Building mini itx pc

[mickmcpaddy]

I think its time to upgrade the HTPC at my TV, currently have a Gigabyte Brix but its one of the first ones with a low spec Pentium in it so now struggles with a few things. A few years ago I built a mini ITX PC but just used the on board graphics for a PC but this time I would like to fit a GPU card in it. But if I get one of the slim type cases like this how does the graphics card fit into it, if at all?

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-galileo-t-co...

It will obviously have a slot for the card but would need turning sideways and would then be in the way of other stuff would it not. I'm not sure a cube type case will fit in between the shelves, I will have to get measuring.

Also how do the i7 type NUCs compare to a fully fledged PC with a decent GPU card in it, say a GTX 1060?

[GrumpyTwig]

I can't comment on the particular case but anywhere that a GPU wouldn't normally fit you can use and get some form of riser to move the card somewhere else or angle it in a way that'd fit e.g https://www.scan.co.uk/products/thermaltake-pci-e-...

But as for a HTPC, do you really need dedicated graphics?

[mickmcpaddy]

Ok cheers, maybe a dedicated GPU is a bit much. I have put together a list of things I would like, if anyone could take a couple of minutes to have a look and tell me where I could improve things I would appreciate it. Even choosing the correct RAM was a mission with all the different types and voltages etc.

Case

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/silverstone-sugo-s...

Mother board (no preference for this its just one of the cheapest)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asrock-h110m-itx-i...

CPU (don't think I need anything more)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-6500...

Low profile fan for CPU (think it needs it for the PSU to fit)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-ak-cc7122bp0...

SSD (again no preference, just the cheapest - I don't need big storage)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-sandisk-ssd-...

RAM (I think 8GB is enough)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-(1x8gb)-corsai...

Power supply (not the cheapest but it will fit the case and is modular)

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-silverstone-s...

I've no preference for using scan, however its just down the road and I can pick it all up, I do have a prime account at amazon but I find the PC stuff on there lacks a lot of information, like getting the correct RAM etc.

Thanks.

[GrumpyTwig]

Without a GPU (even with in some cases) you could probably get away with a smaller case, something for HTPC shaped liked the Silverstone Milo rather than those smallish cuboid cases.

IF you're scoping out parts this is a super useful site; https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/ it'll even tell if you things will fit a lot of the time and check compatibility.

[bighop]

CPU is overkill for your needs. You can get away with an i3 or one of the new Pentiums.

[tankplanker]

If you are using it as a HTPC what is it doing that you can't do on a Nivida Shield or similar?

[chow pan toon]

bighop said:

CPU is overkill for your needs. You can get away with an i3 or one of the new Pentiums.

Yep. Go for a G4560 Pentium and then you can add a separate graphics card if you need HDMI 2 for 4k (something like a GTX 1050 will do for about £100).

[bighop]

chow pan toon said:

Yep. Go for a G4560 Pentium and then you can add a separate graphics card if you need HDMI 2 for 4k (something like a GTX 1050 will do for about £100).

This is what I did but I went for the 1050ti so I could get away with a bit of 1080p gaming on the big TV when the missus is out.

[mickmcpaddy]

I want a higher end cpu just because they work and the fact that I may add a decent graphics card at a later date and use it as a gaming PC. I have had several lower end CPUs before and I wouldn't say they struggle but sometimes aren't as quick at opening demanding web pages and playing 1080 videos, sometimes my current HTPC is a bit jumpy on some Youtube videos or opening a web page with loads of pictures, yet the overclocked i5 PC in my office does anything you ask of it without problems.

[bighop]

You might be better off waiting a week or so for AMD's Ryzen line up then. Could be better value to be had in the mid range section.

[paulrockliffe]

mickmcpaddy said:

I want a higher end cpu just because they work and the fact that I may add a decent graphics card at a later date and use it as a gaming PC. I have had several lower end CPUs before and I wouldn't say they struggle but sometimes aren't as quick at opening demanding web pages and playing 1080 videos, sometimes my current HTPC is a bit jumpy on some Youtube videos or opening a web page with loads of pictures, yet the overclocked i5 PC in my office does anything you ask of it without problems.

I'm not going to argue with your justification, because it makes sense, but I doubt your problem is one of CPU power. You can run Home Theatre software perfectly using just a Raspberry Pi without suffering any playback issues. The basic MK1 RPi struggles with the GUI bits, but not playback, in my experience.

What software are you using? Is it Windows with something stuck on top? If so, your problem is all the other stuff Windows is doing.

