Help with a Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case Build

[-staticfire-]

Hey All,

Selling my current PC and all peripherals then putting that money towards a new unit/peripherals etc.
I use my desktop as my main entertainment unit (dont have a console and dont really plan on getting one). Games, Movies, Streaming internet TV. Would also like to be able to hook up an HDMI cable from the PC to a TV later on.

Budget: $1500'ish-$1700'ish Would prefer it to be on the lower end if possible.
Resolution: 1920x1080
Games / Settings Desired: Max Settings. WoW, BF4, D3, BL2,The Witcher 3 once it's out and The Division.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): Nope
Country: Canada
Parts that can be reused:Would like to transfer a 1TB HD to the new build
Do you need an OS?: Yep
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?: Yep, Starting from scratch, I'll likely be getting some studio monitors and an external sound card a bit later.

From sifting through the other threads in this forum, this is what i've pieced together so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.48 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($116.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($399.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.98 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($108.34 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor ($324.28 @ DirectCanada)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus USB-AC56 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Memory Express)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1852.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-08 16:10 EST-0500

As you can see, i'm a little over budget. How could I downgrade without losing too much performance? I dont Have to OC. But I do have to be wireless. I'm also pretty set on the Corsair Mini ITX case, so if that could be left in the mix, that would be preferred.

Any/all help is appreciated.

[Kagthul]

Im heading to bed at the moment, but ill be happy to provide some insights tomorrow. Im a big mITX enthusiast myself. First thing i ntoice right off though...

USB3 WiFi adapter? mITX boards almist always have good WiFi chipsets built in... Also, unlocked CPU...but an H97 MoBo... Which you cant overclock on.

[-staticfire-]

Awesome, that's the kind of input I am hoping for.

In the spirit of trying to cut costs, i'm open to not OC'ing the CPU and instead going for a different CPU. Also, I didn't know that a decent WIFI chipset was likely included with most mITX boards. That's good news I believe.

Looking forward to your suggestions tomorrow.

[Remilia]

Mmm, something like this maybe. Removed the cooler because not OC and changed to a locked one. Another option is to get either of the i3s
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34370
or
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34160

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($133.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($399.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.98 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($108.34 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($282.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Ducky Shine 4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Mouse: SteelSeries Rival Wired Optical Mouse ($49.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1724.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-08 23:49 EST-0500

[-staticfire-]

By not purchasing a CPU and MB that can be OC'd later, am I really shooting myself in the foot say 3 years down the road by not having this option? Or will the performance gains be nominal in the wake of having a strong GPU.

[Remilia]

It depends on how much you want to stretch the PC. If later on you want to continue using the same set up, then sort of yes you are shooting yourself in the foot.
You can get an unlocked CPU and a Z97 version of the MoBo while not purchasing a cooler if you want. Leave that up to when you want to OC.

[Deleted]

A few notes:

- Since you going for overclock, then you need a Z97mobo, mini itx ones aren't cheap.
- You want a modular psu, in small cases things are tight, you really don't want extra cables beings around.
- 27" and 1080p aint good. Its too big, makes pixes visible. So either you go up to 23-24"@1080p or if you want 27" you need to go to 1440p. And those cost a tad more.

You pretty much need everything and since its a mini overclockable build you will pay more. You don't have room for expensive peripherals like keyboard and mouse. You have to sacrifice something. Your options would be, don't get a cpu cooler now, do it later so you can get a good one but that means some hassle to get everything out of that little thing. The best one, for me, would be to settle for some el cheapo keyboard-mouse now, and in 2-3months with some savings get the good stuff.

This is what i would look at, as cheap and good as i can make it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.95 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12 37.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($152.41 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.14 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($417.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.95 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.89 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($282.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($83.50 @ Vuugo)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M65 Wired Laser Mouse ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1787.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 02:56 EST-0500

[Kagthul]

My first question is (just woke up, getting my morning routine going), so take your time:

Do you live close enough to the US to take advantage of someone who lives in the US helping you out with parts. THe reason i ask is that Microcenter (a small-ish chain here in the US) has some great prices, but they are in-store only. By great prices, i mean the Devil's Canyon i7s for 120-200$ off MSRP, paired with Motherboard deals (50$ off if you buy a CPU/MoBo together) and RAM deals (another 20$ off on 16GB of RAM if paired with a MoBo).

