Reddit mentions of Thermaltake Core V1 Snow Edition SPCC Mini ITX Cube Computer Chassis CA-1B8-00S6WN-01, White

Well, in terms of CPU, get what you can afford. Right now the smart bets are the i3-6100 and the i5-6500. I've seen the i3 as low as $120 and I picked up my i5-6500 for $155.

Pick up a Cheap Z170 board with the processor, and stick some DDR4-2800 RAM to get the most out of it. Lower speed RAM and it's a little savings for a bit slower performance, while faster memory is very little more performance, but a jump in price.

In terms of GPU, I suggest either waiting for AMD's upcoming R9-480 and R9-480x or GTX1060/GTX1060-Ti cards. Both will be about that price-range, while at least giving the performance of an R9-390x or GTX980 respectively. However if you NEED a GPU right now, and the GTX970 is too much, just go with the R9-380x for around that price. AMD's cards have shown to be better prepared for future titles, and in general both the 380 and 380x are faster cards than the GTX960. If you have to stick with nVidia for some odd reason, the GTX950 would be a better choice in terms of value. I have my OC'd to the point that it performs about on par with a GTX960 and that card only cost me $120. I've seen GTX950's hover around that price as of late. Also, with the GTX1070 being $380, you might start seeing GTX970's drop to about $250 or so. In fact, EVGA B-Stock usually has GTX970's for $240-$260.

In fact here's a GTX970 for only $30 more than that GTX960.

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/4iq30t/video_card_evga_970_ssc_22999_25499_30mir/

So between the GTX950 and GTX970, the GTX960 is kinda pointless.

For PSU's check out the EVGA 600B. I got one myself, and it supplies good power, is a trusted brand and was $35 when I bought it. Again, if you look and are patient, you should see them show up at that price.

If you wanna save money on the case, for half the price of that Bitfenix you can get the somewhat similarly styled Thermaltake V1.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-CORE-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1B8-00S6WN-01/dp/B015UDUAKG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1463021241&sr=1-2&keywords=Thermaltake+V1

Yes, a lot of the good cases are even cheaper than those giant towers.

Core V1 Snow Edition Also available in black.

Cougar QBX More ventilated "Kaze" version also available.

Raijintek Metis

Core 500 This is the one that I am currently using, and I have an i7-8700, GTX 1070, 4 drives, good temps and fan noise is lower than whispers. You can't tell it's on unless you look at it on the ground. I bought this case when it was $55.

I've built in all but the Cougar QBX, which is a Hardware Canucks Damn Good Award winner. There is a limit to how much power you can squeeze into it, but guess what? Newer generation processors and GPU's are so energy-efficient and run so cool that the ceiling is always quite high. These cases are all ~$50. People who are downvoting me, people who are Mini ITX "denialers" are running on old and outdated information.

So like I was saying, most people have absolutely no need to not build mini ITX if they aren't going a K processor. The majority of people buying K processors don't even need it, and are wasting money by "futureproofing".

Doing a 1600 build in a Core V1 -- was considering just doing the Red Dragon 570 8GB for $149. Would it be worth it to up to this? Only looking to do 60FPS at 1080P for non-intensive games (e.g. Siege, BO4, Civ).

Looks like a white Thermaltake Core V21 V1.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-CORE-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1B8-00S6WN-01/dp/B015UDUAKG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464758697&sr=8-2&keywords=thermaltake+core+v1

)

Hi! How can I connect two additional case fans on this Mobo?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY5KXW8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I only saw in the instruction booklet how to connect for the large fan on the case. I would like to create a push/pull with the two small fans I have. This is the case:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015UDUAKG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are the two fans:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QVFN7G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ok thanks for your input, the case actually comes with the 200 mm only but I bought the two 80s myself afterwards because I found out that the case supported it.

This is the case

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015UDUAKG/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495606314&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=thermaltake+core+v21+snow+edition

This is the case I think I'll go with. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015UDUAKG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Yeah, some other options would be :

BitFenix Phenom Arctic White

Thermaltake Core V1 Snow Edition

This is the case I'm going with.

Something like this?

You may want to post this to the newly created /r/LinuxHardware, It'll likely get much more attention than this subreddit :)

As for your build and questions, lemme take a crack at it...

• While the i3 is a good processor, you may find yourself being quite limited in the near future due to it being only a dual-core CPU. An i5 would be a significant, and worthwhile investment. However I would personally recommend you hold off on purchasing the parts for this build (if possible) until January of next year, as that is when AMD will be releasing their new Zen CPUs, which look to be extremely competitive with Intel (unlike their current line-up, which is terrible). This will likely cause a significant price drop on all CPU's, meaning you will be able to get something far superior to what you currently have planned for the same price.
  
