need help with mini-itx build.

[djcrow]

Trying to build a computer that can do some gaming (Skyrim being the most demanding) and be a great HTPC as well. This is what I've come up with so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6700 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($145.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.49 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Silverstone SST-SG05B-USB3.0 (Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($102.94 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On DS-8A9SH-01 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $449.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 19:37 EDT-0400)

 

[MauveCloud]

What resolution do you plan to play at? Skyrim runs better with an Intel i5 processor, 2nd gen or newer (when using discrete graphics).
Do you want discrete graphics? If so, what's your budget for that?
If you want to play at low res and settings with an APU and no discrete graphics, have you considered the Antec ISK case?
Also, if you want to stick with the SG05, I suggest you look into getting the lite version and the power supply separately - you might save money that way, unless shipping pushes it over. You'll want to unmount the power supply to mount the motherboard anyway.

 

[djcrow]

1080P really doesn't matter when it comes to games. As long as we can tell what we are doing. How about this then?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2120 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($79.90 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SST-SG05BB-450-USB3.0 (Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case w/450W Power Supply ($123.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On DS-8A9SH-01 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $492.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 19:58 EDT-0400)

 

[MauveCloud]

Seems a little weak in the cpu area, but that might be the best that can be done at this budget - there are some AMD quad-core cpus that are close in price to the Pentium G2120, but no mini-itx motherboards for them.

 

[djcrow]

Seems a little weak in the cpu area, but that might be the best that can be done at this budget - there are some AMD quad-core cpus that are close in price to the Pentium G2120, but no mini-itx motherboards for them.

I just found out this build would also be used for light video editing and some other adobe programs. Would an i5 be what we need?

 

[MauveCloud]

I was going to suggest going back to the A10 build with that new requirement, but then I looked closer at this benchmark:
http://techreport.com/review/23750/amd-fx-8350-processor-reviewed/5
The Pentium G2120 actually beats an A10 at Skyrim performance when both are using discrete video, and it's not really that far behind the a10 in the video encoding benchmarks, so I think you can actually go with the G2120 build you made. With that one, you'd have the option of upgrading later to an i5-3350p or even an i7-3770.