So instead of the original plan of building something, I ordered myself a Refurbished Alienware X51 instead. I did this for a few reasons:
1. I love Mini-ITX builds. Why build a ginormous monster of a PC when you can the same thing with something a lot smaller? This thing is the size of an xbox
2. The price was right.
3. Looks damn cool and the lights are fun to play with.
My Specs
Intel Core i7 3770 (non K version but who cares) 3.4 ghz Quad Core w/ HT
6GB DDR3 1600 (will upgrade to 16GB in the future)
1TB Western Digital Blue Drive
Nvidia GT 640
Slot Load DVD Burner
240 watt power brick
Windows 8
Total Shipped: $645
Thing looks brand new
I ordered the 330 watt power brick so I can put a bigger video card in it at some point
+$60
New Total: $705
I just need to get a video card for it and I will be set for a while. The problem is, it as be the blower style coolers like most of the Nvidia cards and some of the AMD reference cards are, that way the air gets blown out the back and not put back into the case. The real problem? Nobody makes the reference model AMD card I want, a 7870. So I may end up bitting the bullet and getting a Nvidia card. Now people have been able to put all the way up to a 670 in these which is pretty amazing. I dont know if I will go that far, I may just go with a 660 if I cant find an AMD card that will work without causing my system to overheat.
For now, the GT 640 will play BF3 at low settings at 60+ FPS, so it works for now.
*SCRATCHED ORIGINAL PLAN*
I haven't ordered it yet,saving money, but this is what I'm aiming for:
AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7660D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113280
ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157357
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148657
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120KW 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147185
Western Digital Scorpio Black WD7500BPKT 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136835
Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-550 550W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068
BitFenix Prodigy BFC-PRO-300-OOXKO-RP Atomic Orange Steel / Plastic Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345021
I will probably also order a better heatsink, and will probably run a Windows 7ified Windows 8. this build is a little over $700 not count windows, which I can get cheap another legit means.
The 2 drives will mount to the 2.5 bays on the other side panel leaving all the main bays free for now. I will order a video card down the road, and will probably use one of my 5770s in the mean time. I went with FM2 setup because good AM3+ boards only come in ATX form factor, and I wanted to stop giving Intel all of my money for once. The CPU part of the 5800K should be fine for me.
Thoughts?
