PCPartPicker
  • Log In
  • Register

Build

Mini-ITX Gaming PC **updated with 3DMark 11 Benchmarks**

by Brandonandon

280
109 Comments

Permalink

Part List View full price breakdown

Details

CPU Clock Rate

3.8GHz

CPU Temperature While Idle

38.0° C

CPU Temperature Under Load

70.0° C

GPU Core Clock Rate

1.19GHz

GPU Effective Memory Clock Rate

6.21GHz

GPU Temperature While Idle

32.0° C

GPU Temperature Under Load

70.0° C

Description

This build was completed late May/early June 2012. Take that into account when criticizing it.

This PC was built primarily for gaming. I wish that the cooling were more efficient. I'd like to be able to overclock it a bit more, as CPU overclocks seem to make Dolphin run faster. I chose not to overclock my GPU for now, as I value less noise over higher framerates (I have most games locked at 59 w/ v-sync). In the future I may overclock more, or just buy a new GPU.

I had to sacrifice my slim disk drive and HDD and SSD slots so I could use the radiator and two fan set up for the H60. I probably should have gotten the SG08 instead of the SG06 so that this could have been avoided, or I should have just gone for a different cooler. I have my SSD velcroed to the side of my PSU, and I have notebook HDD velcroed near the front of the case. I wish I had room for a full size HDD to record gameplay, but the notebook HDD will do for now.

I love how compact my system is, as I take it to and from college with ease. I definitely recommend building a mini-ITX gaming rig. It weighs in at only 12.2 lbs.

**Edit: Sorry that the pics are in a random order. I've also included a screenshot of my fan curve for the GPU (note that the EVGA FTW only has a minimum of 30% and max of 80%). I could easily have lower GPU temps, but I choose for it to be quiet above all.

Comments Sorted by:

CheesyHotDogPuff 15 points 55 months ago

Imagine putting some entry level components in there... it would be perfect for someone who is crossing over from console. BTW, great job.

Permalink
Abd3l4l 1 point 45 months ago

Well I am coming from consoles and I want to get a gaming pc it will be my firs time.Is this a good build to buy?what are level components.

Permalink
mrmagicalmax 1 point 36 months ago

entry level components are the less hardcore parts, I suppose. that's the best I could explain it.

Permalink
kangaroomoo89 1 point 6 months ago

so i am someone transferring from console to PC, I currently use an hp workstation with an i7 core would i be able to take that part out of this laptop, use it for the new build, and buy a cheaper used one for the laptop?

Permalink
myles_dumontelle 1 point 3 months ago

No...you wouldn't be able to swap your cpu out of your laptop...you'd have to take out the mobo with the cpu and put it in the chassis of your new console build

Permalink
zailiner 1 Build 6 points 55 months ago

How heavy is it?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 14 points 55 months ago

Just weighed it. 12.2 lbs.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 5 points 55 months ago

It honestly doesn't feel that heavy to me... Maybe 15 pounds? Perhaps 20? I could be off by a large margin. But it truly doesn't feel heavy to me. I can curl it easily. hahah I'll have to check at some point.

Permalink
Spirafall 1 Build 11 points 55 months ago

Weigh it against your college textbook(s). _~

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 3 points 55 months ago

I'm far and away from them right now, on vacation with the fam. :) I'll be sure to report back with a more accurate figure soon!

Permalink
Javanode 1 Build 10 points 53 months ago

why did you leave that babe home alone :(

Permalink
renewhm 5 points 52 months ago

man, copy-cating this build feels so tempting. I want a gaming pc around this price range, but what are some things I can sacrifice for a lower pricE?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 5 points 52 months ago

You could go with a cheaper CPU, CPU, or both. You could also use the stock cooler on the CPU if you don't plan on overclocking. Also, you could go with an HDD instead of an SSD. There are cheaper mobos out there too. Basically how it works is you set your price and optimize from there.

Permalink
renewhm 1 point 52 months ago

dang. I wouldn't change the CPU, but I don't plan on overclocking either. Isn't the non-k version of the cpu cheaper? This mobo I looked at is only 20 cheapermore than the one you have, but this is one is for the small case. Dude, thanks for this build. I'm keeping this one in mind. I was planning on going for full case, but this build of yours is changing my mind.

I mean this build should be nice for gaming these next 2-3 years, right?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 52 months ago

Just as nice as the same parts would be in a bigger case. :P

Unless you have more than one GPU, you really don't need a full ATX case.

