Description

I had always wanted to build a PC from scratch and have something that would play all the games I wanted but also be portable enough to take to lan parties. So I finally got some extra cash and decided to splurge on building my first PC. I use the machine for 1080p extreme graphics gaming and some programing work. Hopefully soon get a 4k monitor and try this machine out on that.

Part Reviews

CPU

Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor

Very fast CPU that has handled everything I have thrown at it so far. Picked it because it helped keep my budget at the $1000 mark and I didn't intend to overclock this time around. Handles all gaming perfectly even Tomb Raider and Witcher 3 on ultra settings.

CPU Cooler

Corsair H100i v2 70.69 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

A very nice and easy to install liquid cooling system. A good solution until I get enough cash to build my own liquid cooling loop. Keeps my CPU at manageable temperatures even under heavy load. Biggest negative was the fan noise that the included fans had. Not horrible but a very noticeable whirring sound. Going to replace those with quiet edition corsair fans.

Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-B150N Phoenix-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard

A very nice little motherboard with really cool backlighting, plenty of connections, easy to use bios and good performance with my CPU. Only negative is lack of support for DDR4 3000mhz ram.

Memory

G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2133 Memory

Good performing ram plenty fast for my needs and good budget price. 16gb gets the job done for all my gaming and programing needs.

Storage

OCZ TRION 150 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Very nice and fast 6gb/s drive. My PC boots up and is usable in under 5 seconds, programs load lightning quick and installs are fast. For the price it can't be beat. Going to probably add a second one down the road and forgo ever getting a mechanical drive.

Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Video Card

Beautiful brand new addition Asus GTX Strix 1070 card. Performance is outstanding at 1080p and every game so far including Starcraft 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Witcher 3 all maxed out on my Asus 1ms gaming monitor averaging well over 60 frames per second on all of them. Have not tried 4k yet but will hopefully once I get enough scratch for a monitor. Picked this card to future proof my rig a bit and get it VR ready.

Cons were the availability and the price was pretty steep being almost half my build cost. I got lucky and went on Newegg at 3am and they got some in-stock so I ordered one. They ran out the next morning.

Case

Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case

Beautiful case with very nice side panel for observing your build. Very easy to build in with plenty of room, mounting options, and cable management. Only negative is that its a little larger than some other ITX cases.

Power Supply

EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Nice quiet power supply that was a bit overkill for my system but allows for future upgrades and good cable management.

Case Fan

Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.19 CFM 120 mm Fan

Very cool near silent fan with cool red glow that matches the rest of my build. Using it as the exhaust for my system.

Comments

  • 41 months ago
  • 5 points

The water cooling seems like a waste for a non overclock able processor, besides that nice build and a even better case. +1

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

You know it does seem like it to those who overclock. But to some people they see that it can just keep the cpu cooler and in actuality that is just as good! If it runs cool it can potentially lengthen the lifespan of the cpu.

  • 41 months ago
  • 3 points

Was there any reason why you wanted to do a mini itx build...or did you choose mini just for the heck of it?

  • 41 months ago
  • 2 points

"I had always wanted to build a PC from scratch and have something that would play all the games I wanted but also be portable enough to take to lan parties."

  • 41 months ago
  • 2 points

Duh!! Should have read his description of his build again.

  • 41 months ago
  • 2 points

I chose to do a mini because I wanted something that was small enough to place on my desk and small/portable enough that I could take to a buddies house for lan parties yet not compromise much in gaming performance. This fit the bill since it only weighs around 15 pounds.

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

I must say, I've always loved Mini and Micro builds. I've done a few for some friends, but nothing worth posting really. They were very basic and were really just for schoolwork and portability to and from campus. I love this build, though. I know the water cooling cuts down on a lot of noise. How loud is it under load would you say?

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

Thanks! Ya the water cooling cut the noise big time. Under super heavy load (Ran firestrike and tomb raider bench marks) it got to around I would say 25dBA at most, so basically a really light whirring sound, most of it from the 1070s on board fans, unnoticeable with any in game noise going on.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

First of all, why the excellent cooler for a non-oc cpu? Unless you are planning to get a 6600K in the future, your cooler was a waste of money. Second, imo, you should have gotten a z170 board but nice build.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

I may upgrade to a 6600k in the future but not currently planning on it. Considered a z170 board but really had no need since I wasn't overclocking which is essentially the only feature that board had over the one I chose for over 80 dollars more which would have pushed me over my budget. I got the excellent cooler for two reasons one to keep noise levels down (after installing new fans my pc is virtually silent under full stress loads) and also to increase the longitivtiy of this cpu since it will always be under heavy load during most applications I use.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

So can you see the logo on the backplate or is that cover in the way?

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

You can see you logo if you look at it from a left angle but straight on the cover is over the top of the asus strix logo. You can remove the cover but I kept it because I wanted to have one of my ssds mounted there. The logo does give off a cool glow that shows through that cover because it has vents in it.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

thanks! I really like the card but have been waiting because i don't want to not be able to see it

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

How are your temps in the system? I bought the exact same 1070 and I would like to purchase this case, but I'm worried about the case choking a non-blower GPU. I've also read some reviews that say the temps aren't the best. Thanks!

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

Temps have been pretty good for me so far. Under heaviest loads my cpu sits between 23C and 28C, my motherboard between 30C and 40C and the 1070 between 50C and 60C at its hottest while playing Rise of the Tomb Raider completely maxed out. I have one huge 200mm fan at the front of the case pushing, then 2 120mm on top pulling into the radiator and finally one 120mm at the rear for exhaust. This particular Asus card has excellent built in cooling to begin with as well. Hopefully that helped!

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

Yeah, that was great! Thanks for the description, makes my choice a lot easier now!

  • 33 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks a lot. I was thinking about a similar build and was concerned about the low clearance between the gpu and the psu shroud. Those temps looks really decent.

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Can you turn off the orange LEDs of the B150N board?

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

yes you can in the Bios and downloadable toolkit.

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

not sure about the color scheme in your setup (All green then black and red PC) but overall great build!

  • 38 months ago
  • 1 point

nice build. I would have gone with the coolermaster elite 130 case though but personal preference. Eventually i plan on making my own little intel build with an i5 or an i7 skylake and seeing what i can do with it. I have built 2 computers so far. My main rig which is my gaming one is in a corsair 750D, 8 gigs of 2400mhz ram, 3 terabytes of hard drive space, 8350 cpu, hyper 212 evo cooler, 850 watt evga power supply modular :), and crosshair V formula Z motherboard with the R9 280 graphics card. But i love your build to :)

  • 34 months ago
  • 1 point

Since it has been more than 6 months, can I ask you how is the side acrylic window holding up? Are there alotof scratches on it despite a generally good taking care?

  • 34 months ago
  • 1 point

The side window has been great actually. Scratches were something I was worried about as well at first but it has not been an issue. I have taken it off several times to both add additional SSD's, clean it, and to add new case fans and I still have no visible scratches. I have also transported to several LAN parties. My PC does sit on my desk which helps I think.