Mini Silent Gaming Box

[Cja123]

I am thinking about building a mini-itx silent gaming box as a present/upgrade to myself. This is what I have so far:

Case: Silverstone
Card: 6950
Ram: 8GB
Cooler: H60
Mobo: Gigabyte

I am not too familiar with the mini-itx platform so I am unsure of what processor/motherboard combo will yield the best results. I would like some opinions and maybe a little guidance in reference to the build above. Please feel free to discuss anything related, price vs. performance, stability, etc... Budget-minded opinions are welcome as well!

I have the hardrives for the machine already and will not need a monitor/keyboard/mouse.



Thanks all!

 

[boomstik360]

ASUS P8H61-I (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB...

Good board ^^

Idk why all the bad reviews but it has worked great in two builds for friends.

 

[Kantastic]

You may want to double check whether or not the 6950 will fit into that case, because my reference 5770 was already a snug fit.

 

[Cja123]

ASUS P8H61-I (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB...

Good board ^^

Idk why all the bad reviews but it has worked great in two builds for friends.

I will be sure to check it out.

Kantastic,

I initially compared the 6870 size with the 6950 and amazon has them listed as the same length. A user had posted a review saying he fit a 6870 in there.. I will double check though.

Any thoughts on the CPU? Is quad-core worth it yet or should I stick with a high ghz dual?

 

[Winston_008]

So how long is the 6950, and does it have power connectors on the end or on top?

Because i have had a sg05 case before and the max size cards you can fit in is about 25cm w/o modding it. Remember the sg05 itself is only 27.6cm long.

 

[Cja123]

So how long is the 6950, and does it have power connectors on the end or on top?

Because i have had a sg05 case before and the max size cards you can fit in is about 25cm w/o modding it. Remember the sg05 itself is only 27.6cm long.

Well the card linked in my OP will be too long. After looking at the specifications again, you are certainly correct. However, I found this card on newegg and it measures out at 9.6". Can anyone who owns this card confirm newegg's measurements? It seems questionable to me. Thanks!

 

[CJCerny]

Is there room for the H60 radiator in that case?

 

[brandonwh64]

Is there room for the H60 radiator in that case?

Probably not, He would most likely end up doing as me and Erocker did and Mod the case to fit the rad on the rear 120MM fan port.

 

[phanbuey]

Your card is too big for that case... you need an SG08 to fit a 6950 without mods.

EDIT: just read the rest.

Get a case that will fit any card... you will always limit yourself with that other case. SG07 or SG08 is my recommendation - that also gives you a beefier PSU.

Also SG08 fits the H50/60 great.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

I love the SG05!

However, like the others I'd recommend re-thinking the GFX card. I have a 6950 and it is freaking long. I can only just fit it into my Antec 300. Maybe downgrade to a shorter 6870 and put the money saved towards an SSD or something.

 

[phanbuey]

This is mine, just for reference...
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156416

 

[brandonwh64]

How long is the 6950 he has?

 

[Cja123]

How long is the 6950 he has?

The one I have linked in a previous post http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588 is apparently 9.65" according to newegg. I don't think this card would have any problem fitting in any SG series case. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

The h60 can be mounted with extended mounting screws on the outside of the case. I'd sleeve the fan wire and run it back into the case for power. Please feel free to mention a more aesthetically pleasing way to accomplish this. Keep in mind that I don't mod much and have limited tools. If the tools are cheap, I'll buy them though.

 

[Cja123]

Your card is too big for that case... you need an SG08 to fit a 6950 without mods.

EDIT: just read the rest.

Get a case that will fit any card... you will always limit yourself with that other case. SG07 or SG08 is my recommendation - that also gives you a beefier PSU.

Also SG08 fits the H50/60 great.

Those cases are expensive! But I would rather pay more now than be limited to smaller GPUs later. I will certainly consider these options. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[brandonwh64]

The one I have linked in a previous post http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127588 is apparently 9.65" according to newegg. I don't think this card would have any problem fitting in any SG series case. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

The h60 can be mounted with extended mounting screws on the outside of the case. I'd sleeve the fan wire and run it back into the case for power. Please feel free to mention a more aesthetically pleasing way to accomplish this. Keep in mind that I don't mod much and have limited tools. If the tools are cheap, I'll buy them though.

I know my Bgears case can hold a 5970 so that case you have should fit your card fine.

 

[Cja123]

Any opinions on the processor yet? Is it truly worth spending the money for the 2500k or is dual core gaming on SB as great as LGA775?

 

[InnocentCriminal]

how long is the 6950 he has?

10"+

 

[brandonwh64]

Any opinions on the processor yet? Is it truly worth spending the money for the 2500k or is dual core gaming on SB as great as LGA775?

2500K/2600K is well worth the money. They are wicked fast and run alot cooler than other previous gens.

10"+

It should fit no problem if it is similar to my case. It can hold up to 13 Inch GPU

 

[phanbuey]

2500K/2600K is well worth the money. They are wicked fast and run alot cooler than other previous gens.



It should fit no problem if it is similar to my case. It can hold up to 13 Inch GPU

http://benchmarkreviews.com/images/news/b-gears_b-envi/b-envi_open_back.jpg

its not... its much smaller...

you would have to do this:

 

[ERazer]

try this lian- li case it

LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Comp...

 

[phanbuey]

That case is nice ^ i did a build for a buddy about a month ago with it... It almost looks like a mac case, its so nice.

If you are going for a truly tiny box, though, that case will be too big :/.

Also, in about two-three months or so Ivy bride will be out... so I would save up money until then. I love my itx setup, you definitely wont regret the switch.

 

[Cja123]

its not... its much smaller...

you would have to do this:
http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx208/rxtrom/IMG_0201.jpg

I'm almost positive different 6950 cards have different measurements. The one in the linked photo above is certainly a longer one. As I have said, Newegg has a 6950 for sale with the length measurement at 9.6".

try this lian- li case it

LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Comp...

That case is nice ^ i did a build for a buddy about a month ago with it... It almost looks like a mac case, its so nice.

If you are going for a truly tiny box, though, that case will be too big :/.

Also, in about two-three months or so Ivy bride will be out... so I would save up money until then. I love my itx setup, you definitely wont regret the switch.

That case definitely doesn't look bad. I will certainly consider it as it is still small and better priced. It doesn't ship with a power supply though so .

What are the realistic benefits of going Ivybridge? Shit, I feel like SB just came out yesterday. Due to the rate at which new chipsets get released, I feel like there is always going to be that wait for what's around the corner option lingering behind all my decisions .

 

[InnocentCriminal]

Sapphire's own product page states the length of the card as 260mm which is 10.2"...

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

That case definitely doesn't look bad. I will certainly consider it as it is still small and better priced. It doesn't ship with a power supply though so .

I built a friend a HTPC with that case. I hated it, which was a real let down because I love Lian Li cases. The sides of the case are held on by these tiny, easily stripped screws. Worse they are painted black and unless you use a rubber tipped screw driver the paint chips off and looks crappy.

Then there is the matter of space. If you want to use a large heat sink well you can pretty much forget it.

Also getting a full sized gpu in there was a real nightmare, and as you mentioned it doesn't come with a power supply, but none of Lian Li's do. Point is you have to purchase a modular powersupply otherwise cable managment is a nightmare.

 

[phanbuey]

that and it is the size of a laser printer compared to the SUGOs, I would recommend silver if you go with that case.