mini itx ultimate gaming rig

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lost66

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Nov 5, 2015
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hi all
I am now in the process of planning my first mini itx build and I am already suffering from information overflow

.GIGABYTE GA-Z170N-Gaming 5
.ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac
.MSI Z170I GAMING PRO AC
.ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING
.MAXIMUS VIII IMPACT

did I miss something.

first things first, I need a motherboard. but which one?

I will appreciate all the help you can give me and everyone else interested in following the build as is evolves.

once we have come to an agreement on what board to get, then we could move on to the next part of this project

thanx again (in advance) for your help
 
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You should decide on the CPU and GPU first. The recommended motherboard chipset will depend on whether the CPU is overclockable or not. What is the total budget for this build, with windows included? That is also a factor on which motherboard to get.

EDIT: I thought I'l elaborate a bit further :). The Impact has by far the most extra features. It comes with a high-end WiFi adapter onboard, a relatively high-end sound card, a fan control + extension card, support for NVMe SSDs through a U.2 connector, USB 3.1 Type C, basically the whole works. It will also be the best for overclocking the CPU. Hands down, the best Z170 ITX motherboard money can buy.

The rest of the motherboards, are what I like to call "practical" high end boards. They don't have some of the more exorbitant features of the Impact, but still offer more than enough features for most users to be happy with, at a price significantly lower than the Impact. Overclocking performance is the same story. You may be able to squeeze a few more MHz on the Impact, but that depends more on how good the chip you get will overclock.

For most builds, I'd recommend sticking with these boards, since they offer excellent performance for the price. If you want to build an over the top PC, then get the Impact. If you are looking at a more functional build, get one of the other boards. At this price point, all of them have excellent features and quality, so it doesn't matter which one you choose. Just go for the one that suits your colour scheme, or the one with the best features.
 
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hi and thanx.
well it will take the i7-6700K, the gpu would probably be the gtx980ti. but I would like to clear up, what
motherboard is best then move on to the different type/brand/versions of gps's.
I will oc but not right away, only when the rig cant handle what I throw at it.
I have owned a dell inspiron 7720 i7-3630 GeForce gt 650m with win10pro for three years and it has served me well,
but now it is falling behind, the gt650 being the biggest problem.
I am willing to pay what it takes to build the perfect rig (but if I can save on a rig that is just as good, I will do that to)
the laptop lasted 3 years, and no way of upgrading. this rig must do the same if not better, but upgrade is possible when the time comes.
can I use my win10 that I have on my laptop for this build?
thanx again

EDIT: I thought I'l elaborate a bit further :) . reading it now lol
 
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Unfortunately, you can't use the copy of windows that is installed on your laptop; most windows licenses aren't transferable that way.

The motherboard is not the most important component in the build. It does tie everything together, but getting a better one will not increase the performance of the PC in any noticeable way, aside from the advantage gained from having the extra features it gives. To be frank, I'd rather get a practical high end motherboard and spend the $100 saved on some other aspect of my build that will increase performance.

I'll throw together a basic high end build for you so that you can get an idea of what we're working with. From there we can fine tune it. I've found that way to be easier than discussing each and every component, since you get a much clearer idea of what you are getting :).

EDIT: Any of these boards will support the 6700K and the 980 Ti no problem!
 
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that's gr8 thanx, looking forward to it.
this project is not small change, :pt1cable: so I would like to do it right the first time 😉
 
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My students at Middle School (11 - 14 years old) build computers http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2625445/build-log-consolidated-middle-school-builds.html and I have steered them towards the mITX form factor because of the challenge of the build and the elegance of the result.

We have yet to start a Skylake build because we have still some Haswells in the 'hopper' with parts waiting to be assembled. However have a look at the thread and it may give you some ideas.

Do you have an actual budget, or is it 'Platinum-plated or nothing!'?

The motherboard is a supporting device and provides 'features' to enhance your system.

You want a gaming rig. CHECK. Any particular games (some are more CPU than GPU dependent)

You say mITX, but just how small do you want the system to be? Some mITX cases are bigger than mATX.

If you have a budget, we need to make sure that the money goes to the right places to meet your needs, and the motherboard is way below CPU, GPU, and PSU.