If you have a friend you can trust in the US, that can lead to both BIG savings and a decent upgrades. It's how i got my current rig for the price i did.

If not, that will affect my recommendations greatly.

My rig, for comparison:

Case: EVGA Hadron Air (w/Included 1U EVGA 500W 80+ Gold PSU)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI mITX LGA 1150
CPU: Intel i7 4770K (3.5Ghz, OCed to 4.0 stable on air)
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster (Not the EVO, needed something shorter, i'd have to look it up - was about 30 bucks)
GPU: EVGA GTX 970 ACX2 4GB
Memory: 16GB of Crucial Ballistix Sport (Low Profile) DDR-1600
Storage: 1TB Western Digital HDD (had it for years, not sure of the model); i DO partition it into two visible drives - 100GB for OS and the like, 900GB for storage. I find this helps if i have to re-install Windows, it means i dont have to nuke and pave the entire drive and can re-acquire most of my games just by pointing Steam and uPlay, et al, in the right places)
Monitor: 22" ASUS 1080p (i dont remember the model number - they are the same ones EVO was using for their Street Fighter tournaments when i bought it a few years ago; my partner and i bought 60+ of them for our business).
OS: WIndows 7 (i cheat, we have a volume license..)
Keyboard: Corsair K65 RGB (-just- purchased, was formerly a 2012 model Razer Black Widow Ultimate)
Mouse: Kensington ExpertMouse (http://www.kensington.com/us/us/4493...E#.VIbpQWTF-rY) - yes, its a trackball, but it is literally like no other trackball you've ever used. Has a scroll wheel (ring around the ball), 4 programable buttons (that you can "chord" to make more buttons) and the size of the trackball (about as big and heavy as a pool ball) makes it EXTREMELY precise and easy to manipulate. Theyre also near indestructible. Ive owned 2 of these - the previous "TurboMouse" version and this new one - and only stopped using the TurboMouse because the connected it used (Apple Desktop Bus) isnt used anymore. It still works, at 17 years old.

All told, because of Microcenter prices and sales, ive paid less than ~1200$ US for the rig in total outside of the Keyboard and Mouse (which i dont really view as part of the deal as they will remain when i sell this and make a new one).

- - - Updated - - -

It depends on how much you want to stretch the PC. If later on you want to continue using the same set up, then sort of yes you are shooting yourself in the foot.
You can get an unlocked CPU and a Z97 version of the MoBo while not purchasing a cooler if you want. Leave that up to when you want to OC.

I only disagree slightly here. Overclocking, in the main, does not provide large performance gains. Going from 3.5Ghz to 4.0Ghz on my i7 4770, for instance, doesn't provide massive performance gains, and given how multithreaded day-to-day apps and even games are becoming, almost nothing other than high-end pro work is CPU bound anymore. Overclocking my machine to 4Ghz at end-of-life wouldnt give me another year of use out of the machine. If i find it is being pokey and slow at 3.5Ghz, 4Ghz isn't going to magically make it better, especially since most performance gains these days come from better more efficient CPU architecture (a Haswell i7 is ~30% faster, clock-for-clock, than a Westmere i7 from 4+ years ago, for instance)

Think about it... my wife gets by on a Core 2 Duo 2.2Ghz iMac for her daily-driver, and performance in day to day computing tasks (word processing, web browsing, watching web video, et al) is not perceptably different than on my Mac Mini Server daily driver (a quad-core, Sandy Bridge i7 @ 2.4/3.1Ghz). As most of the daily computer needs shift to mobile devices, requires for your PC have actually gone DOWN. Three years ago a lot of websites would bog down even a midrange machine if you didnt have a lot of RAM, but because they have had to shift to optimizing for low end mobile devices, things have gotten *faster*.

If you want more longevity, you're a lot better of going with more cores (i7 vs i5, for the hyperthreading) than more clock speed (as long as you're above the 3.4Ghz/Core mark) in almost all cases.

