Suggestions required for a ultra-compact but powerful desktop

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its better to wait for amd bulldozer and then decide whether to go for amd or intel i5 series. and why you want a pc for space saving? its better to go for laptop if you want to save space. best of luck for your new rig.
 
okay.criticism is genuine and well supported by facts.but my solution is for compactness and light gaming.i referred to it because of the op's requirement of a compact system.there is nothing more compact in the market right now.even the mini itx motherboards are a good option but it will be extremely difficult to get hold of a compact case and a decent compact psu.
 
^^ Bruv, I don't say you're wrong but GTA IV is anything but a light game, it cripples system, hamstrings them and finally guts them, the AMD Fusion (Brazos) doesn't have the muscle to pull off this kind of work.
 
Bumping this topic. I am still looking for an ultra compact but powerful desktop. There have been some recent launches. Have a look at them below:

http://www.dell.com/in/p/alienware-x51/<acronym title='For Sale' class='bbc ipSeoAcronym'>fs</acronym>

http://www.zotac.com/index.php?page...3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=100275&lang=en

The Alienware X51 looks good but too pricey
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Mohit said:
Bumping this topic. I am still looking for an ultra compact but powerful desktop. There have been some recent launches. Have a look at them below:

http://www.dell.com/.../alienware-x51/<acronym title='For Sale' class='bbc ipSeoAcronym'>fs</acronym>

http://www.zotac.com...=100275&lang=en

The Alienware X51 looks good but too pricey
sad.gif
Click to expand...

What is your budget? Sire.

Got the budget, and again this is the best I can suggest --

Intel Core i5 2320 ~9500/-

Intel DH67-BL ~5400/-

G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x1 ~1600/- [add another RAM module for dual-channel performance]

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB ~5000/-

AMD HD 6850 ~8500/- OR nVidia GTX 560 [non-Ti] ~10500/-

Seasonic S12II 520W ~3800/-

SilverStone SUGO SG02 ~4000/-

Hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
Budget is around 35K-40K. Components needed Cabinet, Monitor, Processor, RAM, HDD, Keyboard, Mouse, Power Supply, GPU, Headphone with Mic, Motherboard, UPS. Something that will be flexible and will let me keep upgrading every now and then if needed.
 
Mohit said:
Budget is around 35K-40K. Components needed Cabinet, Monitor, Processor, RAM, HDD, Keyboard, Mouse, Power Supply, GPU, Headphone with Mic, Motherboard, UPS. Something that will be flexible and will let me keep upgrading every now and then if needed.
Click to expand...

I would recommend that you wait for AMD Trinity to release, also within your tight budget it might be hard to give you a powerful small-form-factor RIG.

Problems are the same ones mentioned earlier --
  • Upgradability is highly dependent on how long a company sticks to one socket package.
  • Small-form-factor components still command a premium.
  • Getting a RIG under 35000/- -->40000/- quid and still making it a powerhouse is hard, also note that over-clocking is out of the picture in such a cheap Intel RIG.
 
ALPHA17 said:
I would recommend that you wait for AMD Trinity to release, also within your tight budget it might be hard to give you a powerful small-form-factor RIG.

Problems are the same ones mentioned earlier --
  • Upgradability is highly dependent on how long a company sticks to one socket package.
  • Small-form-factor components still command a premium.
  • Getting a RIG under 35000/- -->40000/- quid and still making it a powerhouse is hard, also note that over-clocking is out of the picture in such a cheap Intel RIG.
Click to expand...

I won't be overclocking the rig at all because of insufficient cooling capabilities. I am also not looking for any special small form factor components. The Silverstone cabinet that you mentioned will let me use all normal components I guess. And mostly I would be upgrading the CPU or GPU only that also in like 1-2 years. I will be using a 20" monitor for gaming and so don't require very high resolution performance.

I have no idea about AMD or Intel processors as of now. I will google and read more about Trinity.

Thanks.
 
