Graphics Card: 1G Gigabyte 7770 OC $119
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570 $202
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX $113
RAM: 8GB Kit 1600 Kingston HyperX Black 1.5V $50
HDD: WD Blue 1TB $74
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $195
(Samsung seems to have taken the product off their website)
External DVD-RW: LG External Slim DVD Writer $30
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF-SFX 450W $83
Case: Silverstone FT03 Mini Silver $139
OS: OEM 64 bit Windows 8 Home Premium $99
Total not including OS: $1005.
Uses: Gaming (mostly Sims 3), Internet browsing/streaming, social networking, word processing. I’d like to be able to run Sims 3 with all expansions on high settings. I may be trying out other games but don't have any particular ones in mind right now. I do however own some copies of MMORPGs as I have played them in the past.
Budget: I’m pretty sure I can afford $1.5k but I would prefer not to spend THAT much.. $1-1.1k or less? Doesn't really matter as much as I get what I need (which isn't too hardcore). Bang for buck is a stronger factor for me. I do also like small form factor however, even though they are technically less bang for buck e.g. Bitfenix Prodigy case is cheaper, but is rather large.
OC: No
SLI/Crossfire: No
Wifi: Yes I do want, but I can use USB
Bluetooth: Same as Wifi
Multi-monitor: No
Current Monitor Size: 1680x1050 pixels
I will probably be using mods to load straight to desktop and to add a very functional start menu button so the Windows 8 UI will probably not be an issue. All parts are from PCDIY except for motherboard, PSU and case which are from Skycomp. My location is Sydney, Australia and I plan to purchase the parts in mid-February.
Why mini-ITX? Technically I don't "need" it (since I don't really go to LAN parties) but.. for some reason (probably because of minimalist tendencies), small is a lot more attractive to me than big. I initially thought decent gaming rigs had to be at least BTX/ATX or something but found out that they don't need to be. My current computer (Dell Dimension E520) is BTX and I've always liked how it was smaller than my old computer (which was ATX).
Any opinions/criticisms would be greatly appreciated.
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570 $202
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX $113
RAM: 8GB Kit 1600 Kingston HyperX Black 1.5V $50
HDD: WD Blue 1TB $74
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB $195
(Samsung seems to have taken the product off their website)
External DVD-RW: LG External Slim DVD Writer $30
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF-SFX 450W $83
Case: Silverstone FT03 Mini Silver $139
OS: OEM 64 bit Windows 8 Home Premium $99
Total not including OS: $1005.
Uses: Gaming (mostly Sims 3), Internet browsing/streaming, social networking, word processing. I’d like to be able to run Sims 3 with all expansions on high settings. I may be trying out other games but don't have any particular ones in mind right now. I do however own some copies of MMORPGs as I have played them in the past.
Budget: I’m pretty sure I can afford $1.5k but I would prefer not to spend THAT much.. $1-1.1k or less? Doesn't really matter as much as I get what I need (which isn't too hardcore). Bang for buck is a stronger factor for me. I do also like small form factor however, even though they are technically less bang for buck e.g. Bitfenix Prodigy case is cheaper, but is rather large.
OC: No
SLI/Crossfire: No
Wifi: Yes I do want, but I can use USB
Bluetooth: Same as Wifi
Multi-monitor: No
Current Monitor Size: 1680x1050 pixels
I will probably be using mods to load straight to desktop and to add a very functional start menu button so the Windows 8 UI will probably not be an issue. All parts are from PCDIY except for motherboard, PSU and case which are from Skycomp. My location is Sydney, Australia and I plan to purchase the parts in mid-February.
Why mini-ITX? Technically I don't "need" it (since I don't really go to LAN parties) but.. for some reason (probably because of minimalist tendencies), small is a lot more attractive to me than big. I initially thought decent gaming rigs had to be at least BTX/ATX or something but found out that they don't need to be. My current computer (Dell Dimension E520) is BTX and I've always liked how it was smaller than my old computer (which was ATX).
Any opinions/criticisms would be greatly appreciated.