- - - Updated - - -

A few notes:

- Since you going for overclock, then you need a Z97mobo, mini itx ones aren't cheap.

He wasn't sure about overclocking, but ill say this about mITX boards - they dont appear to be cheap, but they often have features that aren't included in full sized ATX boards of a similar price. For instance, that Gigabyte you posted above (i have the previous Z87 model which is otherwise identical) has two gigabit ethernet ports that support MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out), two WiFi antennas, both -ac, that also support MIMO (giving you 1.5Gbps Wifi if your router supports it), and built in multi-device capable Bluetooth 4.0 - that Gigabyte also supports video streaming to compatible devices right out of the box.

For most ATX boards in the ~129$ range, you'd have to buy a separate NIC if you wanted MIMO, a separate WiFI adapater (as most sub-200 ATX boards dont seem to have WiFi at all), and a separate bluetooth adapter, bringing the price for the overall package up higher than the mITX board. Now, you also tend to get things like more PCIe slots and usually more SATA connectors and USB headers on the board, so depending on your needs, thats what you buy.

- You want a modular psu, in small cases things are tight, you really don't want extra cables beings around.

Do not disagree with this in principle; if you can get a good modular without spending a lot more money, do it without a thought. If you cant, though, just look for a good Silverstone or EVGA PSU that doesn't have craploads of extra cables. The Silverstone XFX that was in my previous Lian-Li build only had the cables it needed - CPU/MoBo Plugs, one set of legacy MOLEX (only two plugs), and one line of 4 SATA plugs + the 2-headed 6/8 pin line for the GPU. Other than the relatively short legacy Molex set, there was no wasted cabling. But if you can get a modular.. do it. You wo nt regret it at all.

- 27" and 1080p aint good. Its too big, makes pixes visible. So either you go up to 23-24"@1080p or if you want 27" you need to go to 1440p. And those cost a tad more.

Depends on how far you sit from your monitor. On my desk, you'd be absolutely right (its why i have a 22") - i sit right in front of the thing, maybe 3 feet away. If you sit further back though, or intend to use it as a small TV/media center, its not necessarily a bad call - YMMV.

[Deleted]

I only disagree slightly here. Overclocking, in the main, does not provide large performance gains. Going from 3.5Ghz to 4.0Ghz on my i7 4770, for instance, doesn't provide massive performance gains, and given how multithreaded day-to-day apps and even games are becoming, almost nothing other than high-end pro work is CPU bound anymore.

Of course you didn't notice anything cause you barely overclocked. Your 4770k has 3.9GHz turbo and you overclocked it to 4.0Ghz. What did you expect?

- - - Updated - - -

He wasn't sure about overclocking, but ill say this about mITX boards - they dont appear to be cheap, but they often have features that aren't included in full sized ATX boards of a similar price....etc...

He lives in canada, and we are talking about Z97 mini wifi. Yes they are expensive, so don't compare to what you had on a Z87 on another country.

Do not disagree with this in principle; etc

It does make a difference especially on mini. First of all you make your life difficult and if you overclocking stuff you can't afford the extra uneeded cables blocking airflow. They are tight builds as they are, don't need the extra crap inside. And we are talking a few bucks difference here not double cost.

You generally compare your situation with someone elses and your last build had this and that. That doesn't apply to everyone. He has a budget and certain needs and he is trying to get the best he can get.

[Kagthul]

Of course you didn't notice anything cause you barely overclocked. Your 4770k has 3.9GHz turbo and you overclocked it to 4.0Ghz. What did you expect?

- - - Updated - - -

I expect you to be able to read, understand the topic, understand what you're talking about if you're going to be presenting yourself as some kind of expert.

3.5 to 4.0 is a pretty sizable overlock, (as it would be, had i not shut the turbo boost off the moment i got it plugged in, a shift to 4.0/4.4) - it's that clock speed isn't everything. Spend about... oh, i dont know, 10 minutes browsing Anandtech or Toms Hardware or any other site where people discuss this stuff in depth and browse the benchmarks. Look at the massive 11-12% performance gains people are getting out of overclocking (the 'Devis Canyon' Haswell chips) to 5.1Ghz or more (from 4.0 base). So.. a 25% overclock netting about 10-13% real world gains. That's not going to add another year of life to a computer if the computer is already doggy and pokey. It's ALWAYS been that way. Overclocks produce severe diminishing returns and always have. Its why i dont even recommend them for most enthusiast gamers - the dont provide a good ROI and dont really extend the life of your computer as most games arent remotely CPU bound anyway. (Overclocking GPUs can be an entirely different story) Hell, the only reason i even have the 4770K in my current machine instead of the non-K variant is that Microcenter had the K on sale cheaper than the regular one when i purchased. If it hadn't have been, i'd have not bothered.

He lives in canada, and we are talking about Z97 mini wifi. Yes they are expensive, so don't compare to what you had on a Z87 on another country.

This doesn't even make sense. The Z87 board i have is the DIRECT PREDECESSOR to the Z97 model - it is the SAME BOARD with two just two chips changed (the difference between the Z87 and Z97 chipsets). The Z97 was introduced at THE EXACT SAME PRICE as the Z87 it replaced, IN BOTH CANADA AND THE US. (And hey, i live ~20 miles from Canada, i might know its a different country and everything.)

They are directly and completely comparable. The Z97 board you listed (at the 149 price point) has ALL THREE features i listed that no board i can find in full-ATX has at that price point, meaning that it IS as a package, cheaper, because you dont have to add a 30$ Bluetooth adapter, 40$ WiFi-ac adapter, etc. Try to keep up.

It does make a difference especially on mini.

How many mITX builds have you got under your belt? Ive got over 100. All of my partner and I's PCs for our business are mITX. They are all for gaming (we rent them for tournaments, game rooms, and put on our own events), and have mid-range parts in them (i5s, GTX 760s for the most part, though some of the older machines due to be replaced this year still have older GPUs and fast i3s from Sandy Bridge).

First of all you make your life difficult and if you overclocking stuff you can't afford the extra uneeded cables blocking airflow.

If you buy a good case, they wont block anything. None of the mITX cases i use leave cables in the way. My Hadron Air, the only cable even present anywhere near the components is the motherboard power, because i didn't use EVGAs motherboard, so the power block isn't precisely where theyd like it. It interferes with nothing. The rest of the cabling fits under the motherboard. The Lian-Li i used previously (and all three Lian-Li cases we use in the business) keep the power cables down in the bottom of the case nowhere near anything. The BitFeenix Prodigy from before that had more space in it than most ATX cases. The case he's looking at is very comparable in size to the Prodigy, actually - its an mITX case but it is NOT small. If you'd looked at it, you might realize that. Theres plenty of room in there. I also find it funny that you're arguing that i agreed with you. I didn't say "dont buy a modular" - i said "buy a modular if you can; if you cant, there are plenty of PSUs that dont have miles of extra cable". Reading. It's a thing.

They are tight builds as they are, don't need the extra crap inside. And we are talking a few bucks difference here not double cost.

You generally compare your situation with someone elses and your last build had this and that. That doesn't apply to everyone. He has a budget and certain needs and he is trying to get the best he can get.

And you've done precisely NOTHING to help with that - not even look at the case he proposed, which is truly massive for an mITX case and has plenty of space to work with inside. And freaking out over thermal limits - do you even keep up on cooling technology? A good case (the case he's looking at is plenty nice) isn't going to overheat because there's a cable in the case area. It's well ventilated and moves air through it. My temps (cooled solely by the Coolermaster Vortex low profile unit i use, and the two 120mm case fans in the top of the Hadron Air) are about... a whopping 2c higher than those in a full-size, 5+ fan full-ATX monster. That's pretty typical of a good mITX case.

- - - Updated - - -

This is my first take, and i cant figure out how to make PC Partspicker think i'm in CA instead of the US. If you can let me know how to toggle that, i'd have a more accurate idea of the prices in CA if you were ordering online, but ive done a quick USD/CAD conversion.

