[Rant] My “realistic” dream PC

I’m sure everyone of you knows by now what my favourite form factor is, right? Mini-ITX. (If you didn’t know, you should follow my blog! Seriously!) Even though it seems that I can use my Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme cooler in the Fractal Design Node 304 mini-ITX case, I might have to buy a new PSU because my current PSU is non-modular and I definitely will have to buy a new RAM kit because I currently have 16GB in 4 sticks. So I cannot say for sure how long this transition to mini-ITX will take, but I really want to build one.

But if I was starting from the scratch, I know what I would be building. Want to know what it is?

Here goes.

Chassis: Fractal Design Node 304

The other contender is Corsair Obsidian 250D. I would have chosen that but it about 50% more taller than the Node 304.

Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus VI Impact

This is the best mini-ITX board out there, for one particular reason. Audio! Asus says the audio on it is as good as Xonar DG level, which is pretty sweet for integrated audio. But at the same time, it lacks one important feature some of the other boards carry. A dual-link DVI port. Why would I want it? Because the display I use – the Qnix QX2710 – only supports dual DVI inputs. Yes, of course I would be connecting it to the video card, but I would like the board to have a dual DVI port just as a backup. But you know what? Even my current ATX board, Maximus VI Hero doesn’t have a dual DVI port either. So, maybe I shouldn’t worry about it too much.

[Guide] Building a high-end mini-ITX gaming rig

I wish I went for a mini-ITX rig when I built my PC. When I came to japan, there weren't good mini-ITX cases or motherboards available. But now there are.

I have a recommendation. Would you like to see?

 

Main system:

• CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k “Haswell”
• Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Impact
• The only mini-ITX that I can recommend. Comes with an amazing audio solution. You need one, because you cannot install a sound card in a mini-ITX motherboard as there is only one PCI-E slot in there and we need that for the video card.
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400MHz CL11 8GB x2 kit
• Nothing special. Just fast RAM.
• Video card: NVidia GeForce GTX780 Ti reference
• Went with the reference card because it would put the hot air out of the case. The case isn’t large enough to house a GPU that puts hot air into the case. And no, AMD cards put out too much heat for this little baby.
• SSD: 500GB Samsung 840 EVO x2
• Can go for the 1TB drive, but we’ll RAID-0 couple of them just for bragging rights.
• HDD: None.
• Use a NAS to store data
• PSU: Corsair HX650 Gold
• Nothing special. Just a quality PSU that is enough to power the CPU and GPU when both are well overclocked. Could have gone with a small PSU, but a larger PSU would run quieter and put out less heat. But get a PSU with modular cables for the love of god!
• CPU cooler: Corsair H100i
• I wish we could install a 280mm rad in there, but you cannot. So we’ll stick to the H100i.
• Case fans: Corsair SP120 series fans
• We need fans with high static pressure because the stuff inside would be tight and there would be more restrictions that a spacious case.

Peripherals:

• Display: Qnix QX2710 27" 1440p PLS display
• Best display you can get for the money I guess.
• Keyboard: Logitech G710+ mechanical gaming keyboard
• Mouse: Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse
• Speakers: Logitech Z623 2.1 speakers
• I have this and I like it
• Headset: Audiotechnica ATH-AD500X audiophile headphones
• I have this and I like it
• Webcam: Logitech C920