Here's a start.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK Pallas Black 56.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B-W HTPC Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($117.99 @ Directron)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1927.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 08:28 EST-0500

Overclockable CPU
Best low-profile cooler
Good motherboard with M.2 slot
Fast, overclockable memory
Blazing fast SSD
Standard good HDD
Top, fast, cool, GPU
Great PSU
Slim, 'sexy' , compact case.
Excellent and powerful, compact PSU.

 
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DonkeyOatie's build is a superb example of a compact yet powerful build. I'm also really impressed that he is assembling PCs with students! Kudos to you for inspiring the new generation; there should be more people doing projects like yours. Outstanding!

Now on to the build 😀.
I've taken a different different approach; my build isn't as compact as the one above, but it allows for a watercooling setup and in theory should run cooler than a build in the RVZ02. Please correct me if I'm wrong though!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1916.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 08:42 EST-0500

Pros:
Best AiO watercooler
Overclockable CPU
Blazing fast SSD (I'm copying descriptions for identical parts because they are spot on.)
Standard good HDD
Top, fast, cool, GPU
Excellent Tier 1 PSU
Spacious, somewhat minimalistic case
Feature heavy motherboard with an M.2 slot (This is personal preference, I quite like the design of the ASUS. Nothing wrong with the cheaper ASRock, so you could go with that as well.)
Nice RAM that performs well (Also overclockable, but the one above is a better set of RAM.)

Also, mine doesn't have an optical drive, so there is that to consider too.
 
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The case runs very cool. Overclocked Skylake hits the voltage wall before the thermal wall, and the fans of the PSU, CPU, and GPU all 'conspire' to cool the case. It has NO case fans and is designed to work that way.

Look at this review with similar components (although I was unaware of that at the time I did mine). http://www.techspot.com/review/1062-silverstone-raven-rvz02/page4.html

The temperatures are very reasonable.
 
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all of a sudden I feel VERY old 😀
hi
no budget here, but I should be careful not to be wasteful (I am still running the same laptop and mouse I bought 3 years ago, so to justify spending the money is easier. back then I paid around $2000 for it) I looked at some gaming laptops but they are so overpriced especially the ones that can be upgraded.

small is what I originally wanted because it is meant to replace my laptop, although it might not be portable enough?
if it is not portable enough, then at least I must be able to put it away in a safe place and take my laptop when I go to work (i work for two weeks and at home for only a week) this scenario does leave room for a mATX with the benefit of using a SLI setup as a upgrade one day. 😀

"we need to make sure that the money goes to the right places to meet your needs" this is true. money spent well now would save on future upgrades?

i will be looking at your suggested build so long, it does seem like a good place to start
thanx again
 
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Maybe not. I misread the specification.

http://www.pcgameware.co.uk/reviews/silverstone-argon-ar06-cpu-cooler-review/ , the Silverstone AR06 will fit, but I'll look for something with a 120mm fan if I can find it.

Like this http://www.eteknix.com/scythe-big-shuriken-2-rev-b-low-profile-cpu-cooler-review/ and 58mm.

 
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Revised Multum in parvo build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B-W HTPC Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($117.99 @ Directron)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1928.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 09:42 EST-0500

Very compact and powerful, runs cool and will do 2K 144Hz or good Ultra-wide well. Will also do video editing or rendering decently and all other general purpose tasks and handle the foreseeable future.

I'm not into SLI at the moment, GPUs are getting too good too fast. I'll probably rather have Pascal or Volta than to SLI my GTX 970. Sell you old GPU off to a mid-range user and buy the new 'King'.
 
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*ok so this is a constant:

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.98 @ Directron) i think we all agree)


*the Power Supply is relevant to the Case (and making a choice here comes down to personal preference)?

*the Cooler is relevant to the Case, but the NZXT could fit both?

*that leaves the Motherboard(lol that's how this thread started)
what is the pros and cons that made you decide that the ASRock/Asus is the better choice
 
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They are both good boards. The original Rampage was omitted because it needs a M.2 slot for the really fast SSD we have suggested. ASUs has a better 'reputation', ASRock has better price/performance, both are great. Check the specific features and see. If it is hard to choose, buy the cheapest on the day of purchase.

Case is partly personal preference. You said you wanted mITX. If a larger case is an option, I would rather re-think everything (probably no change, but my view was constrained) and consider mATX solutions. The PSU in my system is a SFX unit which is very good, but is more expensive because of the small package. (I use a similar 450W PSU in this system)

In any compact build cooling and heat management is important. In a bigger case we could consider hotter components. My case is designed to work well without extra cooling. The Kraken is quite large and about the smallest case I would want to put it in is the Cooler Master N200, which is an excellent small mATX or mITX case. Nothing wrong with the EVOLV either.
 