Ill post some notes on why i made specific choices. This is "budget" - ill explain some of the "cheaper" choices below (and some of the ones that aren't). Also not i've left some parts off (CPU cooler; Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor) as for the last three, its all personal preference and for the first one, YMMV, but if you're not overclocking, the standard Intel Cooler is quite good and keeps things plenty cool. I only upgraded mine because im a HUGE nerd about how much noise the computer makes (i like it QUIET) and the Intel cooler was a tad bit noisier than i like.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.09 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($334.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $969.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 09:44 EST-0500

Why H97 instead of Z97: As i said before, i dont think people get a lot of "longevity" out of overclocking. If your entire goal for overclocking is longevity of the machine.. it's not worth it. If you want the-fastest-performance-you-can-get-right-now... then yes, overclock away. But the 10-15% performance gain from a high overclock will NOT add a year to the life of your computer.

But why did you keep the unlocked CPU, then? : Because, at least according to PCPicker there, its actually *cheaper*. No joke.

Why the EVGA ACX 2.0 GTX 970 and not some other manufacturer: Reports out of Toms and Anandtech report that the ACX 2.0 board overlocks EXTREMELY well due to the updated cooler design and new firmware; you can easily get it up to the speeds of the (80$) more expensive FTW edition and other near-400$ variants - and it's the cheapest base variant on the market in most markets. It's the one i have and is running an 18% overclock with no appreciable heat gain. I'd use this variant even on a less budget limited build.

Why the smaller SSD: If you're shaving pennies, and you have a 1TB mass storage drive you're moving - 128GB of SSD will be plenty. There are so few games that can actually take advantage of it anyway other than pre-level loading times (only something that streams from the HDD/trashes your HDD a lot will really benefit on-the-fly at all - like WoW) that its worth saving the 40$. Its the first thing i'd upgrade if your budget extends.

Why the ASRock board instead of Gigabyte or EVGA, et al: Im usually a guy who will tell you to stick to better vendors, and i know some people who have had bad luck with ASRock - but we used the H87 predecessor to this board in 60 builds last year, and it has held up solid for us on machines that get used 24/7 during tournaments and events. Its a solid board for a good price. When pinching dimes, this is an acceptable solution. If we were going to a higher budget, i'd stick with the Gigabyte Z97 WiFi (even if not overclocking) just for the really nice extra features the board has (MIMO is NOT to be underestimated). But for a 'saving some cash' build, this will work great and has all the features you need.

Why i didnt use an aftermarket CPU cooler: If you're not overclocking, the stock Intel Cooler is actually not a bad little workhorse. Depending on your noise level tolerance (though it bothered me, it is NOT that loud, objectively, most of my friends thought i was being overly anal when i pulled it) its plenty good. If you find the noise level too high, you can always replace later, and the Coolermaster EVO you had picked out is largely considered the best aftermarket choice for that budget range. (I use a low-profile Coolermaster that is similar, its great).

Why i dont recommend a particular monitor, keyboard, or mouse:

This is your taste. Unless you sit far from the monitor, though, or want to use it for watching TV as well as gaming on it as a PC, id shy away from 1080p/27" - previous posters are correct that if you are sitting close, that will make the pixels visible. Id recommend something in the 22-23" range; we use ASUS almost exclusively in our business (the FGC pros go nuts for certain models of ASUS for SF4, MvC3, etc) and its just easier to order all the same units - and they are solid, dependable, and look great. They can be had for around 139 US.

Total price on the "budget' variant converted to CAD$: 1,110$ according to my currency convertor.

Edit: Also, PCPicker isn't always correct - while browsing, i found parts cheaper than listed at the sites it was referencing.

Also, if you -do- live close enough to impose on an American friend who has access to a Microcenter and in-store pricing - could shave 45$ off the CPU (its just that much cheaper in-store), 40$ off the Motherboard (purchased with the CPU as a bundle), and 10$ off the RAM (purchased as a bundle with the MoBo). So.. 95$ USD/110 CAD or so.

If you live close enough to Detroit to make the trip worth it, consider it; There's a Microcenter 30 minutes from the border.

[Deleted]

Top right corner, you can select countries.