  
• If you don't foresee yourself ever needing a PCI-E slot for some other component, you may want to consider an ITX motherboard, as that would allow you to get an even smaller case, which is always nice :)
  
  
• As /u/Stealer0517 mentioned, Crossfire or SLI is virtually never worth it. It may become worthwhile if Vulkan or DX12 really catch on, and the Multi-GPU aspect is integrated into the game well, but until then, I would recommend a single card.
  
  >Will I be able to boot off a USB-drive when all my components are brand new and 'blank'?
  
  Yes, a USB drive with a distro .ISO written to it should boot straight up into a Live environment for you to install, though you may have to select the USB drive to boot from in the BIOS.
  
  >Do I safely assume here that the preloaded BIOS (or UEFI, not sure what it is nowadays) on my mobo will drive my monitor and keyboard for the pre-installation process of Linux?
  
  Absolutely. As long as the Motherboard isn't faulty, it will be able to display to your monitor either through your GPU, or the integrated GPU in your CPU, and any normal USB mouse & keyboard will be automatically detected and usable.
  
  >would I be wise to get 16GiB of RAM?
  
  More RAM is always a good thing, especially for VM's. However RAM is kinda expensive right now due to a shortage, so I would recommend getting 8GB for now, and upgrading to 16 of the same type/speed later. r/VFIO will be able to give you a better answer than I can, as I haven't dabbled with VMs much.
  
  >Do motherboards support or lack support for Linux?
  
  In general, most motherboard manufacturers support Linux pretty well, however some specific boards can have issues. You'll have to check on a case by case basis to found out if there is some incompatibility problems with Linux. (searching the model of the board + Linux in a search engine should be adequate).
  
  I've personally had bad luck with ASUS boards, not specifically with Linux, but in other ways (2 different boards made years apart that simply cannot reset without manually holding down the power button every time). But that may have just been a fluke.
  
  >Will an i3-6100 be able to handle 2-way CrossFire of a couple RX 460s "without bottlenecking"?
  
  It would largely depend on the game, but it is possible for an i3 to bottleneck in heavily threaded games. In games that don't use more than 2 cores (Skyrim), it would not bottleneck much if at all. But considering the appeal of these new API's (Vulkan & DX12) is how good they are at spreading the load across multiple threads, I would wager an i3 becoming obsolete rather quickly.
  
  >If I get an i5 can I forgo overclocking?
  
  Yes. I would actually recommend you don't get an overclockable K series CPU, as not only do these newer generation chips overclock badly and cost far more, I believe the K series do not have the required instruction sets for GPU-Passthrough in a VM.
  
  The K series simply isn't worth it. I would recommend getting the cheapest i5 possible, if waiting for Zen is not in the cards.
  
  >Would I get performance improvements from CrossFire connecting 2 entry level GPUs anyway?
  
  Yes, though crossfire currently only works in titles that explicitly support it, and even then often introduces a perceptible stutter in games, even if the FPS is high. I also believe Crossfire has much less support under Linux compared to Windows.
  
  In benchmarks, the 460 is generally 40 to 50% weaker than a stock RX 470, which would mean even in a best case scenario, crossfired 460's would get you to stock 470 levels of power. And it more than likely would be even less than that, as Crossfire tends to not scale linearly.
  
  So in conclusion, 2 460's would cost the same as a single 470, while giving less performance, and using more power :P
  
  
  
  
• Do be aware that AMD drivers on Linux still under-perform compared the Windows drivers, or Nvidia Linux drivers. AMD recently killed off their old buggy proprietary driver, and went whole hog into helping develop the open-source driver with the community. Because of this, the open-source drivers have come leaps and bounds in the last year, already surpassing the performance of the old drivers, while being very stable. They are slowly improving with every kernel update. :)
  
  Here is a recent benchmarking article comparing AMD and Nvida cards on Linux, which show the current disparity between the 2 drivers.
  
  Saying that, I personally switched from an Nvidia GTX 760 to an RX 480 due in part to Nvidia's business practices, as described in this video, as well as to support AMD's open-source efforts.
  
  
• Lastly, whichever card you end up going with, I would recommend that you buy it from Jet.com, but through the Ibotta app. The reasoning for this is to utilize multiple discounts, allowing you to pick up an RX 470 (or GTX 1060) for around the price of a single 460.
  
  How this is done: Signing up to Ibotta will give you $10 for your first rebate redemption (which you can achieve by using the 50 cents off coupon for any grocery store receipt), on top of this you will get 5% back on any purchases on Jet.com, as long as it is done via the ibotta app.
  
  On top of those, Jet.com itself gives 15% off up to $30 on your first 3 purchases. Combined with the ibotta thing, that results in roughly $52 off any card on their store. :)
  
  While this does at first look shady as all getout, I can personally attest to it being legit, as it's how I got my RX 480 for such a good deal :P
  
  And no, I'm not a payed shill, as Jet.com normally has pretty terrible prices were it not for this coupon deal, and the ibotta app is only marginally useful after using it for this. I learned of this method from r/AMD and r/BuildAPC.
  