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Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.98 @ Directron)

CPU Cooler: Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B-W HTPC Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($117.99 @ Directron)

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208FB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)

this is sort of what i am leaning towards at this point (just a little worried about the gpu)
something like this might be a better option, but i don't know if it is as good as the above
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980ti6gd5v1 (almost the same price) or
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980ti6gd5 (cost more)
 
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I'd recommend against blower style coolers like the ones you listed. They run hotter than the open air coolers on OEM cards, which could cause thermal throttling specially with such a powerful GPU.

More to the point, if you look at the review of the RVZ-02 that DonkeyOatie posted, they used an open air style 980 Ti and still got excellent temps for what is essentially an SFF case, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Since you seem a bit undecided on the case, here are the main options you have:

main-415x260.jpg


The basic ITX case. It is literally an ATX case shrunken down to ITX proportions, so it has the best cooling and will be the easiest to work on. Is also the biggest, however.

183cwrnmv41wljpg.jpg


The square form factor. Less than half the height of the basic ITX design above, slightly narrower and has less depth. Basically smaller in every way. Somewhat worse airflow due to the congested interior, but still most cases can use low profile air coolers with good results. Both this and and the case style above support watercooling. Although some square cases like the Silverstone Sugo SG13 can only practically (It is possible to fit an air cooler in it, but the clearance is extremely small.) be used with a water cooler, there are many other great cases like the Fractal Desin Node 304 and the Raijintek Metis that support air cooling with great results.

rvz02-34left_w_755.jpg


The HTPC form factor. Originally meant for use as home theatre PCs, this slim form factor has now gained traction in the custom building community since it started supporting higher end hardware. Significantly thinner, but around the same depth as the square form factors. Height is in between the top two styles. This style of case won't support watercooling, but generally due to the clever use of individual air channels cooling is well within acceptable levels. You will, however, be extremely limited in your choice of CPU coolers, and PSUs as well. Not that good for upgradability, but if you plan to hang on to the system it should be fine.

Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule, so not all ITX cases will fit exactly into a category. This does represent the three main types of cases available, however, so take your pick :).

Personally, I'd go with a square form factor case, since it is a good compromise between portability and ease of installation / upgradability. For reference, a normal square form factor case like the Fractal Design Node 304 is about the length of your average subwoofer, at about half the height and slightly more wide.
 
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I modified the parts list you said you liked to fit the Node 304:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($168.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($654.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($117.99 @ Directron)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($91.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1945.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 14:46 EST-0500

With it, you can get a much better cooler and superior cooling overall in my opinion. The case does support standard ATX PSUs up to 6.2" in length, but I kept the SFX unit from the original build so that you have a little more flexibility inside the case.

Also, with such a high end build, don't cheap out on the peripherals. At the very least, try to get a decent monitor and keyboard + mouse. Here are my suggestions:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: LG 29UM57-P 60Hz 29.0" Monitor ($283.89 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($166.94 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($78.00 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum Red Headphones ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Creative Labs Inspire T10 10W 2ch Speakers ($41.88 @ Amazon)
Total: $650.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 15:03 EST-0500

I love the ultrawide monitors, because they make the game so much more realistic without having to deal with the ugly bezels of a multi-monitor set up. Again, at the very least, invest in a good monitor and a mechanical keyboard and mouse. You won't regret it!

If you plan on getting a decent pair of headphones, like the ones I reccommended, then I'd really upgrade the motherboard to the ASUS due to the better audio chipset. I'm not saying there will be a huge improvement in sound, but the fact is that most motherboards that have only three audio I/O connectors will struggle to drive a decent pair of headphones. The ASRock board doesn't have any documentation on the chipset IT uses, which may be it's only weak point on an otherwise solid motherboard.

The speakers are cheap, but they perform well for the price. They are mainly there for watching YouTube videos and the like; any serious listening and / or gaming should be done with the headphones.
 
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Do you have any idea about how it handles dust over the years? Seems like it may be a problem with all the meshed surfaces, specially due to the lack of filters. Interesting case, I'd like to use that in my next build if the dust situation isn't too bad.



 
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