Permalink
renewhm 1 point 52 months ago

Yeah, that's what I thought. I don't plan on doing SLI. Man, thanks a lot. I'll be sure to look at your build again. Take it easy.

Permalink
Eatin_Sundip 1 Build 1 point 50 months ago

Prolly a cheaper GPU because a 670 is a pretty tanky card.

Permalink
RiskYourBuild 3 points 55 months ago

Really nice, did you overclock your CPU? I ordered the same cooler, how good is't?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 55 months ago

I "overclocked" it to 3.8, which is the turbo boost frequency. No changes to voltages or anything. It's decent. I think it could perform better in a larger case with better fans. I have my temps posted here.

Permalink
[comment hidden]
DePlane -14 points 55 months ago

CM's Hyper 212 EVO preforms just a few degrees hotter than this and it's half the price. I don't know why everyone is watercooling. It's a waste of money.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 9 points 55 months ago

A Hyper 212 won't fit in a mini-ITX case, though I do have one in an ATX build.

Permalink
Chesten 3 points 55 months ago

It looks cleaner and Its not to much more, I mean A H-60 can be had got 10-20 more then a 212 evo, and for ITX, i don't think you could get a 212 in there. that's just my take on it, I guess its personal preference

Permalink
ghostroaster5 1 point 37 months ago

Because all the kool kids watercool nowadays.

Permalink
Sh4dow_Ph4ntom 1 Build 1 point 37 months ago

because they're water-COOL ;)

sorry I'll be going now

Permalink
suihigh 1 Build 2 points 55 months ago

O__O wow awesome is all i can say!!! :D

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Thanks!

Permalink
TestBuilds 2 points 55 months ago

So you're using the power supply that came with the case... At least it's from Silverstone. Does it work well?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 3 points 55 months ago

Yeah, I'm pulling about 260 watts AC when running BF3 on max, according to my Kill A Watt. I'm sure it peaks higher, and maybe other games would push it higher, but it seems to do the job. Keep in mind I haven't had an issue in six months of gaming.

Permalink
TestBuilds 3 points 55 months ago

Well that's great! If only more people saw this and learned that you don't need a ridiculously powerful power supply, especially for a single GPU.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 55 months ago

Yeah, well PCPartPicker does a great job of estimating the required wattage. I hope people start learning from it, as it's often much less than most think!

Permalink
IamApropos 3 Builds 2 points 55 months ago

The PCPartPicker brigade loved your build a +45, absolutely awesome!! :D

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

I know! Makes me happy. :) I hope more people start building these little powerhouses!

Permalink
vN3MO 1 Build 2 points 51 months ago

I just bought this case and a new mobo because of you. Im switching from a extreme 4 in a NZXT Phantom FULL tower all the way to the smallest case ive seen. I was planning to sli but now im thinking no way rather not have this giant thing next to my legs. Besides I can sell the 660ti and get a 680 or a 7970.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 51 months ago

Exactly man. :) Go for the 7970 gHz edition. Or if you care about noise, maybe the 680. But performance-wise the 7970 shines. You've built your first real desktop PC, as it can actually fit on a desk now. :P Show me your build when you put it up here!

Permalink
jimbo118 1 Build 2 points 46 months ago

F****** amazing!!

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 44 months ago

Thank you. :)

Permalink
malcar11 3 Builds 2 points 45 months ago

The cutest PC I've seen in a loong time! congrats.

Permalink
Gooberdad 7 Builds 2 points 44 months ago

wow. very nice. thanks for the reference soda can. that machine it's tiny! Love it.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 44 months ago

Thanks!

Permalink
brandonmorgan1234 1 point 55 months ago

Looks very sweet very mobile. How do you like your SSD? I have herd bad things about crucial.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

The M4 is known to the PC building community as one of the most reliable SSD's out there. It's really great, and quite fast from my experience. It's great having a fast boot-up time. Starting up my computer is a joy.

Permalink
brandonmorgan1234 1 point 55 months ago

Hmm i was looking of putting a crucial in my laptop and it had bad reviews. Must have just been the one i was looking at...Still an amazing build for how small it is.

Permalink
Domination468 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

I love mini-itx builds that have powerful components in them! Stupendous job, very nice pictures too!

