Help me build the most powerful smallest HTPC gaming rig

cjkupers

Honorable
Sep 7, 2013
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10,690
So I'm going to be building another new rig. This one is going to be my most audacious build yet...

It's a super small HTPC case mini-ITX built system with i7, gtx770(because I love this card.), 1 ssd, a 450w SFX PSU to fit the build..

I plan on using a flex riser on the GPU to mount is sideways to get it flat against the board. H60 radiator will be mounted in the front-right upper panel of the case, and the SSD will be mounted either over the RAM or against the facing.
Here is the list of parts:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1CXVa

I know the parts can fit. Anyone have suggestions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($334.96 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI IMPACT Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($176.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone ML05B HTPC Case ($44.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified SFX12V Power Supply ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1382.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-12 15:36 EDT-0400)

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You don't really need an i7 for a gaming rig, you could drop to an i5 and save some money there, and invest it elsewhere. Here is what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X40 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($663.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($156.66 @ Newegg)
Total: $1669.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-12 18:27 EDT-0400)
 
The fractal design node 304 case is 1197 cubic inches. The Seasonic ML05B case is 430 cubic inches. Less than half the size. I know I can fit the parts in the rig. But I'll go ahead and add the 780. the m-itx SFX psu is top rated at 450w. The total calc'd power draw for my rig + 780 is 390w-ish so its still in bounds.

I don't need a HDD. I use external drives to offload my files. If I need faster transfer and more capacity, I'll just add or upgrade my SSD(s) and do RAID configurations.
 


Well the main differences between the Fractal Design and Silverstone (not Seasonic) cases are that the Fractal Design case can house a full size ATX motherboard where the Silverstone is made for mITX motherboards only.