Suggestions welcome for a mini-itx build...

Hey guys, out of boredom waiting for MXM upgrades(that look like they won't come) for my Alienware 18 and already having a X99 system. I've been contemplating/daydreaming building a m-itx to act as a HTPC to game with and have my movies on so I don't have to use my laptop. So I already have some components that I will use.

OWN: bought all these on sale. I bide my time and bargin shop...Yes I'm thrifty like that
POWER SUPPLY - AX860
HARD DRIVE with OS - Samsung 850 EVO 500gb
CASE - NZXT Manta or CORSAIR 380T(would match my 780T tower) don't ask why I ended up with 2 cases probable sell unused one on kijiji

I would appreciate suggestions on where to go from here with the rest of the components and which of these cases I should use. So....

0) CASE manta or 380t???

1)HARD DRIVE STORAGE??? 2 TB at least need to be reputable and reliable over performance...maybe raid as 2 3.5'' drives will fit in these cases.

2)GPU???? obviously would need to be bad ass cuz I can only use one.

3)CPU??? wait for zen/ kaby lake/Broadwell-e/wait for Skylake X....ect.....

4)MOBO??? who makes a reliable itx board for said processors with a nice layout. Would need wifi built in

5)OS??? Hot topic. My other desktop has win X. I don't HATE it but don't LOVE it either. defiantly has glitches which is why I kept win 8.1 on my laptop.

6)HEATSINK??? both cases will fit some largish AIO. H100i maybe? Noctua SFF stuff like NH-U9S. Manta will fit larger air coolers the 380t will fit 150mm height.

7)RAM??? 2x8gb of just 2133 Kingston hyper X? 16 GB should do it...

8)OPTICAL DRIVE???sadly these cases don't have a external 5.25'' bay slot so option's for an external blue ray drive(I dont know if I really need it as I have a blue ray player in my home theater setup but might be nice to have in case) / maybe modifying the case and put a slim drive inside somewhere?

9) MOUSE/KEYBOARD???Would been to be wireless with good range

 

Looking into a mitx build as well, though more md-ranged. But here are my two cents:

Drive: Personally I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to brand though currently I'm using WD Blues and those work well for what they are (cheap, bulk storage). However, if you plan on RAID, you should look into NAS drives (WD Red, for example) as using regular drives can cause major headaches (dropping out of RAID often, for example).

GPU: Well, if you're looking for high end, I'd suggest the R9 Fury, since that seems to be the most powerful short-length GPU on the market today.

CPU: Current tech is just fine, so if you need it now just buy what's out now.

 

Thanks for the reply

I will look into the reds as it turns out there on sale right now at memory express a local computer parts dealer so that is nice!! Most likely will pick a couple up when I get home. (I'm at work out of town at the moment)

Both these cases will fit even the longest of gpu's and space isn't of concern as these are on the large side if not the largest size of m-itx cases. I do like the fury but it is already obsoleted due to the 4gb frame buffer and these dev's cant code if there life depended on it.

I should clarify I'm not in a rush to get this thing built. It more of just a hobby project so I'm in no hurry to grab a current cpu and am willing to patently wait to see if zen turns out or what.

 

Any one else have anything to say I thought people on forums love to give opinions.....

 

I think if you're gonna build a HTPC, then I think silence should be one of the major requirements of the PC. Either some wicked cooling systems that can cool immensely even at low fan RPM or choosing lower powered GPUs & CPUs that don't kick out lots of heat: but depends on how much gaming power you want & what resolution you'll be running at - those would be my general philosophies.

 

Thanks for the reply! I totally agree. No one wants jet plane noises in quite passages of movies. That's why I went with larger than normal itx case's. The corsair 380t can fit a 200mm fan in the front that could be run at low rpm for movies(while still moving a considerable amount of air)and high for gaming. This is also meant to replace my xbone so it would have to be reasonably powerful as well for gaming. I wish corsair made 200mm ML fans or noctua made a 200mm black fan...

What are these wicked cooling systems of which you speak??? I was thinking water cooling like the H100i as the max heatsink height in the 380t is 140mm which would require a smaller fan heatsink combo that would require higher rpm for the same cooling otherwise. If I used the manta case the bulging side panels would allow for more cooler options.

 

Haha, I was vague because I don't know all the different water cooling options, I've read reviews of some closed loop systems that seem very good on Guru3d - they have cooling performance charts where they rate the different cooling solutions. Here you go, here's one such chart so that could help in your decision, it's from their latest review of a liquid cooling solution: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/ek_xlc_predator_280_aio_cpu_gpu_liquid_cooling_review,10.html
From that review you can see that cooling performance of the H100i is only 4 degC away from their best reviewed cooling solution.

If you're gonna have the case in your living room too, you might wanna choose on aeshetics too, as well as noise.