How To Build A Liquid-Cooled Mini Gaming PC For Under $1,000

If you go into your local technology store and look at the PC section, most if not all will be standard black towers. However, on the enthusiast scene, there’s a seismic shift going on with many people ditching their large tower cases and opting for shoebox-size ones.

The latest motherboards aimed at gamers and enthusiasts are tiny, measuring just 170mm x 170mm. The format, known as mini-ITX means you can get all the power of a full-size PC but in a vastly smaller package.

In this guide, I’ll be building a $1,000 dollar mini gaming PC using the latest hardware that can play games such as Crysis 3 and Battelfield 4 at high settings and making some recommendations on how to build one for less than $800 too. I’ll be building it step by step too so you can see how it’s done.

Step1 – The shopping list

I’ve chosen eight key components that offer the best value for money for building a mid-range gaming PC. The case is the new Obsidian 250D made by Corsair, who also gets a mention with 8GB of its XMS3 memory, H75 liquid cooler and CX 500W power supply, which are my picks.

I’ve used the M500 SSD made by Crucial for storage. It’s available in several capacities with the $80 120GB model usually being enough for Windows and several games. An SSD will make your PC super-responsive with everything from Windows to games loading very quickly. For the motherboard, MSI’s Z87i costs less than $150 but has all sorts of brilliant features and supports the latest processors.

resolutions plus it’s also super-quiet.

Step 2 – Install the processor

This needs some delicate moves so not to ding any of the fragile pins in the processor socket. Open the latch on the motherboard, insert the CPU so the notches on it and the socket line up then re-secure the latch

Step 3 – Install the processor cooler

The Corsair H75 liquid cooler is easy to install. Simply fit the back plate to the motherboard, secure it with the pins provided, mount the cooler and secure it with thumb screws. Doing it with the motherboard out of the case makes it much easier. You may also need to apply thermal paste to the processor if it isn’t pre-applied.

Step 4 – Install the memory

Our small motherboard only has two memory slots, and you’ll be using both of them with our dual 4GB (8GB total) kit. There’s a notch at the bottom of each module that shows you which way round to mount it.

Step 5 – Install the motherboard backplate

Backplates are included with all motherboards and act to provide a neat surround for the ugly ports at the rear of the motherboard. Fit this into your case’s backplate slot before you mount the motherboard.

Step 6 – Install the motherboard and cooler

The case comes with screws to mount the motherboard – four are needed to secure it onto small mounting standoffs. You can use the rear ports to orientate it correctly. The cooler usually comes with screws to mount it – we’ve installed ours in the side of the case so it exhausts the hot air outwards.

 

Step 7 – Connect the case front panel connectors

Each case has cables that connect power, reset and activity lights to the motherboard. Use your motherboard manual to find where these are (sometimes they’re labelled on the motherboard itself) and connect the cables.

Step 8 – Connect the case USB ports

Most cases have front USB ports and these need to be connected to your motherboard too. Here we have a USB 3 port connector and this is pretty easy to spot on the motherboard.

Step 9 – Install the SATA cables

Here we can see the installed USB 3 and front panel connectors. Go ahead and install the SATA cables too so you can start installing your storage drives. you may also find it easier to connect these and the power cables too before you install the drives into the case.

Step 10 – Use any tool-free bays

Many newer cases use tool-free drive mounts that don’t need any screws or tools. Our Crucial M500 SSD fits nicely into a mount that can then be slotted into the case in seconds.

Step 11 – Install the power supply

The power supply slots into the case and is secured with a couple of large PC screws – check your case instructions for more information. Be sure to make use of any cable routing holes your case offers to keep your PC tidy.

Step 12 – Connect the motherboard and storage power cables

The motherboard requires two power cables to function. These are the large 24-pin connector and either a 4-pin or 8-pin connector. The storage SATA connectors are short, thin types that connect straight to the back of your storage drives. The PSU should have all these labelled and either it’s manual or your motherboard’s manual usually show you what to connect and where.

 

Step 13 – Install the graphics card

Our Sapphire R9 270X VAPOR-X graphics card slots neatly into the large PCI-Express EXPR -0.77% slot on our motherboard. It’s pretty easy to find as it’s one of the largest slots going and on our small motherboard it sits right at the edge of the PCB.

Step 14 – Connect the graphics card’s power cables

Our Sapphire R9 270X VAPOR-X graphics card needs two 6-pin power cables so go ahead and slot these into place. Most power supplies include these and additional cables too so tuck any spare cables neatly away.

Step 15 – Install any WiFi aerials

Many small mini-ITX motherboards, our MSI Z87i included, come with built-in WiFi modules and antenna ports at the rear. If you’ll be using the WiFi, connect the antennas at the rear of the case and spread them as shown to get the best signal.

