Help Me Build a SFF Gaming Rig

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dmw16

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 29, 2004
Messages
141
I will be living in an extended stay hotel for a while, but since I will be in one place I want to skip a gaming laptop and build a SFF gaming rig from my existing parts (or as many as I can).

The parts I want to be able to use are:
Radeon 4870
2x2GB PC6400 DDR2
Western Digital 640GB Drive

I'd like to be able to use my Intel E6550 CPU, but if the better performance would come from an AMD platform I would be open to that.

My budget is about $500.

Thanks.

EDIT: Had the wrong CPU
 
No, please stick with the E6550.

Decide between the P5E VM mobo or the DFI P45 Jr mobo. Those two are the best for mATX.

What's your budget just for the case?

Which case do you want? The best floating around are Sugo SG01 or SG02 or SG03, Lian Li PC V350 or V351, Qmicra V2, Coolermaster Elite 341. The Lanboy or the Lanbox are ok too, but not quite up to par as previously mentioned. The Elte 341 will probably require that you DIY a little and purchase some fan mesh. If you would like the most cooling for the Lian Li or the Sugo cases, it would probably require DIY as well, but they are sufficient as is.

Not sure of the space inside the other cases, but the Lian Li cases provide much more space for HSF's whereas the Sugo cases hardly allow any.
 
Great info. Am I better off selecting a motherboard and case separate as opposed to something like a small form factor barebones?

What size HSF will fit? Right now I have a Zalman 9700.
 
There's nothing wrong with a E6550, especially since those can overclock pretty damn high. I wouldn't waste money on a new CPU.

9700 won't fit anything but the Qmicra.
 
I wasn't sure about overclocking with the SFF case especially if I have to go with a lesser heatsink.

I don't mind spending on a new CPU to ensure stability and such. I was about to spend $1200 on a gaming laptop, so this is much better no matter what, even if i do spend $180 on a CPU.

What heatsink does everyone suggest?
 
dmw16 said:
I wasn't sure about overclocking with the SFF case especially if I have to go with a lesser heatsink.

I don't mind spending on a new CPU to ensure stability and such. I was about to spend $1200 on a gaming laptop, so this is much better no matter what, even if i do spend $180 on a CPU.

What heatsink does everyone suggest?
Click to expand...

Personally, I am in the middle of working on my SFF build. It will be a Q6600 with the Noctua nh-c12p in a Lian Li V350/351 case. I will drill a hole at the top (I think) for some extra outflow.
 
I've heard that the q6600 isn't a great gaming CPU. That is why I am opting towards a faster core2duo.
 
dmw16 said:
I've heard that the q6600 isn't a great gaming CPU. That is why I am opting towards a faster core2duo.
Click to expand...

When it is OC'd, it will be the last bottleneck in your system, guaranteed.
 
dmw16 said:
I wasn't sure about overclocking with the SFF case especially if I have to go with a lesser heatsink.

I don't mind spending on a new CPU to ensure stability and such. I was about to spend $1200 on a gaming laptop, so this is much better no matter what, even if i do spend $180 on a CPU.

What heatsink does everyone suggest?
Click to expand...

If you are limited budget-wise, you can always get the Elite 341 and get the AC Freezer 7 Pro (cheap as chips) which is a very decent heatsink. Or the Xigmatek 1283 (slightly more expensive - will it fit in a 341?)

CPU-wise, stick with your 6550. Board-wise, Asus P5E-VM HDMI: cheaper and easier to work with.
 
if you go with a lian li v350/351 you should get the noctua nh c12p cooler like someone above me mentioned, itll allow you to overclock pretty well in a small case, if your ambient temps are decent.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Think I've got a plan.

Asus board
Noctua cooler
Lian Li 350 case

It seems like the Lian Li takes a full size power supply, right?

One thing w/ the Asus board is it looks like a longer vid card, like my 4870 may cover some of the SATA ports. Any thoughts?
 
dmw16 said:
One thing w/ the Asus board is it looks like a longer vid card, like my 4870 may cover some of the SATA ports. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...


I have the p5e-vm hdmi board...I only needed 3 sata's 2HD's and a DVD drive...here is what i did..you could easily use 4 of the 6 connectors..The connectors i bought were right angle to left angle sata cables that way i could pick which way i wanted them to go...
I got them at http://www.satacables.com/html/sata-cable-signal-left-to-righ.html You just have to make sure you get low profile ones...there are some right angle connectors that are like 3/4" high...useless
check out the build here
img1984sh6.jpg
 
My vote is what I'm doing....

Check out the HP slimline thread for details.


I bought a Q9300 based HP slimline off ubid for $350.

It came with a 500GB drive, Vista, Q9300, 4GB RAM, 9500GS and I love the look of the slimline case.
In stock form it is silent.

I'm upgrading it now to

a low profile sparkle 9800GT
and a 1.5TB drive

But to do that I need a new power supply.

I tried the sparkle 270 watt 80+ efficiency unit that everybody raves about - but under this draw the PSU is not silent. I just recently ordered a Shuttle PC50 300 watt PSU to see if it is silent.

When I sell off the old components I'll have about $500 in this system.

1.5TB drive = $106 shipped from dell.
9800GT = $137 shipped from newegg.
Sparkle 270 watt PSU = $57 shipped from censusPC.
Molex to Micro-fit ATX adapter = $24 shipped from ATX powe supply
Shuttle PC50 300 watt PSU = $72 shipped from mwave w/ a $20 customer appreciation coupon I have.

I should be able to sell the 500GB 7,200 RPM hard-drive it came with for $40
and the 9500GS for about $60 on ebay
probably resell the 270 watt sparkle for $40
sell the stock HP 180 watt PSU for $50


HOPEFULLY if the PC50 is silent...I will have a perfectly silent very effictive gaming CPU that is MUCH smaller than your typical shuttle box. The slimline chasis is tiny compared to the lanbox lite, or typical shuttle boxes.
 
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