From huge to small?

[fishoil]

I'm going to build a new computer soon and I'm thinking I want to go small, right now I have the complete opposite. I'm using a Cooler Master Stacker 830 Evolution and I'm just getting tired of how big it is.

I'm looking for advice. I want small, quite, and reasonably priced. I would like to stay under $800 for the build.

*edt*

I guess I should mention that I won't be gaming on this PC. I am looking at maybe a i5 or i7 and I'm not sure what I want in a video card. As for the HD, I'll probably get a decent SSD.

 

[fishoil]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112222

Maybe something like this?

 

[catcherintherye]

As a general rule, answer these questions first.

 

[fishoil]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A) Web browsing, web design, and very little gaming(think Quake Live).

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
A) I would like to stay under $600

3) Where do you live?
A) Michigan

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
A) CPU, RAM, Case, Motherboard. If needed I can use one of the HDs I have now, PSU, and maybe my 9800GTX if it will fit.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
A) I could possibly re-use my video card (PNY 9800GTX), HD, and PSU (OCZ StealthXStream Power supply - 700 Watt).

6) Will you be overclocking?
A) No.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
A) I have a Hanns-G HG281D

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
A) ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
A) No Crossfire or SLI support needed. No firewire or raid. Pretty basic I guess.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
A) Sure

 

[bastage]

well you said small.. So Here is a mITX

125 ASUS M4A88T-I Deluxe AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
103 AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz
106 Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600
60 LIAN LI PC-Q07 Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower
60 SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W
50 SAMSUNG Spinpoint MP4 HM320HJ 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive
17 LG Black 22X DVD+R
147 PowerColor AX5770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5770 1GB

Shipped total of 680. & Yes that video card will fit in that case (barely). You cant put a 3.5" hard drive in with the cooler on it though.

Some parts could be changed to a i3 with a decent board (not as many features though) & save a few bucks in the end (cheaper mobo & ram) but then its still a dual core.

 

[Silentbob343]

For the case go PC-Q11 instead of the Q07.

 

[bastage]

For the case go PC-Q11 instead of the Q07.

There is a big difference in cost between the 2 (50 bucks). & if a bigger badder video card was needed then I would say to go with the q11, but for the OP uses that 5770 will fit & will still be overkill.

 

[Silentbob343]

There is a big difference in cost between the 2 (50 bucks). & if a bigger badder video card was needed then I would say to go with the q11, but for the OP uses that 5770 will fit & will still be overkill.

You are correct, I assumed he wanted to do some gaming with your recommendation of the 5770.

Not sure what the requirements of quake live are, but perhaps he can go lower, i.e. 5670. My main rig is down at the moment so I'm on my WIP HTPC; a Q07 with 9300 itx mobo powered via Pico PSU and it does everything pretty darn well. If I had to do it again I would go i5 with IGP and an H55 itx board, wouldn't even look at a dedicated GPU if I didn't want to game. Similarly if I had to redo my main rig it would be quad i5, H55 itx with either a 460 or 450 inside a Q11.

 

[tvih]

If I had to do it again I would go i5 with IGP and an H55 itx board, wouldn't even look at a dedicated GPU if I didn't want to game.

I agree, there's really no reason to go with a discrete graphics card if you don't play games. Well, unless you still want to do GPU folding or other GPGPU stuff I guess. Basically it just adds to power consumption and temps without much extra value. If one does decide to play games etc later on, it's always possible to get one after the fact, no need to get it beforehand.

If I built a non-gaming right right now - or well, soon - I'd go for a PC-Q09 as soon as it is released, stick an i3 530 in there with a Samuel 17 and probably and SSD, and bam, silent, snappy rig.

Or, were I rich, perhaps just wait for the ASRock Vision 135B

 

[bastage]

Yea I wasn't sure what OP's definition of Light gaming was, So I Picked the 5770 based on it being able to play most everything.

@fishoil here is a pic of a lian li pc-q07 sitting next to a Hanns-G HG281d.. & yes its the little tower on the desk (thats an antec 300 beneath the desk)

 

[tvih]

About going from huge to small in general... well, I have to say that when I went from an ATX case (my last one was a NZXT Hush) to an ITX SG06B, my initial impression upon unboxing both the motherboard and the case was "awesome!" Of course the more difficult installation and the massive cable mess took the edge of that awesomeness for a while, but it was still nice. I did end up getting Lynnfield - and thus mATX at the time - soon after, and am now mostly happy with my system. I'd lose out on fan controls and stuff if I did go smaller. But whether mATX or ITX, they're both much more fun than a big ol' ATX. You only run into problems if you're a silence nut like me and want a gaming-grade quiet computer. That's a lot easier to get with ATX.

Oh and bastage, I wish my computer desk was that empty of clutter, haha.

 

[bastage]

About going from huge to small in general... well, I have to say that when I went from an ATX case (my last one was a NZXT Hush) to an ITX SG06B, my initial impression upon unboxing both the motherboard and the case was "awesome!" Of course the more difficult installation and the massive cable mess took the edge of that awesomeness for a while, but it was still nice. I did end up getting Lynnfield - and thus mATX at the time - soon after, and am now mostly happy with my system. I'd lose out on fan controls and stuff if I did go smaller. But whether mATX or ITX, they're both much more fun than a big ol' ATX. You only run into problems if you're a silence nut like me and want a gaming-grade quiet computer. That's a lot easier to get with ATX.

Oh and bastage, I wish my computer desk was that empty of clutter, haha.

That was the day I finished building my desk.. To see it now, there is barely any wood showing..

