Build-A-Rig Round 2: SilverStone and Crucial Interviews and $800 Back-To-School PCs
by Ian Cutress on October 13, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Build-A-Rig
- Crucial
- SilverStone
- Interview
SilverStone’s ‘Mighty Milo’
Tony was first up to the plate with his build. The choice of the overclockable Pentium combined with the GTX 960 makes it more of a gaming focused system, reinforced by the portable aspects of the case but perhaps limited by the smaller SSD. This build is more focused on portability though, with the expectation that the underlying motherboard and power supply can remain constant over the course of a degree with minor upgrades in time.
| SilverStone's Mighty Milo | |||
| Component | Selection | Price as Chosen |
90-Day Average |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium G3258 (2C/2T, 3.2 GHz) |
$69.99 | $69.99 |
| Motherboard | ASRock H97M-ITX/ac | $95.99 | $93.20 |
| Graphics Cards (GPU) | Zotac GeForce GTX 960 OC | $179.99 | $179.99 |
| Memory (DRAM) | Crucial Ballistix Sport XT (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 C9 |
$39.99 | $43.95 |
| Storage (SSD) | Crucial BX100 120GB | $69.99 | $67.75 |
| Storage (HDD) | 1TB Western Digital Blue 2.5-in 5400 RPM 8MB Cache |
$60.99 | $60.99 |
| Power Supply (PSU) | SilverStone ST45SF 450W Bronze SFF |
$69.99 | $71.33 |
| Chassis | SilverStone Milo ML08B-H (with handle) |
$84.99 | $84.99 |
| CPU Cooling | SilverStone Argon AR06 | $39.99 | $39.99 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit OEM |
$99.99 | $99.99 |
| Extras | None | ||
| Total | $811.90 | $812.17 | |
Processor (CPU) – Intel Pentium G3258 ($70)
The G3258 is the anomaly in Intel’s product line, released last year as an ‘overclockable anniversary edition’ celebrating 20+ years of the Pentium line. We reviewed it when it was released, and Intel’s goal here was in part to reinvigorate overclocking but also provide a high-frequency lower end part. Intel were cautious however, as due to the dual core with no HyperThreading (which is a Core i3), the G3258 even overclocked can get bogged down when high compute power is needed, even when it hits 4.2 GHz and above. That being said, at $70 it comes in around 50% cheaper than the nearest i3, and still has a high frequency to provide a good responsiveness in single threaded tasks.
Motherboard – ASRock H97M-ITX/ac ($96)
Small form factor motherboards have a tough time to retain all the features of the full sized variants and still be cost effective – sometimes engineering it all into a smaller space takes time and research. As a result we usually see mITX motherboards a little stunted, with fewer DRAM slots, PCIe slots and/or SATA ports as a result. Each generation still comes with a healthy array of $80-$150 boards in this size, and the ASRock H97M-ITX/ac is no different. This one comes with 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi, allowing for more mobility around a dorm room, power connectors in the right places to make it easier to build as well as a trio of options for video output and USB 3.0. The H97 chipset is a little oddball here, wherein it should allow CPU overclocking, and it will be interesting to see how far this four-phase motherboard can push the G3258.
Graphics Cards – Zotac GeForce GTX 960 OC 2GB ($180)
When using a Pentium class processor, gaming is very limited beyond support for various APIs, acceleration tools, or basement settings for eSports/indie titles. Tony added in a GTX 960 for good measure, going for Zotac’s pre-overclocked model for an extra kick. This is still a middle class GPU for 1080p gaming, but should raise the bar to near maximum settings on popular LAN titles such as CS:Go and allow a foray into some high profile games. The extra money that was ‘saved’ by staying at a Pentium means that this GPU gets another $30-40 on it.
Memory – Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 C9 ($40)
With an $800 budget, there’s little room to splash for high capacity or high speed memory, but given the type of system being built most users can agree that 8GB is a rough sweet spot. Back when we tested DRAM scaling on Haswell processors, we found that there can be some pitfalls when choosing memory but Tony has kept abreast by at choosing DDR3-1600 at a CAS Latency of 9, moving it out of the danger curve.
Storage – Crucial BX100 120GB ($70)
A system of $800 makes a nice entry point into having an SSD drive as the operating system drive, but is perhaps not enough budget to make it go all-out and will require some extra storage, especially for assignments and games. A 120GB drive will sort out Windows 10 and a couple of big software/game packages, and as NAND prices decrease over the next few years there might be space to upgrade to something larger. The BX100 series in the meantime was well received in our review.
Storage – Western Digital Blue 2.5-inch 1TB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache ($61)
For roughly the same price as the 120GB SSD, a 1TB drive is also put into this system as that bulk storage component. The WD Blue brand is specifically designed for desktop PCs, and should be eminently suitable for a back-to-school build with WD's reputation. That being said, this model has a slower rotation speed and cache than we expected, but comes in a 2.5-inch form factor.
