Help with $1000 microATX/ITX build

[aydterracer2005]

Can someone please suggest a $1000 gaming build that I can play on my 1080P HDTV. I want a small form factor build since it wi be in my living room but unsure whether an ITX or microATX build is better. I really like the xigmatek Aquila case but can't find it so I will probably go with a bitfenix prodigy. Any other recommendations are welcome.

I want to play graphic intense games like Skyrim, Titanfall, crysis, battlefield, etc on high/ultra settings.

I am not interested in overclocking but in the future I might get a 4k monitor. I do not need any accessories nor do I need an OS... Only components.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Rammy]

Whether or not you go for ITX or mATX is your main starting point. Before that there isn't much to discuss as I'd just be throwing random suggestions at you. The link below is a fairly brief outline of the pros and cons of ITX.
If you want to keep the size down, and only ever want a single graphics card, it's certainly a decent option. mATX is never going to be drastically smaller than ATX due to the fact that it's the same size in two dimensions, just with the bottom section chopped off. Most mATX towers are similar to a more compact ATX in width and depth, just a little shorter. The main argument for mATX over ITX is that you can SLI/Xfire on mATX, but in most cases it relies on stacking the graphics cards against each other, a perfectly workable but not 100% ideal scenario.

Be aware that by ITX/SFF standards, the Prodigy and it's kin are pretty large, especially in width. If you want a computer to fit in a cabinet or somewhere fairly discreetly, it's perhaps not the greatest choice. I'd avoid the Prodigy M in almost any build really, I don't think it brings much to the table.
I'm a big ITX fan, but there is always going to be some sort of compromise, whether it's in compatible coolers/PSUs, or limited drive bays etc. If you want a simple build, then a compact ATX/mATX tower like the Fractal Design Arc Midi/Mini or Corsair 350D might be more for you, alternatively for a Prodigy-esque aesthetic at mATX form, the Aerocool Dead Silence isn't bad.

 

[aydterracer2005]

Interesting read thanks for the response. Any chance I could get a recommendation under each scenario? I want an ITX build due to the smaller form factor but honestly would have to say that whichever system will provide me with the best performance and upgrade path will be what I end up with. Sounds like the mATX is likely what I need... I'll just have to find a small case that I like. That aerocool is pretty sweet. The xigmatek Aquila is what I really want.

 

[Rammy]

Yeah I quite like the layout in the Aquila, it's a little like the Dead Silence, but Xigmatek do seem a bit shoddy at availability/info.

If I was going for a mATX build, I'd probably just bite the bullet and stick with a conventional tower. In that instance, the difference between ATX and mATX is so small, ATX is a very viable option, even if you are trying to keep the size down. The Corsair 350D for example, is a very popular high end mATX choice, but due to it's 5 expansion slots (to allow for SLI/Xfire more comfortably) and excellent radiator support, it's not an awful lot smaller than say a Fractal Design Arc Midi or Core 3000, which you can fit an ATX motherboard (as well as basically anything else you want).

Starting at ATX, you can do similar AMD builds at this form, but as I'm about to go smaller I'm keeping it simple. You can spend more or less in various areas, but this is vaguely sensible. Yeah it's a bit over on funds, but that's due to prices bouncing around a bit, normally I'd have gone for the Arc Midi over the Core 3000, but then it'd have been quite a bit over. On another day it could be comfortably below 1k, the prices on 280X graphics cards shot up and it kinda took the GTX770 with it as availability ran low.
The main "weird" pick is the Z87 motherboard with a non overclockable processor. The reason is that you mentioned thinking mATX might be the way to go over ITX. As the main difference between the two is support for an additional graphics card, I thought it was something you might want to allow provision for. Ditching the SSD gives you plenty of funds to buy an overclockable k-series processor and a CPU cooler, if you want to exploit the full value of Z87. If SLI is totally not of interest, then you can drop to a H87/B85 board in both of the next two builds, though at that point ITX starts to make a lot more sense.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 3000 USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1008.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 13:04 EST-0500)

Transferring that down to mATX is really simple. Change the motherboard to the "M" version and change the case. Same comments apply really. I've stuck in the Aerocool as it's probably the closest thing to the Aquila. You can do 2-way SLI in this if you want, but you won't be able to install a Wifi card for example if you do so.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Aerocool DS ($120.00)
Total: $1041.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 12:58 EST-0500)

Dropping down to Prodigy size (actually still pretty large). I've had to change the PSU for a smaller one, so I went with a wired one, there's a lot of space for tucking cables in the Prodigy so it's not a massive issue.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($107.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Orange) Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.75 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $981.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 12:57 EST-0500)

Down to "proper" ITX scale, you have the Elite130. Not the most pretty case, but really compact, still capable of fitting most full sized components though.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($107.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $956.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-13 12:55 EST-0500)

I've tried to keep some consistency across the components, but there's a lot of choices within motherboards and PSUs for example. I stuck in an SSD too, it's a bit of a luxury but the main alternative is spending an extra ~$100 on graphics and at 1080P it's really not worth it.

 

[aydterracer2005]

Wow thanks for the help I appreciate how thorough your comments are. Very helpful! I was previously dead set on getting a 4670k and a r9 280x but with the price increases on the card it is no longer feasible. As for the processor I am very unfamiliar with overclocking and am afraid of messing things up! So I figured if I am not going to OC then I can allocate my funds elsewhere. I

know most people recommend the samsung evo SSD but how does that compare to the which is currently $71.00
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g

Considering my current resolution, In terms of gaming performance do you think I will be able to max out anything I throw at it for sometime? How about at 4k?

 

[Rammy]

Yeah the sole purpose of the "k" in the 4670K is overclocking. Or more specifically, an unlocked modifier. If you aren't overclocking (it's not really necessary for gaming) then basically any modern i5 (3000 or 4000 series) will do. Obviously the quicker clock speed ones are faster, but the differences in-game are fairly minimal. I'm always inclined to suggest the cheaper ones, that's where the value for money is.

4K is a bit hard to judge. It's just beyond what most modern graphics cards are capable of. Two GTX770s should be capable of 4K gaming, but you'd be pretty limited in some aspects, really demanding games would struggle at high details. If I was building a 4K gaming system, I'd probably be realistically looking to spend a lot more to make it worth the effort, as a 4K monitor is incredibly expensive on its own (around three times the cost of your build).
Remember, 4K is 4times the pixels to fill over a "standard" 1080P display, while scaling doesn't work quite so directly, you can see why even doubling the graphics cards won't necessarily give you the performance you want.