The Dream Build is finally happening!

[Inklingsaurus]

It's been a long time since I've been in the desktop world, at least since my old beloved Dell died a year ago. Ever since Bioshock Infinite came out I've had a hankering to get back into gaming, and now I'm hoping to finally make it happen.

This will be my first Mini-ITX build. I've been watching them with interest since they were a Via-only thing, and now seems like an awesome time to jump in.

Build so far:

Case: Silverstone SG06BB-Lite
PSU: Silverstone 450w SFX Modular PSU
CPU: Intel 4770k
Mobo: Asrock Z87E-ITX
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz
SSD: Intel 520 240GB
HDD: Old 1Tb from my dead computer, which hopefully still has my old files on it... somewhere...
ODD: Panasonic does-anyone-care-anymore?

The big questions that remain are:

1. Aftermarket cooling! Necessary? Classy? Ostentatious?

2. Video cards! Short ones? Long ones? Ones that are not out yet?

I likely will not be overclocking, or only doing so extremely modestly. No more than 6 Ghz on LN2.

I'll probably be pursuing efforts to make this as quiet as possible given the components, so any advice on various air cooling / closed-loop-H20 setups would be much appreciated. I've been poring over the ridiculously-huge SG05 thread, and it looks like everyone has their own take on what the best solution is.

I'll plan on updating more as things move along and once it's built. I feel like a little kid lost among you pros here, so any advice would be much appreciated! This forum has been hugely helpful in getting this together.

 

[Screes]

1. Only if you care about over clocking or noise. If your fine with stock speeds and the noise of the stock hsf, then no reason to change it.

2. Longest video card you can get in that without modifying the case is 263mm.

 

[Black5Lion]

If you use a long GPU, then water cooling won't be possible because you have an ODD.
If you want both however, then you can either use a short gpu or remove the ODD.

 

[Curlyriff]

I would suggest an external ODD. Just plug in when needed. No need for internal ODD's really these days.

Edit:

As for GPU, I would suggest an Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini to keep space for cabling easier etc.

If you are gaming mainly I would also suggest going for the i5-4670k. Hyper threading isn't needed for gaming and the i7 is only around 3-5% faster for gaming (not noticeable and very much GPU driven) and around 20% faster if you was to be 3D rendering and that sort of thing. Even then the i5 is still very capable anyways.

 

[Curlyriff]

Something like: http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/memory-storage/SE-S084D/TSBS

 

[WiSK]

The Asus GTX 670 DirectCU Mini is shorter, but taller than other 670 cards. So it does not fit with the optical cage. And in the SG06 the optical cage holds the other drive cages, so don't get that card. Just get a 670 or 680 with a reference PCB (10 inch / 254mm).

And do not get the gold modular ST45SF-G if you are planning on fitting a 3.5" drive. The modular sockets come out right in front of the drive cage. It's also noisier than the bronze - allegedly, I couldn't hear the difference.

 

[Curlyriff]

The ODD comment is a mute point if you combine it with what else I said since I suggested an external ODD drive. Removing all the bays on the right of the case would mean loads of space to place the HDD's as wanted.

The SSD can just be attached via velcro under the Mobo completely out of the way. The 1TB could be mounted easy enough with a small bracket and you have much greater room for cables.

On the other hand if you moved away from reference cooling and WC the GPU a standard 670 is the same length (17cm) and you could fit a loop in the space saved. Depends what the OP wants.

Of course the 670 with standard fan would fit but there is allot less space for fitting the cables in, also another good reason for external ODD. This may also allow for ST45SF-G to be used and keep cabling even cleaner.

There are ways of make things allot cleaner and with this being dream build it should perform and look great in equal measures I believe. Another suggestion for the future would actually to get a 1TB 2.5" HDD as that again would save even greater space in a small case.

 

[Oscar Meyer]

The silverstone NT06-pro cpu cooler will work wonders. Got it in my sg08 build with a 2600k. Overclocked to 4.8, 1.35vcore, it gets into high 80's with IBT. I bet if you don't overclock, you can just run the heatsink passive for a super quiet system.

 

[Zap]

If your fine with stock speeds and the noise of the stock hsf, then no reason to change it.

Stock HSF is quite quiet after you enable a fan profile in BIOS.

Mobo: Asrock Z87E-ITX
RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz
SSD: Intel 520 240GB
...
1. Aftermarket cooling! Necessary? Classy? Ostentatious?

2. Video cards! Short ones? Long ones? Ones that are not out yet?

I likely will not be overclocking, or only doing so extremely modestly. No more than 6 Ghz on LN2.

I'll probably be pursuing efforts to make this as quiet as possible given the components, so any advice on various air cooling / closed-loop-H20 setups would be much appreciated. I've been poring over the ridiculously-huge SG05 thread, and it looks like everyone has their own take on what the best solution is.

