Build It Yourself: A Mini-ITX Gaming System For Just Over $500

[Onus]

Yeah, the VP-450 is probably the cheapest I'd go, and it's $39 on Newegg.

 

[balister]

Also balister, at the start of your post, you didn't say what motherboard can shave off $20.

I updated the original post, for some reason the tags didn't work properly (even though they were closed right). Seems directly commenting to the article from the front page (not the forums) isn't translating the tags over correctly from the system I'm using at present.

Anyway, the MB is the AsRock B75M-ITX (as now showing up properly in the original post).

 

[lpedraja2002]

I would appreciate it if they would put bigger parts so we can compare the size of a mini-itx build with that of a mid-atx case, full atx, a game console etc.

I want a mini-itx build but I still do not know how truly small they are compared to the things I mentioned above. If its just bigger than a game console like a PS3 or Xbox360 then I would be all over this but if its just a little smaller than a mid-atx case then for the price I would rather just upgrade my PC.

 

[balister]

Duplicate post.

 

[grokem]

--"Let’s face it, no gaming PC is totally complete without an optical drive."

It's hard to take the rest of the article seriously once I hit this statement. I was hoping to ask what case you would recommend if an optical drive wasn't wanted. I can see I'm probably wasting my time but I'd still like to know. Take a look at the picture of the inside of the case and mentally think how you would rearrange it so it could hold a larger GPU, more hard drives, better cable management and better thermals if it didn't have an external optical drive. Once the placement of the drive bays are not dictated by optical drive requirements there are so many places to put a 2.5" SSD bay and/or 3.5" bays without messing up the layout for the rest of the components.

 

[GazP172]

Pic of my old ITX pc to give you an idea on size. The case I used was a Joujye NU-0568i Mini ITX which is basically the same as the Chieftec used in this article ...

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=88AA5BA4BAB2FAD3!736&authkey=!AMTRmnvlbclHb18

 

[threehosts]

Why miniITX, why not microATX? The difference between them is really not that big, except that you get a few more expansion slots on the uATX and the motherboards in this form-factor are a little cheaper.

To prove my point:

sizeof(miniITX) = 6.7" x 6.7"
sizeof(microATX) = 6.75" x 6.75" to 9.6" x 9.6"

Exerpt from Wikipedia:

"The maximum size of a microATX motherboard is 244 mm × 244 mm (9.6 in × 9.6 in), but some microATX boards can be as small as 171.45 mm × 171.45 mm (6.75 in × 6.75 in)."

 

[ruban71]

What about noise? There is little point in choosing a small discrete box that you can hear from the room next door

 

[gopher1369]

I built myself one a few months back, it was a great little project. Sits under my TV next to my 360.

I had very similar specs to this, but using a slightly larger case opens up a whole range of possibilities. Silverstone Sugo SG05 case with a 300w sfx power supply. No harddrive, I used an Intel 330 SSD instead. I completely removed the optical drive bay, optical drives are completely unnecessary for a gaming machine because Steam. This allowed me to fit an Antec Kuhler 620. The case fits full sized graphics cards so I went with a Radeon 7850.

It's essentially silent when idle, under load the PSU fan spins up a bit, it's audible but not loud and when I'm gaming and my games easily drown it out.

 

[ojas]

[citation][nom]blazorthon[/nom]Graphics cards have differing core counts. IPC is not worth fitting in. Besides, that isn't how IPC works. You are thinking performance per Hz and confusing it with IPC. For example, the Radeon 7770 has far fewer cores than the Radeon 6850. It technically has inferior IPC AFAIK in the GPU cores themselves, but they are still higher performance (IPC is actually not necessarily directly related to performance; it is only one factor).[/citation]
Hmmm...thanks!

 

[redeye]

odd, The author Doesn't like the sound of Intel's CPU cooler... But that graphics card cooler is a nightmare of whining proportion!...

looks Like a fantastic MYTHtv (MYTHbuntu) box... except VDPAU is Absolutely needed and unfortunately it's Nvidia only (even though, VDPAU Specs are "open") Unfortunately AMD doesn't have the software for great deinterlacing...I wish they did ...

 

[lpedraja2002]

[citation][nom]GazP172[/nom]Pic of my old ITX pc to give you an idea on size. The case I used was a Joujye NU-0568i Mini ITX which is basically the same as the Chieftec used in this article ...https://skydrive.live.com/redir?res [...] nvlbclHb18[/citation]
Thanks for the pics man. What are the specs on that? I'm more inclined to buy a mini-itx now that I've seen how small they can be.

 

[lowguppy]

I may have gone overboard putting an i5 3570K in my mini-ITX Millennium Falcon (lowguppy.tumblr.com), but then again I put a closed-loop cooler on it and intend to use it for serious video editing.

One part I found that helped my build a lot is low profile memory. I got an 8gb Samsung kit from NewEgg for about the same price as regular size RAM. Its hard enough to find good RAM that doesn't have a huge superfluous heat spreader on it, so the low-profile kit was a nice find.