I have finalized the following components for now:

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB or WD 1TB Black - ~5000/- (Which is better? I would prefer WD for the 2 years warranty.)

Cabinet: Silverstone SG02 - 4000/-

RAM: Gskill Ripjaws 4GBX2 - 3200/- ( Any other options? And what speed do these Ripjaws run at? Warranty?)

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/- (This seems to be good but the only problem is its not modular.)

Mouse: Logitech G400 - 1600/-

Mousepad: Coolermaster Tactics Pad - M - 750/-

Pending stuff:

Processor

Motherboard (micro-atx)

GPU

Monitor - Will a 19-20" device be fine or should I buy something bigger?

Keyboard - Samsung Pleomax? Are these still available? Or else the Microsoft Sidewinder x4. I love the backlit buttons.

TIM

Headset - I miss my Plantronics Audio 90. I want something similar. Cheap and comfortable for long hours of gaming.
 
Go for-

Intel i3 2100-6.2k

Intel DH67BL-B3-5.6k

Ram-As you've decided

Sapphire/MSI HD6850-9.5k OR Gigabyte HD7770-8.4k

DellST2220L-8.5k OR Dell ST2010-6.5k

Microsoft Sidewinder X4-2.5k OR Logitech G110-3k

Sennheiser HD201 OR HD202-1.6k,Very comfortable go for HD202 if you want more bass.
 
#[member='Mohit'] Sire, this is what I suggest --

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB or WD 1TB Black - ~5000/- (Which is better? I would prefer WD for the 2 years warranty.)

Honestly the reliability of Western Digital drives is not at par with their Seagate counterparts, recommend you stick to Seagate.

RAM: Gskill Ripjaws 4GBX2 - 3200/- ( Any other options? And what speed do these Ripjaws run at? Warranty?)

The base G.Skill RIPJAWS are rated to run 1600MHz @1.5v, the warranty for the same is lifetime OR 10 years from date of manufacture, whichever comes first.

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/- (This seems to be good but the only problem is its not modular.)

The cheapest modular SMPS that you will get is the Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 ~6000/-.

Pending stuff:

Processor

Motherboard (micro-atx)

GPU

Monitor - Will a 19-20" device be fine or should I buy something bigger?

Keyboard - Samsung Pleomax? Are these still available? Or else the Microsoft Sidewinder x4. I love the backlit buttons.

TIM

Headset - I miss my Plantronics Audio 90. I want something similar. Cheap and comfortable for long hours of gaming.

For the processor, I would recommend as follows --

Intel Core i5 2320 ~9500/-

Intel DH67-BL ~5400/-

AMD HD 6850 ~8500/-

Microsoft Sidewinder X4 ~2000/-

Dell ST2220L ~8500/- OR Dell IN2030M ~6500/-

Ozone Attack headsets ~1700/-, this is the best in your budget, else you can go for its elder sibling the Ozone Spark ~2200/-.

Hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
#[member='ALPHA17'] you forgot to add the monitor,it's going out of budget so i suggested it to i3 2100 and there will be 2k added.With the monitor considering what op has decided the total goes over 40k so it's either i3 or i5.
 
drsingh said:
okay guys.i have finally found a good solution to the op problem.in terms of compactness and reliability.its the new zotac zbox barebones pc with amd e-350 processor.very compact design.you can put in your ram and hard drive without a screwdriver.very silent.comes with a vesa mount to mount it on your monitor.very silent.usb 3.esata.hdmi.could not find it in my local market or online yet.i guess will have to wait a bit for it to launch in india.it costs 250 dollars in the us right now.any zotac dealers on te?
Click to expand...

#[member='drsingh'] - i can source them for you ....
 
#[member='ALPHA17'] #[member='Jakob']

Ok so the final rig looks like this:

CPU : Either Intel Core i3 2100 or Intel Core i5 2320 (6200/- or 9500/-)

Motherboard: Intel DH 67 BL - 5400/-

RAM: 2X4GB Gskill Rip Jaws 1600 Mhz - 3200/-

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB - 5000/-

GPU: AMD HD 6850 or HD 7770 - 8500/-

Cabinet: Silverstone SG02 - 4000/-

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/-

Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 - 2000/-

Mouse: Logitech G400 or Microsoft Inelliexplorer 3.0 - 1600/-

Headset: Ozone Attack or Spark - 1700/- or 2200/-

DVD-RW: ??

