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Apex Mini 008 ITX Build - Could i have done any better??

post #1 of 9
10/31/12 at 10:38am
Thread Starter 
Unfortunately, due to limitations set by family (w.r.t looks and price), i had to start my BUDGET htpc build with Apex 008 Case...and i did my best to fit the best available options..so any suggestions to improvise are most welcome..

Motherboard - ASUS P8H77-I ITX
CPU - Intel I3 2130
Hard Disk - Intel SSD 180GB
Video Card - XFX HD 7750 Single Slot
PSU - SilverStone 450W SFX
Ram - Kingston 1666 Low Profile
CPU Cooler - Thermaltake Slim X3 - low profile
Optical Drive - ASUS 12X Bluray DL BURNER
Case - Apex Mi-008 ITX case
Case Fan - Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Jyuni 120MM

I'm observing i3 idle temps around 37C-40C, not sure if it is optimum..







Edited by gamred - 11/1/12 at 7:08am
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post #2 of 9
10/31/12 at 10:41am
Replace optical drive with HDD biggrin.gif

Looks good though. you'll be able to do a bit on that system
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Nightmare of Solomon
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post #3 of 9
10/31/12 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReciever View Post

Replace optical drive with HDD biggrin.gif
Looks good though. you'll be able to do a bit on that system

Yep, im planning to add an extra HDD later on..but it can go on the side along with the 120mm fan i currently have..
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post #4 of 9
10/31/12 at 12:11pm
Nice, that graphics card actually looks really sweet! Also, is there really a seasonic SFX PSU? Or did you mean silverstone?thinking.gif
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post #5 of 9
10/31/12 at 12:14pm
Temps are totally fine.
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post #6 of 9
11/1/12 at 7:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_Foxx View Post

Nice, that graphics card actually looks really sweet! Also, is there really a seasonic SFX PSU? Or did you mean silverstone?thinking.gif

you are right!!, it was a SilverStone..not seasonic..
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post #7 of 9
11/1/12 at 7:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlashFir View Post

Temps are totally fine.


phew..thats a breather,, temps were really bothering me and couldnt find the ideal range for i3..so i will take your word and worry a bit less now thumb.gif
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post #8 of 9
11/1/12 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gamred View Post

Unfortunately, due to limitations set by family (w.r.t looks and price), i had to start my BUDGET htpc build with Apex 008 Case...and i did my best to fit the best available options..so any suggestions to improvise are most welcome..
Motherboard - ASUS P8H77-I ITX
CPU - Intel I3 2130
Hard Disk - Intel SSD 180GB
Video Card - XFX HD 7750 Single Slot
PSU - SilverStone 450W SFX
Ram - Kingston 1666 Low Profile
CPU Cooler - Thermaltake Slim X3 - low profile
Optical Drive - ASUS 12X Bluray DL BURNER
Case - Apex Mi-008 ITX case
Case Fan - Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Jyuni 120MM

For the price of the case, PSU and extra fan, you could have gotten a Silverstone SG05-450 (Amazon has it for $125 shipped), or the 300W version for even cheaper. Only drawback is that there aren't any super cheap slim Blu Ray drives. I think cheapest runs around $70 or so for a BD reader. Still, worth it for a case which is 100x better than the Apex. Better build quality, better cooling, more drive bays, supports dual slot graphics cards, more room for CPU cooler, better PSU.

Why aftermarket cooler for a Core i3?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gamred View Post

I'm observing i3 idle temps around 37C-40C, not sure if it is optimum..

Stick your finger under your tongue. That is 37.5ºC. Do you still think your CPU is idling too hot?
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post #9 of 9
11/1/12 at 8:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zap View Post


Stick your finger under your tongue. That is 37.5ºC. Do you still think your CPU is idling too hot?

thumb.gif
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