Permalink
MrWhiteMacaroon 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Great build, and if you don't mind telling me, what camera you used to take the pic?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Canon 40D. I wasn't too pleased with the pictures, and was planning on taking it apart and rebuilding to get some better ones, but who knows if I'll ever get around to it. But I guess they turned out fine. :)

Permalink
CheesyHotDogPuff 1 point 55 months ago

BTW Can you put a dvd burner in there?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

You can only put a slimdrive DVD reader in it. I'm not sure if they make slimdrive DVD burners. I couldn't fit a slimdrive in mine because the radiator and two fans got in the way of the metal bracket that would have housed it. If I made a modification to the bracket I could fit the slimdrive, I believe. It's just that currently there is also a 3.5 and 2.5 slot as part of the bracket as well. Does that make sense?

Permalink
CheesyHotDogPuff 1 point 55 months ago

So if I didn't have a radiator for water cooling I could fit one in?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Yes, the metal bracket that it comes with could hold a slimdrive, a 3.5" HDD, and a 2.5" SSD/HDD. I do believe they make slimdrive DVD burners btw. What type of cooling would you try to use?

You could also check out the SG08, another excellent mini-ITX case in which you could still use an H60/80 and still have the slimdrive slot, the 3.5", and the 2.5". It also has the advantage of using a normal, ATX PSU, although the case is slightly larger and more expensive.

Permalink
CheesyHotDogPuff 1 point 55 months ago

I would be using intel stock with a 3.5 drive and maybe an upgrade to add a ssd in the future. Would it all fit?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Yes, that should all fit in the case just fine. :) Pro-tip: Put in the GPU right after you have the mobo completely hooked up (power to the board, connect all the front panel connectors and pwr / reset etc). I had to get mine in from the front by taking out the fan and sliding it through the opening.

Permalink
ArkAngel_X 1 point 55 months ago

Very nice build, this may seem weird, but what camera are you using to take your shots?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Canon 40D. :)

Permalink
ArkAngel_X 1 point 55 months ago

Sweet. How's the motherboard? I was thinking about doing an mini-ITX mobile gaming build.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

No problems so far. One of the great things about this motherboard is that it gets through post really fast, much faster than my full-featured ASUS P67 mobo. It has some cool features, too, like the ability to update the BIOS from the BIOS settings, if you have an uninhibited ethernet connection. It also has automatic fan controllers that kick up the fan speeds if you go over a target temp. Check out the ASRock website for more details on the board, but I think it's great.

Permalink
raptorhead 1 point 55 months ago

Thanks for this build! I think it is amazing. It's given me a lot of ideas. I'm looking for a supplemental system of sorts to handle certain operations while I'm using my primary. This kind of build is perfect! I salute you, sir.

Permalink
Smily 1 point 55 months ago

Beautiful.

Permalink
jkiamsh 1 point 53 months ago

is the 450w power enough? for overclocking ?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

Yeah, I have about 150+ watts of headroom. So it definitely is.

Permalink
thereddog 2 Builds 1 point 53 months ago

I just did a SG06 build and also used an Asus motherboard. The AI Suite is awful, taking CPU temps from the socket and not the CPU cores. Stress testing my PC, HW Mon shows 70C, while AI Suite reports 50C. Wish I could at least offset the temps. I'd take a look at your fan profile and adjust accordingly.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

I have an ASRock motherboard actually. Haven't run into that issue, although the PWM mobo fan control kinda sucks on my board. Runs at a user specified speed (1-10) until reaching a certain user specified temperature threshold, then shoots up to max.

Permalink
Noob616 1 Build 1 point 52 months ago

Looking at doing something similar. Going to try and save a bit of coin by switching the SDD for an HDD and getting an SDD at a boxing day sale or something. Really nice build and this is perfect, I'm in the same situation where I want to have a solid gaming build that's convenient to take to and from university.

Permalink
bgiunt4 1 point 52 months ago

Well. Im a junior in highschool and i just built a mid tower pc. When i go off to college ill probably build something like this. VERY NICE!!

Permalink
bgiunt4 1 point 52 months ago

how does the 670 work on the 450w PSU since it is rated to need a 500w?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 3 points 52 months ago

Those ratings aren't accurate. Look at this. Add on your mobo, CPU, disk drives, storage etc. Still way under 450W. PCPartPicker estimates my wattage at 316, and I've never seen it reach that high. PCPartPicker seems to do an excellent job of estimating wattage for your system.

