Gaming Rig Using SG03

Madbadger · Post by **Madbadger** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:56 am

I'm interested in a portable gaming rig (it'll also be used for light photo/video editing) and given the choice between a gaming laptop or an SFF build, I prefer the latter (cheaper, more bang for the buck, I like building things). The plan right now is to build an SFF rig using the Silverstone SG03 and to transport it with the sugo pack. Not sure how relevant this is, but I'll be transporting the system from the US to Argentina as carry-on (assuming that's possible, I haven't asked yet - hopefully it is). Though I'm not necessarily looking for a silent pc (quieter the better however), I am looking for feedback regarding possible heat issues and the SG03.

Anyhow, I've been kicking around ideas, and I'm looking for some advice. Since I'll be in Argentina for the foreseeable future, my primary concern is component reliability (looking for quality, no over-clocking, needs to run cool) and warranty/customer service. Quite frankly a C2D system with an upper-mid range graphics card should fit my needs just fine. That being said, if it's possible, I wouldn't mind putting in the latest and greatest, as long as it meets the above requirements for reliability.

I just started (literally a few hours ago), but here's a rough idea of what I'm considering:

Latest-Greatest Build

Mobo MSI P55M-GD45 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard or
EVGA 121-LF-E652-KR Intel P55 Core i5/i7 Socket 1156 PC3-16000 (DDR3-2000) mATX Motherboard Retai
(going to wait for reviews) Also considering the Gigabyte P55 mATX board that's been getting good reviews (UD2)

Processor i7 860

Graphics Card Nvidia GTX 260

Before I even look into anything else, is this feasible? For cooling, the plan is to use a Corsair H50 and either modding a blow-hole in the top myself or buying from performance-pc and having them do it for me. Do you think this would run hot or do you think it would work? If that won't be enough cooling, any other suggestions for either more cooling or swapping components to make it work?

C2D Build

Mobo Unsure - any suggestions (emphasis on no over-clocking and reliability + upper mid level graphics card capable)?

Processor Intel E8500 Wolfdale 3.16 ghz 6 mb

Graphics Card Unsure - I prefer Nvidia (upper mid level graphics, best one that the mobo can run, less than $200)

Would the stock cooling be enough or should I still plan on using an H50 or some other cooling solution? Could I get by without the blow-hole or with a pci slot fan?

If the first build is feasible, I'd like to give it a shot, but otherwise a C2D build should meet my needs just fine. Max budget is $1400 and I plan on reusing HDDs, Monitor (if the graphics card can't game at 1080; if it can I'll be looking for a new monitor), optical drive, and PSU (though I've read that i5 and i7 systems need 80+ silver rated psus, in which case I'll probably buy a corsair).

Main objective is to build a reliable and cool system for the SG03 (or comparably sized case - for portability, anything that fits in the sugo pack will work). If that means going core 2 duo, that's fine, but if an i7/gtx260 or better would also work, then great.

Anyhow, open to any and all suggestions and/or pointers to things I may be overlooking. Hope you can help!

Cheers,
MB

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:53 am

I would step back a sec and ask yourself what you really need this thing to do. Your two different builds are..well..very different. One is much more powerful than the other..what's the budget were talkin here? if any?

Second of all..the first thing that pops into my mind is that you will not want a big heavy heatsink hanging off your mobo. If you are planning on bringing this on a plane..make sure you have a low profile, light heat sink. The stock intel heat sinks come to mind lol..so go with the stock heat sink.

It sounds like you don't need this thing to be pulling insane computation..so I would recommended a C2D or a C2Q for this build. It will save you a lot of money, and what you save on the platform you can make up for in the graphics card. Doing this, you will see the best graphics for your dollar.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131336

something like this would serve you well. Of course you wouldn't be using the onboard graphics.

If you decide to go this route for the platform, then you can really splurge on a card..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130475

A high end card won't be quiet unless you ditch the heatsink, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea if you will be transporting this thing on a potentially turbulent flight.

KyonCoraeL · Post by **KyonCoraeL** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:10 pm

Cable management is key in my opinion. I have a SG03 as well and when I play DX10 games I need to crank my fans to max to keep it my GTX260 OC2 under 70. The fan used to cool the GTX260 is a Scythe Slipstream, I run it at 2000 RPM to keep it cool. I can run it at a lower RPM but maxing it out is easier.

FYI, a big Shuriken fits in this case. my CPU rarely goes over 55 when playing games even at 1200 RPM with my Xigmatek on top.

After placing the GTX260 in the case, there is approximately 5mm's of clearance. Keep this in mind when purchasing a video card.

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:22 pm

KyonCoraeL wrote: FYI, a big Shuriken fits in this case. my CPU rarely goes over 55 when playing games even at 1200 RPM with my Xigmatek on top.

u serious? if he's planning to take this on a plan, not only is that a bad idea, its just silly. He said he's not doing any overclocking...and if that's true no sense in spending money on a big ass heatsink that will stress the board if the case gets banged around too much.

Stock heatsink will do you fine, OP. (long as you're not overclockin)

Madbadger · Post by **Madbadger** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:52 pm

Hi Guys, thanks for the input.

Yea, I'll be running everything stock. That being said, I'll still be using the Corsair H50 to cool the cpu (original post would have had links, but I can't link until I post 3 times...) Anyways, it's a watercooling-lite solution that fits in the SG03 and that has reportedly worked quite well. About cable management, yea, I'll probably need to upgrade to a modular psu to help with that.

To answer your questions, budget is $1400 max. After doing some more research and looking at what's available, I'm leaning towards the i7 build (making the cooler more necessary for the SFF case). I didn't really like what I was seeing with the available LGA775 motherboards.

Not many reviews for p55 mATX boards so I'm going to wait a bit before finalizing the mobo. Graphics card is also undecided. I did some research and the GTX 260 is sufficient for me, but the HD 5850 is tempting. Bad experiences with ATI in the past are what's holding me back (they seem to have more driver issues than Nvidia as well). I just want something that works, and if the GTX 260 is good enough for what I'm going to use it for, justifying the extra cost/risk of hassle with the HD5850 is kind of tough. Still not sure though.

Anyhow, thanks for all the input. Kind of in waiting mode now as I try to finalize the mobo, but it's a good start and I have a much better idea of what to look out for. I'll update as the build progresses.

Cheers,
MB

KyonCoraeL · Post by **KyonCoraeL** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:58 pm

The Big Shuriken is mainly a preventative heat sink. It reduced the temperatures up to 5 degrees Celsius. The heat sink is shorter than the stock heat sink for my Q9550 but it's wider. but I agree a stock heat sink should be sufficient.

I am really glad that I spent the money to buy some good 120mm fans.

KyonCoraeL · Post by **KyonCoraeL** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:00 pm

You should try having the power supply intake air from outside the case. I've tried both configurations and I found that my computer ran alot cooler when the power supply took air from outside of the case.

edit: I forgot to mention make sure your video card doesn't block any extra SATA ports. the GTX260 blocks 4 of my 6 SATA ports.

RoGuE · Post by **RoGuE** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:07 pm

KyonCoraeL wrote:You should try having the power supply intake air from outside the case. I've tried both configurations and I found that my computer ran alot cooler when the power supply took air from outside of the case.

Yeah, but then your CPU will run hotter..so it's a tradeoff

EDIT: hes doin watercooling so nvm lol