I've got the itch - PC build help thread

[patrickula]

Kepler got me interested in finally building a new rig, and Steam's Big Picture mode has pushed me over the edge. The availability of Mini ITX is very appealing to me as I'd be able to leave the machine with the TV most of the time and easily carry it elsewhere for any intensive photo/graphics work. Ease of LAN usage would be a bonus if I had anyone to LAN with.

I've done some research and here's what I'm thinking now:

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini ITX LGA1155
CPU: i5-3570k
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12 37.8 CFM
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Power Supply: Silverstone ST50F-P Strider Plus 500W ATX12V / EPS12V + PP05 short cable kit
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" SSD + Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM HD

Does this look like a good 1080p gaming build?
It could be cheaper but it could also cost more. I'm trying to get the best semi-futureproof rig I can without majorly overkilling and overspending. For instance, I'd rather save the 200 bucks it would take to get the GTX 680 and use it to upgrade the GPU in a few years to something much better. I'm sure 16 gigs of RAM are more than needed right now, but it's not a very expensive upgrade so I figured why not. Low noise is good and I'm not thinking too much of overclocking for the time being.

Thanks for any help 

[Pringo]

Looks good to me. The only thing that seems like an obvious option to cut would be the extra 8 GB of RAM, but as you already said it's pretty cheap nowadays so it won't really make a big difference either way. I don't really have much experience with Mini-ITX so I can't really comment on that part although I'd be interested in seeing how that works out for you. I'd like to build an HTPC one day but I'd probably go for a different form factor case myself.

[Madrun Badrun]

Don't cut the ram if you plan to upgrade.  The ripjaws come in sets that don't seem to work with doubling up. 

[Pringo]

Don't cut the ram if you plan to upgrade.  The ripjaws come in sets that don't seem to work with doubling up. 

What do you mean by doubling up?

[Madrun Badrun]

Buying two 8GB sets separately. If he decided latter that he needs 16GB he can't use his original 8GB.

[Pringo]

Buying two 8GB sets separately. If he decided latter that he needs 16GB he can't use his original 8GB.

Ah. That's pretty bizarre. I've never heard of RAM having that issue before.

[Madrun Badrun]

Me either.  I have the 8GB set and I'm kinda pissed

[benjipwns]

One thing I might wonder about is the power supply, but I've never been good at figuring that out properly.

[Fifstar]

If you want to oc, make sure your board supports it, I missed that when I built my pc recently.

[patrickula]

Thanks for the tips! Glad to hear I don't seem to have anything wrong.

The power supply was a bit tricky to figure out and I'm still not positive it's the best option. Apparently a shorter power supply (and a modular one) is better in the Prodigy because there isn't a ton of clearance in that spot. I've seen that Silverstone mentioned as an option but there doesn't seem to be a consensus choice so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a better option out there. It's a pretty new case and format.

I'm not positive that the Prodigy is the best case in the mini ITX format either but it's relatively cheap and apparently easy to work in. Some of the other cases I've looked at might be preferable but they require a slim optical drive and I haven't been able to find an OEM slim blu ray drive for sale (though I know they exist since PC makers use them). I'll do a bit more case research today anyway. The Lian Li PC-Q08 might be an option but I'd have to figure out how to turn the fan light off and it doesn't seem as easy to work with.

The motherboard should support overclocking. It's what Maingear uses in their mini ITX machine and they offer an overclocking service with it.

[patrickula]

Welp, I ordered stuff. Can't wait to put it together 
I ended up going back down to 8GB of RAM and increasing the SSD size to 180GB. I ordered low profile Corsair Vengeance to ensure clearance with the CPU cooler, which I switched to a the Noctua CH12P SE14. I know this combo works safely on the motherboard I'm getting.
I also ended up switching to one of those 670's that's apparently basically a 680, as it was an alright deal.
If anyone is interested I can post up some pics when I put it together, hopefully everything goes well.

[benjipwns]

If it's not too much trouble to snap a few shots, I'd like to see the insides and such. Since it's Mini-ITX and how you got everything in there.

Don't feel like you need to though. Just if you think of it.