This is your build with Canada set as country

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.95 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.89 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($381.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.89 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1053.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 09:59 EST-0500

Going for the non-K version saves 20-30 bucks I think. I would actually say go for the i5 4460, which is another 30 bucks cheaper.

[Arbiter]

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.75 @ Vuugo)
Total: $234.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 10:25 EST-0500

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.95 @ Vuugo)
Total: $257.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 10:26 EST-0500

[Kagthul]

Top right corner, you can select countries.

This is your build with Canada set as country

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.95 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.89 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($381.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.89 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1053.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 09:59 EST-0500

Going for the non-K version saves 20-30 bucks I think. I would actually say go for the i5 4460, which is another 30 bucks cheaper.

Good idea; ill check out getting it set right for the next build (what i'd consider an "optimal" use of the budget).

[Deleted]

Wonderful things...

First off you base stuff on your own experience.

Your cpu has 3.5Ghz base and 3.9 at 1st core, 3.8 at 2nd etc. So if you had turbo off that is your problem and stupid thing to do. Second as i already said going from that to 4.0GHz barely gave you anything in gaming. If you were doing some video editing you would maybe notice some boost mostly on 3/4th cores. Also saying that a 15-20% boost in overclock isn't worth it, its your opinion, you are entitled but let me think otherwise. Besides even with some degradation i don't plan to keep me cpu for 10years. It will have poor performance by then since we are talking about gaming rigs and not office use.

So you are telling me that Z87 and Z97 are pretty much the same. So in my Z87, when next gen cpu's come out i will be able to use by just using a firmware like i can do atm to get haswell refresh.

I don't have 100 mini's under my belt, only a few. So you are telling me that you have worked on many cases out in the market and your finds are...w/e they are. Still i am suspecting you are running no cpu occ's on those and definately not gpu overclocks. Also not all cases have horizontal mobo orientation to have cables under it. So again you are saying what it is based on the 2-3 cases you have worked with, doesn't matter if it was 20-30 same builds. Its still only a few different builds.

Finally if you wanna have an argument for the sake of having it, sorry i am not the type to bother. You don't have to agree with me and me neither, everyone is entited to his/her own opinion. So next time, maybe show us your proposition first, say why its better, instead of picking upon what you don't agree with. Your updated post is what you should have in the first place.

[-staticfire-]

Thanks everyone for all your input.

I unfortunately don't live close to the US border anymore so picking up some parts on the cheap down south then bringing them back across is a no go.

Based on what has been suggested, I've pieced together a new parts list. In this list I've taken the non OC route. Do you guys see anything that stands out as a bad idea with this new list? What are your thoughts on the GPU and PSU, it doesn't look the the PSU is modular so is that something I should spring a few extra dollars for and go modular? The GPU is the EVGA one instead of the Gigabyte one that seems to be consistently recommended.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($205.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($103.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($80.73 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($384.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($86.42 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($108.34 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Monitor: Asus MX279H 27.0" Monitor ($324.28 @ DirectCanada)
Keyboard: Corsair K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Memory Express)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1647.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-09 14:39 EST-0500

I'm pretty set on the keyboard/mouse/monitor (I've taken in to consideration your concerns about the 27" and pixel size and decided it's something I can live with given the distance I sit from the screen and the dual functionality i'll be using it for as a TV). Down the road, a 27", 2560x1440, 1ms, 144hz will definitely be on the menu, aka the asus rog swift pg278q.

[Kagthul]

The PSU thing is up to you; ive got that EVGA in my wife's gaming rig (which is built into this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119261) - a little plain-jane for me but she likes it. The PSU in that case is top-mounted, too, meaning the cables are not hidden anywhere, and i didnt find it too hard to simply tie them down out of the way (and that case is not overflowing with extra space for components).

On the case you're looking at, the PSU appears to be under-mounted with plenty of space to stash any unused cables. That being said, if you've got the money to spare, a modular or even partial-modular (if its not too much more) wouldn't hurt you at all.

The only other suggestion i can make is: 16GB of RAM. One of the few hard drawbacks to mITX boards is that they only have 2 RAM slots - meaning if you buy 2x4GB now for 8GB (which will not be terrible or anything), but decide later you want to upgrade, you cant simply buy 2x4 again - you have to completely replace them.

