Meet The Tiki: Core i7-3770K And GeForce GTX 680 In A Mini-ITX Box?

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freggo

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I usually do not bother with these 30+ page click stories. They are a pain in the arse.
But.. that story just was too interesting, almost like a crime novel...
Just one more click and I stop.... ok, jut ONE more.

Anyway, it was interesting to see the painful birth of what seems to be a very interesting product; also I don't even want to guess how much $$$ we are talking all things considered.

Still, very interesting and impressive. Would love to see THG do a test, especially the noise part would interest me. I HATE noise and am willing to pay xtra for $ilence :)

 

Robert Pankiw

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http://build.falcon-nw.com/

I posted a really nice and long comment that magically got erased.. Basically, it is around 2500 USD for (what I assume) is the shown model (i7, 2 128GB SSDs + HDD, GTX 680 2GB) but for a nice system (i5, 1 256GB SSD, GTX 670) it is 2045 USD.
 

s3anister

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Tiki is our first product that literally could not be built by anyone but an enthusiast.
From reading your article I most definitely agree with you. Quite an amazing build.

And if you still need to get rid of some fans and heatsinks I'd be more than happy to take a few off your hands :D
 

xaed

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[citation][nom]Robert Pankiw[/nom]http://build.falcon-nw.com/I posted a really nice and long comment that magically got erased.. Basically, it is around 2500 USD for (what I assume) is the shown model (i7, 2 128GB SSDs + HDD, GTX 680 2GB) but for a nice system (i5, 1 256GB SSD, GTX 670) it is 2045 USD.[/citation]

All things considered, that extra $500 (I'm thinking it's more assuming they get their parts at OEM rates) isn't THAT bad.
 

dakkon

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Toms please do a bench on this thing... Please Please Please... and Mr Falcon CEO Kudos to you, now give the damed machine to Toms and let them Bench it. :)
 

Menigmand

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I love a small, quiet pc, but the biggest problem is not the actual size. The main aesthetic problem is that a pc setup will still include a monitor and plenty of wires, a keyboard and a mouse. Having a pc in a small livingroom tends to "take over" the space and make it seem a bit like an office.

That's why I like to game on a laptop, even though I get less graphics performance, the kit can always be folded up and put in the cupboard when I have guests over and need the dining table.
 

dakkon

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[citation][nom]menigmand[/nom]I love a small, quiet pc, but the biggest problem is not the actual size. The main aesthetic problem is that a pc setup will still include a monitor and plenty of wires, a keyboard and a mouse. Having a pc in a small livingroom tends to "take over" the space and make it seem a bit like an office. That's why I like to game on a laptop, even though I get less graphics performance, the kit can always be folded up and put in the cupboard when I have guests over and need the dining table.[/citation]


incorporate the thing in your media center/TV rack, connect it to your 50in LED TV or HD projector "run the cable through the walls if using projector" in the future displays with 4k/8k capabilities . and use wireless keyboards and mice, and or use a wireless gaming controller, game from the couch.. its a gaming PC not a work PC..
 

NAG3LT

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Quite amazing to fit such performance in such small case. Expected price premium to be in Alienware range after reading the part about granite, but the price looks very reasonable.
 

Menigmand

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[citation][nom]dakkon[/nom]incorporate the thing in your media center/TV rack, connect it to your 50in LED TV or HD projector "run the cable through the walls if using projector" in the future displays with 4k/8k capabilities . and use wireless keyboards and mice, and or use a wireless gaming controller, game from the couch.. its a gaming PC not a work PC..[/citation]

Yes I thought about this solution, but mouse/keyboard gaming doesn't work so well from the couch..
 

cobra5000

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[citation][nom]NAG3LT[/nom]Quite amazing to fit such performance in such small case. Expected price premium to be in Alienware range after reading the part about granite, but the price looks very reasonable.[/citation]
Falcon Northwest is so far above Alienware, they do not deserve to be in the same sentence. Noob.
 

jrharbort

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[citation][nom]yobobjm[/nom]I may be way off here, but isn't a 450w PSU (which is the only one that comes with the tiki) a little to little to power an i7, a gtx 680, 2 ssds, and a hard drive?[/citation]
I did the math, and it would be passable as long as the PSU has really good rails and no overclocking involved.
 

DSpider

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I don't know if I would place my PSU that close to the HDD. And personally, I would ditch the optical drive. Haven't burned a disc since 2007, ever since I bought a 500 GB external HDD.
 

Iluv2raceit

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Wonderful, nother Falcon Northwest product that 99% of the PC gaming community is NOT going to buy BECAUSE IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE!! No one in their right mind is going to pay the crazy premium just to have a small form factor PC. I would rather spend $2,700 on an Alienware M18X with dual GTX680Ms that would beat the crap out of this system's performance and would come with it's own 18.4" 1920x1080 screen!
 
That was an awesome article Toms!

One thought though for the case design... Once they decided to do water cooling then why not fold the GPU behind the mobo with a WC block on it and the CPU, then turn the bottom of the case into a giant water block with a large silent fan on the side blowing through the case?
The idea being that then the mobo and GPU would be on the top of the case with one side having access to upgrade the CPU and ram, and the other side having access to change out the GPU. The GPU would be single wide and could almost go back-to-back with the mobo tray, and even with the ram height it would still be well within the 4" wide restraints and possibly thinner.
The bottom of the case (which the case may be able to be shortened a little as well) would be the radiator which would be heavy.... nearly as heavy as a slab of granite I would think. This would help the system stand on end, while allowing for 2 side-by-side 120mm fans on the rad blowing in from one side of the case and out the other. It would be a little more expensive, but I doubt that boutique enthusiasts would mind the extra few $$ to have a truly silent extreme build in such a small package.

Anywho, still an amazing piece of engineering, and the final product looks sweet!
 
[citation][nom]menigmand[/nom]I love a small, quiet pc, but the biggest problem is not the actual size. The main aesthetic problem is that a pc setup will still include a monitor and plenty of wires, a keyboard and a mouse. Having a pc in a small livingroom tends to "take over" the space and make it seem a bit like an office. That's why I like to game on a laptop, even though I get less graphics performance, the kit can always be folded up and put in the cupboard when I have guests over and need the dining table.[/citation]

The only wires that need to be hooked up to this thing is HDMI for audio and video output, and power.

Put the tower beside the TV so that all your wires are hidden behind the entertainment system, and the keys and mice can hide in the coffee table if you don't want them out.

Internet is wireless, keys and mouse are wireless, game pads and joysticks are wireless, and while you CAN hook up a ton of other periphrials they are entirely optional. If your HTPC or gameingPC takes over your living room any more than a cable box or game console does then you are doing something wrong.
 
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