Monitor: Dell ST2220L or Dell IN2030M - 8500/- or 6500/-

Some queries:

1. Isn't there any other cheaper motherboard option from other manufacturers? Intel original boards are always pricey. And since I will not be overclocking at all it shouldn't be a problem.

2. What DVD-RW do I buy?

3. Which is better amongst the HD 6850 and HD 7770? Which has lesser power consumption and runs cooler? If there is not much difference in performance overall, I think it would make sense to go for the that runs cooler. Also which brand should I go for?

4. Where can I source these products from at good prices as such online? I won't be getting most of the products locally here
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Thanks.

#[member='ALPHA17'] - Congrats on becoming the MOTM. I just noticed it. Well deserved
<
 
1-The motherboard suggested is for non-overclocking purpose,If you want cheaper mobo then GIGABYTE GA-H61M-D2H-3.5k is another option.http://www.theitwares.com/gigabyte-gah61md2h-1155-micro-motherboard-p-2519.html

2-For DVD-RW go for either Samsung or Lg-1k both are good.

3-Sapphire/Msi HD6850-9.5k is better than HD7770 in performance if you want to play latest titles then i'd suggest you to go for that.

4-You can get the components fromhttp://www.primeabgb.com,http://www.theitwares.com,http://smcinternational.in/
 
#[member='Mohit']

Ok so the final rig looks like this:

CPU : Either Intel Core i3 2100 or Intel Core i5 2320 (6200/- or 9500/-)

Motherboard: Intel DH 67 BL - 5400/-

RAM: 2X4GB Gskill Rip Jaws 1600 Mhz - 3200/-

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB - 5000/-

GPU: AMD HD 6850 or HD 7770 - 8500/-

Cabinet: Silverstone SG02 - 4000/-

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - 3800/-

Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4 - 2000/-

Mouse: Logitech G400 or Microsoft Inelliexplorer 3.0 - 1600/-

Headset: Ozone Attack or Spark - 1700/- or 2200/-

DVD-RW: ??

Monitor: Dell ST2220L or Dell IN2030M - 8500/- or 6500/-

Some queries:

1. Isn't there any other cheaper motherboard option from other manufacturers? Intel original boards are always pricey. And since I will not be overclocking at all it shouldn't be a problem.

Well you can look at H61 offerings from Gigabyte OR ASUS --

ASUS P8H61-M PLUS ~3500/- OR buy MSi's H67 offering, H67MA-E35 ~4800/-

2. What DVD-RW do I buy?

Any Samsung / LG OEM piece should do fine, in the local market these should retail ~1000/-.

If buying online, choose between the HP OR ASUS DVD drives ~1100/-

3. Which is better amongst the HD 6850 and HD 7770? Which has lesser power consumption and runs cooler? If there is not much difference in performance overall, I think it would make sense to go for the that runs cooler. Also which brand should I go for?

Go for the AMD HD 7770 ~8500/-, being the latest entry mid-range champion from the AMD stables featuring a revamped GCN architecture on a 28nm lithography process, it delivers good performance at really tight power peripheries.

If you think the performance is not upto mark, go for the AMD HD 6850 ~8500/-, although older it has more muscle than the HD 7770 and is priced really close. For a head-to-head comparison between these cards head here, overall this older card has got a lot of fight.

4. Where can I source these products from at good prices as such online? I won't be getting most of the products locally here
sad.gif


Well your options are --

Prime ABGB [Bombay based]

The IT Depot [Chennai based]

flipkart.com [pan-India network]

#[member='ALPHA17'] - Congrats on becoming the MOTM. I just noticed it. Well deserved.

Thank you Sire.

