Replacing my tower with a compact desktop, please review

How close are you to a physical Micro Center store? The price of the Intel Core i5-4670K is an in-store special.

Which computer-related tasks cover "everything"? Why aren't you considering gaming?

Do you have the funds to buy everything this weekend?
 
answered

How close are you to a physical Micro Center store? The price of the Intel Core i5-4670K is an in-store special.
I'm about an hour from Micro Center, there is one near Philly
Which computer-related tasks cover "everything"? Why aren't you considering gaming?
I'm not a gamer, no interest in becoming one. Tasks include VMWare, Photoshop, Web Browsing, Email, Video Editing/Conversion and so on.
Do you have the funds to buy everything this weekend?
Yes, if there was some super sale going on.
 
An hour away? Too far of a drive to justify the getting the CPU from Microcenter unless you're already going to be in Philly for another reason.

So drop the CPU down to the Core i5 4570.
 
Which program(s) are you using for video editing and conversion?

How much cash do you have right now?
 
answered

Which program(s) are you using for video editing and conversion? photoshop elements, adobe elements, cyberlink powerdirector and cantasia studio among others.

How much cash do you have right now? just got $200 in cash from someone who owed me money from a long time ago
 
Last edited:
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Not worth it since you won't notice a difference between DDR3-1866 RAM and DDR3 1600 RAM.

Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Not worth the money considering that the significantly higher quality Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W PSU only costs $5 more. However, since you're not gaming, you don't even need that much power. You would be fine with the $60 Seasonic SSR-360RM 360W PSU.
 
Not worth it since you won't notice a difference between DDR3-1866 RAM and DDR3 1600 RAM.

Not worth the money considering that the significantly higher quality Seasonic SSR-550RM 550W PSU only costs $5 more. However, since you're not gaming, you don't even need that much power. You would be fine with the $60 Seasonic SSR-360RM 360W PSU.

The SSR-360RM 360W PSU isn't modular, with the small case i'm using, every bit of space is needed.
 
thanks, made some changes, should be good now.

Not really: Why are you going withe the 4670K? You're not overclocking nor are you close enough to a MC to make the trip worthwhile. So no reason so far to get the 4670K.
 
Not really: Why are you going withe the 4670K? You're not overclocking nor are you close enough to a MC to make the trip worthwhile. So no reason so far to get the 4670K.

Not getting the cpu from MC and yes, decided to overclock. Saw a video that the 4670k can reach 4ghz easy. Got me hooked.
 
Not getting the cpu from MC and yes, decided to overclock. Saw a video that the 4670k can reach 4ghz easy. Got me hooked.
Yes but with a good HSF and a case with great cooling and space. Inside a miTX case with a low-profile HSF? I would not overclock with such conditions.
 
I would vote going for the non-k version as it has more features, like VT-d which would help with VMware. Also this would bring down your cost as you no longer need a Z rated board.
I put a 4670 on a H87I-PLUS and am loving it:D
 
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
February
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 250D Mini-ITX Tower (89.99@Newegg)
NewEgg lists the release date for the Corsair 250D as February 28, which is over a month from now. When were you planning to have everything on hand?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 Quad-Core Desktop (225.99@NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 95mm SSO2 (39.99@Amazon)
Not getting the cpu from MC and yes, decided to overclock. Saw a video that the 4670k can reach 4ghz easy. Got me hooked.

You shouldn't try overclocking on a mini ITX-based platform without excellent cooling. The Noctua NH-L9i is designed for low-profile cooling.

Assuming that you stick with the Corsair 250D as your case, if you really want to overclock, you need to consider a liquid-cooling setup that easily costs more than $50. Do you have that room in your budget? Do you really want to overclock?

The i5-4570 is a good non-overclocking alternative to the i5-4670K. The i5-4570 is only 200MHz slower than the i5-4670K's stock speeds, and neither processor is a slouch compared to the stock speeds of older processors. (Before you ask, you don't really benefit at this time from using a Core i7 processor.)

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Intel 4th Gen i5/i7, usb 3.0/2.0 ports, dvi, hdmi, 2 memory slots, onboard gpu.
DO NOT NEED-->RAID, Firewire, eSATA
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 (122.99 @ NICX)
Let's say for now that you no longer want to overclock. What does the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI gives you that the cheaper MSI B85I doesn't?

Wireless? The B85I has a mini PCIe slot that allows you to use any notebook wireless adapter (or, alternatively, any SSD that uses mini PCIe) available. You could also use either a USB or a PCIe-based adapter for a combination that costs less than the GA-Z87N-WIFI on its own.

Do you need a second Gigabit Ethernet port? Bluetooth 4.x? RAID support? If not, you may want to consider the B85I over the GA-Z87N-WIFI.

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD (Purchased 81.08)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE (Purchased 14.99)

What's your plan for handling all of your data? You'll have less than 100GB available after the Windows installation and SSDs, like HDDs, degrade in overall performance the closer they get to full capacity.

Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 520W 80 PLUS BRONZE Modular (67.98 @ Ebay- mp3superstore)

Here's another vote for caveat emptor: Research the store's warranty and return policies before you think about ordering anything from eBay.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Answered

NewEgg lists the release date for the Corsair 250D as February 28, which is over a month from now. When were you planning to have everything on hand?
Newegg is wrong, Corsair told me it will for sale on there website end of Jan. Ordering the parts this week.

You shouldn't try overclocking on a mini ITX-based platform without excellent cooling. The Noctua NH-L9i is designed for low-profile cooling.

Assuming that you stick with the Corsair 250D as your case, if you really want to overclock, you need to consider a liquid-cooling setup that easily costs more than $50. Do you have that room in your budget? Do you really want to overclock?
Guess not, don't want heat issues. Don't like/want water cooling.

The i5-4570 is a good non-overclocking alternative to the i5-4670K. The i5-4570 is only 200MHz slower than the i5-4670K's stock speeds, and neither processor is a slouch compared to the stock speeds of older processors. (Before you ask, you don't really benefit at this time from using a Core i7 processor.)
Nah, never wanted the i7, no need for it. Dropped back to 4570

Let's say for now that you no longer want to overclock. What does the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI gives you that the cheaper MSI B85I doesn't?

Wireless? The B85I has a mini PCIe slot that allows you to use any notebook wireless adapter (or, alternatively, any SSD that uses mini PCIe) available. You could also use either a USB or a PCIe-based adapter for a combination that costs less than the GA-Z87N-WIFI on its own.

Do you need a second Gigabit Ethernet port? Bluetooth 4.x? RAID support? If not, you may want to consider the B85I over the GA-Z87N-WIFI.
Dual ethernet and dual hdmi is why i picked it, dont care about wif in a desktop platform. Had bad experiences with Asus in the past.

What's your plan for handling all of your data? You'll have less than 100GB available after the Windows installation and SSDs, like HDDs, degrade in overall performance the closer they get to full capacity.
Have a 1TB WD Black will be adding on later.

Here's another vote for caveat emptor: Research the store's warranty and return policies before you think about ordering anything from eBay.[
Don't plan on returning it, maybe it will come down in price this week.
 
Newegg is wrong, Corsair told me it will for sale on there website end of Jan. Ordering the parts this week.

You still have a week or two between the time your parts arrive and when the case arrives. Do you have a "holdover" case?

Dual ethernet and dual hdmi is why i picked it, dont care about wif in a desktop platform. Had bad experiences with Asus in the past.

I recommended an MSI motherboard, not an Asus board.

Why do you need dual HDMI and dual Ethernet?

Don't plan on returning it, maybe it will come down in price this week.

That's the lowest you'll see that particular power supply. The Seasonic M12II series have been supplanted by the new G Series modular PSUs.
 
Answered.

You still have a week or two between the time your parts arrive and when the case arrives. Do you have a "holdover" case?
No holdover case, going to use a older laptop for now.

I recommended an MSI motherboard, not an Asus board.

Why do you need dual HDMI and dual Ethernet?
Monitor is HDMI, other connection goes to TV. Dual HDMI really needed. The board also has High ESD Protection for USB and LAN.


That's the lowest you'll see that particular power supply. The Seasonic M12II series have been supplanted by the new G Series modular PSUs.
Might go with the SeaSonic SSR-360GP, not sure yet.
 
Monitor is HDMI, other connection goes to TV. Dual HDMI really needed. The board also has High ESD Protection for USB and LAN.
I need to read the user manual for the GA-Z87N-WIFI, but when are you going to use your HDTV and monitor simultaneously? You could use the same HDMI cable and switch the connection from the monitor to the HDTV without any problem (especially if they share the same resolution).

"ESD protection" is not a worthwhile justification for that board. Unless you're really clumsy when it comes to installing computer parts, you shouldn't have any problems regarding ESD regardless of what board you end up using.

Might go with the SeaSonic SSR-360GP, not sure yet.

Just stick with the SSR-360GP. It will give you enough power for your system (as long as you don't go with a high-end card like the GTX 770) and you get a clear, defined warranty and return policy from the manufacturer and the retailer.
 
Go with the Cooler Master Elite 130. You may have an easier time assembling your system in that than either the PC-Q27B or the PC-Q28B. It's also considerably cheaper than both Lian Li cases.

If you really need a modular PSU, spend the extra money on the Seasonic SSR-450RM.

I still recommend the MSI B85I over the Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI (or the slightly cheaper GA-Z87N-WIFI).

Since you're not overclocking, save some money on the RAM and go with this set, which is on sale through 1/27:

$120 - Crucial CT2KIT102464BA1339 2x8GB DDR3 1333 set
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top