[mickmcpaddy]

Yes windows 10, I don't just use it as a HTPC though, I brows the web a lot on it, maybe look at a few excel files or PDFs etc. When I do use it as a home theater its usually something on XBMC. I like W10 as you can do all the above but also things like go on Reddit and get a HD football stream and watch it without any problems, I've tried to do similar on android devices and its clunky to say the least, Windows 10 just works, so maybe needs the extra oomph.

[mickmcpaddy]

Just thinking ahead here for future proofing, the i5 7600k is only £30 or so more expensive and I have a GTX 650 card knocking about, I know its not the latest graphics card but would it be an improvement on the GPU inside the i5?

I know I would need a different motherboard for this i5.

[bighop]

It's gonna be some HTPC this mate .

Seriously though wait for the Ryzen benchmarks to drop next week before you pull the trigger. You might be able to get the performance of an i5 and a dedicated GPU for similar money.

Edited by bighop on Tuesday 21st February 19:06

[chow pan toon]

mickmcpaddy said:

Yes windows 10, I don't just use it as a HTPC though, I brows the web a lot on it, maybe look at a few excel files or PDFs etc. When I do use it as a home theater its usually something on XBMC. I like W10 as you can do all the above but also things like go on Reddit and get a HD football stream and watch it without any problems, I've tried to do similar on android devices and its clunky to say the least, Windows 10 just works, so maybe needs the extra oomph.

Fair enough but don't let the fact the processer is called Pentium give you the idea that it is a poor chip. The new gen have hyperthreading and excellent gaming performance. The £100 saving over the chip you'd picked would go a long way towards a GPU for gaming. Of course, if money isn't an issue then you wont be disappointed with an i5 instead!

http://www.pcgamer.com/intel-pentium-g4560-review/

[bighop]

chow pan toon said:

Fair enough but don't let the fact the processer is called Pentium give you the idea that it is a poor chip. The new gen have hyperthreading and excellent gaming performance. The £100 saving over the chip you'd picked would go a long way towards a GPU for gaming. Of course, if money isn't an issue then you wont be disappointed with an i5 instead!

http://www.pcgamer.com/intel-pentium-g4560-review/

Yep, I've got the G4560 they're basically the i3 now.

[pimpchez]

Firstly i must say the price of components has gone crazy since i did my mini itx build at xmas (2015)

Anyway , this is cheap cool and quiet and will do 1080p on medium settings if you so wish.
The cpu is overspecced so you dont have to change or be limited , i have this and it does rendering and video production pretty damn well.


https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/zxvyZ8


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU:Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£199.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler:ARCTIC Alpine 11 GT Rev 2 28.6 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler (£5.98 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard:ASRock H110M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (£68.80 @ Alza)
Memory:Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£50.44 @ Novatech)
Storage:Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£69.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card:Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card (£129.98 @ Ebuyer)
Case:Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case (£40.80 @ Alza)
Power Supply:SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£65.41 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £631.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-23 09:35 GMT+0000


Prices are steep , go through flubit to reduce the prices

[tankplanker]

mickmcpaddy said:

Yes windows 10, I don't just use it as a HTPC though, I brows the web a lot on it, maybe look at a few excel files or PDFs etc. When I do use it as a home theater its usually something on XBMC. I like W10 as you can do all the above but also things like go on Reddit and get a HD football stream and watch it without any problems, I've tried to do similar on android devices and its clunky to say the least, Windows 10 just works, so maybe needs the extra oomph.

You can do all that with a Nvidia Shield though, chromecasting from your phone, and if the source is good enough at 4k with HDR and dolby truehd.

You can even stream from a cloud based 1080: https://www.nvidia.co.uk/shield/games/ for PC games to the Shield.

[mickmcpaddy]

In the end I followed advice and went for this, couldn't justyify the extra cost when you look at how cheap a PS4 is, the money saved can go towards a decent GPU for my more powerful office PC.

Case

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/cit-mtx-007b-black...

Motherboard

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi-b250i-pro-inte...

CPU

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-pentium-g460...

SSD

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/120gb-sandisk-ssd-...

RAM

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-corsair-ddr4-v...

All in about $300, would have been a bit cheaper but the didn't have the 4560 in stock so I had to go for the next one up. I must say it works absolutely fine as a HTPC, nothing extra is needed.

[chow pan toon]

Looks decent. I think people generally overestimate what an HTPC needs nowadays. If I wasn't using mine for 4k (output, not gaming!) I wouldn't have even bothered with a graphics card. They are very cheap machines to spec.