Night Crew Like Computers?

"Joey Quinn" (michaelkg)
01/12/2014 at 02:44 • Filed to: None

In two-ish months I'm building a Mini-ITX gaming rig to take to college. I'm also taking the slim optical drive out of my 2010 13in mac book pro and replacing it with either a 64GB or 128GB SSD.

Build

CPU: Quad core i5 4670K water cooled (corsair H60)

GPU: EVGA GTX 770

Memory: 16GB corsair vengeance lp

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI

PSU: Silverstone 450W SFX12V

Storage: Samsung 840EVO 500GB SSD, WD Black 500GB

Still deciding on monitor, keyboard, and mouse

DISCUSSION (30)

JustWaitingForAMate > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 02:47

1 TB in storage going to cut it? I know my uni days were spent backing up the internet...starting with TV shows, movies and music.

The Transporter > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 02:49

What OS are you planning on running?

Joey Quinn > JustWaitingForAMate
01/12/2014 at 02:52

I store most of my video and pictures on a 1.5TB external, also as SSD prices lower I may get rid of the WD for a 750GB or 1TB.

StoneCold > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 02:54

What are you doing with the ssd? Boot drive? Go 128. Applications? Stick with 64.

Also, water cooled isn't really worth it unless it's consistently hot by you or you're pushing more than 600W into the system. 450 can't overclock and power a 770. I know there have been efficiency gains in Hauswell, but it can't have been THAT good.

Joey Quinn > The Transporter
01/12/2014 at 02:54

Windows 7, only because my friend has a copy he is willing to give otherwise it would be Windows 8 and OS X.

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 02:55

The way the case is laid out the best way to cool the cpu is H2O, also the H60 is a small closed loop system that doesn't pull that much power.

ddavidn > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 02:58

Looks decent to me. I'd go with the 128gb, otherwise you regret it later. Unless you're fine with waiting until the 256s are affordable and replacing it then.

I'd say Razer for keyboard and mouse. Dell for monitors.

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 02:59

As far as storage goes I only have room for 2 2.5in drives so if I only get a 64 or 128 it really limits the amount of storage I can have. Also I don't want to partition the other drive.

StoneCold > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 03:04

Aha, interesting. The power concern is still valid. I would maybe about 500W if you can. Do you have what voltage the RAM is?

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > ddavidn
01/12/2014 at 03:05

If we're talking Razer kit, then only the Deathadder and Blackwidow seem to be good valuse for money. They are masters of overcharging... I'm more of a Logitech guy myself...

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 03:05

1.5V

StoneCold > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 03:10

What's the stock drive? I switched from OD to SSD there for a while, but it wasn't worth it to keep the platters and the space, so I went 2 128 ssd. Works so far on 10.6. What is the macbook pros job? Can you off load and live with less space? Will the game rig take over any of the other resourse intense jobs besides games?

StoneCold > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 03:14

1.35 volt might be better suited for what you're going for; cooler and less power. But if there's more than 5 or 10 bucks difference, eh, it's not that big of a deal.

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 03:16

The game rig will also run some 3D modeling stuff for school as well as being my main computer. My laptop is mainly for taking notes and some movies. Stock drive is 320GB 5400 RPM

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 03:18

Nvm the RAM is 1.35v

StoneCold > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 03:32

Well, final decision is up to you, but if I were in your shoes:
From the quality of the rig, it seems like money isn't a problem.
150 can buy you a Crucial m500 240gb.
Make that boot, keep optical drive, stock becomes either back up (not touched, ready to pop back in at moment's notice) or new external with a 9 buck enclosure.
Space still not enough? Then swap the optical drive for another ssd of size of choice. I ran my mechanical in the bay of a 2008 macbook, so they might be differrent now, but all I remember is trouble when trying to run mech and ssd on the same laptop. Motherboard and OS was never a fan, constantly spinning the mech up or putting the it to sleep for no reason. Always look at HOW you are doing things if space AND size is a problem, because sometimes just tossing more equipment at it makes more problems ;) time to sleep. Good luck man!

