System Builder Marathon Q2 2015: $1600 Mini Gaming PC

  1. Introduction
  2. $1600 Mini Gaming PC
  3. Component Selection
  4. Hardware Installation
  5. Overclocking
  6. Synthetics
  7. Gaming
  8. Media, Productivity And Compression
  9. Power, Heat, Efficiency And Value

Because you asked for it, we put an Intel Core i5 and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 into a mini-ITX case. But how does it perform compared to its larger twin?

System Builder Marathon Q2 2015

Here are links to each of the five articles in this quarter’s System Builder Marathon (we’ll update them as each story is published). And remember, these systems are all being given away at the end of the marathon.

To enter the giveaway, please fill out this SurveyGizmo form, and be sure to read the complete rules before entering!

  1. $1600 Performance PC
  2. $1600 Mini Performance PC
  3. $1600 Gaming PC
  4. $1600 Mini Gaming PC
  5. System Value Compared

$1600 Mini Gaming PC

I’m back, this time with a smaller mini-ITX gaming machine. And, in following the naming convention of the first machine, which I called Big Build, I’d like to introduce “Mini Build”. Yes, the creativity runs strong in someone else’s veins, not mine.

Working on this quarter’s System Builders Marathon (SBM) was quite an experience. The biggest lesson learned from my first machine was to allocate a lot more time for this project. Piecing together the system isn’t the hard part. It’s the testing that can take a while.

As I mentioned before, Thomas and I were handed a budget of $3200 each for this quarter’s System Builder Marathon, which we took to build a pair of $1600 PCs. Thomas was asked to focus on CPU-driven builds, while my machines were more graphics-heavy.

Working with mini-ITX is always challenging and if you don’t do the right research, you’ll end up sending back plenty of return items because you misjudged a measurement somewhere. I know this especially since most of my previous builds were small form factor machines I built at home. Fortunately, I learned and didn’t have return anything this time. Actually…I did return something, but I’ll save that for the Component Installation section below.

Here’s what I used for my Mini Build:

Case Cooling Cooling CPU Graphics Memory Motherboard PSU Storage Storage Optical Software
Products

Rosewill Neutron

SilverStone NT06-PRO

SilenX EFX-12-15

Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon

EVGA GeForce GTX 980

G.Skill TridentX Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)

MSI Z97I AC

Rosewill RD600-M

Samsung 850 Pro (256GB)

Seagate Barracuda (1TB)

Samsung DVD Writer

Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)

Pricing
  • Platform Cost: $1402
  • Total Hardware Cost: $1495
  • Complete System Price: $1595

Component Selection