Permalink
Dead-Xilence 1 Build 1 point 52 months ago

The world's fastest toaster, bar none! Nice build!!

Permalink
ZombieHippie 1 Build 1 point 51 months ago

Very cool! I wish I saw this before I built my Mini ITX! Maybe I would have changed my design. Very cool

Permalink
doggybear 1 point 51 months ago

Will this build work on a much lower GPU like 7770?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 51 months ago

Definitely! That GPU is smaller and requires far less wattage, so you'd be fine. :)

Permalink
TripleRPD 1 point 50 months ago

I'm looking to make a build exactly like this, but with a 680 or 7970. Will these cards fit and stay cool?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 50 months ago

A 680 will fit, and stay plenty cool (from my experience). A blower style GPU is recommended, like the one I used. These are GPU's with a single fan that exhaust out of the rear of the case. This ensures that heat does not build up.

The 7970 is too long for the SG06. If you want to fit a 7970, I recommend the Silverstone SG08. Similar form factor to this case, only longer. Comes with a full size 600W PSU. Check it out! (I actually recently switched to it because I'm going to experiment with water cooling)

Permalink
TRIBOB 1 Build 1 point 47 months ago

If you buy a new GPU then can I have your old one?:D]

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 47 months ago

I actually upgraded to a 770. hah

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 47 months ago

But the old GPU is gone.

Permalink
Coroff 1 point 47 months ago

Is this build particularly good for things like Blender, Unity, and Dolphin? I make Minecraft renders often, then port them to Unity to add animations and other things to it. My laptop can barely handle LoZ: Wind Waker (My favorite) and I want to build a PC strong enough to run it at full FPS and render animations relatively quick. (I know I'll need to wait like a few days to finish a one minute animation, but that's fine)

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 47 months ago

I honestly haven't used it for Blender or Unity, but it runs Dolphin great. I've played a few games on it in full HD at solid FPS. Honestly, I would imagine an i5 and 670 would do great for Blender or Unity, though I imagine that an i7 (which has hyperthreading) and 16 GB of RAM would improve rendering performance.

You should probably check out some forums specific to rendering and see what type of builds people are using. I highly recommend the ITX form factor, though, and you'd be able use an i7 and 16 GB of RAM with an ITX motherboard.

Let me know if you need any help selecting parts! :)

Permalink
my 1 Build 1 point 46 months ago

I'm building up a Haswell box based on this chassis (and your overall build).

Curious: where do you put the second fan? I ordered the same fans you did (but got the quiet versions), but I can't think of where the second fan would go in the chassis.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 46 months ago

I used a push/pull configuration on the H60. Hope that helps!

Permalink
NTan07 1 Build 1 point 43 months ago

Did u know you can put a MSATA SSD underneath your ASRock motherboard?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 42 months ago

hah That's actually pretty cool. I'm satisfied with my nice, enclosed SSD being velcroed though. :)

Permalink
Radfordhound 1 point 41 months ago

Hi. This build looks impressive! It looks very powerful yet very slim and portable.

I'm just wondering exactly how powerful it is.

See, when it comes to software I can basically do anything. I've programmed tons of games on my ancient PC just for fun and even made homebrew games for the wii and ds. But when it comes to hardware... yeah. Not so good at that. I fixed a xbox 360 from rrod once. But that's the most impressive hardware-related thing I've ever done.

So, when it comes to hardware I'm a idiot and would like to know if this PC can do the following.

1: Would this be good for

 A: Recording Minecraft/Garry's Mod at 1080p 60 fps with settings on high? Or at least medium? From it's specs it looks  powerful enough to run minecraft/gmod on high at 60 fps, but not record it at that 60 fps level. Again, I'm a hardware idiot so please correct me if I'm wrong. What about Sonic Generations, which from what I understand is a much more resource hungry game? If I could record sonic generations at 1080p/60 fps with this thing I'd be ecstatic!

 B: Emulating wii games at high settings with Dolphin? I'd love to finally be able to play Sonic Colors in 1080p without lag. Even more so, is it strong enough to actually record these emulated games? I doubt it, because as powerful as this is for it's price, you basically need a supercomputer to record a wii game in dolphin with settings on high. But, again, I'm probably wrong.

 C: Livestreamng/video editing? I mean, hardcore Sony Vegas editing and XSplit streaming. I want to go pro and get these programs but my current ancient single-cored build with a integrated gpu couldn't possibly get close to doing any of these.

