Advice/Opinions Needed:: ITX build. Not sure about some parts.

[Plotnus]

Hello all I would like some input on this build. At the moment it's a dream build. I'm hoping to sell some things I don't use anymore to make it a reality. I don't want to go into the price range where things are starting to be a waste of money( performance/price curve) I want it to be a good computer for a good price given it's performance.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Plan to buy: WIth in the next few weeks, but the sooner the better, since I'm excited about this case

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, ncix, amazon, I’m open to most sites.
Country : San Diego, CA 92082
Purpose: -Purpose: gaming, and CS homework is about all I do

Current Build(rough draft):
Here are the parts I'd really like to get (first attempt, it will change. I like to check in with the community regarding the build)

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MsJLwP) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MsJLwP/by_merchant/)

sorted from the items I am most enamored with first
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----

Components I'm pretty much certain I want
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z97iplus) | $154.99 @ Amazon

**Case** | [EVGA Hadron Mini ITX Tower Case w/500W Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-case-110ma1001k1) | $144.99 @ NCIX US

components I'm almost there/sure
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Dual FTW ACX Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp43768kr) | $284.99 @ Newegg
**NOTE: I am thinking about going for the 2gb version for $40 less, IDK which to do, but $20 per GB for the upgrade doesn't seem bad.


**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $219.99 @ Newegg

components I'm not sure of
**Storage** | [Corsair Force LS 60GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-internal-hard-drive-cssdf60gbls) | $59.99 @ Amazon
-I don't know much about storage


**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000bpkx) | $58.99 @ NCIX US
-I don't know much about storage. I typically stream videos, and my games won't fill this up.

not sure components
**CPU COOLER** -undecided
preferences- black in color
not sure- to go h2o or n2
-quiet > loud

**RAM** - undecided
-mobo memory capabilities (2 x DIMM, Max. 16GB, DDR3 3200(O.C.)/3100(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2933(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2600(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2200(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600/1333 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory )
I'm not sure where to go with this one. 8gb, or 16gb... what speed is optimal... etc etc (looks matter too)

| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $923.94



Overclocking: I’d like to

SLI or Crossfire: No, its an ITX build (small form factor is a priority)

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 1920x1080, I may hook it up to a projector or tv at some point.

Additional Comments:
-At this point I am just looking for guidance. I've been working on this dream build since yesterday.
- I don’t need anything top of the line, but I’d like it to be in the upper mid-range, and I hoping to build a great computer for a good price. I want to avoid making this build too expensive $20 at a time.
-I’d like the build to be balanced and built for its purpose.
-So, what do you think?

 

[joker50060]

Cheaper n Better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($285.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $891.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


This one is with a RAM and CPU Cooler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.88 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($285.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1023.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[TechCIDLC]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $974.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Much faster. You'll have to remove the top HDD cage to fit in the graphics card, though.

 

[Plotnus]

I like your reccomendations, however,

1)They do not use the case I'm pretty certain I want

2)I was very excited about the 280X, I love the Twin Frozr. However, about 26% of the reviews report some issue with the card. So I don't know about the 280x anymore. It does have better performance...when it works, so it's risky.

-I saw amazon is having a sale on EVGA GeForce GTX770 SuperClocked it comes to $315 after rebate, but then things are starting to get expensive...idk I had issues with my 6990 back in the day and don't want a repeat....26% of reviews reporting videocard malfunction is kind of a big deal.... especially form an engineering perspective.

 

[joker50060]

I like your reccomendations, however,

1)They do not use the case I'm pretty certain I want

2)I was very excited about the 280X, I love the Twin Frozr. However, about 26% of the reviews report some issue with the card. So I don't know about the 280x anymore. It does have better performance...when it works, so it's risky.

-I saw amazon is having a sale on EVGA GeForce GTX770 SuperClocked it comes to $315 after rebate, but then things are starting to get expensive...idk I had issues with my 6990 back in the day and don't want a repeat....26% of reviews reporting videocard malfunction is kind of a big deal.... especially form an engineering perspective.

Am like you am buying a 280X too but after watching alot of reviews and stuff my mind got confused
but i found out the best 280X are the ASUS,XFX Then MSI so its no problem if you go with either of these
but don't go with the gigabyte or things like that but i do recommend the ASUS 280X which is a much better 280X card

 

[Rammy]

If you go with the Hadron Air I'd strongly recommend going for a reference GTX770/2GB GTX760 as
A) A 4GB GTX760 is basically pointless.
B) "Blower" style coolers are far better suited to the small space (and lack of ventilation) in the Hadron.

There are GTX770s which come with the Titan cooler, which is an excellent solution if you can find one.



If you are looking for a CPU cooler for a Hadron then ideally you want a tower air cooler <139mm, this is likely to come in the form of something with a 90-93mm fan. Something like a Hyper TX3, Hyper 101, EVGA ACX ITX cooler, Xigmatek Loki, or (motherboard dependant) the Arctic Freezer 13. The obvious one is the EVGA one as it's black and fits quite nicely with the case, but it's not terribly cheap.
One thing to note is that it's unlikely you'll ever get exceptional performance in a Hadron Air for things like overclocking, due to generally weak overall airflow, and limited high end cooler support. It's always worth considering going for a cheaper motherboard and non-overclockable i5 as a way to come in under budget without wrecking your performance or compromising.


One other thought is that I'd personally double up on both storage devices (and go for a 3.5" HDD). A 1TB HDD makes a lot more sense on a price to capacity ratio - you can get a 1TB Caviar Blue/Barracuda for less than the drive you picked. Also, as a 60GB SSD user, I have found it a little frustrating despite it being used almost exclusively as a boot drive. Various applications can default install to it unless you fiddle with the registry, and even if you do that the size will inflate the longer you own it. Given how relatively cheap a 120Gb is now, it's probably the way to go if you can stretch that far.