TheOnelectronic > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 03:34

I've got the H100; it's a wonderful piece of kit. Quiet, effective, and cool. (In both senses)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ddavidn
01/12/2014 at 03:50

I beg to differ on razer products. My friends and I all had Razer mice. All dead within 6 months. I had a razer keyboard that died in 3. Friends have had other accessories that all die within a year. They are overpriced, underfeatured, and terribly built. Sae your money and go logitech.

I wish the sidewinder product line from microsoft was still active as the best mouse I ever used was my OG windewinder laser mouse. It became the "X5" after a restyle but was essentially the same thing. My X8 wireless still sees some use and my X4 keyboard is my generic keyboard for things like my PS3. All still work after years of use and abuse. Couldn't be happier with any of them.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Krieger (@FSKrieger22)
01/12/2014 at 03:52

Deathadders die fast. Average lifespan of people I know is a few months. You get a year if you're lucky. Maybe under ideal conditions they last longer, but if you're in college then chances are you'll take it to lan parties. So good luck with that.

Joey Quinn > TheOnelectronic
01/12/2014 at 04:01

especially paired with air penetrator the case comes with

Joey Quinn > StoneCold
01/12/2014 at 04:05

Thanks for the advice, still not sure what i'm going to do but ill definitely take that into account

Dunnik > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 04:50

Good choices, the H60 is a great cooler, Corsair RAM is ftw, and the Titan, even.

My only question is why not go for a Corsair PSU over the Silverstone. The one I have is 5 years old and still running strong.

Joey Quinn > Dunnik
01/12/2014 at 05:11

From what I've heard about the FT03 case it seems the Silverstone is the only choice. Its also not a bad PSU, 80+ gold and a three year warranty. I'm not sure if the corsair will work but ill check it out.

Nibby > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 08:35

Agree with StoneCold, go for 128GB SSD. I have a 256GB 840, kinda silly that I have 170GB free on it.

707Miata > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 10:40

If you plan on overclocking that chip, I'd go with something a bit stronger than that H60, perhaps an H80 or H100? In any case, I'd at least switch out the fans. The ones that the corsair closed loop setups come with are terrible. Use a high static pressure fan like the Scythe Gentle Typhoon or the Noctua NF-P12.

Also, it seems like the GTX 770 requires at least a 600 watt PSU

JGrabowMSt > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 10:42

The Corsair watercooler is cheap crap. Go air cooled, Lian Li has a similar ITX case thats good for air cooling. Or go mATX and look at the Silverstone SST-PS07. Thats a great case to work in.

Do you need an SSD for the laptop? I thought about the same, but my 750gb 5400rpm drive has never given me problems.

That Corsair water cooler is closed and can take a physical beating, but I have a machine at work with one, and the nickel plating has cracks all over it. Id hate to see what the inside looks like.

I do many mITX builds, but they are not for any more than casual/home theater use. Too many fail too easily for a lack of adequate cooling. Im about to send a proposal for an ITX machine for a day trader, but the components are pretty pricey to keep the machine running at its best. In a dorm, I think it would just be risky.

Lazzris > Joey Quinn
01/12/2014 at 10:54

I put a 128Gb SSD in my macBook Pro I also put 16gigs of ram in it. SSD was by far the best upgrade for it. would boot in 12 seconds.

ddavidn > Krieger (@FSKrieger22)
01/12/2014 at 21:44

I've got all Logitech too, but my brother has a couple Razer items that seemed to be a better value. Not sure if he's even had them a year yet, though. Time will tell.

ddavidn > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/12/2014 at 21:44

I'd always take a cheap set of equipment to LAN parties... Never risk my good stuff.

overdrv > Joey Quinn
01/13/2014 at 13:51

Go for a 126 or 256 SSD and use that money to buy a min 2TB storage drive. Nothing like deciding what porn to delete because you didn't buy enough HD space