How to outfit an i3 microATX.

[tgje_uiuc]

I can't believe nobody has posted anything about an i3 yet. I'm looking to set up an i3 system, however, I'm not sure exactly what case would be best. I've spent the past few nights reading every relevent article on this site, and many of the forum posts.

I'm curious what people would suggest for the nsk3480 as far as CPU cooler & any fan replacement suggestions. The i3 draws lower voltage, and I don't plan on using it heavily, so how serious of a CPU cooler would I need? Could I get away with something fanless.

On another note, I haven't built a system in 6 years. My p4 just bit the dust, and rather than replace 6+ year old parts, I'm just building a new system. So if someone could eyeball this and make sure I haven't picked out incompatible parts (like, a mobo that won't fit in the case, or insufficient power) I'd appreciate it.

Requirements:
I primarily use this machine to do light graphic design (more like MS Office than Photoshop), some photoshop, some php development, a little bit of java development. I rarely game. And of course email/web surfing. This computer will serve media (mostly photos) to the laptops & mobiles in the house. Support for two monitors is mandatory. I would like it to be quiet, but I don't want to do too much modding. I'd like it to be power efficient, because it will be idling a lot as a sortof-server. This is more important than the noise. Size isn't really an issue, but I don't want it to be huge. Cost is definitely a concern, but I'd rather spend a few extra dollars now so it will last longer.

Part List:

CPU: i3-530 2.93 Ghz - ~$125

Video:

Not sure since I don't game if I can get away with the onboard graphics. That's supposedly one of the advantages of the new chipset. But I can't tell if that would support dual monitors I'd like to know, since I don't game, $70 would be a nice savings.

SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 $70
or
EVGA 01G-P3-N964-LR GeForce 9600 GSO 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ($70)

Mobo:
This is the most confusing for me. Also, if I want to keep this computer for another 6 years, I really think I should go USB 3.0. Agree?
I have 3 that I'm looking at,
ASUS P7H55D-M EVO. $135
ASRock H55M-Pro $98
GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 $109

RAM: 4 GB (2 x 2GB). Hopefully that will be sufficient. Can easily add more to 8GB later. Haven't looked into brands/timings. Probably depends on mobo.

HDD: Thinking 32GB SDD for Windows7 and other applications. Already have a WD Green 3.5 Drive that I bought a few months ago for all the media that will be served. Hopefully this keeps down heat, noise, and energy consumption. Does anyone know if a hard drive full of baby pictures and documents not currently being accessed will spin regular, low, or completely off when the files aren't actively being accessed?

Whew, I think that's about it for now. Only $650 (no OS), seems pretty reasonable. Hopefully I can get some good feedback from you knowledgeable people.

[Flanker]

the IGP on these clarkdales are actually pretty good, matching lowest end discrete cards in some benchmarks, you could just get and pentium G690 which is essentially the same as a i3 with HT disabled, whether you need HT will depend on how much you use photoshop and video production stuff.
I don't know how this will be different in a matx rig but for usb3.0 and sata3, u can just install a pci adapter when you need it, they are reasonably small iirc
I'm not sure if 32GB is sufficient, I just installed win7 pro couple of weeks ago, also installed Worms 4: Mayhem and Dragon age and my other utilities on it, using 46GB of space already, 32GB might work but it will be a bit tight, SSD's also need a bit of space to be fast anyway
I have no knowledge about the passive CPU cooling, stock HSF can get a bit loud underload when doing photoshop and stuff
/end of my 2c

[len509]

I'm not sure if 32GB is sufficient, I just installed win7 pro couple of weeks ago, also installed Worms 4: Mayhem and Dragon age and my other utilities on it, using 46GB of space already, 32GB might work but it will be a bit tight, SSD's also need a bit of space to be fast anyway

I have to agree. I just installed win7 on a 64GB Kingston SSD. The big installs where 4 Office programs and 3 Adobe CS4 programs. Along with smaller stuff like NOD32, Nero (min install), iTunes, and the like. So I'm using 31.2GB or a little more than half the drive.

[tgje_uiuc]

That is a great point about USB3.0 That's the point of having expansion slots, right? It would be more of a concern w/ ITX I guess. But I don't have the luxury of waiting for the smaller ones to come out, I need to get something back up & running in the next week or so.

Thanks for the feedback about win7. I have not installed it anywhere yet. We'll be moving to that at work soon, and I can't see installing XP or Vista on a machine this new. Especially XP to not be able to get more RAM.

I'll have to look around and see if I can answer this, but I was just thinking that maybe instead of discrete graphics, I could instead invest in an i5 750, which would then give me a little more muscle for most of the tasks that I do, if the IGP isn't that much of a tradeoff. It would feel 'right' to take advantage of the new architecture like that.

