Please give me feedback on my ITX build (Silverstone Raven RVZ-01)

Hi everybody, I'm quite new to this forum and hope that you can give me some feedback on this.

My current PC is an ageing Phenom II X4 965 build, with a Sata 2 interface and a conventional hard drive. I am planning on building a new system in two steps:

1. Build the system on the list in the PC partpicker link.
2. Later upgrade the graphics card (depending on cash flow).

My aim for this system is that it can keep up with newer games in medium to high graphics detail. I also want the system to be compact, look good (I like stylish cases) and last for a couple of years (2-4). I would prefer it to not run too hot and not be overly noisy, as I am also a musician and might use it to record. I do also have a Macbook Air as laptop, so I might use that for recording.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/skPCXL

My first question is whether this (in the partpicker link) looks correct to anybody who knows this stuff, especially if the motherboard will work with i3 and i5 processors and fit in an ITX chassis? I know that I need to get an extra cable for the slimline SATA drive. I am aware that the graphics card is not the greatest anymore, but as said I want to wait with upgrading this later. Should I be worried about the Radeon not working with an Intel i3 cpu?

My second question is about the future graphics upgrade and whether the i3 is enough: which 4GB graphics card would work well with the i3 4370 without creating a bottle neck? I have a BenQ 24" gaming screen, so the resolution will be limited to 1920x1080. I was thinking a GTX960 or an equivalent Radeon. I'm trying to get some idea if I really need an i5 CPU instead of the i3, or if the i3 is fast enough.

My final question is if I should know something in case I want to add a conventional HDD for storage to the build. I assume I can just pop an additional HDD in later without having to reinstall something, right?

Many thanks in advance for the feedback!

Hi Alex

All of the kit you've chosen is compatible and will fit nicely into that Silverstone case. The mobo will be backwards compatible with older gen PCI-E graphics cards, so your current card will work just fine.

You should find that the cpu you've chosen will run most games just fine, but if you can stretch to an i5, the additional cores, hyperthreading and extra cache is well worth it imo. Not sure about your graphics card issue as the 960 is still relatively new. Just keep an eye on power requirements (especially if you're looking at AMD cards) when you decide to upgrade.

As for upgrades, yes you can add an additional hdd/ssd at any time without having to re-install Windows.

It all looks good and should do everything you need, but I would be tempted to go with a case that can use ATX PSU and is a little bigger.

I'm looking at the Antec ISK 600 £37, and a XFX 550 watt gold PSU £38. That saves you enough money to add a i5 4960K compared to the Raven case and SFF 450 watt PSU.

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Originally Posted by Alex79

especially if the motherboard will work with i3 and i5 processors and fit in an ITX chassis?

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It won't work with all brand new i3 and i5 processors, notably the just-coming-into-stock 6000 series would requite a motherboard with a 100 series chipset and LGA1151 socket instead of the 80/90 series chipset and LGA 1150 socket that motherboard has.

It will work with the 4370 you've picked and other 4000 series i3/i5/i7 processors, although with a separate graphics card you may find the 4170 makes more sense as it's a 4360 with worse integrated graphics but £30 cheaper.

It will work with the Mini-ITX RVZ02 case you've chosen, although If you haven't already I would also consider the FTZ01/ML07 and the upcoming RVZ02/ML08. The former pair are the same case as the RVZ01 with different facias, the latter pair are a thinner design.

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Originally Posted by Alex79

My second question is about the future graphics upgrade and whether the i3 is enough: which 4GB graphics card would work well with the i3 4370 without creating a bottle neck? I have a BenQ 24" gaming screen

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I take it that it's old enough not to support variable refresh rate? Right now nVidia are not supporting the DisplayPort adaptive sync standard but rather favouring their own G-Sync so that tends to dominate graphics card choice at the moment.

The 380 and GTX 960 are both good choices, although the 270X isn't particularly old so you may find you're better off waiting another 18 months for the next set of cards before upgrading.