& I went from a Full Tower Lian li to the q07.. It was a very PITA build. I did not know what I was getting myself into with my big hands the 1st time around. Currently I have a mITX board in an Antec 300 because I am waiting for the new Radeon's to drop & upgrade before moving back to a mITX case. I am hoping to find something with the performance I am after that will both support eyefinity & Fit in a q11. But I realise thats kind of a tall order so I am holding out as I may have to go to a q08. But I really like the Baby towers. Hell I would go back to a q07 if I can find a graphics card that meets what I want that would fit.

 

[Machupo]

lol, glad to see I wasn't the only one thinking "this guy needs an i5-661 w/ onboard GPU"

pair that with a full featured mobo (onboard everything) and an SSD and you could go really small, like external nano PSU powerbrick small and very very quiet.


oh, and I went from an antec 1200 to the langear mITX case and didn't lose any gaming performance... a bit of blood / skin getting everything fitted properly, but nothing from the computer was lost

 

[tvih]

I am hoping to find something with the performance I am after that will both support eyefinity & Fit in a q11. But I realise thats kind of a tall order so I am holding out as I may have to go to a q08. But I really like the Baby towers. Hell I would go back to a q07 if I can find a graphics card that meets what I want that would fit.

I thought the PC-Q11 should fit relatively decent GPUs? Or do longer cards bump into the front fan? Hard to tell from the pics I've seen.

"Baby towers" are indeed kinda nice, though there aren't many ITX towers. I suppose the main "problem" compared to "shoebox" cases is that there's usually less space for a GPU, yet if one wants a small system with no discrete GPU, there's even smaller options available. Still, the PC-Q11 is a sexy beast, and would be a nice, stylish platform for even a quite powerful CPU setup. I can imagine a silent Samuel 17 / AXP-140 + silent PSU cooling setup for it with decent storage options to boot... mmm. In other words, would make for a really nice workstation build or such.

Still, I'm more curious about a Samuel 17-cooled PC-Q09 system. If it fits and keeps a dual core cool enough (without a fan - not sure if at least the smaller version can fit one, but both should fit the Samuel itself at least), it should REALLY be quiet when paired with an SSD. Only moving component would be the single 80mm fan. Make it a Nexus 80mm Real Silent, and.... *drool*

 

[fishoil]

Oh wow.. I didn't think this thread would go anywhere. lol

I'm not looking for tiny, I just want smaller. This Stacker 830 is way overkill for me and the wife hates it. The only reason I bought it was because I got it for cheap, $50.

As for Quake Live:
Recommended
Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
Browser:Firefox 3.0 OR Internet Explorer 8
Computer Processor: 2 GHz Intel Processor or better
Screen Resolution: 1650x1050 or higher
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7 Series or better,
ATI Radeon X1800 series or better
Internet Connection: Cable or DSL broadband

Yea I wasn't sure what OP's definition of Light gaming was, So I Picked the 5770 based on it being able to play most everything.

@fishoil here is a pic of a lian li pc-q07 sitting next to a Hanns-G HG281d.. & yes its the little tower on the desk (thats an antec 300 beneath the desk)

That is awesome. But, I too, have big hands and little patience. lol.

 

[tvih]

Well, micro-ATX is bound to be easier to install, and I suppose there's more space for expansion if need be. My current SG03 is basically the only mATX case I've had, so can't recommend any others from personal experience. Lian Li makes a few nice mATX cases too. Then there's the NSK3480 for something a little more "conventional", but it'd come with an excess PSU.

 

[bastage]

I thought the PC-Q11 should fit relatively decent GPUs? Or do longer cards bump into the front fan? Hard to tell from the pics I've seen.

It can hold up to a 460. which performance is OK there, but you cant do Eyefinity/Surround with a single nVidia Card.

As for Quake Live:
Recommended
Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
Browser:Firefox 3.0 OR Internet Explorer 8
Computer Processor: 2 GHz Intel Processor or better
Screen Resolution: 1650x1050 or higher
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7 Series or better,
ATI Radeon X1800 series or better
Internet Connection: Cable or DSL broadband

OK With those being the requirements Change the Video Card in my Original build to This & PSU to this & you will have a Much Easier time installing & should still be way more then needed for your game. Also if you want it to basically be dead silent consider this cooler. Just flip the fan over & when installing the PSU install the fan facing into the case & your system will stay nice & cool.

That is awesome. But, I too, have big hands and little patience. lol.

Its really not that bad as long as you dont rush shit. & the Finished product is well worth the extra time & PITA during assembly.

 

[fishoil]

OK With those being the requirements Change the Video Card in my Original build to This & PSU to this & you will have a Much Easier time installing & should still be way more then needed for your game. Also if you want it to basically be dead silent consider this cooler. Just flip the fan over & when installing the PSU install the fan facing into the case & your system will stay nice & cool.

I really want to get either an i5 or i7. I've been using AMD for many years now and I want to try something new. Silly? probably.... but thats just me.

 

[bastage]

I really want to get either an i5 or i7. I've been using AMD for many years now and I want to try something new. Silly? probably.... but thats just me.

Well it can be done.

190 CPU 83 Memory 105 Mobo.

Overall you add 30 bucks to the cost & loose wifi, Raid, & the ability to use onboard video. Overall its just simply not a great buy

 

[tvih]

It can hold up to a 460. which performance is OK there, but you cant do Eyefinity/Surround with a single nVidia Card.

Wouldn't a 5770 be a logical choice then? As it's about the same length as a 460. Of course a bit slower, too.

Or I suppose the other option would be to wait for the 6000-series for more performance.