You should probably make an executive decision on the overclocking issue because if NOT overclocking, you don't have to purchase an aftermarket cooler plus you can probably use the cheap ASRock B86 chipset ITX motherboard which runs around $100 less than the Z87. Liquid coolers start around $60+ unless you get a hot deal. Thus, you are looking at $160+ extra if you want to overclock.

Do you already have that SSD? If so, enjoy. If not, there are probably better and cheaper choices out these days.

Graphics card... what kind of performance levels are you hoping for? At the high end you can get some GTX 680/GTX 770 that are only 10" long (rare but they exist) which will fit. What games do you play? At what resolutions? Future games you are looking forward to?

Do you already have that RAM? If not, consider the 1.35v Crucial Ballistix. Those are super low profile, which helps for airflow. The motherboards basically have the RAM between the CPU and the front fan of the SG05/SG06 cases.

 

[Inklingsaurus]

Thanks so much for all of the input!

I'll try to respond to all of the suggestions in kind:

1. I'll go for at least some modest overclocking. I got a very good deal on a 4770k (in a bundle with the Intel SSD, which is why I'm using it instead of something... better) and I'd hate to see that unlocked multiplier go to waste. This is definitely the tail wagging the dog, but hey, that's the way things are. Wifi is a must as well, and that helps lessen the difference between the z87 motherboard and the cheaper ones.

2. I want to keep the ODD, since one of the two or three things I use a desktop for is playing movies when friends come over. I also want to keep the modular power supply, since I hate cables. Because they're evil. I'm open to the ideal of switching to a 2.5" HDD, or making that external, which someone above suggested. Would that be a good solution to my impending space problems?

3. Thanks for the advice on the ram! I already have what I said, but I may keep the crucial ballistix 1.35v in mind depending on how airflow goes.

4. And sorry, a few of you are politely asking about the questions in the sticky that I failed to answer: What games do I play? At what resolutions? I play Bioshock and Skyrim, and will probably grab GTA5 and Assassins Creed IV at some point. At the moment I have a sad old 720p TV, but am building this system to hopefully last a couple of years at 1080p, so the plan is to handle the early next-generation-developed games at decent graphics settings.

A few more questions:

This may be the wrong part of the forum to ask, but since you guys are the right kind of crazy, what's the word on the GTX 760? A mystery shrouded in a secret hidden in a lie?

It seems like the Asus DirectCU GPU coolers are the quietest around at the moment. Is that accurate? How are the reference-design blowers doing as far as noise-levels?

Silverstone NT06 Pro is designed specifically with this case in mind, yes?

I've heard some success with people switching out their PSU fan for a quieter one. How much of a difference is that? Is the variation in annoyance at the power supply's noise more of a perception thing, or is it variability in the build quality of the fans? Is it even possible to know unless we all get together and have a PSU-Listening party? Is that the nerdiest idea in the world?

 

[Inklingsaurus]

Confession! I went ahead and ordered most of this stuff before talking to you guys. At least we can all have a nice laugh when it won't all fit?

 

[WiSK]

I also want to keep the modular power supply, since I hate cables. Because they're evil.

Problem is that the modular cables are exactly the same length as the non-modular, but with the irritating bonus that they need connectors (add 30mm) and come right out where the 3.5" drive would fit.

Still, you can shorten them to go direct to the motherboard. Here's my SG05:

And here I hung two 2.5" drives on the side.

I've heard some success with people switching out their PSU fan for a quieter one. How much of a difference is that? Is the variation in annoyance at the power supply's noise more of a perception thing, or is it variability in the build quality of the fans? Is it even possible to know unless we all get together and have a PSU-Listening party? Is that the nerdiest idea in the world?

I made a video where I had the microphone directly over the fan, so you can hear the air rushing noise as well as the grinding of the stock fan. In real life you won't hear that hissing (white noise). But it's clear the grinding sound is gone.

Here's the stock fan http://youtu.be/gwl-A0Cx6t8

Here's the Noiseblocker PC-P http://youtu.be/9P02jVmMBuc

 

[Zap]

I also want to keep the modular power supply, since I hate cables. Because they're evil.

Too bad you will be using 100% of the modular cables. Both PSUs have these strands:
1x 24pin
1x ATX/EPS 12v
1x PCIe (with two plugs)
1x SATA (with three plugs)
1x peripheral (with three plugs)

You will need the peripheral for the slim ODD power adapter plus possibly the case fan (depending). You did order that adapter, right?

am building this system to hopefully last a couple of years at 1080p, so the plan is to handle the early next-generation-developed games at decent graphics settings.
...
This may be the wrong part of the forum to ask, but since you guys are the right kind of crazy, what's the word on the GTX 760? A mystery shrouded in a secret hidden in a lie?

Supposedly the GTX 760 will be a rebadged and refreshed GTX 670 at a lower price than the 670. Not a bad thing, no matter how much people whine about rebadging.