But does anyone know if the IGP will support dual monitors? Most of the mobos look to have 1 DVI and 1 VGA connector, but can I use them both simultaneously?

[tgje_uiuc]

So, it would have to be something like the i5 661 to have the IGP, guess I pulled the wrong number out of the hat.

Regardless, I think people more than myself would like to know about the dual video. A quick google search didn't turn up anything.

In addition, if I go with an i3/i5 in the nsk3480, what else will I need for quiet cooling?

[Flanker]

So, it would have to be something like the i5 661 to have the IGP, guess I pulled the wrong number out of the hat.

Regardless, I think people more than myself would like to know about the dual video. A quick google search didn't turn up anything.

In addition, if I go with an i3/i5 in the nsk3480, what else will I need for quiet cooling?

umm any processor with the codename clarkdale will have an IGP, the 661 has the highest clocked IGP but also consumes more power. As for dual video, you can achieve that with the IGP using this: http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Dual-Premium ... B000FMPR0Q

[tgje_uiuc]

Thanks flanker! That cable looks perfect. That will help a lot for the dual video. After thinking some more about my needs, and desire for quiet and low power, I think I'll stay with the i3. So how does this look?

I think what I need help with is the mobo, case, and the little accessories like fans, cables, cooling supplies. It's been a long time so I don't remember what all I need. Pretty sold on the SSD for power, noise, and speed.

CPU: i3 530 ~$125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115222

Video: Want to try integrated graphics

Mobo: Gigabyte H55M-UD2H - ~$105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -H55M-UD2H

Case: Antec NSK3480 $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129035

RAM: 4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Gold ~$110 (Please help double-check timings, voltages, etc. Very open to suggestions)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227483

SSD: Kingston 64 GB SSDNow V-Series SATA - $160
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Desktop- ... 332&sr=8-3

HDMI Splitter ~ $10
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Dual-Premium ... B000FMPR0Q

Optical Drive - DVD-RW for around $25-$30.

Fans, Cables, etc: ?

So this is looking like right around $630/650 so far. Thoughts?

[Flanker]

looks pretty good, most cables should be included. you can test out the fans if they are too loud for you then you can always swap for one on the recommended list

[hybrid2d4x4]

Looks good, except for that SSD. It's based on the notoriously crappy JMicron controller. Get something w/ Indilinx or Intel controller. This includes:
The 2nd gen Intel drives (part #: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MHxxxG2yyy, where xxx is the capacity and yyy is the revision), the OCZ Agility & Vertex lines, Corsair Extreme Series X128, Patriot Torqx, G.Skill Falcon, Super Talent Ultradrive ME. Also, the Kingston SSDNow V 40GB (only the 40GB!, the rest of the line isn't worth looking at) is derived from the intel with half the channels of the 80GB, and has good random speeds, but not so much continuous.

As for dual display, you should be able to do it out-of-the-box without the adapter as long as you're ok with running DVI+VGA. Past AMD/nV IGPs would not let you run dual digital displays (DVI+HDMI) to keep their low-end discrete cards from obsolescense, but I'm not sure if the same limitation exists in these new Intel IGPs.

Also, you should know your needs better than most people on here, so you may not have been wrong about a 30GB boot drive. I'm running Win7 x64 Ultimate RC on the HTPC on a 40GB partition, but only using 22GB with all my apps installed on this partition. Not running a hibernation or swap file tho.

[Flanker]

arrgghh true i forgot those jmiron things microstutters and has pathetic speed for SSDs. as the post above stated, the intel one is probably the best, corsair x32 x64 x128 are all pretty good. if you can't afford those u can either wait for price to drop or buy a velocity raptor

[tgje_uiuc]

For some reason I didn't see the intel ones were available as small as 40GB. For ~129, i can make it work i think. 40GB is a lot different than 30GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820167025

Or is that not the second generation?


I'm quite ok w/ running DVI+VGA.

[alleycat]

The Intel SSD you linked to has "G2" in the part number so I'm pretty sure it's second generation. I've got W7-64 installed on a 30GB SSD, and with hibernate disabled it takes up less than 10GB.

Not sure why you changed your motherboard choice. The one with USB3.0 is only $5 extra and you won't need to buy more stuff later.

[tgje_uiuc]

Ack. When I changed my mind it was a $20 price difference. Now, you are right, it is only $5. I'll have to look more carefully, and if the specs are all the same, then yes, the original USb3 is worth the $5.

[hybrid2d4x4]

Thumbs up on the Intel 40GB you linked and USB 3.0 for $5 more. Have fun with the build!

[wkeller]

The Coolermaster Elite 100 w PicoPSU and mATX H55 board seems a great fit for Clarkdale if you want it small ! The i3-530 fits in w stock cooler, I think, and power is only 30/70W.