Hope this helps in your choices, Cheers!!
 
I just want to add something here.

The Silverstone SG02 may look small, but it has a huge foot print. Almost 11 inches wide and 16 inches deep. If you really want to buy a case similar to the one you have short listed, buy a mini ITX board and a mini ITX case. They have a smaller foot print, of about 7.2 inches. Also the PSU is mounted above the io shield / CPU making it impossible to mount a tall after market cooler, if at all you are planning to buy one in the near future.

I suggest you buy the NZXT Vulcan. It is just 16" L x 7" W x 16" H. And comes with a handle (can be detached) which is very useful in moving it around.

And what with the 19"/20" monitor ? Unless you are already stuck with a table which does not allow you to use a bigger monitor, you should seriously consider a DELL 23". If you look around the web there are two types of people, ones who want a bigger PC with lots of power in it and the ones who want to have SFF PC with again lots of power in it. But all of these people almost always buy bigger monitor. Its not like you upgrade your monitor every couple of years. A good one will easily last you 5+ Years, so buy a bigger one.
 
#[member='dreamCatcher'] Sire a few to your suggestions,

The Silverstone SG02 may look small, but it has a huge foot print. Almost 11 inches wide and 16 inches deep. If you really want to buy a case similar to the one you have short listed, buy a mini ITX board and a mini ITX case. They have a smaller foot print, of about 7.2 inches. Also the PSU is mounted above the io shield / CPU making it impossible to mount a tall after market cooler, if at all you are planning to buy one in the near future.

I suggest you buy the NZXT Vulcan. It is just 16" L x 7" W x 16" H. And comes with a handle (can be detached) which is very useful in moving it around.

True the SilverStone SUGO SG02 has a huge footprint, but it has the following advantages over the NZXT Vulcan --
  • The hard-drive bays are not limited to two 3.5" bays, something that is the case with the NZXT Vulcan, the Vulcan is even limited in the number of 5.25" convertible bays too and costs about the same.
  • I had also suggested the NZXT Vulcan but OP did not endorse it, I think his only option is of a flatbed type cabinet.
    ALPHA17 said:
    Theitdepot - Nzxt Vulcan M-atx Gaming Cabinets ~ 4000/- ('tis the only cabinet that I found could fit your needs)
    Click to expand...

    Mohit said:
    Thanks for the detailed reply. However, the cabinet looks big. I need something really compact.
    Click to expand...
  • The mini-ITX cases have a tendency to heat up and are not readily available in India. Only option I have seen is this ~3500/-. Also because they are mini-ITX forget adding a decent graphics card OR multiple hard-drives.
  • Also I noticed it is a mesh-based design, the dust accumulating propensity of this cabinet is immense. Adds to the maintenance head-ache for OP.

Just my point of view, Cheers!!
 
dreamCatcher said:
I just want to add something here.

The Silverstone SG02 may look small, but it has a huge foot print. Almost 11 inches wide and 16 inches deep. If you really want to buy a case similar to the one you have short listed, buy a mini ITX board and a mini ITX case. They have a smaller foot print, of about 7.2 inches. Also the PSU is mounted above the io shield / CPU making it impossible to mount a tall after market cooler, if at all you are planning to buy one in the near future.

I suggest you buy the NZXT Vulcan. It is just 16" L x 7" W x 16" H. And comes with a handle (can be detached) which is very useful in moving it around.

And what with the 19"/20" monitor ? Unless you are already stuck with a table which does not allow you to use a bigger monitor, you should seriously consider a DELL 23". If you look around the web there are two types of people, ones who want a bigger PC with lots of power in it and the ones who want to have SFF PC with again lots of power in it. But all of these people almost always buy bigger monitor. Its not like you upgrade your monitor every couple of years. A good one will easily last you 5+ Years, so buy a bigger one.
Click to expand...

I am having a look at the NZXT Vulcan. I will compare the dimensions and see. One more issue with the Vulcan is that it is a total mesh design which will make it prone to dust collection.
 
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