Then again, 1080p gaming isn't super stressful. HardOCP review of a 660 Ti shows around 60FPS at 1080p, and that's in Ultra quality with everything turned up.

It seems like the Asus DirectCU GPU coolers are the quietest around at the moment. Is that accurate? How are the reference-design blowers doing as far as noise-levels?

At idle none of the cards are that bad. Under load, all cards can get noisy. The blower style probably gets noisier under load. Whether you will hear it while game noises are playing is another question.

Silverstone NT06 Pro is designed specifically with this case in mind, yes?

No. I believe it pre-dates the SG05/SG06. Silverstone has older cases that have PSUs over the motherboard, like the SG03.

Confession! I went ahead and ordered most of this stuff before talking to you guys. At least we can all have a nice laugh when it won't all fit?

Phail.

 

[Oscar Meyer]

No. I believe it pre-dates the SG05/SG06. Silverstone has older cases that have PSUs over the motherboard, like the SG03.



Phail.

You're thinking about the old NT06-E. The NT06-Pro has only been out since last year.

 

[Inklingsaurus]

Too bad you will be using 100% of the modular cables. Both PSUs have these strands:
1x 24pin
1x ATX/EPS 12v
1x PCIe (with two plugs)
1x SATA (with three plugs)
1x peripheral (with three plugs)

You will need the peripheral for the slim ODD power adapter plus possibly the case fan (depending). You did order that adapter, right?



Supposedly the GTX 760 will be a rebadged and refreshed GTX 670 at a lower price than the 670. Not a bad thing, no matter how much people whine about rebadging.

Then again, 1080p gaming isn't super stressful. HardOCP review of a 660 Ti shows around 60FPS at 1080p, and that's in Ultra quality with everything turned up.



At idle none of the cards are that bad. Under load, all cards can get noisy. The blower style probably gets noisier under load. Whether you will hear it while game noises are playing is another question.



No. I believe it pre-dates the SG05/SG06. Silverstone has older cases that have PSUs over the motherboard, like the SG03.



Phail.

Phail indeed. I'm feeling okay enough about most of the things I got, but it looks like I'm about to switch out for the non-modular power supply. Zap, I hadn't realized (obviously) that I was just going to be using every cable. I guess I'm locked into thinking about ATX power supplies having a gazillion long cables. Thanks for the advice about that!

And yes, I did order the adapter for the ODD. Though you clearly have my number, that's just the sort of little detail I'd tend to leave out.

 

[shiver905]

I was exactly In your boat when I decided to switch cases to the sg07.
I was really set on the sg05 but trying to organize and figure out the mods I needed to get it off the ground was a real task.

I actually made boxes from the dimensions of both the sg07 and the sg05. Realized it wasn't that big of a difference at all.

Everything will fit no mods. No stress.

--
With that said I still really like the sg05. If your willing to work around all the mods make a build thread!

 

[Curlyriff]

Phail indeed. I'm feeling okay enough about most of the things I got, but it looks like I'm about to switch out for the non-modular power supply. Zap, I hadn't realized (obviously) that I was just going to be using every cable. I guess I'm locked into thinking about ATX power supplies having a gazillion long cables. Thanks for the advice about that!

The only reason to go modular on ITX is because you can make custom lengths and keep cabling looking really clean. The SFX over the mobo lends itself to this cause you could have a 4-5" long 24pin for instance and a nice single curve line. But those are the details than can make builds stand out.

 

[WiSK]

The SFX over the mobo lends itself to this cause you could have a 4-5" long 24pin for instance and a nice single curve line.

You can't get a single curve line because the ATX plug has exactly the same pinout at the PSU side as the MB side. Think about it - if you have two exact same doors facing each other, the handles are not across from each other. Same with PSU to MB connectors. So depending on orientation of PSU, if your fan is pointing down or up, you have either each whole row twisted or columns interlaced.

I went for a hybrid, swapped most of the wires around so some are twisted, some interlaced. Length of wires varies between 6.5" to 8.25".

 

[Zap]

You're thinking about the old NT06-E. The NT06-Pro has only been out since last year.

"How'd I miss those, baby?"

I hadn't realized (obviously) that I was just going to be using every cable. I guess I'm locked into thinking about ATX power supplies having a gazillion long cables.

Here's the thing... if you "right size" the PSU wattage, you won't ever have more than an extra strand or two of cables.

And yes, I did order the adapter for the ODD. Though you clearly have my number, that's just the sort of little detail I'd tend to leave out.

It isn't you. It is Silverstone. How many years has this case been out? And they still don't include an adapter. I've have other cases (Antec, In Win) that used slim ODD which came with the right power connector from the factory.

 

[Inklingsaurus]

I was able to get the memory and PSU switched to low-profile and non-modular, respectively. Thanks Zap!

 

[Inklingsaurus]

Update! Case, CPU, SSD, and Motherboard are in! I just ordered an NT06-Pro. Last decision to make is on the graphics card.