BOSSMAC’S NOTES
This build guide does not include the monitor, peripherals and software. If you know what you’re doing, peripherals are easy to choose from. Monitors and software get a bit complicated. Relevant reading information can be seen below:
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Monitor Buying Guide
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How To Get Started with Affordable and Legit PC Gaming
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How to Get Windows Cheap
Related: Php15,000 Budget Gaming PC Build Guide December 2018 (Athlon 200GE)
If you want a gaming PC excellent for 1080p resolution, takes little space and is easy to transport, you should definitely consider this build. The high gaming performance crammed into a small space is just awesome. The Fractal Design Node 202 is one of the few Mini ITX cases that can accommodate graphics card up to 310 mm in length. To give you an idea on how small the build is, the size of the Fractal Design Node 202 is comparable to the size of XBox One.
Processor:
Intel Core i5 6500 may not have Hyper Threading but it is fast enough to keep up with the Radeon RX 480. This is the minimum CPU we would recommend if you will use a GPU faster than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.
Price – PhP 9,900
Number of Cores – 4
Number of Threads – 4
CPU Base Speed – 3.2 GHz
CPU Max. Turbo Speed – 3.6 GHz
L3 Cache – 6MB
On-die GPU – Intel HD 530
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT – Intel Core i5 6600 3.3 GHz
Motherboard:
Gigabyte H110N happens to be the cheapest Intel LGA 1151 Mini ITX motherboard right now that is why it is getting our recommendation. We don’t recommend spending more on the motherboard unless you have extra money to spare.
Price – PhP 3,980
Socket – Intel LGA 1151
Chipset – Intel H110
Memory Type Supported – DDR4
Max. Memory Amount Supported – 32GB
Form Factor – Mini-ITX (17.0 cm x 17.0 cm)
Heatsink on VRM – None
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT – MSI H110i Pro
Memory:
G. Skill Ripjaws V 8GBx2 DDR4 2400 (F4-2400C15D-16GVR) is our 1st choice for memory modules because it has a good track record of motherboard compatibility (based on our experience) and is more affordable than other brands. Current games are still ok with 8GB RAM but we have observed a RAM usage of 6 to 7GB in some of the latest games. Also, the motherboard in this build only have 2 slots for memory modules and we chose an 8GBx2 DDR4 memory so you won’t have memory upgrade problems in the near future.
Price – PhP 5,550
Memory Type – DDR4
Memory Amount – 8GBx2
Speed – 2,400 MHz
Voltage – 1.20 V
Timings – 15-15-15-35
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT – G. Skill Aegis 8GBx2 DDR4 2400
Graphics Card:
XFX RX 480 8GB GTR Black Edition is one of the fastest Radeon RX 400 series graphics card that supports Free Sync. It is also cheaper than the non-reference cards being offered by ASUS and by MSI.
Price – PhP 14,280
Number of Cores – 2,304
GPU Base Speed – 1,338 MHz
GPU Turbo Speed –
Memory Speed – 8,000 MHz
Memory Amount – 8GB
Memory Type – GDDR5
Memory Bus Width – 256 bit
PCI-E Power Cable Requirement – 1x 8 pin
Graphics Card Length – 280 mm
Display Outputs – 1x Dual Link DVI-D, 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS – XFX RX 480 8GB GTR, Sapphire Nitro+ OC RX 480 8GB
Case:
Fractal Design Node 202 with Integra SFX 450 watts is the smallest Mini ITX case that can fit a graphics card up to 310 mm in length. It also comes with a 450-watt SFX PSU so you don’t have to worry about PSU compatibility problems.
Price – PhP 7,220
Form Factor – Mini ITX
Case Dimensions – 330 mm (Depth) x 82 mm (Width) x 377 mm (Height)
Drive Bays – 2x 2.5-inch
Max. Graphics Card Length – 310 mm
Max. CPU Cooler Height – 56 mm
Modular Cables – No
PCI-E Power Cables – 2x 6+2 pin
Power Supply Dimensions – 100 mm (Depth) x 125 mm (Width) x 64 mm (Height)
Rated Capacity – 450 watts
Input Voltage – 100 V to 240 V
Input Frequency – 50 Hz to 60 Hz
Storage Drive:
Crucial MX300 525GB (CT525MX300SSD1) is the currently the SSD (solid state drive) with large enough capacity that offers great value for the money. An SSD will cut game loading time and PC boot time by a very large amount. Once you experience the benefits of an SSD, you’ll never go back to an HDD (hard disk drive).
Price – PhP 7,490
Form Factor – 2.5 inch
Interface – SATA 6Gb/s
Capacity – 525GB
Endurance (Terabytes Written) – 160TB
Manufacturer Warranty – 3 years
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCT – Adata SP550 480GB
Part Name |
Price (PhP) |
|
CPU |
Intel Core i5 6500 3.2 GHz | 9,900 |
Motherboard |
Gigabyte H110N | 3,980 |
Memory |
G. Skill Ripjaws V 8GBx2 DDR4 2400 | 5,550 |
Graphics Card |
XFX RX 480 8GB GTR Black Edition | 14,280 |
Power Supply |
N/A | N/A |
Case |
Fractal Design Node 202 with Integra SFX 450-watt Power Supply | 7,220 |
Storage Drive |
Crucial MX300 525GB | 7,490 |
TOTAL |
48,420 |
If you are interested in this kind of build but cannot afford it, you can downgrade the graphics card and the storage drive. The alternative parts would be XFX RX 470 4GB RS @ PhP 9,710 and Adata SP550 480GB @ PhP 5,580. Those alternative parts would reduce the cost of the build to PhP 41,940.
Refer to the chart below for a quick comparison on different options and optimization paths.