Power Supply – SilverStone ST45SF 450W Bronze Power Supply ($70)
One of SilverStone’s well known product lines revolve around small form factor power supplies. I even have a couple as part of my mini-ITX builds, just because they often just fit in and work (personal opinion). For the Milo case being used, having an SFF power supply is a must, and this single rail design comes with three SATA power connectors, two 6-pin PCIe and a 6+2-pin PCIe connector for graphics. As mentioned in his interview, Tony stated that this product has been rigorously tested with larger graphics cards, and in a system this size it might be very difficult to get above the 400W mark with any combination of components anyway.
Chassis – SilverStone Milo ML08B-H with handle ($85)
One of the key components to this build is the chassis. The Milo is a new design from SilverStone, only recently being released. The focus here is on small form factor and mobility, so with that handle it comes across as well suited for a back-to-school system where the dorm has to be vacated every semester or if the user needs to move their system to events. With the $800 budget it was perhaps a bit too much to ask for something similar in say aluminum, but it will be interesting to see how easy it is to build a system inside and carry around with all the components.
CPU Cooling – SilverStone Argon AR06 ($40)
As Tony chose an overclockable processor and a suitable motherboard, it makes sense that there needs to be sufficient cooling for an overclock. SilverStone’s AR06 cooler, according to Tony, is good for 80-90W of cooling which is above the 53W TDP listed for the G3258 processor. This means there should be some headroom, as long as the chassis can ventilate it. The cooler is also specially designed for mini-ITX form factor chassis such as the ML08B.
Operating System – Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit OEM ($100)
Windows 10 would presumably be the obvious choice here, given the soon-to-be relevance of DX12 as well as features such as Cortana and the return of a proper start menu.
Overall Build
| SilverStone's Mighty Milo | |||
| Component | Selection | Price as Chosen |
90-Day Average |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium G3258 (2C/2T, 3.2 GHz) |
$69.99 | $69.99 |
| Motherboard | ASRock H97M-ITX/ac | $95.99 | $93.20 |
| Graphics Cards (GPU) | Zotac GeForce GTX 960 OC | $179.99 | $179.99 |
| Memory (DRAM) | Crucial Ballistix Sport XT (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 C9 |
$39.99 | $43.95 |
| Storage (SSD) | Crucial BX100 120GB | $69.99 | $67.75 |
| Storage (HDD) | 1TB Western Digital Blue 2.5-in 5400 RPM 8MB Cache |
$60.99 | $60.99 |
| Power Supply (PSU) | SilverStone ST45SF 450W Bronze SFF |
$69.99 | $71.33 |
| Chassis | SilverStone Milo ML08B-H (with handle) |
$84.99 | $84.99 |
| CPU Cooling | SilverStone Argon AR06 | $39.99 | $39.99 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit OEM |
$99.99 | $99.99 |
| Extras | None | ||
| Total | $811.90 | $812.17 | |
Back-to-school systems have to come in a variety of shapes and forms. The system that a film studies student needs is different to what a computer science or an engineer might need, with varying degrees of DRAM and storage eating software on both sides, and the desire to have sufficient computing power to push through a render or a compile while still having a decent system to play some games. $800 is a reasonable sized budget for this, and the SilverStone build focuses on both portability and gaming, with a potential nod to high-single thread performance. With Skylake still being a little difficult to get hold of, a Haswell based system should still provide a good set of numbers for a few years, or easily be upgraded to an i5 or i7 when that next student loan check arrives. As many students through the years have proven, you can survive through school on cheap ramen and free anime.
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tonyou - Thursday, November 5, 2015 - link
When we submitted the parts list on September 16, our total price was $794.90 excluding special incentives or rebates. So it wasn't our intention to overspent and flirt with the 3% flex, we just didn't have information about the part's 90 day average price unfortunately.meacupla - Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - link
I just bought a ML08 yesterday. Build quality seems to be a bit under what silverstone usually has, with bent tabs causing loose panels and HDD mounts that don't snap in place.It's nothing a bit of bending can't fix, but I think it's worth mentioning.
Overall, I like this better than the RVZ01.
SaintStryfe - Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - link
So I went on PC part picker and made a few choices of my own. Here's what I think:A student PC for playing MOBAs, light MMOs and school work should overall have a mid-range processor, a solid amount of RAM and a reasonable graphics card. More is always better, but 800$ is more than enough.
Now I've got a few degrees so I know the ritual of lugging everything to school. It is... not fun. So I wanted to make it small enough to make it easy. So I went Mini ITX. To keep costs down I went with a non-overclockable chip and stock cooling. I am an Intel and nVidia person myself, so I went those too. Without further ado, here you go:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CrZ3TW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CrZ3TW/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card ($215.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Rosewill Neutron Mini ITX Desktop Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 430W ATX Power Supply ($33.99 @ Best Buy)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($93.75 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: AmazonBasics KU-0833 +MSU0939 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $793.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-14 15:12 EDT-0400
Ivy Bridge Core i3's are a solid value. They have more than enough processing power for a modern game, while being cool and energy efficient. The motherboard will hold everything we're throwing at it easily. 8GB of RAM is more than enough for these tasks.
