MiniITX build need opinions(i7 or i5)

[deez86]

I'm in the process of building a MiniITX build and would love your opinions. I plan on overclocking the CPU a little and will be using the machine for gaming, video/photo editing, some music production, and it will be hooked up to my tv as a HTPC. For gaming I'm not obsessed about being able to run the newest games at the highest settings, just as long as it will run new games and they don't look like total crap.

I've already bought the RAM(on sale for $50), the case, the PSU, the SSD, as well as buying a 200mm intake fan for the front and a COUGAR CF-V12HP to be hooked up to the top of case. I plan on using an external optical drive so I can have 2 fans on the top of the case. Will probably buy the rest of the components in the next day or two. Let me know what you think.

Since I don't really care as much about having the best graphics, should I go with an i7 and a cheaper graphics card? Here are my 2 choices I'm debating.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($182.58 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Enermax 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $979.49

or

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($182.58 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($131.97 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Enermax 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1066.47

Please help!!

 

[TheBigTroll]

the prodigy is the size of a matx case. you are better off with one of those

motherboard is pretty dam expensive. id rather get one of these
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=76537&vpn=GA-Z77N-Wifi&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1187

the h60 is crap. id get a good heatsink like a noctua nh-d14 but it wouldnt fit, so id recoomend this cooler. mount it on the roof

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZN2NH6/?tag=pcpapi-20

and for gaming, id at least get this to make use of a 650w power supply. 650w is totally unneeded in this situation. a 550w would have done very well

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202010&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[deez86]

Like I said in the OP I already bought the case and the power supply(I got this power supply because it fits in the case very nicely) I might look into that cooler, but I don't really plan on doing any crazy overclocking just probably to get it to like 4Ghz so hopefully the h60 would be sufficient. As for the motherboard you posted, I've read that that motherboard is not very good for OC'n. I originally was planning on getting that but after reading more about it over at overclock.net I decided to go with an ASUS.

As for the graphics card, like I posted, I'm not THAT concerned with graphics. I will play some new games on this for sure, but I really enjoy older games like CS and Quake Live. Also, any thoughts on maybe going with the i7 and the HD7770 for my needs?

 

[TheBigTroll]

dude, 4ghz is not a overclock in anyones terms. im using a asus z77-v Lk motherboard and i can hit 4.5ghz easily with a i7. therefore a asus would not be much better. power phases only matter when you go hard on your overclock (4.8ghz+)

since you state that you are not overclocking much, id get this cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709017&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

if you are only playing source games, skip the GPU

 

[deez86]

well, from what I gather from working on this build. Once I start overclocking, I'm gonna wanna keep seeing how much more I can go. Also I want to make sure that my initial investment is worth it for when I upgrade in the future. I'm thinking that I should just go with the higher end processor and a lower end GPU. I won't only be playing source games but like I stated, having the best graphics on games isn't my top priority. I want to be able to multitask, I'm getting into video editing, and I will be using Ableton Live to record music. So it's looking like I might be leaning towards the i7. Do you have any recommendations for a decent $100 GPU?

 

[TheBigTroll]

you would hit a temperature limit on the CPU before you hit a power phase limit on the motherboard

if you dont need intergrated graphics, you can get a xeon e3 1230 v2 and save70 bucks. you do lose overclocking. just putting this option out there

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117286&Tpk=e3%201230%20v2

100 dollar GPU, id get this. just that your 650w power supply just went to waste
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127709&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[deez86]

Well, just bought everything but the video card
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qxt6

Think I'm gonna set it all up while running off the on board graphics, and wait to see if a real good deal on a graphics card pops up between now and the first week of january.

 

[TheBigTroll]

yeah you just wasted money on the board. it would be a great experience if you can actually get 5ghz but other than that its a waste.

the h60 is still pretty bad. and loud as hell at full load