If this computer is going to be your daily-driver, it will benefit from having more than 8GB of RAM, especially in the future, when apps get more RAM hungry and you want to leave 10 browser tabs open, and stream stuff in the background, and leave an app open because you were working on something, and given that you can double the ram for not quite double the price, it's worth considering doing now instead of later for one reason: This is probably the last generation of consumer boards that are going to use DDR-3/1600 as the standard.

Starting next generation, Intel is almost assuredly going to be pushing DDR4 for consumer boards, not just their "Extreme Edition" and server/Xeon boards, and they are switching sockets and chipsets with the set after Broadwell. RAM actually tends to get MORE expensive when it isn't the current-gen RAM, so if you wait more than 12-18 months to upgrade to 16GB, you could be paying more than if you just bit the bullet now.

My last - not a suggestion, really, but piece of advice is (about the computer itself): If this is going to be your daily-driver and has to last you several years (If and If, only you can answer) and you can swing it - is upgrade the CPU to the non-K series i7 4790. The four virtual cores (essentially doubling your core count) will lend a LOT more longevity to the computer than a few more Mhz.. and its only about 100$ more.

For your keyboard - i just picked up the K65 RGB from Corsair and really like it - you may want to look into the K70 RGB if it isnt a lot more expensive - the per-key backlighting is really great.

[-staticfire-]

That seems like a good point about the i7 processor but will have to be something I switch to down the road in a few years, same with the RAM. I'd love to spend the extra $100 here and $100 there but it oh-so-quickly gets out of hand and I'm looking at a $2000+ build instead of $1500-1700. That extra couple hundred has to go to a couple other things so I have to draw a line in the sand somewhere and be happy with whats on the plate (which I am with all the info thats been provided).

The K70 RGB is $189 in Canada, K70 is $129 and seems pretty solid.

Do you think I should get some extra fans for the case or does it come with enough to keep everything cool enough etc. Is there a modular/semi modular psu you would recommend?

[Kagthul]

You wont be able to upgrade the CPU later; this is the last generation that will use the Socket 1150 architecture. There will be a new socket with the next generation ("Skylake") in early/mid-2015. After that, youll be at the mercy of whatever market prices do if you want a legacy 1150 CPU. Here in the US, they climb pretty quickly. (My 4770K is now more expensive than the 4790K that replaced it).

Socket 1150 CPUs wont be produced anymore - theyll be Socket 1151. And yes, if that seems like forced obsolescence, it is. They're adding a pin arbitrarily to make you have to buy new hardware. That's why i suggested buying the i7 now. The RAM situation wont be as difficult - theyll still produce DDR3-1600 for at least another year or two.

[Deleted]

You wont be able to upgrade the CPU later; this is the last generation that will use the Socket 1150 architecture. There will be a new socket with the next generation ("Skylake") in early/mid-2015. After that, youll be at the mercy of whatever market prices do if you want a legacy 1150 CPU. Here in the US, they climb pretty quickly. (My 4770K is now more expensive than the 4790K that replaced it).

Socket 1150 CPUs wont be produced anymore - theyll be Socket 1151. And yes, if that seems like forced obsolescence, it is. They're adding a pin arbitrarily to make you have to buy new hardware. That's why i suggested buying the i7 now. The RAM situation wont be as difficult - theyll still produce DDR3-1600 for at least another year or two.

Broadwell is still 1150, and works on the Z/H 97 chipset. Should be released somewhere around January I think. At the same time as some Skylake chips, but those are mainly for the mobile market I think. Last I read, proper skylake CPUs should come out around summer I think.

[Kagthul]

Reason i didn't bother mentioning Broadwell is that it is purely a die-shrink of Haswell and offers almost no performance gains of any kind at all; there's also a very real possibility that Intel is going to skip releasing desktop Broadwell parts (we're nearing the new year and there are no announcements of production or release dates or anything) to anyone other than a few OEMs, since Broadwell was delayed right into Skylake's lap, essentially.

And Skylake will definitely be 1151; because, hey, they have to force obsolescence somehow.