Introduction
What’s good about a gaming rig is that it usually functions as a HTPC pretty much perfectly. The downside is the size, heat production and possibly noise issues of a gaming rig in comparison to an HTPC; so I set out on a journey to bring the best of both worlds together!
Today we’re going to take a look at a great mini-ITX HTPC-gaming build. It took quite a while to find the right components, activate sponsors and get all the parts shipped and put together, but the end result is one of the finest mini PC’s you’ve ever seen!
System specifications
Case: Silverstone Sugo SG08
PSU: Enermax Modu82+ 625W
Mobo: ASRock Z77E-ITX
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K
CPU cooling:
- Cool Laboratory Liquid Ultra
- Indigo Xtreme
- CoolIT ECO II ALC
- Noctua NF-P14 FLX
RAM: 2x4GB Samsung DDR3-1333 CL9 (M378B5273DH0-CH9)
RAM cooling: Xilence Heat Pipe Duo
GPU: Sapphire HD7870 2GB GHz Edition
SSD: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F4 ECOGreen 2TB
On the following pages I’ll explain the choice of components in detail and list possible alternatives.