crimsonstag84 said:When I'm gaming, I'm staring at the monitor, not the tower. If the game looks smooth on the screen, who cares what's happening inside the case? Just my two cents. 🙂
Robert Rodriguez2 said:Seriously, why are you just repeating what two other people already said? What is even happening here?
Look, if you really want to, just go ahead and throw some extra cash at him for that premium RAM and a better case. It’s your money. 👍
Honestly, there's just no point in wasting the time.
Man, if you'd just built the thing yourself, you wouldn't be sweating this. You could've put that extra cash toward a decent case instead. $133Look, you’re going to be staring at that case every single day. It’s the face of your setup. If you actually like the look of it and know it’s built like a tank, then go for it. I always look at things this way: a good case is a long-term investment. You can reuse it for years. Honestly, you could just throw everything into a cardboard box if you wanted to, but if you're going to do that, at least make sure the guts inside are top-tier. Quality components matter more than the shell.
Regarding the cooler, I screwed up there too because I was looking at the ones my buddy linked. 😁 I was actually thinking about grabbing a different one, specifically the Cooler Master contact 39. They don't carry Raijintek at New York City, so I had to look elsewhere—though I know a cooler isn't exactly the heart and soul of the rig, but I'd still rather get it from somewhere else.
Look, I swapped in the Z12 plus because that Z9 plus case is an eyesore. As for the power supply, honestly, I wasn't even digging past the first page of results because I was just chasing the lowest price tag, so I threw in a Fortron. And I went with the Gigabyte board just to keep us from blowing through the budget too fast.
Alright, let's see what you guys can do with this 😉
The AMD build
AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 motherboard, AM3, A990X, D3, S3, U3, FW, A MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF graphics card, 2GB DDR5 Thermaltake Contac 39 CPU cooler 8GB DDR3 1600MHz (2x4) HyperX Genesis Blu KIN, KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic SSD MZ-7TE120BW WESTERN DIGITAL HDD Desktop Caviar Blue (3.5", 1TB, 64MB, SATA III-600). WD10EZEX Aurum sa pas 400 w power supply, 80+ GOLD LG DVDRW 24 x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z12 plus
swiftpilot said:Look, if you can grab this deal, do it. You're getting a solid graphics card paired with a beefy processor and a motherboard that actually lets you overclock without losing your mind. Plus, it’s pretty much future-proofed since modern games are starting to chew through anything with fewer than four cores like there's no tomorrow.
AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, AM3, A990X, D3, S3, U3, FW, A XFX AMD Radeon R9 270 x Graphic card 2 GB DDR5, XFX-R9-270X-CDFC CORSAIR Power Supply, Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze, 500 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, US Version Kingston DDR3 1600 Thermaltake Contac 39 LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 1 ZAL-Z3 plus total
Total: $460.78 Great deals over at Centro.hr
Actually, take this one instead. I was rushing and forgot to include a hard drive in the list above, but honestly, it doesn't matter. Focus on having a strong foundation—the motherboard, the CPU, and a decent case. You can always swap out the graphics card later once you've got a powerhouse platform to support it. Even with this setup, you'll be running wow on high settings no problem.
So, here's the deal: AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box Matična ploča Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3,AM3,A990X,D3,S3,U3,FW,A Sapphire Radeon R7 260 x OC CORSAIR Power Supply, Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze, 500 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, EU Version Kingston DDR3 1600 Thermaltake Contac 39 WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 1 ZAL-Z3 plus total
crimsonstag84 said:If he spends most of his time playing WoW, those 8 cores aren't going to do much for him. I guess the FX 8320 / FX 8350 is just slower than an i3 when it comes to WoW.
Sure, maybe he'll struggle in WoW, but people play more than just one game. When he moves on to other newer titles, that clocked-up 8320 is definitely going to outrun a non-K i5. Besides, with this setup, he'll still be cranking through most games on high settings.
Look, if you can grab this deal, do it. You're getting a solid graphics card paired with a beefy processor and a motherboard that actually lets you overclock without losing your mind. Plus, it’s pretty much future-proofed since modern games are starting to chew through anything with fewer than four cores like there's no tomorrow.
AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320 (3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+) box Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3, AM3, A990X, D3, S3, U3, FW, A XFX AMD Radeon R9 270 x Graphic card 2 GB DDR5, XFX-R9-270X-CDFC CORSAIR Power Supply, Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze, 500 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, US Version Kingston DDR3 1600 Thermaltake Contac 39 LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 1 ZAL-Z3 plus total
graniteharbor85 said:Honestly, there's no point in me suggesting a desk. He should just pick one that fits his own style, his vibe, how the rest of his room looks, etc.—I mean, if I had that kind of cash, I’d definitely go custom too.
The price tag is higher because the specs are pretty demanding, and honestly, the sum at the top varies wildly depending on which component you swap out.
