New Mini ITX Build - Help?

RiceHulk

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Jan 6, 2015
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Hello, I'm a student this is my first post here and I've been following many threads on how to build a computer. I've been saving up some money and planning how how much money I could spend and I've been formulating a build for myself. I'm planning on building this any time from late August to December 2015.
I plan on keeping this computer on for very long sessions and I'd use it mostly for playing games on their highest settings within reason and streaming videos and downloading content.
Games I plan on playing:
- League of Legends
- osu!
- Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void (coming out eventually)
- Hearthstone
- Dota 2
- Team Fortress 2
- Probably a few more Steam games I find interesting
I ended up choosing a Mini ITX build because I thought that I would probably not even consider upgrading any of my parts for the next years to come. To try to counter that lack of adaptability that Mini ITX builds give, I tried to use high end components. I also noticed I have a cool red/black colour scheme going on! If you guys could give some constructive criticism, that would be great!

Dream Machine Build - Mini ITX
CPU (Intel) - Intel Quad-Core i5 4690K
Reason: One of the best quad-core CPUs on the market today and good for overclocking.
CPU Cooler (Liquid) - Corsair H100i
Reason: Liquid cooling is quiet and great for a Mini ITX build. Also has Corsair link which I can connect my other fans to.
Motherboard (Mini ITX) - Asus Maximus VI Impact
Reason: One of the best Mini ITX boards out there with great features and multiple enticing included add-ons. Comes with bluetooth connection (I can't buy an Ethernet cable or Powerline), SupremeFX sound card, great colour scheme, etc.
Memory - Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) (Red)
Reason: Fits colour scheme and CAS of 9. Very reliable RAM.
Storage (SSD) - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
Reason: Recommended SSD by many and good reliability.
Storage (HDD) - Western Digital Black Series 1TB (64GB Cache)
Reason: Best of the Western Digital HDDs for gaming and really good warranty.
Video Card - Asus GeForce GTX 970 Strix
Reason: Fits colour scheme and 970 is one of the best price/performance GPUs and I am very interested in it's passive cooling and its 0dB mode.
Case (Mini ITX) - Corsair 250D
Reason: Can fit everything in my build and looks great and very functional. I am also planning to put in an optical drive later on down the line. *Not completely sure if there is enough clearance to fit my GPU as the Strix needs extra space on the PCIe area to get optimal cooling.
Power Supply - Corsair RM 450W (Fully modular)
Reason: Fully modular and Gold Plus certified so it has very good performance an it is very quiet and has 0 RPM mode. *Not sure what is the best wattage for the build I'm using.
Case Fan (Front of case) - Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (x1)
Reason: Can connect through Corsair link and I'd prefer a dedicated cooler over the stock fans. Quiet series for less noise and it has the advantage of the rubber corners and customizability of rings. Air flow series for good overall case airflow.
Case Fan (Radiator) - Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (x2)
Reason: Can connect through Corsair link and I'd prefer a dedicated cooler over the stock fans.Quiet series for less noise and it has the advantage of the rubber corners and customizability of rings. Static pressure series to move that air from the radiator.

I'm planning on installing Windows 8.1 through USB.

Link to build on PCPartPicker: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/RiceHulk/saved/cMvmP6

My budget is not set in stone, but I hope to get it under or around $1250-1750 CAN because I could always save up for a longer amount of time or wait until Cyber Monday later this year.

Sorry if this was like a novel, but I just felt like I should have explained everything and all my thought processes. Please give constructive criticism if you can. Thank you!
 
Solution
If you're not building until late 2015 then you will be better off coming back right before you plan on building to ask for component suggestions. Computer components change often and what we recommend now will likely change by the end of the year.
Good build, though if you aren't upgrading, I recommend a i7 4790K and the Maximus VII instead (CPU because it's more powerful and you'll be streaming. Motherboard because it's a newer version of the VI...).

I personally have the i5-4690K, Corsair Vengeance Pro RAM, and H100i and they are all wonderful. A quick warning though, I have an asus motherboard (z97-A) and the Fan Xpert 3 hates bsods, so if you do overclock then expect some weird things with the fan xpert 3. Nothing really bad but things like settings that keep switching back to default.

Only thing to change is the PSU, NOT what you need in a high performance system. Your gona need a Corsair HX or AX PSU. But since those are more expensive, some cheaper/better options are SeaSonics psus (btw corsair hx and axi series use seasonic components). The RM series might sound cool, but they still use cheaper parts. And if you want a long lasting system then you need a PSU that can last.
 


I'm sorry I was unclear, what I meant by "streaming" I meant watching a lot of anime, YouTube, Twitch streams, etc. I believe the 4690K will hold for that.

When I chose the Maximus VI Impact I was thinking of the lower price point and only needing a BIOS update from a USB. I was somewhat aware of the VII version but it looked like just a much more expensive alternative. I'd like to know some specific beneficial components the VII has that the VI lacked or did worse in comparison that the VII has improved on. From what little I know of it, it seems to be a top of the line board and looks like it lives up to its price. I'll consider it as I can just save up more for it as I don't really have a set time to build it or a solid budget.

