90K+ Small form-factor PC build under 1L

Nanda_G

Nanda_G

Beginner
Looking to build a PC.

(Putting this here first because this might be the most restrictive part of my requirement) Case, I prefer as small of a form-factor and I want it to have enough space to add more storage. Just maximum function and good cooling for the size, don't care about RGB and don't care about having a glass panel or anything.

CPU and RAM wise, I don't have any specific requirement. I just do some programming and I run a lot of VMs so decent amount of cores and a good amount of RAM is all I need.

Motherboard, I might be asking for too much. I want a small form-factor but I might need a lot of storage support so a motherboard with decent support for even more storage (HDD if possible).

GPU/Gaming-wise, don't want to ask too much. Ideally, 1440p60 or even 1080p60 on most games. I also use Linux but I'd probably be running a Windows dualboot (so I don't mind Nvidia but I'd prefer AMD since they have better driver support).

PSU, anything goes. Whatever's good enough to fit what power my PC will ask for and the form-factor of my case.

1L budget excludes peripherals, monitor and storage (I have a 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD and a 1 TB 7200 RPM drive (optional) - I'd like if I can add more storage though but I don't know if that's possible). Don't want any RGB if it's cheaper or same without.

Timeframe: 4-5 months, maybe even more, so I don't mind waiting for availability, deals or even buying second-hand. At this moment, I'm not even concrete that I'd build this but if I can successfully fulfill my requirements and feel satisfied with the parts, I'll go ahead and start hunting for them.

Can I make it happen? Is it too ambitious? What can I do within this price range or size range instead? Will even consider getting things from abroad if someone I know is coming from the US or something but like that's really last resort.

The last I've ever looked at the PC market was 2017 where I built a budget RX 570 i5-7400 PC [only thing I retain from that is my HDD, monitors and peripherals] and that was right before the mining craze so I have no idea about the prices and of course the availability of CPUs and GPUs (I've heard they've shot up).
 
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SFF for 1L is a bit tough (unless you compromise on specs), better get a mATX cabinet based build. Use something like Asus AP201 or Galax REV 03.


If your timeframe is 4-5months, you are wasting time asking others. Just do your own research as there's plenty of time & tech prices changes with time, so ask 2 weeks before purchase. Also take a call on gaming vs productivity. If latter is the preference, can upgrade CPU to R9 7900 & downgrade GPU to 7700XT.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
SFF for 1L is a bit tough (unless you compromise on specs), better get a mATX cabinet based build. Use something like Asus AP201 or Galax REV 03.
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Even if I go second-hand? I was thinking something like the NR200P and maybe a second hand 6600XT

OMEGA44-XT said:
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Hmm, I could work off this and I think I could do a SFF if I buy second-hand because 50K for a GPU seems crazy to me.

OMEGA44-XT said:
If your timeframe is 4-5months, you are wasting time asking others. Just do your own research as there's plenty of time & tech prices changes with time, so ask 2 weeks before purchase.
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Yeah, I just wanted to get an idea of people's opinion and the general consensus in general so I could build some context around what I should go for because currently I am a bit clueless.

OMEGA44-XT said:
Also take a call on gaming vs productivity. If latter is the preference, can upgrade CPU to R9 7900 & downgrade GPU to 7700XT.
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A 7700XT can do 1440p60 on pretty much every game, no? That works for me.
 
7700XT is good for 1440p 60fps but 7800XT/7900GRE are better for long run because of the extra performance & VRAM.

4060Ti is similar to 6750XT (6700XT is 10% inferior but is found for 20k on used market). Only a few new games are as heavy as Starfield, but it is realistic to expect something like GTA VI to be as demanding as Starfield.

Anyways, do your research & take your call on what you are willing to compromise on.

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I currently run my pc in formd t1v2 l. It has about 9.8 litres of capacity. Quite small but good enough. Anything below 10 litres will have a lot of cooling issues. Regarding the storage most of the mobo's now come with 2 nvme slots and I think those should be good enough. But if it doesn't then you can add sata ssd just like I am running as of now but there is no proper space so you have to jam it in.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
7700XT is good for 1440p 60fps but 7800XT/7900GRE are better for long run because of the extra performance & VRAM.

4060Ti is similar to 6750XT (6700XT is 10% inferior but is found for 20k on used market). Only a few new games are as heavy as Starfield, but it is realistic to expect something like GTA VI to be as demanding as Starfield.

