Coming from a really old Core2Duo build (2.4@3ghz, 4GB DDR2, 8800GTS 640MB upgraded to GTX650Ti 1GB) I'm starting to realize it's about time to move on. I'm planning to build my first ITX system (Wife-friendly) where the goal is to get as much bang-for-buck as possible on a budget. I also want the system to be somewhat future proof, meaning I can run new games in 3-4 years on medium@1440p. I have three somewhat identical setups so far which only differ in motherboard and GPU. I feel I have been able to find the sweetspot with the base setup, although there are most likely lots of stuff I haven't thought about, so please feel free to give me some feedback. I'm primarily looking for feedback regarding brand-specific problems like noise or coil whine, or if there are any components that can be switched out for more bang-for-buck. Uses for this system: Casual gaming in 1440p (Black Desert Online, No Man's Sky og Star Citizen), Virtualization (VMware/Virtualbox) and Music production. I have not included a dedicated soundcard, SSD drives or a dedicated CPU cooler in this build as I already have these and have no plans to overclock the CPU. The base setup: Node 304, Corsair CX600M PSU, HyperX Fury 2x8GB 2133Mhz CL14 Option #1: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC + ASUS 970GTX4GB DirectCU Mini Compromise: None other than I opted for the GTX970 Mini over the fullsize card. Option #2: MSI H170I Gaming Pro AC + Gigabyte 970GTX4GB Mini Compromise: I replaced the Asus GTX970 Mini with Gigabytes card as it's cheaper, but it has a slightly lower clock (I have no real brand preference here). I also replaced the MSI Z170I with the MSI H170I, as the only real difference I can see is the ability to overclock the CPU on the Z170I. Option #3: MSI H110I + ASUS 960GTX4GB Mini Compromise: This is where things get cheap. Here I opted for the H110I card, complete barebones. Also replaced the GTX970 Mini with a GTX960 Mini thinking I'll be able to overclock the GPU through software. General compromisations I have made Motherboard: I could've gone for the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming, but from what I can see the MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC is nearly identical as well as cheaper. Graphics: Initially I had my mind set on the MSI GTX 970 4GB fullsize card based on good reviews, great temps and low noise. Instead I opted to go for the ITX version of the 970 after reading about different issues getting everything to fit inside the Node 304 using modular PSUs and fullsize GPUs. The only ITX versions I can find of the 970 Mini in my country are the Asus and Gigabyte ones. I have no experience with either, I only know that Asus delivers a slightly overclocked version compared to the reference card. This might make it noisier though, I have no idea... Memory: I probably could've gone for faster memory, but I feel that 2133mhz + CL14 is a good compromise between speed and latency.
