New Build Suggestions: Mid Range SFF Monster!

G

gr!m

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
333
Well, it's been a while since I've been on the [H] and it hasn't changed a bit. That's a great thing. Time for me to get back into building, after college I started up a small local custom PC building business and it's going well. Laptops had to hold me for a while since I needed portability, but now it's time for something for myself!

Here are a few ideas I had. I could also use suggestions on your favorite Micro ATX and ITX cases.

AMD Phenom X2 555 Callisto (Going to try to unlock the extra cores)
MSI 890GXM-G65 890GX Micro ATX Motherboard
G.Skill 4GB DDR3-1333 (9-9-9-24)
XFX ATI Radeon 5770 1GB
640GB Western Digital Caviar Black
X Q-Pack 2 Micro ATX Case

the only changes I would make are my debate between spending quite a bit extra and getting an i5 setup instead. I was also looking at doing a Mini ITX build with the DFI mobo and an i5 750 processor. If I did mini ITX I was going to use the lian li mini tower ITX case. It fits a nice regular ATX psu.

Any suggestions? I've been building giant towers for too long now! I love SFF and their challenge. Also what's the best micro ATX case out there now?
 
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First and foremost: Do not use the included PSU in that X-Qpack. Apevia makes/brands some of the world's shittiest PSUs:
Apevia ATX-AS500W-BL
Apevia Warlock Power 900W
XQPack's Included 420W PSU
Aspire Beast 680W Power Supply

Case wise, personally a fan of the "Da Box" cases as well as the Silverstone SG01 and SG03 cases.

Whether or not you should go with a ITX setup really depends on how small you want to make this PC.

EDIT: Also note that for about $20 more than that AMD X2 555 CPU + MSI 890GX mobo, you can get that same mobo + a Phenom II X4 925 CPU:
$255 - Phenom II X4 925 CPU + MSI 890GX Motherboard

$20 more for a confirmed quad-core CPU seems like a deal to me.
 
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Danny Bui said:
First and foremost: Do not use the included PSU in that X-Qpack. Apevia makes/brands some of the world's shittiest PSUs...

Case wise, personally a fan of the "Da Box" cases as well as the Silverstone SG01 and SG03 cases.
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Yeah "Da Box" looks sweet, but is out of my price range. I'm trying to keep the whole thing around $650 or less. My only thoughts about the unlocked CPU were that it unlocks to a 955 BE ($165) where as the 925 ($125) has locked multipliers.

I'm leanings more towards a Lian-Li case route now, the only reason I looked at the qpack was because it included a PSU, one less expense lol.

Also I'm talking about the X Qpack 2, not the original. This one comes with a better 500w PSU not the 420w.
 
gr!m said:
Also I'm talking about the X Qpack 2, not the original. This one comes with a better 500w PSU not the 420w.
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It's still an Apevia PSU. Still not worth using. There's no info whatsoever showing that the included Apevia 500W PSU is any better than the 420W PSU. In addition, if you look at the reviews I linked to, Apevia PSU quality is still shitty no matter what the wattage. From 420W to 900W, none of those Apevia PSUs were good. Just spectacularly shitty.

And from personal experience: I've seen Apevia PSUs kill entire PCs. So again, I do not recommend using that Apevia PSU.

If going the Lian Li route, then I recommend these PSUs:
$80 - Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU
$120 - Corsair 650HX 650W Modular PSU
 
To save money I ended up not doing a SFF build. (*gasp* I know) But, I saved a TON of money.

Final Build:
AMD Phenom X4 965 3.2Ghz Black Edition
OCZ 4GB DDR3 1600 AMD Black Edition Ram
ASUS EVO AM3 785G Motherboard
XFX Radeon 5770 XXX 1GB
OCZ ModXStream Pro 600w Modular PSU
Xigmatek Rifle Heatsink
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB HDD
NZXT Gamma Case

and some misc stuff, fans, dvd burner, ect.

Total: $720 shipped.

I ended saving over $150 in combo/instant saving and then an additional $50 in rebates.
 
Yeah, I got it really cheap though. Only $39 after instant saving and rebates. Got good reviews on newegg so I dunno. I'm going to do video reviews and unboxings of each item I get then benchmarks of the final build.
 
gr!m said:
Yeah, I got it really cheap though. Only $39 after instant saving and rebates. Got good reviews on newegg so I dunno. I'm going to do video reviews and unboxings of each item I get then benchmarks of the final build.
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PSU is the last place to skimp. Newegg reviews are generally total rubbish as well for products that can't easily be judged of quality without proper equipment (like power supplies).

GL though, new builds are always awesome.
 
gr!m said:
Yeah, I got it really cheap though. Only $39 after instant saving and rebates. Got good reviews on newegg so I dunno. I'm going to do video reviews and unboxings of each item I get then benchmarks of the final build.
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You get what you pay for.....

You should never skimp on a PSU! That one item can kill the rest of your PC parts.
 
Yeah looking forward to the build. Read a review about the OCZ PSU I am getting on virtual hideout. They said it was great and voltages were rock solid. I just got it cheap because of rebates. It's usually $90 - $110.
 
CrimandEvil said:
You get what you pay for.....

You should never skimp on a PSU! That one item can kill the rest of your PC parts.
Click to expand...

This is true... had 3 mobo RMA's from a bad PSU... the thing "works" you dont know its messing stuff up, but after a bit plugged into it, you no longer can boot into bios :(
 
Just finished the build. Was enjoyable, easy, and went great. A+ service from NewEgg as usually. No DOAs so I am a happy man.

OC'ed 3.2 to 3.8Ghz on stock volts, no problems. Got the ram running at 1600 with 8-8-8-24 no problems. I love it so far!

Specs & Pics Below:

CPUID.png


SAM_0260.JPG

SAM_0277.JPG

SAM_0280.JPG
 
Thanks. Saving up for "da Box" then I'm gonna change it all over to the new MSI 890GX board I have XD.
 
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