CAITLINV3
April 2017

ITX Budget Gaming: Pentium G4560

Back in the day, when I was traveling to LAN’s frequently, I really wanted to do an ITX build. In those days, we definitely didn’t have as many options as today. So when Fractal Design sent me the Nano S to check out, I jumped at the chance to throw together TWO ITX builds. This is the first as a budget build that comes in under $500! It came out very ‘basic’, so you know I had to flash it up a bit with some DIY mods. PSU Shroud, CPU cover, custom sleeved cables and I/O covers all made by me using acrylic sheets, a heat gun and spray paint.

Specs and Amazon links with US prices:
Fractal Design Nano S case: http://amzn.to/2nqkjqm
Pentium CPU: http://amzn.to/2mMN9UU
Gigabyte H110N Motherboard: http://amzn.to/2mdvIts
Zotac gtx1050 GPU: http://amzn.to/2mTElNj
Ballistix RAM 8gb DDR4: http://amzn.to/2nqvGif
EVGA 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2nqkkur


   

 

Affiliate links are used in this post.

March 2017

Bling Build: i7-6700k

To begin with, what I’ve done here is not for everyone. You may or may not like the ‘bling’ ‘sparkly’ ‘glitter’ effect that the rhinestones gave this PC, but I LOVE it. The way the led’s reflect off each gem adds a special touch that I’ve never personally seen before. This is VERY DIY and obviously not very professional looking. Looking back a few months later, there are definitely changes I would make. I’m sure eventually a Bling 2.0 build will happen to make it look even blingy-er.

SPECS and Amazon links with US prices:

CPU: i7-6700k http://amzn.to/2kqBmbN
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken x61 http://amzn.to/2l1NsLB
Motherboard: Gigabyte z170x-ud3-Ultra http://amzn.to/2l1E2zt
RAM: Corsair Vengence 16gb DDR4 3200mhz http://amzn.to/2jI3AkY
SSD: Samsung 950 Pro 256gb http://amzn.to/2l1JLWd
PSU: EVGA 650w Supernova P2 http://amzn.to/2jMvAzl
GPU: Nvidia gtx 1080 Founders Edition http://amzn.to/2k58RiM
Case: NZXT s340 Elite (white) http://amzn.to/2kqHgd0
EVGA Cable Set: http://amzn.to/2kqEmVF
Corsair AF120 fans: http://amzn.to/2l1BuSa


       

April 2017

Build: Black & White: i3-7350k

On YouTube I received a considerable amount of hate for using a dual core processor in ‘this day and age’, but I’ve done builds with i7’s since i7 first released and wanted to check out an unlocked i3 for the first time. NOTE: this is not my daily driver PC.

Except for the fact that it’s about $50-60+ overpriced, I’m fairly happy with the i3-7350k! I could play all of the games I tested on high or ultra settings while maintaining decent FPS using a RX480. Overclocking it to 4.9ghz (ran too hot at 5.0ghz at full load, so I dropped it a bit) also gave it a few more FPS and a nice boost in benchmarks like Time Spy and Cinebench R15. This is also NOT a budget build, as I obviously focused more on aesthetics than price by using an AIO, flashy RAM and a custom cable set. Cutting out those options for more budget friendly components would have dropped the price closer to $1k (if not under). If you’re looking for a budget processor, I wouldn’t recommend the i3-7350k until after Intel drops the price in the near future (it’s inevitable) and only if you plan on overclocking. Otherwise I’d probably suggest an older i5 or even the G4560 (which will be in my next true budget build).

Specs and Amazon links

CPU: i3-7350k 7th gen intel processor http://amzn.to/2l6CNv2
Motherboard: MSI Z270 Krait Gaming http://amzn.to/2l6DaFW
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon RX 480 4GB RS http://amzn.to/2l1JqTu
CPU Cooler: DeepCool Captain 240 EX http://amzn.to/2k5d1HD
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 http://amzn.to/2jMvesc
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB SSD http://amzn.to/2l6olmK
Case: Fractal Design Define C with Window ATX Mid Tower http://amzn.to/2kBIjJ0
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX http://amzn.to/2jMuR14
EVGA Cable Set: http://amzn.to/2l6HCEF





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