Step 16 – You’re done!

All that’s left to do now is to power up your PC and install Windows. I haven’t included a DVD drive as most people rarely use them with many games and videos stored or streamed online, but they cost less than $20 and are easy to install. You don’t even need one to install Windows as I recently wrote about, and using a USB stick is much faster too.

The total system cost here is around $1,000 dollars but you can make extra savings too. You can opt for a cheaper processor such as a Core i3-4130 and save $100, without sacrificing too much performance. Using a hard disk instead of an SSD could give you more storage and save $30-40, and if you can cope with a little extra noise, the Phanteks PH-TC90LS air cooler could save $50 compared to the Corsair H75 liquid cooler too.

Latest Battlefield 4 PC patch out now

The latest patch for the PC version of Battlefield 4 is being rolled out now.

The patch should be applied automatically, but can be triggered manually from the "check for updates" screen found by right-clicking on Battlefield 4 from the Origin client.

Included in the latest patch are various fixes for "general stability," a plugged memory leak, and normalized repair rates across all vehicles.

The release of the PC patch should be the first of a wave of Battlefield 4 patches across multiple platforms, with DICE saying last week these platforms should receive patches throughout January.

Rust is the latest Steam Early Access game to make loads of money

Alongside DayZ and Starbound, another Steam Early Access game has announced whopping sales figures: Rust.

Developed by Facepunch Studios, the studio helmed by Garry Newman of Garry's Mod fame, Rust is a survival game that plays a little like DayZ mixed with Minecraft. The game was released on Steam Early Access back in December, and has now made 55 percent of what Garry's Mod made in its nine-year lifetime.

And how much has Garry's Mod made? GamesIndustry pegs it at $22 million in revenue. Yikes.

Rust is currently the top-selling game on Steam, outperforming DayZ and heavily discounted copies of Saints Row IV and Company of Heroes 2. Have you played it yet?

"We've got about four or five other projects on the go right now," added Newman. "As long as Rust pays our wages we're going to keep working on it. Even when it's 'finished', it's not finished, it'll still be updated, in the same way that Garry's mod did. I suppose it's the way with big games, there's never an end point, it just evolves."

"People have kind of started modding the servers already, but in a way...this is something we're focussing on. We kind of want to make the game we want to make right now, we don't want to give lots of people tools because we know that what they'll do is make people turn red if you kill someone and stuff like that. It kind of compromises it."

"We don't mind what people do on the modded servers, but we don't want to confuse new players about what the game's about, in a way," he concluded. "It'll probably happen eventually, but it's not as much of a priority as things like stopping the cheaters at the moment."

PC game developer Paradox branching out to PS4 and Xbox One

Company CEO praises openness of new consoles

PC game developer and publisher Paradox Interactive is to branch out into PS4 and Xbox One development, says the company's CEO.

As reported by Shack News, chief exec Fred Wester said the Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis developer was planning to bring games based on new and existing IP to the new-gen consoles.

He stated that while manufacturers previously produced closed systems, recent changes by Microsoft and Sony had made the systems more open for consumers and developers.

"You can be a truly digital publisher on the new consoles," said Wester.

"Previously they were closed systems, but now I feel like they're focusing on giving gamers better experiences."

As well as working on titles for console, Wester added the company would be making more games for mobile in future.

Paradox Interactive was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1998, and since then has largely focused on developing and releasing titles for PC, Mac and Linux.

Farming World budget PC game revealed as publisher Excalibur rebrands

Excalibur, the boxed PC game publisher responsible for bringing cult hits such as Farming Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 to the UK, has revealed a brand new budget title and new-look logo.

Farming World is due for release on May 2nd priced at £9.99. Players can access over 30 different types of seeds to plant, more than 40 different building types and 12 different animals from chickens and cows to turkeys and ostriches.

Users can purchase and rent land in the game, develop road networks for their vehicles, access detailed weather reports and take on contracts to earn more in-game money.

Excalibur previously published the popular million-selling Farming Simulator series, which was later picked up by Focus Home Interactive and distributed by Koch Media.

In response to this, Excalibur launched its own Farming Manager game (£24.99) last October, and the news of budget title Farming World is a statement of intent that shows the publisher is remaining competitive.

Excalibur is part of Contact Sales, which distributes games direct from its Banbury warehouse.

Excalibur has also rebranded (see logo below). 

"The new logo offers a strong, redefined look that has been designed to reflect the expanding values of excellence and forward thinking that the company stands for today whilst still echoing the company’s heritage," the company said in a statement.

"We have now brought our other logos (like the old Extra Play one for example) under the Excalibur banner to bring unity and clarity to our branding. The new logo clearly states our core publishing areas: simulator, strategy and Extra Play, our budget publishing brand."

