1000 dollar camadian ging pc mini itx

[thechosenwolf24]

Hi, I'm looking to build a computer that is very small and for gaming. I have 1000 dollars and I only have a few specific parts. My Cpu has to be the amd fx 3850 8 core 4.0 ghz. I need 8 gb ram and a gtx 970. I need Windows 8.1 but no monitor keyboard or mouse. Thank you. Also my case needs to be small form factor

 

[ingtar33]

Hi, I'm looking to build a computer that is very small and for gaming. I have 1000 dollars and I only have a few specific parts. My Cpu has to be the amd fx 3850 8 core 4.0 ghz. I need 8 gb ram and a gtx 970. I need Windows 8.1 but no monitor keyboard or mouse. Thank you. Also my case needs to be small form factor

there is no mitx motherboard for an fx8 core, and the matx boards out there i wouldn't suggest putting an 8core fx cpu into.

 

[ingtar33]

this is the best i can do.

understand i am incredibly uneasy posting this build for 3 reasons.
1) because it simply won't work out of the box. you'll need to update the bios before installing the fx8 core. which means you need an older phII type cpu to use just to update the bios.
2) while this board has solid vrm cooling you must get rev4.1 of this motherboard, or it simply won't be stable with an 8core fx.
3) even if you have rev4.1 of this motherboard you need good airflow over the motherboard, which is hard to pull off in a matx case... that's why i chose the prodigy M... if you don't like that case all i can tell you is, you NEED a case with excellent airflow. failing that, and this build will never work.

READ THAT CAREFULLY AND UNDERSTAND THOSE ISSUES BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($98.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.33 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.69 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($381.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1146.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-10 11:47 EST-0500

 

[Demosthenest]

With this prices I would go with an r9 290. It's only about 6% worse than the gtx 970 and like 100 dollars less.

 

[Justin Millard]

I'll give you an example of a height for a mid tower case and let you double check for yourself if thats really too big for you.

420mm high by 185mm wide by 410mm wide.

It may not be so scarily massive after all and being able to use a full sized atx motherboard will give you a lot more upgrade options for you to spend your money on.

 

[Justin Millard]

Just to confirm.
Have you already bought the CPU? Because if you haven't already or have the power to return it I highly recommend swapping to an i5 4590 build. Its a great gaming CPU and is much better suited to a micro atx motherboard. Although if you change your mind and go atx mid tower stick with the AMD 8350 as it offers far better performance for the price.

The smaller Nvidia cards are going to be helpful to this person trying to squeeze everything into the smallest size possible. Sure its only three centimeters difference between a Nvidia 970 and Radeon 290, but if they want to stack hard drives inside the case they can make it squeeze in with a Nvidia card, whereas anything more powerful than a R9 285 is just too big alongside a hard drive cage in a micro atx system.

this is the best i can do.

understand i am incredibly uneasy posting this build for 3 reasons.
1) because it simply won't work out of the box. you'll need to update the bios before installing the fx8 core. which means you need an older phII type cpu to use just to update the bios.
2) while this board has solid vrm cooling you must get rev4.1 of this motherboard, or it simply won't be stable with an 8core fx.
3) even if you have rev4.1 of this motherboard you need good airflow over the motherboard, which is hard to pull off in a matx case... that's why i chose the prodigy M... if you don't like that case all i can tell you is, you NEED a case with excellent airflow. failing that, and this build will never work.

READ THAT CAREFULLY AND UNDERSTAND THOSE ISSUES BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($98.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.33 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.69 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($381.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1146.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-10 11:47 EST-0500

You can save cash on bits and pieces in this build if cash is tight. EG: You can always add an SSD later and stick with a hard drive, and quality silver class modular 550w power supplies should appear for under $85.

I'm sure someone you know can help you out with a keyboard and mouse, and maybe even a monitor if you ask around. You can probably save money on the cooler too, but I wouldn't unless you really have to.
You will need excellent cooling to lower the risk of that system burning itself out with high temperatures within a couple of years in that small form factor. Definitely give the case and fans a clean every 4-6 months as well.

 

[ingtar33]

Just to confirm.
Have you already bought the CPU? Because if you haven't already or have the power to return it I highly recommend swapping to an i5 4590 build. Its a great gaming CPU and is much better suited to a micro atx motherboard. Although if you change your mind and go atx mid tower stick with the AMD 8350 as it offers far better performance for the price.