I'll be using a different Motherboard so I hope that my luck with Fan Xpert works in my favour.

I'll consider the Corsair HX series [Probably 650W (Unless I need 750W?)] but if you have any good suggestions from SeaSonics, I'd like to know some specific names because I've heard quite a few good reviews about their PSUs but I haven't personally looked into them. Thank you for the feedback, it was quite helpful to me!
 
Great build, but there is some wasted money. This one would have more bang for your buck:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($138.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($73.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($348.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling ACF8 Pro PWM 80mm Fan ($7.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-20025KK-RP 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1157.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-07 12:29 EST-0500
 
I plan on overclocking so I'm going to keep the 4690K.
I chose the Maximus series because it has built in Wi-Fi as with my circumstances I am completely unable to utilise an Ethernet cable and I'm unable to use a Powerline adapter. I also plan to bring this around when I'm on the move, so the built-in Wi-Fi is great.
I've heard nice things about the Mushkin brand, but I'm not completely sure it'll look so good with the colour scheme going on.
The 850 EVO series looks pretty nice and I was unaware of it, thanks!
I plan on the Strix because of its 0dB mode as I value good silence.
I decided I'd go with that Seasonic model as it seems to fit well in this system and it has had good reviews.
For cooling, I think I'll keep open to suggestions, but if not I'd stay with my Corsair solution as liquid cooling is great and the Corsair link seems quite nice. Either way, I don't think I'd need 80mm fans if I get a 200mm fan that will move a lot of air. I'd have to research some more 240mm liquid coolers and good static pressure fans, but I think I'll be set on getting a 200mm fan.
As for the reason why I'm starting so early, I chose to do so so that I can get a good understanding of what I'll be saving towards and so that I can evolve the system during the year when certain components come out and I'll swap some if need be.
I also prefer just Newegg as a merchant for ease.
 
I would suggest you don't overclock as dollar for dollar, the 100+$ you spend won't give you a hugely significant boost. Here are some benchmarks: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/devils-canyon-review-intel-core-i7-4790k-and-i5-4690k/3
You can see that in benchmarks (not in games), you get a performance increase (at 4.7 GHz, which isn't too common of an overclock), but if I spend 100$ to overclock, I would expect at least a 50% performance gain, but you only get around 10-30%. In games, the performance increase you'll will be less.
 
Also, have a look at this:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZR_aGZppjg"][/video]

The GPU's fans also don't spin (at low loads) while in operation. It also fits the red/black color scheme better than the Strix (which is a sort of black-brownish color).
 
Since I am dead set going the Mini ITX route there isn't exactly that much clearance for really great air CPU coolers. Most high-end air coolers don't have enough clearance to fit the Corsair 250D. That's kinda why I'm opting for the liquid cooling.
That video has opened my eyes and I think I'll change the Strix for this Frozr because I thought that only the Strix had that kind of silent-like mode.
As for overclocking, I wouldn't want to waste the Maximus VII's potential as an overclockable motherboard and try to push what I can. I believe that water cooling is going to be the better solution if I am going to overclock my CPU (along with the problem with many high-end air coolers).
I have heard that the Cooler Master Seidon 240M knocks out the Corsair H100i in terms of performance, so I suppose I could use that along with the Corsair SP120s. I'd change the 120mm fan I have for the case for a 200mm fan like the Cooler Master Megaflow 200mm.
As for the wasting money situation, that doesn't really matter too much to me as long as it is not a huge superficial money waste. I can just save up some more money as it's not too big a deal, it'll just take longer to build and in that time more compelling products may catch my eye.

Current revision of build:
CPU (Intel) - Intel Quad-Core i5 4690K (Unchanged)
CPU Cooler (Liquid) - Cooler Master Seidon 240M *Beats out H100i, Corsair Link sounded interesting, but not compelling enough.
Motherboard (Mini ITX) - Asus Maximus VII Impact *Newer version of the Impact.
Memory - Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) (Red) (Unchanged)
Storage (SSD) - Samsung 840 EVO 120GB *I realized that 250GB might be a little too much for me.
Storage (HDD) - Western Digital Black Series 1TB (64GB Cache) (Unchanged)
Video Card - MSI GeForce GTX 970 Twin Frozr V *Pointed out as better choice.
Case (Mini ITX) - Corsair 250D (Unchanged)
Power Supply - Seasonic G 550W *Pointed out as better choice.
Case Fan (Front of case) - Cooler Master Megaflow (Black, no LED) *200mm fan better for moving air than a 120mm fan.
Case Fan (Radiator) - Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (x2) (Unchanged)
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I think I have a good idea of what I'd want to put in my system. I think waiting IS the best idea. If I feel like I'd need some more help again I think this website can help me easily. :)