Best Micro-Atx build for 1000-1200

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

Hello, I will be using this pc for Gaming at 1080p, Youtube, Rendering/Video editing. I am set on using the Bitfenix Prodigy M and the Bitfenix Fury PSU. As for the CPU/GPU Intel for sure but Nvidia/Amd is up for the best deal I can have. Thank you in advanced.

 

[Outlander_04]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung XP941 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($313.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: BitFenix Fury 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1170.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 21:15 EDT-0400

 

[0x1eef]

That Bitfenix PSU… voltage regulation not so good.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1152.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 21:15 EDT-0400

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

Hey sorry I didn't put this in the description but I was going for a red and black build. Also OS need to be in the budget along with mouse/keyboard bears my build. Thoughts?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sV2Kgs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sV2Kgs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($313.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: BitFenix Fury 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Mwave)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-N53 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre LED 47.4 CFM 200mm Fan ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: Superlux HD681 Headphones ($41.70 @ Amazon)
Total: $1221.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 20:33 EDT-0400

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

*here's and Headset but no mic wanted with it.


Also I picked the PSU for the dem cords. the alchemy cords are nice

 

[0x1eef]

For video editing better go with Xeon 1231v3 + Gigabyte H97M-D3H.
And Crucial MX100 is better than BX100

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

I'm overclocking

Can the xeon do that?

 

[lcp1109]

cooler review: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/low-profile-heat-sink-mini-itx,3639-19.html

Xeon have locked multiplier so overclocking can only be done by ram OC, and I remember reading somewhere that its not recommended to do it in LGA 1150, it can cause RAM errors (not sure if this applies when ram is made to work at the OC speed), but you don't have to stay with i5 either, i7 will be better for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($114.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($40.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1194.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 22:30 EDT-0400

You can also go with http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2 , it will fit in the N200:

http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mini-tower/n200/
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2565835/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-fit-cooler-master-n200-case.html

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

I have to fit a OS keyboard/mouse, nice no mic headset and wifi cabality.

Thanks!

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

I'm pretty sure I'm sticking with the prodigy M.

 

[Bossyfins]

Well, it doesn't have good voltage control. Thats important in a PSU. If it gives to much, burn burn, money be burning. Which I am sure no one does.

 

[lcp1109]

Also I am sticking with the prodigy m and fury PSU

You can edit the build if you want, I refuse to put it on, I don't want that decision haunting me 😀

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($114.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($40.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.69 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN781ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.17 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($26.99 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 201 Headphones ($19.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $1222.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 23:51 EDT-0400

I recommend you keeping that PSU due to his quality, but if you want to lower the build cost you can go with http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze or http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550gts3x (I refuse to recommend Bitfenix )

 

[Outlander_04]

Using any of the longer graphics cards means less hard drive space in the Prodigy . Using the M.2 drive which fits in a slot on the motherboard makes a lot of sense . Its also going to be about 40% faster than any SATA SSD .
If you need to add in the OS take the H80i out of the build I suggested and use the Hyper 212 as a cooler

 

[lcp1109]

for rendering/video editing the E3 will be better option over the i5-4690k, so there is no need for aftermarket cooler. And for gaming they have similar performance http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/4357880/fs/4484209

 

[0x1eef]

OC + video editing + peripherals (+ OS).
You can't fit those in $1200 without mixing shitty components in (you're already doing this, though, with PSU). You need to give something of the first 3. All the options have already been covered:
1. Xeon - no OC
2. 4690k - the worst video editing performance
3. 4790k - no peripherals and OS

And whoever said about Xeon and RAM errors, that's just nonsense. Xeon is fully supported on H97/Z97 boards.

M.2 SSDs are not faster than SATA SSDs. The slot is theoretically faster (10GB/s vs 6GB/s) but not the drives, because form factor ≠ speed.

You can buy Alchemy cables from Bitfenix, am I right? If so, buy a good modular PSU and cables later.

 

[ThatOtherGuyOverThere]

Is the Prodigy M really that bad? But I'm all for a different psu. and I'll also stick with a xeon

 

[0x1eef]

Is the Prodigy M really that bad? But I'm all for a different psu. and I'll also stick with a xeon

Bitfenix Prodigy M is a nice case
Bitfenix Fury, on the other hand, is not a good PSU, especially for that money.

For a red/black Xeon build, let me think a little.

 

[Woody1999]

The Xeon is the much better choice for video editing. Overclocking via FSB is easier than you think, just start by putting it up to 105, then 106 etc. until you hit a crash in Prime95. You might have to raise voltage a tiny bit, but don't let the chip get too hot.

That BitFenix PSU is poor, like, really poor. Get a decent 550W from XFX or Seasonic. Equally the case you suggested has some problems...like long graphics cards limiting hard drives. It's alright, but I would go for a really good MicroATX case like the Cooler Master N200.

Woody

 

[0x1eef]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($313.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.45 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre LED 47.4 CFM 200mm Fan ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
Headphones: Superlux HD681 Headphones ($41.70 @ Amazon)
Total: $1214.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-02 11:17 EDT-0400

I modified your build a little.
The case is really pricey but if you want it, what can I say?
I fully understand the wrongness of going Z97 with Xeon, but that board fits colour scheme. It would be cool if you could get your hands on Gigabyte H97M-Gaming 3 board. I reckon it would cost 20-25 bucks cheaper than Z97MX.
It would be good to go with MSI GTX 970 because it's the shortest card, also cool and quiet. But it costs $10 more (Asus Strix has some promo thing along with rebates now) so I left the original card.

 

[lcp1109]

And whoever said about Xeon and RAM errors, that's just nonsense. Xeon is fully supported on H97/Z97 boards.

When you overclock CPU using FSB you might have ram errors if you, at the same time, overclock the RAM (for example, putting a RAM that have 1600mhz of native speed working at 1866mhz). Not sure about situation when you increase the FSB but the ram is build to work at the overclocked speed.

I didn't say any thing about xeon not been supported by h97/z97 boards

 

[0x1eef]

And whoever said about Xeon and RAM errors, that's just nonsense. Xeon is fully supported on H97/Z97 boards.

When you overclock CPU using FSB you might have ram errors if you, at the same time, overclock the RAM (for example, putting a RAM that have 1600mhz of native speed working at 1866mhz). Not sure about situation when you increase the FSB but the ram is build to work at the overclocked speed.

I didn't say any thing about xeon not been supported by h97/z97 boards

Yep, sorry, RAM OC. Missed that part.

 

[lcp1109]

np

 

[Outlander_04]

M.2 SSDs are not faster than SATA SSDs. The slot is theoretically faster (10GB/s vs 6GB/s) but not the drives, because form factor ≠ speed.

Samsung and Pioneer make M.2 drives that are capable of saturating a 10 GB/s connector . The model I have suggested is actually bottlenecked by a 10 GB/s connector not the other way around .

But most M.2 drives use a SATA controller chip and have the same theoretical speed as a SATA SSD .
There still might be a reason to use one of those in this build since the graphics card means pulling hard drive cages out of the case