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Questions for mini-ITX tower build

N

Nightbird

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
1,067
Hi all,

I'm looking to build a half-height mini-ITX tower as a workstation computer. The components I'm fairly sure about are:
Core i3 3225 (130$)
2x4 GB Samsung 30nm DDR3 RAM (45$)
128GB SSD
500GB HDD
DVD drive

For motherboard, I'm considering:
ASUS P8H77-I (100$)

These have WiFi built in (a feature I need), though USB WiFI should suffice right?
ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe (196$)
ZOTAC H77ITX-A-E (158$)

Case is the tough one, the two choices I found are:
Antec ISK 310-150 (78$)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-small-form-factor-pc-case,2814-2.html
150 watt PSU is low but should be more than enough, but it looks terrible on it's side.

Lian Li PC-Q12 (155$)
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/produc...ex=605&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64&g=f
300 watt PSU is ample, but no half-slot future expansion capability and I'll have to use an external DVD drive.

Any other cases I should consider?
If I go with the ISK 310-150, what CPU fan should I use?
If I go with the PC-Q12, what CPU fan should I use?
Any other questions I should ask?

Thanks for your help!
 
Last edited:
runs2far said:
Do you use a DVD drive often?
Click to expand...

Not at all, external dvd drive is ok as long as I can install windows.

To be honest, after taking another look at the Antec ISK 310-150, it doesn't look that bad after all. It has both a slim dvd slot plus half-height expansion, there's really nothing else more feature complete.
 
Machupo said:
You can install windows via USB drive, so if that is your only use for the spinner, I'd drop it.
Click to expand...

Well, it's for my dad so a spinning thing is familar and balances out the shock of the size decrease. There's also the half-height slot to consider, in case I need to add something.
 
Consider the Antec ISK 300-150. IMO it looks better, and especially if the DVD drive isn't used much, hides it behind a flip-down door. The Antec cases also have the proper mini power connector for the slim optical drive. The 150W PSU is more than enough. I have one running a 2500K and Radeon 6670 with three SSDs. Shop carefully for the best deal. If I were to buy one right now I would probably go with Buy.com at around $81 shipped, plus 5% cashback with Shop Discover. Second best choice is Amazon, around the same price but no cashback.

Use stock CPU cooler, and enable a silent fan profile in BIOS.

Yes, USB WiFi works well, if you don't have onboard. There are two that I would recommend. One is the Cisco Valet AM10, often on sale for $10-12. The other is the Rosewill RNX-N180UBE, often on sale for $15. The reason for these two are that they come with a USB extension+stand, which really helps with positioning (important with antennas) and not taking up adjacent ports (USB WiFi are often huge dongles). The Cisco is good because it has built-in drivers, utilizing some onboard flash memory as essentially a tiny USB flash drive. The Rosewill is good because of the 5dBi antenna. Additionally it is upgradable using any RP-SMA antenna.

The RAM is a good choice. Take a look at the individual sticks instead of the dual channel kit because sometimes it is on sale. For instance right now it is $19.99 per stick, so two for $39.98, saving $5.01.

Other thoughts to consider are that if you may upgrade to a graphics card in the future, consider a cheaper Ivy Bridge CPU that doesn't have the HD 4000 graphics. If you are NOT going to upgrade graphics, then maybe get the Antec ISK 110 VESA case (even smaller, can mount behind monitor out of sight, no expansion slot and no optical bay) and go with a USB optical drive.
 
Thanks Zap for your comments, they confirm a lot of what I was thinking. This is just personal preference, I like the front for the 310-150 better so I've decided on this.

I will look into those two USB WiFi you mentioned.

I got 2 of those 20$ sticks :)

I purposely chose the HD 4000, it's only 30$ more, more oomph for HD video and website flash, no gaming power needed. That been said, I think it's good to have a half slot as an option even if it is empty for now. I don't think a VESA case as a workstation is good, you want easy access for your USB drives, external hard drives, digital camera/camcorder etc.

Thanks!
 
Placed my order at amazon:
ASUS Intel H77 mini ITX Motherboard - P8H77-I
Cisco AM10 Valet Connector USB Wireless Adapter (10$ FS)
Antec ISK 310-150 Black Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 150 Watt Power Supply
Samsung 8X Slim Internal DVD Writer

216$ in total, will spend another 130$ for CPU and spent 40$ for Memory, then it's only waiting for HD deals
 
Anyone try a build using the ASUS P8Z77-I and the ISK 310-150 case? It seems the power riser board on the motherboard would block the right side fan. I wonder if the fan can be moved to the left side. I like this combination but could be a problem.

rknox
 
Were you planning on using a card in the PCIe slot? If so, then you won't be able to get a fan in there. If not, you might be able to squeeze a 70mm fan in there.

Otherwise, forget about the Asus board and get something else. Why are you getting it anyways? For the overclocking? You will hit a cooling wall before you max out overclocks on even cheaper boards like the ASRock Z77E-ITX. What else does the Asus board give you for $40 more that the ASRock will not?
 
Zap, good point. I did come to realize that the case would limit most of what the ASUS board offers. No room for much of a cooler etc. I am continuing to research.

Thanks,
 
rknox said:
I did come to realize that the case would limit most of what the ASUS board offers. No room for much of a cooler etc.
Click to expand...

Without mods, the case will limit you to around the size of the stock cooler. The reason is right above the CPU area is where the power cord plugs in. Inside the case, the cord continues to the PSU right over the CPU. It is a very stiff cord, plus has some components where the cable meets the connector. You cannot move it out of the way, unless you cut into it and mod it. Then you will get around 10-15mm more room... until you hit the metal extension of the drive trays. You can cut that pretty easily, to gain another 5mm or so.

Let me ask you again. What are you expecting/hoping the Asus board will give you which other boards do not?
 
rknox said:
Anyone try a build using the ASUS P8Z77-I and the ISK 310-150 case? It seems the power riser board on the motherboard would block the right side fan. I wonder if the fan can be moved to the left side. I like this combination but could be a problem.

rknox
Click to expand...

I have done just that with the deluxe edition. The daughter board blocks the fans only halfway and I have two fans installed. I used the intel stock cooler because there are few other options for coolers on the board due to the backplate. In the future I will upgrade to a zalman. I have it together with an ssd drive an no dvd drive since I use it to stream 1080 movies from my server. What I have just found out is that the board supports usb 3 to the front case ports but only this case from SuperBiiz have the upgraded ports so I put a request into antec for an upgrade to the I/O panel.
 
shoemakerpom2010 said:
What I have just found out is that the board supports usb 3 to the front case ports but only this case from SuperBiiz have the upgraded ports so I put a request into antec for an upgrade to the I/O panel.
Click to expand...

When and where did you buy it? Supposedly Newegg is shipping the updated USB 3.0 version, according to user reviews, even though they haven't updated their product page. SuperBiiz specifically states that it is the USB 3.0 version.
 
shoemakerpom2010 said:
What I have just found out is that the board supports usb 3 to the front case ports but only this case from SuperBiiz have the upgraded ports so I put a request into antec for an upgrade to the I/O panel.
Click to expand...
Please keep us updated on what Antec says and/or how much they want for the USB 3.0 I/O panel.
 
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