Btw, the TT A31 is absolute garbage—poor build quality and mediocre components, even though people overrate it all the time. I ended up upgrading to a 212+ myself; are you even sure that NH D14 is going to fit inside?
All we really need to know is if the cooler will actually fit in the case. Check this: http://www.pcaxe.com/hardver/kucista...r-a31/strana-7
And look, he specifically mentioned wanting a case with a nice, large window. I don't get why you're nitpicking every tiny detail like it's life or death. Personally, I think the case looks good and everything should fit fine. You're already tearing him apart over the total cost, and we haven't even factored in a desk yet. Plus, you didn't even mention an HDMI cable for the 3D TV connection, which he'll definitely need since the TV supports 3D!
1 x ICIDU HDMI Ultra 1.4 A/V Cable, 3m HDMI M - HDMI M 1 x Surge Protector, 8 Outlets with Protection 1 x Genius GX-Control Mouse Pad 1 x Genius Maurus X Gaming Mouse, Black 1 x Genius Gaming KB-G265 USB Keyboard 2 x RETAIL Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (PC or Xbox 360) 1 x Genius SW-5.1 1020 Speakers, 26W 1 x Genius HS-G700V 7.1 Gaming Headset & Mic 1 x LG 32 LED TV, 4-year warranty
Total: $1724 Free assembly and delivery from futur IT!
PC Desk
THE RIG
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K soc 1150 1 x 1 x Asus GRYPHON Z87 Motherboard 1 x MSI GF GTX780 TF OC, 3GB DDR5 1 x Kingston DDR3 8GB 1600MHz HyperX Memory (2x4), KHX1600C9D3K3/8GX 1 x Fortron Raider S PSU 750W, 80+ SILVER 1 x Western Digital 1TB HDD, 7200rpm, Caviar Blue 1 1 x Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Intel/AMD 1 x Thermaltake TT A31 Case 1 x Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic 1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x
Total: $3375 Free assembly and delivery from futur IT!
Timothy Fisher79 said:It’s not a bad build, but man, that power supply is making me nervous. Pairing it with an FX 8320 is asking for trouble since those chips are absolute power hogs once you start overclocking. If only he had at least a 550W 80+ Gold unit or maybe a 600W 80+ Bronze to play it safe.
Look, there’s zero reason to panic about the PSU here. Honestly, he’ll probably end up with more headroom than he thinks after the overclock settles down. And seriously, let’s skip the toxic "expert" advice based on guesswork. You're just confusing people and making yourself look silly.
Alright, here’s the AMD build. I’ve already baked everything into the config so you don't have to stress about compatibility. You're getting one of the beastly coolers on the market right now and a killer motherboard, which basically means you can overclock this thing into orbit whenever you feel like it. Everything is packed into a high-quality, roomy, well-ventilated case, and the GPU? Absolute monster. 😉
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 AM3 box 1 x Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 Sck 1 x Patriot Viper3 Blue Sapphire 1600Mhz,8GB (2x4GB) 1 x MSI GeForce GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5 1 x Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Caviar Blue 1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER 1 x Noctua NH-D14 Cooler, Intel/AMD 1 x Zalman mid tower case black(Z12 plus)
Total-$2225 Free assembly and shipping from futur IT
lonecyclist11 said:@John Nguyen8/">@@John Nguyen8 thanks 😉 Finally, someone who actually answers the question instead of starting a debate. Look, regarding all this—the Node 304 isn't even the smallest case out there, okay? But I picked it because it fits perfectly into my printer cabinet. And honestly, why is everyone here so incredibly grumpy? All you seem to know how to do is tear people down. Instead of pooling your knowledge to help folks out (not talking about myself, obviously), you all just bicker over whether someone prefers apples or oranges. I get it, though. It sucks when someone talks trash in your comments; I actually got banned on my old account for getting into arguments. Now I barely even post because there are just too many people here looking to judge others... And yeah, I know I could’ve gone cheaper by building a mid tower, but I went with mITX for one specific reason. "And the temps will kill you once you overclock," they say. What temperatures? What overclocking? Did I not make it clear enough that I'm not running some high-end monster rig? Besides, that case doesn't have any cooling issues. None. Go read some actual reviews, you keyboard warriors who haven't even seen the thing in person. I got my answer, thanks. No more fighting.
I mean, I don't care what anyone thinks. Your money, your choice. Do whatever you want.
Alright, I’ve put together a full build list for you. If you already have some parts lying around—like a case, a cooler, or a power supply—just let me know the brands. We might be able to scavenge them and save some cash, or maybe we can just swap out your current GPU for this one instead.