The smaller Nvidia cards are going to be helpful to this person trying to squeeze everything into the smallest size possible. Sure its only three centimeters difference between a Nvidia 970 and Radeon 290, but if they want to stack hard drives inside the case they can make it squeeze in with a Nvidia card, whereas anything more powerful than a R9 285 is just too big alongside a hard drive cage in a micro atx system.

this is the best i can do.

understand i am incredibly uneasy posting this build for 3 reasons.
1) because it simply won't work out of the box. you'll need to update the bios before installing the fx8 core. which means you need an older phII type cpu to use just to update the bios.
2) while this board has solid vrm cooling you must get rev4.1 of this motherboard, or it simply won't be stable with an 8core fx.
3) even if you have rev4.1 of this motherboard you need good airflow over the motherboard, which is hard to pull off in a matx case... that's why i chose the prodigy M... if you don't like that case all i can tell you is, you NEED a case with excellent airflow. failing that, and this build will never work.

READ THAT CAREFULLY AND UNDERSTAND THOSE ISSUES BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($98.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.33 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.69 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($381.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1146.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-10 11:47 EST-0500

You can save cash on bits and pieces in this build if cash is tight. EG: You can always add an SSD later and stick with a hard drive, and quality silver class modular 550w power supplies should appear for under $85.

I'm sure someone you know can help you out with a keyboard and mouse, and maybe even a monitor if you ask around. You can probably save money on the cooler too, but I wouldn't unless you really have to.
You will need excellent cooling to lower the risk of that system burning itself out with high temperatures within a couple of years in that small form factor. Definitely give the case and fans a clean every 4-6 months as well.

SSDs are pretty much standard equipment at this pricepoint. And there are no modular psus cheaper that are worth the cash available. i know, i was surprised too that it was a gold rated when i settled on one.

either way i'm still uncomfortable with even the concept of this build. just not happy with using an matx board for an 8core... which is why i hedged my bets by grabbing the most robust matx am3+ board out there AND getting the 95W 8 core... i figured that if it was going to work that was the only way it would.

 

[Justin Millard]

Makes a lot of sense.

 

[thechosenwolf24]

Hi guys, sorry I was incredibly stupid. I realise that you can't put that Cpu in a mitx mobo. Possible for an I7 though?

 

[Demosthenest]

Techosenwolf, just use pcpartpicker, it automatically tells you if things are compatible. And yes, you can.

 

[Justin Millard]

Nah, don't feel stupid. Its an easy mistake.

For a gaming build its not really worth spending more money than a i5 4690k.
Games don't benefit from hyper threading and the i5 4690k can clock up to the speed of an i7 anyway. Although that said its main advantage for you is it will run cooler than an i7 if you don't overclock.

The i5 is even a brilliant video editing CPU if you start getting into making videos of yourself playing.

Better off putting that money towards something else like a solid state drive, case with more USB ports, z97 motherboard and a strong cooling system (if you decide to overclock). Basically with the money you save not getting an i7 you can get something else cool that you want.

 

[ingtar33]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($256.89 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI Z97I Gaming AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($80.25 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($82.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.60 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($389.98 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.75 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1198.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-11 14:18 EST-0500

 

[Justin Millard]

I think the Crucial M500 240GB from your last build was better value.

Also for the motherboard if you get a Micro ATX motherboard and case there is money to be saved. The ASRock Z97M Anniversary Motherboard is $120 in my country (Australian dollars).

Also for gaming at that budget you can still get great performance out of the i5 4590. Meaning you can get sub $100 h97m micro atx motherboards and the only thing you lose is the ability to overclock. Which also means you don't need to buy the extra cooler. Which should bring the total cost of your build down to $1000. I'll try to do a build now that you can see clearly.

If you don't plan on overclocking thats the way to go, as to be honest I can't see games needing more than a i5 4590 anyway.

Updated build http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/b/bLHNnQ

CPU
Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core $218.32
Motherboard
ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 $73.00

Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 $80.25

Storage
Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" SSD $99.99

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $58.60

Video Card
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB $389.98
Case
Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower $47.95

Power Supply
Antec 620W ATX12V / EPS12V $79.99
Total: $1048.08