I would be inclined to go for an i5. Game performance often seems to tie to what's popular, because that's what game developers design around, rather than some notion of a balanced or good enough system. An i5-4460 is £25 more and I'd call that a much better buy compare with the -G suffix version of the power supply that you've spend £25 on over the normal one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alex79

My final question is if I should know something in case I want to add a conventional HDD for storage to the build. I assume I can just pop an additional HDD in later without having to reinstall something, right?!

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That's correct.

EDIT: Also, worth pointing out that you want Windows 10 Retail for a self-build (approximate £5 more from Novatech etc.). The OEM licence is only valid if you're building a machine to be sold.

Lots of food for thought, thanks a lot!

I think I have a Windows 10 retail version, not OEM - I will need to change that.

I'm inclined to go for an i5 instead, as it does make sense that future game developers will optimise more and more titles for 4 or more cores.

EDIT:

I have changed my build and gone for micro-Atx instead. This way I can keep my current PSU (a 650 Watt unit) and upgrade the CPU to an i5. I will still need an external DVD writer though (not on the list) and I will need to cram my PCI-E x1 Wifi card in there, but that shouldn't be a problem as the motherboard has a spare PCI-E x4 slot at the bottom.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/theo...k/saved/fgvtt6
The motherboard is a bit overkill, but PCpartpicker did not have the Gigabyte Z97M-D3H on their lists:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigab...vi-d-hdmi-uatx
This would be a cheaper option, but I might still keep the more expensive one.

Does this look more sensible with the i5 but an overall lower price-tag?

450W is plenty for a R9 380/GTX 960 and i5-4460. You only need those 500W+ PSUs when you're contemplating overclocking and either really high end cards or multiple card setups. Just look at any R9 285/R9 380 review and you'll find their top of the range hexacore system using it draws 250W for the entire system. And that's from the wall after efficiency losses so you can knock 10-15% off that to get the figure the power supply is outputting (which is what the rating is for).

The air is quite an increase in size, 33L compared to the 14L of the RVZ01. Have you considered a smaller Micro ATX case like Sharkoon's CA-M at 17.3L?

I wouldn't pay the extra for an M.2 SATA drive. A 2.5" drive doesn't take up a huge amount of space, it's exactly the same performance and it's a lot closer to £100 than £150. The PCI-E M.2 drives like the SM951 are a different matter and a potentially interesting option but they're a lot more expensive.

Personally I'd consider £85 on a motherboard to be overkill. £50-60 is a nice mid-range figure.

Did you build this Alex?

I've been looking at some of the Silverstone SFF cases for my build and I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Wonder how would the case fare with a monitor on the top of it...

I think some of the Silverstone cases don't come with case fans, so I'd be concerned about covering up some ventilation, as well as crushing my precious build.

If you want to try it first though, I'll happily watch from afar.

The rvz-01 is a a little bit of a faf to work with but it's not too bad and it's an excellent form factor nice up and running.
I went for the 600w supply, a) for more headroom and b) you get the flat cables which you would otherwise have to buy separately.

the raven version of the case comes with case fans, the milo one doesn't. I Use one over the CPU with a dust filter but I unplugged the one over the GPU as it ran cool enough and my motherboard wasn't able to control the speed.

Sounds great Olie, thanks for the info. I'm all aboard the SFF train and am hoping one of these cases comes up in a sale soon.

It's rare enough you get a small case that can take a full sized GPU.

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Originally Posted by EndlessWaves

I would be inclined to go for an i5. Game performance often seems to tie to what's popular, because that's what game developers design around, rather than some notion of a balanced or good enough system. An i5-4460 is £25 more and I'd call that a much better buy compare with the -G suffix version of the power supply that you've spend £25 on over the normal one.

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+1. Four or more cores seems to be increasingly important for gaming. No point having a dual core i3 even with the R9 270, let alone something more powerful.

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Originally Posted by realc

+1. Four or more cores seems to be increasingly important for gaming. No point having a dual core i3 even with the R9 270, let alone something more powerful.

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It's nothing to do with the core count, it's simply the level of performance. I'd probably go for fewer cores if offered the choice between two equivalently performing chips.