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K soc 1150 1 x Asrock s1150 Z87 Killer 1 x Asrock s1150 Z87 Killer 1 x Patriot Viper3 1600Mhz, 8GB (2x4GB) 1 x Western Digital HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, Caviar Blue 1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk crn 24 x 1 1 x Fortron Raider S 550W, 80+ SILVER 1 x Zalman mid tower case white 1 x Gigabyte GF GTX760 OC, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, DP 1 x CPU Hladnjak Raijintek Themis, 120mm, PWM
Total: $2213 Free assembly and delivery from futur IT!
Grace Peterson17 said:I’m reading this and honestly, I can't believe it—PC performance almost never depends on the form factor (whether it's ATX, mATX, or mITX), but rather on the actual components tucked inside the machine. The only real drawback to mITX is the limited RAM capacity—capped at 16GB—but since he isn't doing any heavy-duty video editing, that won't even matter for his needs. And, of course, you lose the ability to run Crossfire or SLI. Now, I'll admit, sticking with a standard ATX tower would definitely make life easier by giving the components more breathing room, but hey, it's his choice. There's really no need to jump down his throat right out of the gate; if you don't have something smart or actually helpful to contribute, maybe just stay quiet!
As for your "Steam Box" comparison, some of those points just don't hold up. That Fractal Design case you posted is, in my opinion, the worst example of an mITX build because the chassis itself is just massive and overpriced. For that kind of money, you could pick up some seriously high-end ATX cases. If you want decent mITX options, you should look at brands like Lian Li or Cubitek (they aren't easily found here in the States, but you can find great stuff online at reasonable prices). Also, I don't quite get the obsession with the GTX 760. It’s a solid card, sure, but for slightly $200 less, you can snag an R9 270X which performs almost identically to the 760...
P.S. If you're already committed to buying that bulky, overpriced Fractal Design bucket, don't sweat the components—everything will fit in there without any trouble at all.
Besides, he's definitely sacrificing performance by going with such a tiny case just so everything fits inside. Not to mention the money; you can build a way better rig in a mid-tower for that price than in one of those tiny boxes. Plus, temperatures are going to absolutely wreck him once he starts overclocking, so I don't think I was wrong to say anything.
Look, if you’ve already got the cash for high-end gear, I honestly don't get why you're still messing around with those tiny little cases. It's a total waste. You're basically just sacrificing performance and throwing money down the drain. Just build a rig in a normal case and actually enjoy it. If you're really that obsessed with having something small and compact, just go grab an Xbox One and call it a day.
Benjamin Nguyen83 said:Like the title says, I'm looking for some thoughts on this build. The price is sitting right around $6,500 at Best Buy. If you guys suggest swapping anything out, please try to keep the total cost roughly the same. Thanks in advance. 🙂
-Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
Honestly, if I were you, I'd ditch that ASUS board for this one instead: and swap out that Seagate drive for this: Do you even need a case? If you do, just grab this:
Grace Peterson17 said:This isn't actually bad at all, though you could definitely optimize things significantly by swapping out a few key components and tweaking a couple of details...
Intel Core i5 ASUS ROG Extreme 2X Kingston HiperX B, DDR3 1600MHz, CL9, 4GB (8GB) Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, SATA III-600 Canon EOS 128GB, 2.5" SATA ASX900S3-128GM-C EVGA GeForce GTX, 2GB GDGD5 Dell Optical Drive 24x GH24NS95 SATA black bulk EVGA SuperNOVA, 550W Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler 120mm fan Cooler Master mid tower case black, Z11
$1912 Amazon (Free assembly)
You can easily fit a much stronger Intel Core i5 within your budget. I’ve swapped in a fantastic motherboard if you ever decide to overclock, and honestly, you don't really need 2400 MHz RAM—the prices are higher but the performance gap just isn't there; you'll be perfectly fine with 1600 MHz. For the GPU, I picked an ASUS model because the cooling is superior and it’s nearly silent, yet it costs about the same as that lesser PowerColor version. As for the hard drive, you don't really need the Black series—firstly, you already have an SSD, and secondly, the real-world difference between a Blue and a Black drive isn't massive. Your power supply is high quality, but I upgraded you to an 80+ Gold unit just to be safe. The cooler is solid for overclocking, too. I kept the Cooler Master case style, but switched the model—to be honest, I have a Z11 at home and I'm not exactly thrilled with it; the stock fans are way too loud, the front USB 3.0 ports can be finicky, and the chassis itself is a bit of a pain to work with since the top and front panels are surprisingly stubborn to open.
Look, I’ve got a Z11 plus myself. I ended up swapping out all the stock fans, though personally, the noise didn't bother me that much. Those USB 3.0 issues won't ruin your life if you just plug both cables directly into the USB 3.0 headers on the board. Yeah, opening the thing up is a bit of a chore, but if you're cracking it open every single day, that's more of an issue. It’s a sturdy case and looks damn good, so I'm happy enough with it.