Mini ITX Build!
- goinundercover
- Veteran
- Posts: 558
- Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:58 am
- Location: abc123
Mini ITX Build!
Here's a little build log for those that like to read this stuff. I apologize for the crappy photos, as they were taken with my iPod touch. This'll be my gaming rig for the years to come, but I still might upgrade the stuff, like the GPU and CPU Cooler and maybe add an SSD.
Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
MOBO: MSI Z77IA-E53 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
HDD: Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB
PSU: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-550-PCAR-E3
RAM: Kingston HyperX Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
GPU: EVGA GTS 250 1GB
CASE: Fractal Design Node 304 FD-CA-NODE-304-BL Black
Two big boxes came in the mail today
Unboxed:
Unboxed Again!:
Intel Box, in case you wonder about the batch number and such.:
Here's the motherboard. Nice and blue. Except for that stupid usb 2 header.
Installing the i5 into the motherboard. Easy. Only slots in one way.
Fully installed CPU:
Pretty Kingston HyperX Black RAM!
Ram installed. The MSI board is weird, having only one side with a latch.
Here's how far we are now :3
Popped on the stock Intel CPU Cooler.
Time to prep up the Node 304:
Panels off:
HDD Bays out:
I almost forgot the stupid Mobo I/O Shield.
Put in the standoffs and screwed in the mobo. The I/O shield pressed really hard against the I/O on the mobo. I had to bend some of the spring things and push the mobo in. I couldnt put the mobo in without taking off the rear case fan. Super tight area.
Mounted the full size ATX psu. Easy.
Here's a crappy image. GTS 250 slotted in and mounted.
Mounted the HDD. I'm not too sure how tight to tighten these things, so I just went a little bit tighter than the "beginning of the rubber", if you know what I mean.
Connected the fans to the included fan controller.
Pretty much it. Wired it up all nice and tidy. I have an OCD for wiring lol. Took me almost 2.5 hours for wiring.
I did run into another hiccup. The poor machine wouldn't POST, and I ended up testing the ram sticks. I switched them and then the computer worked
With that out of the way, here are the rest of the pics while I set up Win7:
Anyway, quite happy with this build. A GPU upgrade and I'll be set for awhile . Now I can play TF2 again with decent framerates.
Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
MOBO: MSI Z77IA-E53 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
HDD: Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB
PSU: COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus RS-550-PCAR-E3
RAM: Kingston HyperX Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
GPU: EVGA GTS 250 1GB
CASE: Fractal Design Node 304 FD-CA-NODE-304-BL Black
Two big boxes came in the mail today
Unboxed:
Unboxed Again!:
Intel Box, in case you wonder about the batch number and such.:
Here's the motherboard. Nice and blue. Except for that stupid usb 2 header.
Installing the i5 into the motherboard. Easy. Only slots in one way.
Fully installed CPU:
Pretty Kingston HyperX Black RAM!
Ram installed. The MSI board is weird, having only one side with a latch.
Here's how far we are now :3
Popped on the stock Intel CPU Cooler.
Time to prep up the Node 304:
Panels off:
HDD Bays out:
I almost forgot the stupid Mobo I/O Shield.
Put in the standoffs and screwed in the mobo. The I/O shield pressed really hard against the I/O on the mobo. I had to bend some of the spring things and push the mobo in. I couldnt put the mobo in without taking off the rear case fan. Super tight area.
Mounted the full size ATX psu. Easy.
Here's a crappy image. GTS 250 slotted in and mounted.
Mounted the HDD. I'm not too sure how tight to tighten these things, so I just went a little bit tighter than the "beginning of the rubber", if you know what I mean.
Connected the fans to the included fan controller.
Pretty much it. Wired it up all nice and tidy. I have an OCD for wiring lol. Took me almost 2.5 hours for wiring.
I did run into another hiccup. The poor machine wouldn't POST, and I ended up testing the ram sticks. I switched them and then the computer worked
With that out of the way, here are the rest of the pics while I set up Win7:
Anyway, quite happy with this build. A GPU upgrade and I'll be set for awhile . Now I can play TF2 again with decent framerates.
Last edited by goinundercover on Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:44 am, edited 2 times in total.
Retired.
- GROF.Thewalkingdead
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 8:46 pm
Re: Mini ITX Build!
Welll played :D
Last edited by GROF.Thewalkingdead on Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Mini ITX Build!
Schweet. 10/10 Looks very nice.
Last edited by Breezier on Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
amishbull wrote:I like basements.
- soulharvester
- Veteran
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:24 am
Re: Mini ITX Build!
Great job, good log.
Considering how tight everything is in there, you did a pretty good job on getting that wiring cleaned up.
(That CPU fan just barely fits between that GPU and RAM, jesus.)
Considering how tight everything is in there, you did a pretty good job on getting that wiring cleaned up.
(That CPU fan just barely fits between that GPU and RAM, jesus.)
Last edited by soulharvester on Wed Sep 11, 2013 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Mini ITX Build!
at first i thought the case was a mini fridge
Last edited by IAmJim on Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
- goinundercover
- Veteran
- Posts: 558
- Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:58 am
- Location: abc123
Re: Mini ITX Build!
Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research about the PSU. The series PSU I purchased has a high failure rate and I am going to return and replace it with another psu :/.
Last edited by goinundercover on Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Retired.
Re: Mini ITX Build!
Well there's no point in that if it hasn't failed yet.
Last edited by Phantom on Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Dick_McSlick
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:44 am
- Location: (`・ω・)つ━☆ ・ *
Re: Mini ITX Build!
What are you replacing it with?goinundercover wrote:Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research about the PSU. The series PSU I purchased has a high failure rate and I am going to return and replace it with another psu :/.
Last edited by Dick_McSlick on Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
- Dick_McSlick
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:44 am
- Location: (`・ω・)つ━☆ ・ *
Re: Mini ITX Build!
He just doesn't want it to fail in the future, better to be precautionary and just get a new one with not as a high fail rate.Phantom wrote:Well there's no point in that if it hasn't failed yet.
Last edited by Dick_McSlick on Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Mini ITX Build!
or you can just not be a pussy and live on the edge with a failing PSU and hope its the underdog of shitty psus and it rises up and raises your computer to greatness YOU JUST GOTTA BELEIVE #TYBG
Last edited by Phantom on Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:54 am, edited 2 times in total.