Living Room PC

[Cellice]

Greetings,

I want to expand my gaming and multimedia potential into the living room. Anyone have suggestions for a solid build?

Budget: $1000 to $1500
Resolution: HDMI on 1080p 46inch TV
Games / Settings Desired: WoW, Divinity: Original Sin, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions. I'd like to play on High or better
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) Nope
Country
Parts that can be reused: None
Do you need an OS? No, I have both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? I will need to purchase wireless keyboard and mouse. I already have an xbox 360 remote and usb adapter.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

Here is a decent PC that will run well, and can be OCd. Also, the color theme is Black/Red/White throughout.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($59.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($108.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($100.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 V2 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1269.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-15 12:01 EST-0500

Notes: I left nearly $250 from your budget to get whatever you please to add on to the system (keyboard, mouse, etc). The only thing was that for some reason Part Picker did not have the Corsair 350D case, which I would suggest using instead. You could also make the system smaller than what I have here by going M-ITX.

Feel free to ask if you have anymore questions!

[Cellice]

Thank you for the quick reply. I will be taking time shortly to review each part.

I just realized I wont need to buy an SSD. The laptop this will be replacing had a Samsung 850 PRO in it. The laptop is being replaced because it is overheating a to (Its an Alienware M14x R1). That will save another $200 on this build.

I see you selected an i5 CPU. Did you feel there is not a huge benefit to upgrading to an i7?

[Mystrome]

For gaming purposes, an i5 is more than enough. If you're using professional rendering software for example, an i7 would be a better choice.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

I feel that the i5 is sufficient if you overclock it. The i7 is better, but mostly if you don't OC or are doing intense things (think CAD) and/or streaming. As you didn't mention it, there is no real reason to spend the extra $ on it, and therefore the money you will be saving on top of the build (with SSD also taken out) can be used towards a really decent stereo system. (if you would be so inclined)

[Cellice]

That makes sense. My main desktop has a good CPU so if I do any Photoshop work it will be done on that computer.

What do you think of the BitFenix Prodigy M case? I like it in white.

[Idrinkwhiterussians]

The Prodigy (itx version) is decent, but the M version is... a bit lackluster. The layout is somewhat funky and not very conducive to good cooling.

The 350D that I linked earlier is quite good, but if you want something smaller (or fancier) there are plenty of other M-ATX cases. I just would have a hard time recommending the Prodigy M.

[Deleted]

The Corsair 350d and FR Mini R2 are pretty much the same, only aeshetics change a bit, so thats up to you. FR mini R2 is better for watercooling if that will ever be a thing for you.

[Cellice]

Okay, I am back with more questions.

I have decided on the Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX case. I like the size and design. I wanted something that would not look like a PC in my living room if possible. This will also fit well in my entertainment console because I only have a 15.5 inch x 15.5 inch space for it. Anything larger would have stood next to the entertainment console.

The adjustment of the case requires me to look at Mini-ITX motherboards & SFX PSUs.

So far to adjust for this I am looking at:
Motherboard: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
PSU: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler because the one selected above will not fit

Also, do you have any other recommendations for memory that I can pickup at microcenter? I live right next to them and will be picking up most of the parts from them anyways.

[Arbiter]

On a side note that case looks badass. I've never seen it before but after checking it out when you mentioned it it turns out it's not even but a little bit bigger than today's consoles. Not bad at all.

No experience with Silverstone PSUs or SFX PSUs for that matter, but if that's the correct one then it was reviewed by Linus recently,



Can't comment on the cooler but for the RAM, anything G.Skill, Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, or any other known name brand would be fine. Look for something along the lines of 1600Mhz or more and shoot for something that has a CAS 9 latency. I'm sure a store rep could assist you. It doesn't look like that cooler would prevent you from using higher profile RAM.

Something like this would work if they have it. It's even low profile. One of the cheaper ones I could find.

[Remilia]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=395
Linus doesn't exactly do any proper reviews...

[Arbiter]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php...Story&reid=395
Linus doesn't exactly do any proper reviews...

Well then I guess it's a good thing they both gave positive opinions.

[Remilia]

Point is that his view isn't based off any objective measurements. It can be crap for all that matters and hopefully people won't blindly follow that.

[Cellice]

Update:
I ordered all the parts and they all arrived on December 24th. I spent several hours constructing the new computer. The tiny case and my giant hands made it take a little longer but I was able to put it together.

The system runs amazing.

It runs wow at 1080p on my 46 inch HDTV at 160 fps in raids.

I also got Assassin Creed Unity and several other games. They all run at max settings with over 60 fps.

I am amazed so far.

Games run better than my main computer.