[Build Log] Mini-ITX PC - Middle School

[zeyuanfu]

A more serious (recommended) build for 478$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $477.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-15 19:25 EDT-0400

 

[zeyuanfu]

BTW my two above builds will LOCK Minecraft at 60 FPS on Normal/Far, if you were wondering.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Thanks.

We have the RAM in, the Wifi card installed and have planned where to put the cables. We spent most of the time looking at the components, headers on the motherboard, and cables planning where everything will go.

No photos today, mostly just planning.

On Monday (no school - students- on Friday) we should get the cpu in and the motherboard in the case.

 

[zeyuanfu]

OK.
Be sure not to damage the CPU pins as if you do, the computer won`t work.

 

[Novuake]

OK.
Be sure not to damage the CPU pins as if you do, the computer won`t work.

Modern Intel chips are not PGA, they are LGA, so they have no pins.

 

[tiny voices]

BTW my two above builds will LOCK Minecraft at 60 FPS on Normal/Far, if you were wondering.

An i3 performs the same as an i5 in minecraft and because both yours have basically the same integrated GPU, there will not be any difference.

 

[Novuake]

It is almost impossible to damage modern parts with static. VERY hard to do. They are VERY resilient. I do all my builds on my bed while standing on the carpet in socks. Lol. Always have.

Similar situation here 😀.

In winter I just ground myself before starting.

 

[tiny voices]

Exactly. Never had any issues. Lol

 

[fcabanski]

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Your point?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Yes, so very true of middle school students.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

A more serious (recommended) build for 478$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $477.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-15 19:25 EDT-0400

Could you upgrade the PSU so we could shove a GTX970 in there as a later upgrade for some serious gaming, or do you thing the Antec 450W will do the bizzo?

I'm looking at a cheap processor that can run HD4600 and Minecraft well, a decent motherboard for good parts and addition of M2.SSD or other fancy stuff.
Standard 8Gb of DDR3-1600, but sensible latency,
Cheap storage, cheap case.
Solid power supply with expansion potential.

I want students to be able to sell off the CPU (may be to next year's students) and lose the case, but keep the rest for a more advanced, but not overclockable system.

At least that's my thinking at the moment. I may need to charge for OS, but $500 - $600 is a doable budget IF the parents see value in the build.

What ever your idea is, present it, and then let us think about how to make it cheaper, or better at the same price.

 

[tiny voices]

Throw an XFX550 in there and it will easily hand a 970 no sweat.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Exactly. Never had any issues. Lol

Depends on where I am. When I was building systems in California, the dryer, less humid, weather, with significant heats and dry winds from the inland desert could result in damage. When grasping a doorknob in the dark, you could actually see the little spark; especially on newer synthetic carpet.

Here in a wetter, more humid climate, I have not had any problem, except the general problem of many and fairly severe lightning strikes, as much as almost anywhere in the world.

 

[zeyuanfu]

OK.
Be sure not to damage the CPU pins as if you do, the computer won`t work.

Modern Intel chips are not PGA, they are LGA, so they have no pins.

Sorry, I confused the motherboard pins

 

[DonkeyOatie]

OK.
Be sure not to damage the CPU pins as if you do, the computer won`t work.

Modern Intel chips are not PGA, they are LGA, so they have no pins.

Sorry, I confused the motherboard pins

Note to self:

Keep 'em straight and it'll be great!

 

[zeyuanfu]

A more serious (recommended) build for 478$:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $477.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-15 19:25 EDT-0400

Could you upgrade the PSU so we could shove a GTX970 in there as a later upgrade for some serious gaming, or do you thing the Antec 450W will do the bizzo?

I'm looking at a cheap processor that can run HD4600 and Minecraft well, a decent motherboard for good parts and addition of M2.SSD or other fancy stuff.
Standard 8Gb of DDR3-1600, but sensible latency,
Cheap storage, cheap case.
Solid power supply with expansion potential.

I want students to be able to sell off the CPU (may be to next year's students) and lose the case, but keep the rest for a more advanced, but not overclockable system.

At least that's my thinking at the moment. I may need to charge for OS, but $500 - $600 is a doable budget IF the parents see value in the build.

What ever your idea is, present it, and then let us think about how to make it cheaper, or better at the same price.

Here's a great 525$ build that'll lock Minecraft at 60 FPS on Medium or Far, WITH the OS:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $524.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 18:33 EDT-0400
The PSU, as tiny voices said, will run a 970, but don't count on it for SLI. I added an HDD assuming the students don't have HDDs at home. Tell me if they do any I'll revise the build. The CPU and case can be gotten rid of after a year or two. If you can use Linux, you can shave 100$ off the price.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Here's my 'cheap' build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($135.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.78 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Azza SIRIUS ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $399.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 18:35 EDT-0400

What could be changed?

Case was chosen as cheap and looking OK. The CPU has HD4600, OS brings this to $500.

 

[tiny voices]

I like it.

Nothing I would really change.

 

[zeyuanfu]

I would actually change the case as it can oly support 3 fans and has some bad reviews (reviews ARE for something, right?)...
Also, the 4330 offers about a 5-10% increase in Minecraft (maybe even less) for 30$ more. What's the point?

 

[zeyuanfu]

BTW my two above builds will LOCK Minecraft at 60 FPS on Normal/Far, if you were wondering.

An i3 performs the same as an i5 in minecraft and because both yours have basically the same integrated GPU, there will not be any difference.

There WILL be a difference as Minecraft is heavily CPU-reliant. The i5's processor itself is faster and better than the i3's.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I would actually change the case as it can oly support 3 fans and has some bad reviews (reviews ARE for something, right?)...
Also, the 4330 offers about a 5-10% increase in Minecraft (maybe even less) for 30$ more. What's the point?

The CPU is a little faster and the CPU runs HD4600 over HD4400 for the 4130. The difference is over 20% and that, I think is worth the money.

'Only' 3 fans, looks cool, and costs $20, how bad can it be? I looked around and the few negative reviews I found were for people going too big for such a cheap box.

 

[zeyuanfu]

The case's 19.99 AFTER mail-in rebate, which does NOT affect the current purchase. You're actually paying 39.99 for that case...
Sorry, I misunderstood about the 4330, thought it was only marginally better than the 4150
I just realised that after comparing the two. It seems the 4330 has a bit more cache, which is helpful.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

You are right about the price of the case. Whenever I get to set the final build, I'll pick the cheapest cool-looking case I can find (including rebates) and which reviews suggest is resistant to instant rusting, spontaneous combustion, or body part amputation.

 

[tiny voices]

I would get the cheaper i3. They will all perform basically the same.

Body part amputation is an important one. I wish they made car parts body part amputation proof. I have had some close calls there :lol: