mini itx build pt2

[FaMoUs]

I asked this question back in May, but I'm actually ready to order parts either today or early next week. Since it's been a couple of months, I've decided to ask again in case of new parts being released and what not.

- My budget is pretty loose, but I'll put it at $700-$1000 as a starting point.

- I'd like to have good file processing/transferring speeds, so usb 3 and ssd seem like the thing to have these days.

- Gaming wise. I'd classify it in the medium range. I play more cs/tf2 than anything else, but would like to have the comfort of being able to play other titles such as BF4 and future releases (fallout and what not).

- I need a monitor. I originally thought of using my TV as a monitor, but I have no solid setup to where I can hook my pc up to it and comfortably use it. I'd like a decent size screen and decent quality monitor. I don't care for any hardcore specialty gaming monitor or anything like that.

- I have plenty of case fans from previous builds I made years ago

- I won't be overclocking
- I don't need an OS


Not sure what else to add. Thanks in advance

 

[DonkeyOatie]

This uses your budget to the max.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX200 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.24 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($26.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1009.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-02 18:36 EDT-0400

for the future, you need the best GPU you can't quite afford.

Heres what we have done at school: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2625445/build-log-consolidated-middle-school-builds.html

 

[g-unit1111]

I would do something similar to DonkeyOatie's build, but keep in mind that we will have new processors and motherboards in less than a week. I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 285 2GB ITX COMPACT OC Video Card ($211.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case ($79.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Silverstone 500W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GS40N DVD/CD Writer ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $832.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-02 19:04 EDT-0400

 

[DonkeyOatie]

The MILO ML07 case is cheaper, but similar. There's the Cooler Master N200 too, although it's not mini-ITX only.

By going with my case/PSU combo, I save money for other things, like monitor and keyboard. I'd like a SSD in this system too, but if it's the only drive, I would prefer 500Gb or more.

 

[FaMoUs]

Thanks guys I'll look into all those. A couple questions I have are:

If new cpus/motherboards are coming out soon, does that mean better deals on the items that already exist or will it not make much of a difference?

Also, I was just recently browsing around for monitors and saw all the features such as 143hz, 1ms, etc. How important is all of that for the average person? Is there something that I SHOULD try and look for in a monitor? Or is it better to invest that extra bit of money else where?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Refresh speed (ms) and frequency (144hz) contribute to s smoother gaming experience, especially in intense FPS action. They count as hardcore specialty gaming monitor you mentioned in your original post and chew up too much of your valuable budget. Anything less than 6ms and running at 60Hz is fine. If you can find a deal on a 2ms monitor, I would look at it.

You already don't have as much budget as I would want for what you want to do. The first priority must be your GPU. It will be the limiting factor in your system and will be the part that has the shortest effective life. (Plenty of people are happy with five year old CPUs, no serious gamer is really happy with a three year old GPU, they're a bit like smartphones, the old ones work, but.....)

I doubt that there will be deals. I doesn't work that way.

The LGA 2011 chips may change be a few percent, but the 'bread and butter' 4th and 5th gen chips will be about the same.

If you are not desperate, I'd wait and see how the market changes and what the new systems provide, but I'd expect to be building 5th gen LGA 1150 system as the sweet spot with years of life ahead of it.

 

[logainofhades]

5th gen was a paper launch. There may be some clearance deals, on current 4th gen, once 6th gen comes out, later this week.

 

[FaMoUs]

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I was expecting to have this new rig ready by the end of this week and still haven't bought anything.

- I forgot that I already had a 1tb external drive I could use for storage, so I was thinking of just spending a little extra to get this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W02DV8166

- Also, going back to the monitor. I've been using an old viewsonic lcd screen for many years now (no longer have it), so I feel at this point anything would be better than what I had, BUT if I use my pc more for movies/streaming/photo editing than I do for gaming, it seems like speed would be good for that as well right? Should I be looking for a TN or IPS monitor? Or just get whatever has good ms/hz and don't stress it too much. I just want something with a decent size right around 24"+ range that has good colors. Sorry if you answered this already and I didn't get it. The AOC monitor looks good but there are a lot of reviews that make me want to look for something a little higher in quality.

- Another thing is, is there a disadvantage to having 1 8gb ram stick vs 2 4gb sticks? As far as the two you guys posted, looks are about the only difference between the two right?

- There's about a $100 difference between both GPUs you guys listed. The ASUS looks like a beast of a gpu and might be overkill for what I'm trying to achieve and that extra $100 could be used elsewhere. On the other hand, it looks like it could handle anything I throw at it for years to come. I'll definitely have to think on that one.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

This thread has data I collected looking at memory configuration and performance, with a discrete GPU (and without). http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2706290/g3258-memory-overclocking-project-reults.html

You have to go down several posts.

1 x 8 is slower than 2 x 4, but not enough to make a really big difference unless you are hard-core gaming or playing at the edge of acceptable performance. If I could not afford it now, or planned to upgrade to 2 x 8 later, I would happily use 1 x 8. I would generally try for 2 x 4 and recommend it in all systems where there is not a pressing need for something else.

Gaming systems are GPU limited, and GPUs are like smart-phones and have a relatively short 'current' life. Something new and better is always on the horizon. The more you spend, the longer it is likely to satisfy you and play the 'new, must-have' game good enough.

Movies are shot and displayed at around 24Hz. I prefer IPS, but I'm not gaming at crazy speed. Read the reviews to help you find what satisfies you. There is no shortage of product.

When suggesting a system, I look at what I think needs to be important to the OP, whether they know it or not. Your budget needs to be a bit bigger, so I need to cut back where I can, and the monitor was one of those places. I felt strongly that the i5/GTX was the right place for your system and fitted everything to that, since it was doable. You get to decide how to apportion the budget and what is really important.

Going with a 4Gb 380 or a 285 at around $200 will make for a good system and give you money for a much better monitor and/or a decent SSD.

If you already had a monitor, that money would have gone into a 250Gb SSD.

That's a great SSD, I use one myself as the only drive on a legacy Windows 7 system.