Anyways, do your research & take your call on what you are willing to compromise on.
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Thank you for the comparisons, will definitely help in deciding!

r4hul said:
I currently run my pc in formsld t1v2 l. It has about 9.8 litres of capacity. Quite small but good enough. Anything below 10 litres will have a lot of cooling issues. Regarding the storage most of the mobo's now come with 2 nvme slots and I think those should be good enough. But if it doesn't then you can add sata ssd just like I am running as of now but there is no proper space so you have to jam it in.
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I'm thinking maybe around 15L is the sweet spot, maybe 18L. Looking at the NR200 and the Deepcool CH160 right now.
 
Nanda_G said:
Even if I go second-hand? I was thinking something like the NR200P and maybe a second hand 6600XT
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I was in the same position as you a few months ago and went ahead with a Fractal Terra Ryzen 7600 RTX 3060 build. It cost me 1.3L.

For new parts it will be tough to get a build under 1L in a super small case as there aren't too many case options. You could look at Lian Li A4 H20 and a AM4/LGA1700 build on the cheaper asrock itx boards.
 
roadrash99 said:
I was in the same position as you a few months ago and went ahead with a Fractal Terra Ryzen 7600 RTX 3060 build. It cost me 1.3L.

For new parts it will be tough to get a build under 1L in a super small case as there aren't too many case options. You could look at Lian Li A4 H20 and a AM4/LGA1700 build on the cheaper asrock itx boards.
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Do you have a build link?
 
Nanda_G said:
Do you have a build link?
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No but basically

Cpu - 10k (12400/5600)
GPU - 25k (3060 new or 3070 used)
Mobo - 12k (asrock b550/b660 itx)
Psu - 13k (CM V850 SFX)
Storage - 6k (1tb ssd)
Ram - 7k (16gbx2 ddr4)
Case - 13k (lian li a4 h2o)
Cooler - 6k cheap 240 aio

Total 92k
 
If you don't mind waiting and if you can get a seller to order for you, you can get this case from AliExpress. It also accommodates ATX power supplies so you'll save there as well.
 
roadrash99 said:
No but basically

Cpu - 10k (12400/5600)
GPU - 25k (3060 new or 3070 used)
Mobo - 12k (asrock b550/b660 itx)
Psu - 13k (CM V850 SFX)
Storage - 6k (1tb ssd)
Ram - 7k (16gbx2 ddr4)
Case - 13k (lian li a4 h2o)
Cooler - 6k cheap 240 aio

Total 92k
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Oh, alright. I could probably splurge a bit since I don't need storage. Thank you!
 
Mohan997 said:
If you don't mind waiting and if you can get a seller to order for you, you can get this case from AliExpress. It also accommodates ATX power supplies so you'll save there as well.
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Then you should focus on getting an am5 motherboard (25k for good b650i, 19k for ok b650i) and Ryzen 5 7600 processor.

Your build will become (same order of components):
18+25+25+13+0+10+13+6 = 1.1L

You should be able to squeeze under 1L if you get card discounts in sales or compromise on b650i and get the 19k one). But your build will be much more future proof.
 
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Nanda_G said:
was thinking something like the NR200P
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Fyi, new version/v2 of NR200 is designed only for liquid cpu coolers unlike original v1 which could accommodate air coolers too because using gpu in vertical orientation via riser cable is now must unlike optional in v1.
 
Challenging but doable with some used parts. I would use SAMA 01 or Zen woodan as they are smaller in volume than NR200. Also, NR200 demands ITX Mobo & SFX PSU that are very expensive. In the former cases, you can get away with ATX PSU and mATX MB, and pairing that with a used card (preferably with 16 gb vram) from here or fb marketplace.
 
I had planned an ITX build for a similar budget some time back: https://techenclave.com/threads/mid-range-sff-build.219471/#post-2520243.

This build is parts that were readily available to purchase leaving room for a case and GPU of your choice (I can highly recommend Facebook groups for 2nd hand). IIRC AMD is going to stick to AM5 for at least until 2027 so a 7600 leaves the door open for upgrades.

Turns out importing any of the amazing cases < 10L (S300 for example) is going to cost a fortune and ITX motherboards cost ~1.5x than their ATX counterparts. Couple that with the thermal issues you'll likely have without an AIO and I ended up sticking to my ATX build and got a Steam Deck instead. ITX is hard mode in India lol
 
guest_999 said:
NR200 is smaller in volume that's why it is officially SFF while the other two aren't (they are MFF to be precise) & the reason why NR200 is ITX only while the other two can accommodate matx.
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Oh yes, I stand corrected. NR200 is 3-4 litres smaller in volume.
I wonder how is Fractal terra priced in India, if I had to go with sfx psu and itx mb then would have gone with terra probably, if it were cheaper.
 
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