2: How easy is this to build? Does everything click in place? Or do you have to solder anything? Considering Arctic Silver is on the list I'm a bit concerned that there's more then just clicking parts in and screwing the case together on this build.

3: Is it noisy/hot? Do the fans work well enough in such a small case to keep heat out? And how loud is this, exactly?

Thanks to anyone who answers my noobish questions. XD Also, I don't expect a 700 dollar build this small to be a ultra-super computer. I was just curious if something like this had enough power to satisfy those needs. If I just wanted to game it wouldn't be so hard to find a good PC, but I want to do more. I want to RECORD and even LIVESTREAM these games on the same PC! So, quite honestly, I doubt this has the power to do so. But I was just wondering. Thanks again. :)

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 38 months ago

A) The world of recording has changed with the advent of GPU H.264 transcoding on the fly. This not only takes the load off the CPU, but also lowers the bitrate so that even slow storage can keep up. Look into NVIDIA's Shadowplay technology for more information. You would be able to record at 60 FPS at max quality, a desk honestly the compression is pretty good. If you want full quality recording, you'd need a program like Dxtory and a beefier CPU (i7 quad or hexacore) and some storage specifically dedicated to recording in the build, ie secondary storage.

B) I played through LoZ: Skyward Sword at 4x native resolution, scaled down to 1080P with Dolphin. Absolutely beautiful. Recording full quality would not be possible, but using Shadowplay it may be possible. I will be away from my PC til November, so I can't check on this. Sorry. :/

C: For video editing, it is always best to go with an i7 processor as hyperthreading really shines in such applications. As for livestreaming, Shadowplay integrates with Twitch. You can really see that I'm a big fan of Shadowplay. This is because it only causes about a 5% loss of performance for a slight compression. It's amazing. Unless you're planning on going with a hexacore processor and an SSD for a secondary drive, recording uncompressed gameplay at 60FPS, 1080P, max settings is going to be impossible.

2: Everything fits together just like Legos. Very easy. Thermal paste is perhaps the one part that isn't exactly like Legos, but if you watch some YouTube videos you can learn how to do it very easily. Small ITX cases are a bit cramped and hard to build if you have big hands, but but I think it's still doable.

3: Noise is a big issue for me. I've spent hours researching fans and noise dampening solutions. I keep my fans controlled using SpeedFan, which can be used to regulate speed based on whatever you set it up to respond to, such as CPU core temps. Note that fans can only be regulated if plugged into your motherboard. Heat isn't an issue for my GPU, as the heat from the radiator for the CPU is blowing out of the case, ensuring the GPU is sucking in cool air. The CPU does well, but only as well as your cooling solution. In a small case, your choices are limited. My H60 performs as well as expected for an H60, and could do better if I didn't hate the noise of loud fans so much.

Hope that helps!

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 0 points 38 months ago

I've been out of the country. I am so sorry for not getting back to you. I will reply in full very soon. Hope you see this!

Permalink
AtomicNarb 1 point 39 months ago

You should probably upgrade to DDR 1600 8 GB RAM.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 38 months ago

Pretty insignificant difference in FPS from what I've read. But yeah, ideally I'd be running 1866 Mhz or higher.

Permalink
LamboGames 1 point 31 months ago

Have you ever heard of the Corsair 250D? The cooling on that case is EPIC. Every intake in the case is filtered and can fit all new graphics cards (GTX 970, 980) Its a really nice case, you should look into it :)

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 28 months ago

I like that case but it is a bit too large for my taste. It looks really nice though. For some reason I just have an obsession with tiny cases. There are some really cool ones in the pipeline from users like the Kimera Industries Nova and the A4-SFX. Look them up! :)

Permalink
dv1217 1 point 19 months ago

can this pc run GTA V?

Permalink
2Huskies 2 Builds 1 point 18 months ago

I have the same CPU and video card in my "XBOX 1080" build, and I can run GTA V on Ultra settings. I am only running it at 1080P though due to that being the resolution of both my TV and PC monitor. Great job Brandonandon on your mini-ITX gaming PC!

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 8 months ago

I haven't run it, but it should be able to. I know GTA V is pretty poorly optimized and that a beefier CPU would be ideal, such as a current i7 processor.

Permalink
ThatBossFabulous 1 point 17 months ago

Does it have to be liquid cooling to use this without it overheating too quickly? Or is it just preference, because i would like to actually make this build, but i do not want to have to deal with the high maintenance of liquid cooling.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 8 months ago

There is no maintenance on this type of liquid cooling. You could easily use another solution, but just be aware of height restrictions.