I went with a lot of IO - a DVD-RW (hey, they're college students, they'll want to trade music, also some school books still insist on using DVDs), a 240GB SSD for boot and a favorite game or two, and a bigger bulk storage drive - I was able to wedge a whole TB drive in there. The kid is NOT running out of storage. If I had an extra 50$ I'd also tack on a external for backup. Oh well - that's for Christmas.
For MOBAs, light MMO's (WoW or GW2), or older shooters (CS:GO) a 960 is a great card. This EVGA model is only 6" long, but has a full 4 gigs of Memory, so it'll be a hit at LAN parties.
The case is a nice lil Rosewill number that'll hold all our bits, and have external USB 3 for hooking up a high speed flash drive, plus look good for those LAN parties. The classic Corsair power supply will provide all the juice needed, and being semi-modular lends to removing some of the bulk that won't be needed, like a lot of MOLEX cables.
I had plenty of cash upto this point, so I tacked on Windows 10 (Most schools have some form of getting MS Office to kids on the cheap, so I forwent that, but hey, OpenOffice, iWorks in the Cloud, ect.) and tossed a simple keyboard and mouse on there.
This rig will last a kid 4-5 years easily, and comes right in on budget. What do you think of my solution?
SUpstone - Friday, October 16, 2015 - link
Nicely done! and your comment about the necessity of a back-up drive is spot on too... I can easily imagine a student leaves home for college and also leaves behind them the back-up service that mum and/or dad did on the home PC. Easily overlooked.SaintStryfe - Tuesday, October 20, 2015 - link
Thank you!I know I've seen a few Core i5's with a small SSD or just a mechanical drive, and such, but I just feel that in my experience as a college student, having that bulk storage is the most important thing. You get files/music from your friends, you install games, you save videos for school projects, it just gets eaten up. Having the SSD, DVD and 1TB means you never have to say "Sorry".
Note due to college networks being pretty good most of the time, it is entirely reasonable to do a cloud backup service too - Pogoplug or something like that. But I don't know, I guess I'm just old fashioned. I like a disk that if the world is burning, I can grab on my way out.
lichoblack - Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - link
I've made this excersise of a 800$ BTS rig and went about 3$ overbudget. Instead of the milo, I went with the FT03mini, for a really distinctive miniITX build. So here it is:My entry to the 800$ BTS build
Cart Item List:
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1
SILVERSTONE Black Fortress Series SST-FT03B-MINI Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case
Item #:N82E16811163197
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$139.99
1
EVGA GeForce GTX 960 04G-P4-3962-KR 4GB SC GAMING, Only 6.8 inches, Perfect for mITX Build Graphics Card
Item #:N82E16814487133
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$229.99
$219.99
1
OCZ ARC 100 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ARC100-25SAT3-120G
Item #:N82E16820228115
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$64.99
$55.99
1
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit
Item #:N82E16832416776
Return Policy: Consumable Product Return Policy
$99.99
1
Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KVR16LN11K2/8
Item #:N82E16820239877
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$42.99
1
Intel Pentium G3258 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646G3258 Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819117374
Return Policy: Replacement Only Return Policy
$69.99
1
ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813157504
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$139.99
$129.99
1
SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817256063
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$79.99
$69.99
1
NVIDIA Gift - Heroes of the Storm
Item #:N82E16800995242
Return Policy: Consumable Product Return Policy
$0.99
Grand Total: $828.92
twotwotwo - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
OK, that SFF SilverStone is *cute*, and (or, because) I usually don't like desktop designs.BrokenCrayons - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
Yes, that's so true about the SilverStone case. It's very worthy of a few squees. A few years ago, I had a gigantic Lian Li case which I got second hand. It was the most impracticaly, obnoxiously huge thing and had it's own set of wheels. Since the Crucial box is sort of like a cute little baby version of that same case, I really can't completely side with SilverStone on this one based on the case. Either way, I'm glad the days of full tower cases are behind us. Honestly, pretty much anything bigger than a MicroATX is impractical and I'd much prefer a laptop over anything chained to a wall via a power outlet. Even the ease of getting a discrete GPU doesn't justify the extra size. I'll just keep my expectations low and enjoy older/less demanding games on an iGPU in a laptop.PPalmgren - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
Imagine, once M.2 takes off and as SSD prices continue to plummet, being able to build a system in a case that has no expansion slots. Lots of interesting possibilities.gamer1000k - Thursday, October 15, 2015 - link
This is already possible, the price of M.2 SSDs (the sata ones anyways) are equivalent to the other form factors and 500GB drives are readily available.Combine that with an Iris Pro iGPU and you would have a very capable, compact system.