H97 is not capable of overclocking or SLI. Those are the reasons you might want to avoid it. But nobody would do SLI in either a micro-ATX or mini-ITX setup. Both H97 and Z97 motherboards are (or should be) compatible with Broadwell when it comes out in desktop format. That's the best you can do for upgradeability now. I can't find any credible claim that a GTX 970 requires a Z97 or benefits from it in any way other than SLI support.
The Gigabyte board I listed has built-in wireless. The others don't; you'll have to supply a USB wireless stick; with micro-ATX, you can add an internal wireless card. But the way I look at it, micro-ATX case + handle from the hardware store = just as portable as mini-ITX.
I understand. I will try out micro atx then. What do you think of the Gigabyte or Asus 970 mini edition ? Is it reliable? I think smaller would be nice for my rig but Iam hesitant about its quality/performance. And can I go with an Asus motherboard and Gigabyte graphic card or should I not mix the brands? Many thanks for your help and wisdom.
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Or a quality VA panel. But those are few and far between. Which is a shame since although VA panels can never reach the color accuracy of IPS panels they have much better contrast ratios/black levels. And thus they're much less prone to light bleed.
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Neither one is exactly stellar; they have a reputation for running hot. Of the two, the ASUS is more stable. There is no rule that says you can't mix brands with a Gigabyte GPU and an ASUS motherboard or vice versa.
Zotac also has a compact GTX 970 (30mm longer than the minis); Newegg is selling it with Witcher 3 bundled. The size won't be a constraint with most microATX cases; with miniITX, I don't know.
I've looked at the micro atx cases and I love the Corsair Carbide Air 240. It has great customer reviews too. The only thing not so great about it is that the heatpipe ( of 970 cards ) will hit its window. That's why I've been thinking about the mini versions. About the reputation of running hot. If I get a nice cooling system it's not a problem anymore, right ? Thanks again.
Edit : I often connect to public wireless networks ( in hotels for example ) do you think the built-in wireless in the Gigabyte you told me about is effective enough or just for really close range wireless network?
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:crybaby:
We were promised OLEDs years ago and so far almost nothing
The problem people were having with those cards, especially the Gigabyte, is the ventilation in the card housing is poor. Good airflow in the case is not as much help as you'd like it to be, because of that.
The Corsair case is gorgeous, and it won't be a problem except for GPUs with heatpipes that stick up. You have about 120mm of usable height.
With a well-chosen microATX motherboard, you can get an internal WiFi card and a dedicated sound card in there along with your GTX 970.
Yup. It's a bummer. :-
Hopefully my Dell was the last LCD monitor I'll ever buy and OLED enters the monitor scene in near future.
I'll try to find a 970 that fits in height then. When you say " With a well-chosen microATX motherboard, you can get an internal WiFi card and a dedicated sound card in there " it means buying it separately? I was hoping to find a motherboard that rocks with all that already in it
c:I think Iam in a good direction now. Just have to figured it out with the cooling system for the carbide air 240 and Iam good to go. Any advice? I won't say it enough thank you.
Yup. My recommendations for PC audio are as follows:
1. If you want the best possible audio quality without the fear of having EMI noise, get an external DAC/amp combo (like Objective2/ODAC or Schiit Magni/Modi). And a decent pair of headphones.
2. If you play a lot of competitive games and want both a high quality audio and features that gives you an edge in competitive games such as binaural audio get a sound card (like the Sound Blaster ZXR) with a high quality DAC and a proper EMI shield. Then get an external headphone amp (like O2/Magni) to eliminate the high output impedance associated with the built-in amps in sound cards to avoid any signal degradation. And a decent pair of headphones.
3. If 1 & 2 are too expensive solutions just get a motherboard with a decent onboard sound. By far the most cost effective solution.
1. If you want the best possible audio quality without the fear of having EMI noise, get an external DAC/amp combo (like Objective2/ODAC or Schiit Magni/Modi). And a decent pair of headphones.
2. If you play a lot of competitive games and want both a high quality audio and features that gives you an edge in competitive games such as binaural audio get a sound card (like the Sound Blaster ZXR) with a high quality DAC and a proper EMI shield. Then get an external headphone amp (like O2/Magni) to eliminate the high output impedance associated with the built-in amps in sound cards to avoid any signal degradation. And a decent pair of headphones.
3. If 1 & 2 are too expensive solutions just get a motherboard with a decent onboard sound. By far the most cost effective solution.
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I will go with the third option. Thanks for the explanations and details. to you both.
Iam looking right now at a motherboard with a good soundcard and wifi. I hope I can find one in micro ATX. If not I won't have a choice but to look at a Mini ITX one. I think I saw one. And The Carbide air 240 is compatible with both Micro ATX and Mini ITX.
