[Build Log] Mini-ITX PC - Middle School

[zeyuanfu]

I'm in the New York time zone (GMT +5, I think).
This would be what I'd do with 600$ and I'm sure you guys have spare HDDs lying around the school or in one of the students' houses:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($116.57 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($55.10 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.22 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.26 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.80 @ NCIX US)
Total: $597.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 08:54 EDT-0400
The 4130, although a tiny bit weaker than the 4150 (the 4150 has 100 MHz more clock speed), it'll guarantee TOTAL compatibility with the H81 board as it's Haswell and not Haswell Refresh.
The 760 is stronger than the 270X and it comes with nVidia Shadowplay
I also prefer nVidia drivers to AMD drivers as they are less buggy
nVidia cards cool better than AMD cards

 

[zeyuanfu]

This would be better if you can spare an HDD, a case and 19$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($127.18 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.22 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.80 @ NCIX US)
Total: $618.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 09:03 EDT-0400

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I'm a UTC/GMT-4 at the moment, but I'm up at 4:30 to prepare for school.

Isn't a 280 preferable to a 270X at about the same price?

 

[zeyuanfu]

For the kids with the 800$ budget who can spare an HDD, a case and 17$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.05 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.23 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.26 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.22 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.80 @ NCIX US)
Total: $816.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 09:05 EDT-0400

 

[zeyuanfu]

I'm a UTC/GMT-4 at the moment, but I'm up at 4:30 to prepare for school.

Isn't a 280 preferable to a 270X at about the same price?

The 280 is about 30-50$ more expensive...

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I was just looking a pcpartpicker and there were 280s under $180 and 270xs down to $150. Seems worth it to me. if the 280 is better enough.

At this price point, $20 either way is about the same price.

 

[zeyuanfu]

Actually, you can ignore my 4690K build as I wouldn't trust students to an unlocked CPU voltage
I've got a locked build coming up.
Psst there might be an R9 290 in there.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I'm in Central Florida, and with DST, I think it's GMT-4.

 

[zeyuanfu]

Again, an 800$ build for those with an HDD, a case and 15$ to spare:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($206.68 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.69 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.22 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($370.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.58 @ NCIX US)
Total: $814.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 09:26 EDT-0400
You might notice that I added the 970 instead of the 290 I promised. Actually, the 970 is WAY more powerful than the 290 and WAY more energy-efficient, too.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

And I would 'sell' that without the GPU, to be added later (say Xmas) to soften the blow.

 

[zeyuanfu]

If you have other students with other budgets, give a shout and I'll make builds for you.

 

[zeyuanfu]

And I would 'sell' that without the GPU, to be added later (say Xmas) to soften the blow.

Good idea, though. I would suggest a month's wait for Black Friday.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Well Black Friday isnt going to do anything with the 970's price. They have no issues selling them at their normal price(cant keep them in stock).

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Black Friday will be for buying all the other stuff. GTX970s are generally unavailable around here and on-line ATM.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Tell me about it....cant find one for myself lol

 

[Novuake]

Tell me about it....cant find one for myself lol

Feel free to buy from South Africa, we are paying 600$+ for them. 😀

 

[zeyuanfu]

It'd be nice if they were priced at 200$ instead of 300$...
I'd snap up one if they were.
Or, instead of the 970, you guys can wait till January 2015 for the 960s, which will supposedly cost 200-300$.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

OT. How are the Springboks doing Novuake?

 

[Novuake]

OT. How are the Springboks doing Novuake?

Haha I have no idea, stopped following after a few disasters, I will get back to them when the 4 nations kick off again. For now I just watch eSports, since I have no pride or personal preference in a team.

 

[tsuneo6]

For the kids with the 800$ budget who can spare an HDD, a case and 17$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.05 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.23 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.26 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.22 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.80 @ NCIX US)
Total: $816.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-13 09:05 EDT-0400

why go overboard on the PSU? that sytem doesnt need that kind of wattage. a decent 500watt should do

 

[zeyuanfu]

500 watts would DO, but I'll remind you of the 80+ specifications. The PSU is the most efficient while at 50-75% load, and having 100-200 watts of headroom couldn't hurt, right?

 

[tsuneo6]

yes, but if I'm correct, there is a decent xfx 550 watt for around 50 dollars. which is good enough.
and ofc it wouldnt hurt, but if you go a bit lower, the price will drop aswell, youc an save another 30$ there

oh, and the hyper 212 evo. I got myself a zalman CNPS10X optima. the performance is nearly identical to the hyper 212, so is the design. and it's cheaper. that's worth checking out aswell

and imo, that CPU is a bit overkill aswell for these kids. an i5 4460 for example will be more then powerfull enough.

 

[zeyuanfu]

The Optima doesn't allow for a push-pull config, though.

 

[tsuneo6]

it does.

 

[zeyuanfu]

Right, The reviews say that the fan sucks, though.