Permalink
obl2013 0 points 51 months ago

Thanks for sharing! But why you chose Z77E-ITX rather than extreme4 or even extreme 6, since you would probably overclock. BTW, it closed to what I really want!

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 51 months ago

Those are ATX motherboards. This case is for ITX motherboards. I've been able to successfully OC to 4.4, which is good enough for me.

Permalink
NickHammer 1 Build 0 points 41 months ago

lol whats your camera???

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 38 months ago

Canon 40D.

Permalink
anderl12 -1 points 55 months ago

I hope you didn't use that OEM power supply.

Permalink
CheesyHotDogPuff 2 points 55 months ago

Silverstone make decent power supplies, and he can get away with the lower amount of watts because he is using a mini-itx mobo, uses less power.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 2 points 55 months ago

I'm pulling about 260 watts AC when running BF3 on max, according to my Kill A Watt. I'm sure it peaks higher, and maybe other games would push it higher, but it seems to do the job. Keep in mind I haven't had an issue in six months of gaming. The OEM PSU is great. As CheesyHotDogPuff said, Silverstone makes pretty good PSUs.

Permalink
anderl12 1 point 55 months ago

Well, I'd still prefer getting any other ( not saying you should get ).

Permalink
theboz 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

Nice. I'm pretty surprised that is all the power your system is pulling. I definitely knew the OEM PSU from Silverstone was not a worthless piece of garbage. Running at that speed, your PSU will have an absolutely full/normal life span. Nice.

I would LOVE to have you plug that other system I discussed into a Kill-A-Watt to see what kind of juice it was using. I believe the 560 Ti spec sheet shows a significantly higher power consumption (and likely more heat coming off of it).

Man, I need to get me one of these mini-itx rigs. I'm on my wife's stinking Apple iMac right now! It is 5 years old! Yuck!

Permalink
IamApropos 3 Builds -2 points 55 months ago

You have a great little build. You honestly would not have gained very much from a 7970. I have recently done benchmarks with 670 vs 680 vs ASUS Matrix 7970 and the difference was mainly only with tessellation off. With tessellation on the 7970 only out performed the 670 by 4-9FPS on Max FPS and did HALF the minimum FPS of the 670. Yes there are some cheap 7970s that come within price range of expensive 670s but I don't think the difference can be seen with in game performance only benchmarks, unless you got hit with the low minimum frames of the 7970.

great build again - I might add the ssd you chose is on par in my opinion with the samsung because of its dependability and known reliability. Happy gaming!

The Benchmark Comparing the 3 cards - This comparing a Gigabyte GTX 670 $370 670 to a $499 ASUS Matrix 7970

Permalink
Xareh 4 Builds 3 points 55 months ago

they weren't noticeable though... unigine was pretty static at 50+FPS...

Permalink
IamApropos 3 Builds 1 point 55 months ago

I'd consider the ASUS Matrix a power performer, it was solid and did beat the competition cards in every single test. It is weird the card didn't dip into low FPS during the bench, only displayed low minimums at the very start. The rest of the results seemed stable.

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

Thanks for the comparison! Makes me feel a little bit better. :) But even if the 7970 outperformed the 670 by a significant margin, I've gotten a good 6 months of use out of my 670. No regrets. :)

Permalink
IamApropos 3 Builds 1 point 55 months ago

After seeing your build I'm nearly tempted to build myself a little portable monster in a can!! Probably use a Prodigy but who knows. Have you tried overclocking the GPU at all?

Permalink
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 55 months ago

I spent a few hours one night working on it, but found that my card really didn't overclock that well. GPU temps aren't really something to worry about with this card, as the fan blows straight out the back. You should be able to overclock just like with any other system. My build was dictated by going as small as possible, just because mini-ITX intrigued me so much. I the Prodigy is significantly larger, but does offer more, so I see why you would go with it.

Permalink
[comment deleted]
[comment deleted]
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 53 months ago

Certainly. :) I'm much more knowledgeable now then I was when I first built it. Ask away! I'd even be willing to build you a system, for a small fee. :) But if not, my advice is free!

Permalink
[comment deleted]
Brandonandon submitter 1 Build 1 point 52 months ago
Permalink
[comment deleted]
[comment deleted]