Big power in a small package with a tight (budget)

I've just received all of my parts and am ready to start building my new Mini ITX system. It's been a long time coming. As a student, I've been saving for a while, and due to my small budget, which relied on me selling my old parts, I've gone second hand/cheap new.

Main reason for the upgrade is because I'm tired of dragging my H440 around with me. But damn I love that case. The red and black just did it for me. So now I've had to compromise and go with a red and black manta :mrgreen::rockon::iloveyou:

Specs are as follows:

• 6700K (Cex - 225 pounds and used a voucher with a value of 220, which I got at 81%)
• GTX 1070 (eBay - 290 with a 20 pound voucher from my nectar points - I knew over spending at Sainsbury's was worth it!)
• 16GB DDR4 (Cex - used a 10 pound voucher I had lying around and bought a 50 pound voucher at 80%)
• Z270i strix (Alza had a great deal and gave me 5 pounds off if I signed up to their newsletter)
• H100i (Maplin - I had completely forgotten to get a cooler, and Maplin price matched Scan)(sorry Scan!)
• 500GB Samsung 850 Evo which I got a year ago during prime day
• 120GB HyperX (My first SSD)
• 1TB Barracuda (From my first PC)
• NZXT Manta (On sale from Amazon)

I came from the specs listed in my info.

Pictures as the build progresses.

Post some pictures please when the build is done!!

You have strange definitions of a small case and a tight budget.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the Strix Z270i though, I'm considering the mid-range version of it as the front mounted M.2 slot is a rarity.

Small as in ITX based that can still support a radiator and doesn't cost through the roof. Tight budget as in I wanted something that performs better than my last build while paying roughly the same as I did before.

The equipment:
https://preview.ibb.co/jpv0TF/IMG_20170525_220453.jpg

Damn this case is pretty!
https://preview.ibb.co/n1C3ha/IMG_20170525_221318.jpg

Thanks NZXT for the great QC!
https://preview.ibb.co/bBjG2a/IMG_20170525_225010.jpg

Thankfully, I was able to get hold of their online manual
https://preview.ibb.co/erEuoF/IMG_20170525_231308.jpg

This is going to really, really annoy me...
https://preview.ibb.co/cRa0TF/IMG_20170525_231549.jpg

Clearly it isn't my night...
https://preview.ibb.co/b5FZoF/IMG_20170526_002622.jpg

Thankfully Maplin are top notch
https://preview.ibb.co/ePL0TF/IMG_20170526_152626.jpg

With cable management, my strategy is "shove it in and hope for the best" (not indicative of other areas of my life)
https://preview.ibb.co/gof0TF/IMG_20170526_160658.jpg

Side note - this resulted in me breaking my sata splitter cable. I spent a good half an hour trying to work out why the SSDs weren't showing in the BIOS

GPU is in
https://preview.ibb.co/gb5ZoF/IMG_20170526_001925.jpg

Before (minus my 970)
https://preview.ibb.co/nAgJFv/IMG_20170524_195115.jpg

After! (with successful first time post! - apart from my SSDs not working)
https://preview.ibb.co/ntLpNa/IMG_20170526_161926.jpg

And yes, the motherboard is RGB! It wasn't intentional...

(actually wasn't)

Things to take note of:

• Hard drive installation is really tricky, and if you have a 90 degree angled sata power cable - good luck.
• I recommend routing cables and installing radiator first - it's very difficult to do after you've installed the motherboard.
• This case, while big for an ITX, is much more compact than my H440, and definitely recommended if you don't need more than 32GB RAM and a single GPU, as well as a couple of HDDs (could always use a NAS).
• The setup is silent at idle. Much MUCH quieter than my previous build.
• Integrated fan controller on the case supports fan speed controlling - the H440 didn't.
• The motherboard DOESN'T have a USB2 connector, so you'll need a separate cable to setup your H100i (or other cooler).
• The motherboard has an integrated AIO pump header, which while fantastic, doesn't support the H100i, as without a CPU fan plugged into its own header, it won't boot. With a fan splitter and controlling them through the motherboard, it'd be quite effective.
• You'll definitely want a short PSU like my CS550 - you'll struggle hiding cables otherwise (especially with an HDD installed).