Latest GTA V PC rumour says game can be pre-ordered from Friday

The open secret of GTA V’s PC version continues to wander on, this time thanks to information emanating from Scandinavia. GameReactor claims it has confirmation from the manager of a Swedish branch of game store “Elgiganten” that people will be able to pre-order the PC version of GTA V from this Friday (31 January.)

You can add that to the bulging list of clues, which include PC-related code in the companion app, possible leaked footage from a developer build running on PC, popping up in AMD Catalyst driver profiles and appearing on various retailer sites.

When Tim and I did our own extensive analysis of the situation last year, we decided historical precedent pointed to a March release for the PC version of GTA V. If it turns out to be February, then we weren’t too far off the mark.

AMD's performance-boosting 'Mantle' PC gaming tech launches with Battlefield 4

On Thursday, AMD's highly anticipated Mantle API technology is expected to go live, courtesy of a Mantle-enabling Battlefield 4 update and a new set of AMD Catalyst 14.1 beta drivers promised to go live sometime today.

Mantle, in case you missed it between all the buzz over the new R7 and R9 series Radeon graphics cards, is an application programming interface (API) that's supposed tobetter leverage AMD hardware for increased performance—provided you're running an AMD graphics card or APU.

There are two APIs traditionally used for games: DirectX and OpenGL. These high-level APIs are great for game developers because they run with few differences across a broad spectrum of hardware—Nvidia, AMD, Intel, whatever, DirectX and OpenGL can handle it.

But this creates a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none scenario. When you're optimizing a game for DirectX or OpenGL, you're optimizing the game to run across a swath of hardware.

AMD's high-end Radeon R9 290X graphics card.

AMD's Mantle is built on specificity. Think of it like a tailored suit versus something picked up off the rack. Mantle says "Hey, you're using AMD hardware to power your graphics? I know exactly how to take advantage of that architecture. That's all I'm good at." As a result, you get some performance boosts just because the game is better optimized for the machine you're using instead of, well, every machine.

AMD says Mantle users will see the biggest performance increase in CPU-limited set-ups—any machine where a low- to mid-tier CPU is bottlenecking graphics output. Those running discrete graphics cards will see a smaller change, though AMD still calls it "noticeable."

How noticeable is noticeable?

It's hard to know what kind of performance increase you'll see on your personal rig because AMD and EA's own numbers vary so widely. Performance seems to increase more in systems that are bottlenecked from CPU performance, while the gains are much more modest in systems where the graphics card is weaker than the processor.

On the high end, we have EA's incredibly expensive dual-R9 290x 4GB rig, with an i7-3970x Extreme processor clocked at 3.5GHz. It's a beast of a machine, and with two powerful graphics cards the processor struggles to keep up. With that setup, EA reports the total Mantle performance increase in Battlefield 4 be to a whopping gain of nearly 50 frames per second (from 78 up to 122).

EA's benchmark results for Battlefield 4 comparing performance using the DirectX 11 API as well as AMD's Mantle API, under a variety of system configurations. (Click to enlarge.)

Likewise, numbers provided by AMD show a 40 percent gain in a system pairing a ho-hum AMD A10-7700K APU with a Radeon R9 290X.

But let's say you're running an i7-4960x with just a single R7 260x card (a somewhat absurd but still illustrative example provided by AMD). Now we've entered the realm of GPU-bound systems—that lone R7 isn't pumping out enough power to bottleneck the processor. And your reward for installing Mantle in this case? A mere 2.7% increase in performance.

In other words: Don't necessarily expect miracles. Know what your hardware is, know where your system's bottlenecks are, and don't be surprised if Mantle fails to be a magical cure-all for your PC's gaming performance.

Someone still loves you, DirectX

Mantle still faces an uphill battle for adoption, even if it does improve performance.

Developers aren't going to suddenly stop making most every game in DirectX—at least, not yet. There are too many PC setups out there, and Nvidia and Intel are (much to AMD's dismay) still the dominant graphics card companies as far as PC gaming is concerned.

Basic information about AMD's Mantle API. (Click to enlarge.)

While AMD says Mantle is an open platform—in other words, "Sure, Nvidia could take advantage of our new API"—don't expect to see Nvidia crawling to Mantle's door anytime soon. And that's not just because of longtime rivalry between the two companies; the architectures behind AMD and Nvidia's cards are so different that it's doubtful Nvidia could even use the system without huge rewrites.

As a result, developers will have to opt in to Mantle, including it alongside something more popular like OpenGL or DirectX. Otherwise they'd lose a huge section of the market. Mantle will presumably always be an "also-ran" API instead of a primary focus, unlessAMD's successful push into the console market is a much larger factor than anticipated.