 

[rwpritchett]

Great article. I love it when you guys do something different, and the ITX form factor is definitely a challenge. I've got a near identical build as the article but, like GazP172, I too went with the Antec ISK 310-150:

Antec ISK 310-150
Gigabyte GA-H77N-WiFi
Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz
8GB DD3-1600
Sapphire Radeon HD7750LP
1x SSD, 1x HDD

I know it's using a different case than the one in the article, but the ISk 310-150 is very similar in size and layout. For those of you interested in benchmarks and temperatures, here is what I'm getting:

Kill-A-Watt Measurements:
Idle = 46.8
Intel Burn = 83.3W
Gaming (Skyrim) = 99.3W
3DMark = 109W
Furmark = 120W

3DMark Vantage = P10394
3DMark11 = P2581

Max CPU Temp (Intel Burn, stock HSF) = 71.0°C
Max GPU Temp (FurMark) = 69.0°C

 

[Fulgurant]

Interesting article. I have to echo other posters, though: the article feels incomplete without temperature and noise measurements -- especially temperature measurements. I don't think any regular reader of Tom's would have a problem finding the appropriate hardware for the appropriate price; the real question is whether that hardware works to its potential within the chosen context, and in this case, we still don't know if that's true.

It sure looks like the video card seriously impedes airflow.

 

[JonnyDough]

After reading the replies here and thinking about it, it almost feels as if this is a project they did using spare parts - and not really planned out.

- Loud GPU cooler but the reader dislikes stock Intel CPU cooler because of noise.
- No benchmarks
- Lack of noise/temp measurements

Yeah, I'd say this article was "thrown together" because Tom's needs "new and exciting stuff" daily to pull in those webhits for the advertisers.

 

[lpedraja2002]

[citation][nom]gopher1369[/nom]I built myself one a few months back, it was a great little project. Sits under my TV next to my 360.I had very similar specs to this, but using a slightly larger case opens up a whole range of possibilities. Silverstone Sugo SG05 case with a 300w sfx power supply. No harddrive, I used an Intel 330 SSD instead. I completely removed the optical drive bay, optical drives are completely unnecessary for a gaming machine because Steam. This allowed me to fit an Antec Kuhler 620. The case fits full sized graphics cards so I went with a Radeon 7850.It's essentially silent when idle, under load the PSU fan spins up a bit, it's audible but not loud and when I'm gaming and my games easily drown it out.[/citation]

Can you post pics of the mini-itx next to your xbox 360? I want to get an idea of size comparison.

 

[rwpritchett]

- Loud GPU cooler but the reader dislikes stock Intel CPU cooler because of noise.
- No benchmarks
- Lack of noise/temp measurements

Yeah, I'd say this article was "thrown together" because Tom's needs "new and exciting stuff" daily to pull in those webhits for the advertisers.

Where are you getting the GPU cooler is loud?

The fan on this card is quieter than the stock Intel cooler.

I do agree that benchmarks, noise and temperatures measurements should be in the article however.

 

[JonnyDough]

[citation][nom]rwpritchett[/nom]Where are you getting the GPU cooler is loud?The fan on this card is quieter than the stock Intel cooler.I do agree that benchmarks, noise and temperatures measurements should be in the article however.[/citation]

I was merely quoting something that someone else said.

 

[Guest]

TOMS WILL NEVER SITE USING AMD HES BIAS AS IS MICROSOFT TO INTEL ITS JUST a known fact I used to have much respect for toms in the late 90s. But that all has come to the wayside nothing that AMD makes is on par with what toms expects or says. I can remember the old days of the oc of the bartons and he was all over that cuz intel was struggling wonder who paid his check then ?As I said respect!

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]johnnyb105[/nom]TOMS WILL NEVER SITE USING AMD HES BIAS AS IS MICROSOFT TO INTEL ITS JUST a known fact I used to have much respect for toms in the late 90s. But that all has come to the wayside nothing that AMD makes is on par with what toms expects or says. I can remember the old days of the oc of the bartons and he was all over that cuz intel was struggling wonder who paid his check then ?As I said respect![/citation]

Intel CPU and AMD graphics. Both companies are equally placed in this build (granted in different components) and there were clear and logical reasons given for their choices. Where is this bias that you speak of?

 

[Guest]

Is the included psu replaceable?

 

[peter-mafia]

The thing is the combination of a A10-5800K Trinity + HD 6670 (DUAL GRAPHICS) is faster than a HD 7750. Trinity doesn't run hot... If you are so scared of the 100W number, then go for a A10-5700K (65W)
My case is IN WIN BP655.300TB3L
300W TFX Psu + 3.0 usb front panel for $70. Just 0.5 inches taller than the tested case, but it has a full sized 5.25 drive bay.
So let's build a AMD APU dual graphics rig:
mini ITX case $70 (300W PSU!)
A10-5800K $119
RAM 2133 8Gb $50 ($40 on sale)
HDD Intel X25-M 160Gb SSD for $89 after rebate!
BD-re $55.
Mini ITX board: MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 $97
Low profile graphics card 6670 Sapphire $75 after rebate

Total: $555.

And you get the fastest graphics in a small mini iTX case possible!

you can find my real build. Just google for ASRock FM2A85X-ITX and my nickname.

 

[The_KillSmith]

QUESTION: I can't find out whether the MSI B75IA-E33 does Dolby Digital Live and/or DTS Connect encoding or just straight passthrough on its Optical out S/PDIF port. Does anyone know? If it actually encodes using that tech, then this build would be GREAT for gamers or audiophiles who usually have a much better audio system hooked up to a receiver with a better DAC in their living rooms. Otherwise, not having an extra slot for a sound card with a good DAC/SNR like the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR limits the potential.

 

[K2N hater]

AMD APU would allow for smaller footprint and lower power requeriments by dropping the video card.