  Anywho, hopefully that was all of some help. I wish you the best of luck in your future Linux build! :D
  
  Oh, and uh...If you do sign up to Ibotta, you can put in the referral code: cdccwpc
  
  during sign-up, which'll send $5 my way. :3

Thermaltake Core V1 Snow Edition SPCC Mini ITX Cube Computer Chassis CA-1B8-00S6WN-01 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015UDUAKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wG3Fzb5F03XJB

Phanteks PH-ES215P_SRD Enthoo Evolv Mini iTX Tower Case, Window Case, Red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014K3BFVU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XG3FzbPVT4801

BitFenix Micro ATX, Mini-ITX Motherboard Cases BFC-PRM-300-WWWKW-RP White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2WIRUC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AH3FzbZYJFSB5

Np. Some of my favorite and popular itx cases.

I am comparing 2 popular Mini ITX cube cases. Anyone who has used these cases before, could you please share any insights:

Thermaltake V1 Snow

SilverStone Technology Ultra Compact Mini-ITX Computer Case with Solid Faux Aluminum Front Panel in White and Black SG13WB-Q

miniITX: https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-CORE-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1B8-00S6WN-01/dp/B015UDUAKG

I've seen a few on ebay for $200. Here is an alternative. I use the black version and like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Core-Computer-Chassis-CA-1B8-00S6WN-01/dp/B015UDUAKG

I built a budget/mid-range PC for this purpose.

All I have is Ryzen 3 2200g and RX 580 and it'll do 1080 60 all day apart from AC Odyssey and Origins. Can still play a ton of games at 1440p 60.

And all in a mini-ITX case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $203.37 @ Amazon
Motherboard | ASRock H110M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard | $67.99 @ Amazon
Memory | GeIL SUPER LUCE 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $55.99 @ Newegg
Storage | A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $37.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.99 @ Amazon
Case | Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case | $124.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | Corsair RMx 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $69.99 @ Newegg
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $630.31
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $610.31
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-02 06:17 EDT-0400 |

Hokay, so your budget is actually quite huge, but I thought of this case (which kinda screams "Lan box" IMO) and just had to get it in there. If you don't like it, here are some others that came to mind:

https://www.amazon.com/Apevia-X-QPACK3-WHT-Micro-Gaming-White/dp/B00ZPURD9Q?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-CORE-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1B8-00S6WN-01/dp/B015UDUAKG?ie=UTF8&tag=pcpapi-20

Would you like wifi? I would have much preferred to put this mobo in instead, but wasn't sure if I should since the Amazon version was so much more expensive.

The PSU selection was a bit limited due to the case as well, and I had to get pretty far up in price to find a fully modular unit that I liked. I feel kinda bad about going over on such an easy budget!

Oh I didn't know you were Australian.

I was going simply by what was on newegg. I don't know if newegg ships to Australia and if it does how much shipping will cost. Because sometimes shipping kills the deal.

What are some Australian computer stores? You really should check their websites right now since it is cyber Monday so you may find a deal on some components.

---

From Newegg...

• Intel Core i5-7600K for $199
  
• MSI H270I GAMING PRO Mini ITX Motherboards for $99.99
  
• 2 x G.SKILL NT Series 8GB 288-Pin DDR4 2133 for $76.99 x 2 = $153.98
  
• Cooler Master H115 Low-Profile CPU Cooler for $11.62
  
• ROSEWILL Micro ATX Mini Tower for $19.49
  
  From Amazon...
  
  
• BitFenix Micro ATX, Mini-ITX Motherboard Cases for $47
  
• Thermaltake Core V1 Snow Edition SPCC Mini ITX Cube for $47
  
  ---
  
  
• My reasoning for a bigger CPU is that down the line,it will be your bottleneck. If you were getting it as a free hand me down, that would be different but I would not recommend getting a slow CPU brand new at full price.
  
• My reasoning for a single bigger stick of ram is that down the line, when you want to upgrade, you'll curse yourself, because then you'll have to replace both sticks of ram. Instead of just adding 1 more stick.
  
• My reasoning for a motherboard with wifi built in, is that it should cost less, work flawlessly, take up less space, and allow you the freedom to add a video card if you so chose to at a later date.
  
• My reasoning for that cheap case is... most people put their computers in a corner and never look at it for more than a second.
  
• I added 2 more cases in white because, "hey, give the man a few options."
  
• I added a cheapo cpu heatsink/fan because I don't think the new ones come with them anymore.
  

$85.94 Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Mini ITX - Best case? Best case.

$85.00 BitFenix Mini ITX

$54.99 Thermaltake Core V1 - This one can be configured different ways with window on top or side.

$44.99 SilverStone SG13WB Mini ITX

Either this one: https://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16811133274

Or this one: https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Black-Extreme-Chassis-CA-1D5-00S1WN-00/dp/B015UDUAKG?th=1&psc=1
I'm more leaning toward the snow