Undecided on Skylake, Haswell, SFF and case

[pavel]

Not sure where to post this. I hope to invest in a new build sometime in the new year. But, I need to narrow down the plans.

I will buy in stages. I was leaning towards a Skylake build and either get a G4400 now and smth like an i5-6500 later but again not sure. I can find some used Haswell parts but then I'm limited on a dead socket with DDR3. I might have access to an i5-4670T (for $160). Good deal?

This is what I was thinking about, though:
Z170 itx mobo (Asus, ASRock or MBI)
G4400 for now
*Currently have EVGA gtx 750*
SG13 case and 500W SFX PSU
Any thoughts? I only have the video card which I'll take from my current computer.

Main use is all-purpose
I want a smallish system but mATX and ATX means more options and more features. But, should I forego onboard sound and invest in a DAC when I can?

Similarly, most itx boards don't have usb 3.1. Should I care?

I want to go with itx, smth like a SG13 or ZXV01 (cube or slim, what to pick?) but isn't it difficult to keep things cool? Maybe, I don't have to worry about that with my gpu?

I appreciate any advice. I like itx-sized video cards.

What should I consider? Thanks for any help.

 

[TheDrifter363]

Not sure where to post this. I hope to invest in a new build sometime in the new year. But, I need to narrow down the plans.

I will buy in stages. I was leaning towards a Skylake build and either get a G4400 now and smth like an i5-6500 later but again not sure. I can find some used Haswell parts but then I'm limited on a dead socket with DDR3. I might have access to an i5-4670T (for $160). Good deal?

This is what I was thinking about, though:
Z170 itx mobo (Asus, ASRock or MBI)
G4400 for now
*Currently have EVGA gtx 750*
SG13 case and 500W SFX PSU
Any thoughts? I only have the video card which I'll take from my current computer.

Main use is all-purpose
I want a smallish system but mATX and ATX means more options and more features. But, should I forego onboard sound and invest in a DAC when I can?

Similarly, most itx boards don't have usb 3.1. Should I care?

I want to go with itx, smth like a SG13 or ZXV01 (cube or slim, what to pick?) but isn't it difficult to keep things cool? Maybe, I don't have to worry about that with my gpu?

I appreciate any advice. I like itx-sized video cards.

What should I consider? Thanks for any help.

I can at least help you on the processor. I did something similar with a new build I made in February. Originally I got a Pentium G3258 from Microcenter for 50 dollars. My original plan was to always have an I5 quad core, but I didn't have the money, so I settled on the Pentium at the time. Now I recently bought a I5 4690K, which I'm in the process of undervolting, and am going to sell the Pentium to whoever is interested. So go ahead, get the Pentium Skylake for now, and later on upgrade to the I5. If you want, you can keep the Z170 chipset, in case you decide to overclock later on. I guess it could also have good resale value. Let me know what you think.

 

[pavel]

I think your ideas echo my own. . I thought the Z170 chipset might help with undervolting? I think anything under the H170 chipset is missing too many features and instead of upgrading the mobo, I would rather invest that money on a cpu upgrade instead. I don't know if that makes sense but my reasoning was to get a semi-decent Z170 mobo and Pentium cpu and get an i5 or i7 later.
But, my ideas are all over the place so I welcome any advice or suggestions.

 

[TheDrifter363]

I think your ideas echo my own. . I thought the Z170 chipset might help with undervolting? I think anything under the H170 chipset is missing too many features and instead of upgrading the mobo, I would rather invest that money on a cpu upgrade instead. I don't know if that makes sense but my reasoning was to get a semi-decent Z170 mobo and Pentium cpu and get an i5 or i7 later.
But, my ideas are all over the place so I welcome any advice or suggestions.

Hey totally I understand. If you want, you can get the Z170, since the H170 may be missing some features you may find important, and get a cheap pentium for now. I don't know if you have a microcenter near you but a lot of times they have good deals on processors.

Personally I chose the the Asus Z97I Plus because I was looking for a mini itx motherboard with a m.2 slot. This, along with a select few, were the only motherboards with that slot. I believe this was the cheapest option. If that's important to you, take that into consideration.

If you're looking for mini itx cases, you can consider the many different mini itx cases available or consider one of these small company based cases here at hardforum. There's the Dan A4 SFX, the Osmi, the NFC S4, and the Lone Industries L3 (I have that one.)

As for undervolting, from what I know all chipsets should be able to undervolt, its just the Z series will allow you to overvolt and overclock.