Mini ITX build motherboard questions

[CADekkers]

Hey,

I'm planning on building a mITX build!
Specs:
Asus DirectCUii OC r9 290
i7 4770k
(still have to decide which cooler, air or water (aio)
8gb crucial ballistix single stick (first upgrade will be 16 gb total)
cooler master G750M
Cooler master Haf Stacker 915F

but... what m itx mobo should i choose? I read on a couple of forums that m itx mobo's support less vram (video ram) than normal atx or itx. I really need help picking one as cheap as possible, really really cheap though.( keep in mind the gpu i'm using has 4GB of vram)
I won't be overclocking with this build but i will swap out the cpu for an i5 4690k on the MITX build and put the i7 4770k in my next computer when the money's there...
summed up:
I need an as cheap as possible mobo, no overclocking or alot of connectors etc(sata, internal usb 3.0, etc.)

I really need help!!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[ninjacore]

Not sure where you read that a motherboard can limit the vram capacity. That doesn't even really make sense.

If you aren't overclocking, why are you buying unlocked (K) CPUs? You can get locked versions or Xeons for cheaper...

Here are newegg's offerings for ITX motherboards which will support Haswell CPUs (Devil's Canyon chips might require a BIOS update depending on the platform):

Link

I'd probably go with one of the Asrock H81 or B85 offerings, provided they have all the ports you require.

If you're buying from somewhere else, provide a link. If you're buying used (and I wouldn't suggest it as used motherboards can be dicey, especially if you don't know what you're looking for...), then basically any 4th gen ITX board will work for your needs.

 

[Woomack]

If you are buying new components then I wouldn't choose anything from above list.
- 4770K - already old and can get 6700K for not so much more, or at least 4790K which is overclocking better
- R9 290 - quite big and it's a heater, bad idea in small case - will be loud or will overheat
- single memory stick - later you will have problems to find 2nd one which will match
- PSU - better is something form Corsair or EVGA - I'm using Corsair RM550 in ITX case which runs silent ( EVGA were not available in similar price when I was looking for PSU but you can find gold 90+ series ) ... can get cheaper series too
- case - PSU will block space above CPU - limited to small cooler , better look at something like Bitfenix Prodigy or similar design in lower price

If you want to make it right then spend some more money. Saving will only cause issues which you don't want.

 

[ninjacore]

Did I misread? I thought OP asked only about a cheap ITX mobo? I agree, I would never buy an h81 or b85 board for myself, but OP doesn't overclock and probably doesn't need the features of an H/Z-87/97 board.

I was also working off the assumption that they already had the chip. If not, yes of course, go with Skylake.


EDIT: Now that I re-read, it does sorta sound like they're buying everything "new". OP, what parts do you already have? Let's go from there

 

[DaveB]

If you pick the Fractal Design Node 304 case you can fit tall CPU heatsinks like the Cooler Master Hyper 212, and use long space heater GPUs like your R9 290. The video card sits along the left side panel which is perforated to allow it to suck in cool air from outside the case. The case has dual 92mm inlet fans at the front and a 140mm exhaust fan at the rear. Also get a quality modular PSU so you can keep the cable clutter under control for good airflow. Unless you already have that i7 4770K, go Skylake Socket 1151 as has already been mentioned. And this is Overclocks.com so, come on man, overclock the crap out of it!

 

[Woomack]

I just said what I think about specs in post #1. Saving on components is usually causing additional issues like space, cooling etc., even without overclocking. I was building ITX PC not so long time ago and in theory all was great but when I finished it then it was too loud or GPU was throttling because of overheating.
Of course can pick 6600K and H110 mobo + DDR3 to lower costs but I would also pick Nvidia graphics card like GTX960 4GB or GTX970 as they're generating less heat and use less power ( PSU won't additionally heat up and will keep lower fan speed ).

 

[ninjacore]

I've run 290Xs in ITX cases without issue. If you try to use a poorly designed, small case, sure you can get into problems with heat, but if you use a nice one (like the awesome - see sig - Node 304 which Dave mentioned), you should be fine even with a power-hungry card.

I don't really like the parts from the OP's list either, Woomack, but if they already own them, we can work around it

 

[CADekkers]

Did I misread? I thought OP asked only about a cheap ITX mobo? I agree, I would never buy an h81 or b85 board for myself, but OP doesn't overclock and probably doesn't need the features of an H/Z-87/97 board.

I was also working off the assumption that they already had the chip. If not, yes of course, go with Skylake.


EDIT: Now that I re-read, it does sorta sound like they're buying everything "new". OP, what parts do you already have? Let's go from there

Hey guys thanks for answering! Here's the list of parts I already have!
Gpu
Psu
Cpu
Ram

And I'm not planning on ovdrclocking in this build with the cpu but I just wanted to see how good it'd perform heatwise with the gpu/cpu. In a couole of months I will swap out the i7 and replace it with an i5 4690k! Then the i7 will be placed in my main system.I know that I'd be better off using you recommended parts but buying those parts new would cost me to much money! (i have corsair rm1000i in my main build, it's awesome!)

 

[Woomack]

In this case at least get better designed case like already mentioned Fractal Design Node 304. It will let you keep better airflow so will lower temps and generated noise.

Regarding mobo, if it has to be inexpensive then I would pick something from ASUS or ASRock:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ... 50001315 600009028 4814 600036414&isNodeId=1
Just check what features you need. H87 will add options like RAID and higher memory ratios but I guess you can live with H81.

 

[CADekkers]

In this case at least get better designed case like already mentioned Fractal Design Node 304. It will let you keep better airflow so will lower temps and generated noise.

Regarding mobo, if it has to be inexpensive then I would pick something from ASUS or ASRock:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ... 50001315 600009028 4814 600036414&isNodeId=1
Just check what features you need. H87 will add options like RAID and higher memory ratios but I guess you can live with H81.

Thanks! I'll check it out! I'll reply somewhere today.

 

[ninjacore]

So, OP has:

Asus DCUII 290
4770k
1x8GB
cooler master G750M


OP needs:

motherboard
CPU cooler
case
storage


850 EVO for SSD is the easy, solid pick. Western Digital if you need spinning disk, file storage.

CPU cooler will depend heavily on the case (though, you aren't overclocking, so I would just use the Intel stock cooler to save money).

I don't really know much about the Cooler Master case you mentioned. Node 304, Corsair Air 240, and EVGA Hadron are my ITX picks. There are many others though with adequate airflow.

Here are some ITX board options (from newegg, you'll want to shop around for best price):

Asrock H81 - $60

Biostar B85 - $62

Asrock H97 - $78 (it's open box, however, and I'm starting to whistle a different tune lately regarding open box and used motherboards not bought from forum members I trust)

Asrock H97 - $98

I would probably skip the $100 H97. For $30 more, you could probably find a much nicer Z87 or Z97 board.