Trying to make something similar to X51

[Imcompa]

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming, no overclocking. Want to be able to play Diablo 3 and GW2 on medium settings, and hopefully games for the next 2 years at low to medium settings.

2. What's your budget? under $1000. Trying to build something similar to the $950 X51 (8gb ram, GTX 555, intel i5) but custom built.

3. Where do you live? I have fry's but will probably buy everything from newegg, amazon and tiger direct.

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget?
CPU. Probably going to get an i5 sandybridge (after hopeful price drop on april 29th)
Ram 8gb, doesn't matter too much.
Motherboard - Don't know anything about sff mobos.
Case. Also no idea. Would like to keep it equal to or smaller than the size of an xbox 360.
PSU - know nothing about SFF psus
Graphics card - No clue about SFF gfx cards. Prefer nvidia.
HDD - 1TB or so is plenty. No backup or SSD.

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? nope. have mouse keyboard and monitor.

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard? No i/o needed. Only usb for external drive / mouse / keyboard and DVI or VGA for monitor.

7. What resolution output do you need? 720p max, but monitor isn't even that.

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space? Carry-on bag

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring? Prefer not to do any of this but I can at worst case. I have a dremel if need be and I can solder.

10. How important is the noise/silence of this sytem? Coolness is more important than noise. Want fan cooling only. No water.

11. How mobile does this system need to be? Fit on carry-on bag one time. Should usually stay put though.

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Probably buy OEM Win 7 from Amazon / newegg if it works with the mobo.

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next few weeks, probably after sandybridge prices hopefully drop.

Thanks for any help. I have built plenty of PCs before but never a SFF one. My biggest fear is cooling and getting a graphics card that can handle diablo 3/gw2 on medium settings but not overheat or pull too much power from the PSU

 

[fr500]

Not the same footprint but the same overall volume:

-Silverstone SG05
-Asus P8H67-I
-Core i5 2500
-8gb RAM
-GTX560ti
-1TB HD

I think it should fit your budget didn't see the numbers but it should

As for an aftermarket cooler.. not really neccesary, but you can go for a Thermalright AXP140

 

[Imcompa]

Not the same footprint but the same overall volume:

-Silverstone SG05
-Asus P8H67-I
-Core i5 2500
-8gb RAM
-GTX560ti
-1TB HD

I think it should fit your budget didn't see the numbers but it should

As for an aftermarket cooler.. not really neccesary, but you can go for a Thermalright AXP140

I have a GTX 560ti in my big box at home, it seems pretty large and pretty hot. Do you think that's going to be a problem with a small case?

Also do I need low-latency ram for this case or will 2x4gb gskill ripjaw work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402

Edit: just realized the psu was built into that case. Neat.

 

[Igor99]

I have a GTX 560ti in my big box at home, it seems pretty large and pretty hot. Do you think that's going to be a problem with a small case?

There are pictures of a 680 in this case in this thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1686482, though that took removal of the front intake fan I think. There are plenty of 560 TIs that will fit in without any mods, including the EVGA models.

Also do I need low-latency ram for this case or will 2x4gb gskill ripjaw work? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231402

You don't need low-latency RAM, but I would get lower profile RAM than Ripjaw. They would fit, but things are crowded enough in there and you don't need the heat spreaders with the good air flow in this case. 1333 or 1600 memory is fine for the level of performance you describe. Stick with the 1.5V modules.

Edit: just realized the psu was built into that case. Neat.

Yep, a good PSU at that - make sure you order the 450W version of the case. You do need a slim DVD burner if you want an internal one (don't forget to order the slim Sata cable adapter too).

Think about getting a small SSD at least for Windows. Nothing else improves boot times and general Windows snappiness as much, and the case is designed to fit a 2.5" SSD and a 3.5" HDD easily. If you have not had a system with an SSD, please do yourself a favor and try it. Wait for one of the Newegg sales to get it to $1/GB.

If you are near a Micro Center, or know someone that is, they can buy the I5 2500K for $179.99 or a 2400 for $149.99, which is less than it will cost you anywhere else even after the hoped for price drop after the Ivy Bridge release. Unfortunately it's an in-store price only.

Have fun!

 

[Imcompa]

You don't need low-latency RAM,

Doh! yeah I meant low profile. I'll go ahead and find some low profile since that space is precious. Thanks for all of the input. Especially the 450w point, I would have screwed that up.

Think about getting a small SSD at least for Windows.

I have an SSD for windows on my desktop and would totally do it if it were my own computer, the start-up time is amazing. I may still do it in this build... we'll see.

Thanks again. I THINK I have everything I need to build this one now.