stuck? im done, i have nowhere to go unless i change the PSU for the SST450 or buy a new SG08 w/PSU.

xyexz said:
Case: http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-SG02B-F-MicroATX-Desktop-Computer/dp/B001AZCUMA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876513&sr=8-2 $74.99

PSU: http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001IZ7MHU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327876486&sr=1-3 $79.99

Total Cost: $154.98

That would net you the ability to get a micro atx board with a little more room for cpu fan/heatsink combo as well as a bigger gpu; with the money you saved from using that case/psu combo you could upgrade your cooler to the Antec 620 or something similar; I just purchased this cooler for my two SFF builds each and it is awesome.

Edit: just looking the Antec 620 is cheaper than your fan/heatsink combo:

Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/Antec-K%C3%BChler-H2O-620-Cooling/dp/B004LWYE4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327876808&sr=8-1 $61.17

Second Edit: I should note too right now the Asus z68-M Pro board is $50 off at microcenter.

yeah you can do that or a lot of other things.. theres several choices. my reason for assembling my system is only because i found the case cute

WiSK · Jan 29, 2012

Amzee said:
Just noticed I'm building a very similar rig to what you have. Did you need any case mods or have any power problems to get it all to work?

I modded the case to hold two 2.5" drives sdd/hdd in a different place. I got some mesh cut it 100x200mm and made 4 bends so that there was a 70mm cage. The mesh holes somehow lined up with the mounting of the standard 3.5" cage, hanging from the top right brace/strut. PM me for further details. That way I had enough room for push-pull around the rad. The only reason I need a rad with this chip is because I have it set to do folding 24/7. Apart from that, the 2400S chip + 560Ti is fine for surfing and playing games. I'm replaying GTA4 now with ultra settings for example.

The power supply goes a lot further than people expect because it can deliver 432W of the 450W all on one rail with very little crossover. Google "ST45SF review" for some evidence.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

Now, it should be down to these two, I suppose:

Mini-ITX:

CPU - Intel Core i5 2400 - 149.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354590
Memory - G. Skill 8GB 1600 MHz - 43.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
Mobo - Intel H67 ITX - 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121507
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM - 124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
SSD - Crucial M4 128GB - 179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
Case & PSU - Silverstone SG05 - 119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163187
Graphics Card - EVGA GTX 560 Ti 448-Core - 279.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738
Slim Sata Cable - 4.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270183
DVD Drive - Samsung Slim DVD driver - 24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151242
Wi-Fi Dongle - TP-Link 802.11 b/g/n - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045
Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium - 189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116716

Total: 1257.89

mATX:

Case - In Win Dragon Slayer mATX - 64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108236
Power Supply - Corsair TX650M - 109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139031
Memory - G. Skill 8GB 1600 MHz - 43.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231416
Graphics Card - EVGA GTX 560 Ti 448-Core - 279.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130738
Wi-Fi Dongle - TP-Link 802.11 b/g/n - 18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045
Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium - 189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116716
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM - 124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
SSD - Crucial M4 128GB - 179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
CPU - i5 2500k - 179.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589
Mobo - Maximus IV Gene-Z - 179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131806
Fans - 2x Cougar 120mm PWM fans - 33.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553002
Water Cooling - Antec 620 - 64.99
hhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209049
Blu-ray drive - Samsung Blu-Ray Drive - 57.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151222

Total: 1549.86

Now, there is a clear difference in what you get for the ~$300: a nice Z68 Mobo, an overclockable CPU, a nice water cooler, with push-pull fans, and a blu-ray drive. I guess that only leaves the question: do I really need the performance, and am I really this interested in OC'ing?

I'd like to hear your opinions on both sets of parts, and which you think I should go with.

Thanks again!

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

WiSK said:
I modded the case to hold two 2.5" drives sdd/hdd in a different place. I got some mesh cut it 100x200mm and made 4 bends so that there was a 70mm cage. The mesh holes somehow lined up with the mounting of the standard 3.5" cage, hanging from the top right brace/strut. PM me for further details. That way I had enough room for push-pull around the rad. The only reason I need a rad with this chip is because I have it set to do folding 24/7. Apart from that, the 2400S chip + 560Ti is fine for surfing and playing games. I'm replaying GTA4 now with ultra settings for example.

The power supply goes a lot further than people expect because it can deliver 432W of the 450W all on one rail with very little crossover. Google "ST45SF review" for some evidence.

You wouldn't need the mod if you were doing the stock cooler, right? I don't intend on watercooling in that case.

xyexz · Jan 29, 2012

Be clear also on your selection of water cooler CPU cooler that it has hardened lines for the liquid and aren't as flexible as the Antec H2O 620.

If you're concerned with the lga 2011 support:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/cooling/34413-antec-offers-free-lga2011-bracket-kuhler-h2o-920-620/

Maybe a little trouble if you decide to go to lga 2011 in the future but for the non-hardened lines it may be worth it.

Just my $0.02 some people said on SFF cases that the H60 was a little harder to bend around to screw into the fan grill areas.

Amzee · Jan 29, 2012

xyexz said:
Be clear also on your selection of water cooler CPU cooler that it has hardened lines for the liquid and aren't as flexible as the Antec H2O 620.

If you're concerned with the lga 2011 support:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/cooling/34413-antec-offers-free-lga2011-bracket-kuhler-h2o-920-620/

Maybe a little trouble if you decide to go to lga 2011 in the future but for the non-hardened lines it may be worth it.

Just my $0.02 some people said on SFF cases that the H60 was a little harder to bend around to screw into the fan grill areas.

Alright, I'll change that on my post.

First Build, ever. (Need some part help/verification)

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