Edit : After much thought here are my choices if I had to buy it tomorrow. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.
Corsair Carbide Air 240
Lepa B650-MB Modular 650W
WD Green 2 To
Samsung Serie 850 EVO 250 Go
Intel Core i5 4690
ASUS H97M Plus
Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP DDR3 8 Go Very Low Profile
Asus GeForce GTX 970 Strix ( or mini version if it doesn't fit )
Noctua NH-D9L
Air Series AF140L ( three of them delivered with the Carbide Air 240 )
Iam looking right now at a motherboard with a good soundcard and wifi. I hope I can find one in micro ATX. If not I won't have a choice but to look at a Mini ITX one. I think I saw one. And The Carbide air 240 is compatible with both Micro ATX and Mini ITX.
Edit : After much thought here are my choices if I had to buy it tomorrow. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.
Corsair Carbide Air 240
Lepa B650-MB Modular 650W
WD Green 2 To
Samsung Serie 850 EVO 250 Go
Intel Core i5 4690
ASUS H97M Plus
Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP DDR3 8 Go Very Low Profile
Asus GeForce GTX 970 Strix ( or mini version if it doesn't fit )
Noctua NH-D9L
Air Series AF140L ( three of them delivered with the Carbide Air 240 )
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Not much in the combination of good sound and micro-ATX. Pretty much all of them are on Realtek 8xx chips. That's why I suggested a dedicated sound card, any improvement is better than none.
Vertical clearance's likely to be a problem with the Strix and that case, the Strix stands very tall at 140mm, and the case has only about 120mm. Zotac would be a much better fit and has better cooling than the mini cards. Clearance is not a problem with that cooler.
Vertical clearance's likely to be a problem with the Strix and that case, the Strix stands very tall at 140mm, and the case has only about 120mm. Zotac would be a much better fit and has better cooling than the mini cards. Clearance is not a problem with that cooler.
I didn't noticed you posting here
Anyway glad to know you figured out your desktop though if you'd like to see some Carbide 240 configurations then check this thread out (might get some idea)
http://www.overclock.net/t/1528947/corsair-carbide-air-240-owners-club
@tahirahmed
Thanks! I will gladly take a look. It will help for cooling system ideas.
@GuyNwah
I could fit in an Asus Xonar DGX in my budget. Good idea?
As for the graphic card you're are right ( It happens a lot ) the strix would not fit. I've been reading ( users ) reviews and according to them the zotac is disappoiting. A lot of ( french ) users with that case went with EVGA and they are glad about it. Beside that, everything else is good to you ? Thanks again for you insight.
Edit : After a lot of thoughts I've decided to go with the EVGA Geforce GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4go. I think I'll be alright with it. Just missing the ( definitive ) cooling system and I'll be all set. Just 3 weeks until I buy it, can't wait. Thanks again you guys rock.
Thanks! I will gladly take a look. It will help for cooling system ideas.
@GuyNwah
I could fit in an Asus Xonar DGX in my budget. Good idea?
As for the graphic card you're are right ( It happens a lot ) the strix would not fit. I've been reading ( users ) reviews and according to them the zotac is disappoiting. A lot of ( french ) users with that case went with EVGA and they are glad about it. Beside that, everything else is good to you ? Thanks again for you insight.
Edit : After a lot of thoughts I've decided to go with the EVGA Geforce GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4go. I think I'll be alright with it. Just missing the ( definitive ) cooling system and I'll be all set. Just 3 weeks until I buy it, can't wait. Thanks again you guys rock.
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Good choice. EVGA didn't do the best design of the cooler on the 970 (they borrowed it from the 980, and it doesn't mate well), but if anything goes wrong, EVGA stands behind their products.
As for the sound card, I would either get a better one now, or wait and see whether the onboard sound is acceptable to you. I use the Xonar DGX for situations where the onboard audio is defective or unworkable, otherwise it's not a big enough improvement. And listen to @eskiMoe, he knows computer audio at least as well as anybodu else here.
As for the sound card, I would either get a better one now, or wait and see whether the onboard sound is acceptable to you. I use the Xonar DGX for situations where the onboard audio is defective or unworkable, otherwise it's not a big enough improvement. And listen to @eskiMoe, he knows computer audio at least as well as anybodu else here.
I listened to him. But it's the only card in my budget. So if it's not an improvement, I will wait and see. Iam okay with every component right now, except for the cooling system. I don't want a water cooling, and every setup I find to look into has one. Any advice ? And thanks again @GuyNwah
No reason to water-cool, not with a Haswell at stock clock (just put the quietest air cooler you can find on it).
Also, I'm not a fan of WD Green. Slow (very slow) and not reliable. WD Green << Blue << Red < Black.