Description

(Pictures out of date, will update eventually)

Updated hardware list for my SFF-ish 1440p gaming machine.

Part Reviews

Memory

Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory

The kit does exactly as advertised, running the XMP at DDR-3200 with the advertised timings. I was able to take it up to DDR-3466 with the same XMP timings and voltage, which was a nice bonus. Definitely a solid kit!

Storage

Intel 600p Series 256 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive

Hits its rating of 1570 MB/s on sequential reads and 540 MB/s on sequential writes in benchmarks. Also has a 5-year warranty. I'm currently using this as a boot drive and it's been blazingly fast on startup. This seems to be a great M.2 drive for the price-point.

Storage

Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Got it for a great price during Black Friday 2016. It's been a solid performer for the month I've had it as my storage drive.

Case

Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case

A very nice case with a simple exterior design and a highly customizable interior layout. Despite the size, there are a lot of options for cooling and cable management. All fan mounts, except the back panel, have mesh filters to help keep dust and debris to a minimum. The top panel window is also a nice touch, especially if you add some lighting. I would definitely recommend this case if you're looking for something smaller than a mid- or full-size tower but still want to pack a similar level of power inside.

Monitor

Acer XB271HU bmiprz 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor

This monitor has so many features that appeal to a gamer: 144/165Hz, 1440p, G-sync and IPS for the image quality junkies out there. Once calibrated, it has great color accuracy and image quality. The backlight bleeding I've heard about is non-existent on the unit I received. The stand could be a bit more sturdy, but if you have a solid desk that won't be a problem. An overall outstanding monitor.

Speakers

Bose Companion 2 Series III 0 nW 2.0 Channel Speakers

The sound profile favors the mids a bit, but provides a nice full sound for their size. A great little set of speakers, especially if you're limited on desk space.

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Comments

  • 39 months ago
  • 4 points

Man the frame of leds seen from the front panel looks incredible! I like the whole setup you have with the desk as well, thumbs up.

  • 39 months ago
  • 2 points

Thanks! I can't take all the credit on the lighting since I saw another build on this site using the Hue+, but I did set up a static lighting theme for it to match my keyboard. The front panel LEDs definitely give the case a nice aesthetic that most others don't have.

  • 35 months ago
  • 1 point

I used mine to have bottom lighting, totally worth the hassle for the extra effect

  • 39 months ago
  • 3 points

That looks so clean! :O Nice job man! P.S. Your cats face doe haha

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

I love the build, but the Apple Keyboard :( Jk +1

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks! I've rectified the Apple Keyboard "situation" since Best Buy had a deal on the Corsair STRAFE RGB Mx Silent this weekend. I'll still be using it for work, but now I'll have a flashy toy for when I'm at play :)

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Nice. How is the hybrid holding up

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

I'm really digging it. At first I thought I made a mistake getting the hybrid, but once I pulled out the 5.25 drive bay cage and swapped the intake fan for the hybrid radiator everything fell into place.

It's been running solid @2113MHz GPU & 11016MHz on the memory using the slave bios on the card. I'm quite pleased since the default is 1721MHz GPU (1860 boost) & 10010MHz memory, and that translates to a nice performance boost for an already powerful card. I have the fan set to automatic, but it never goes over the baseline of about 1200RPM and never breaks 50C. I'm actually going to try and push it a bit further this weekend, hoping that the new motherboard gives me a bit more stability. Wish me luck!

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

If you want it to run a little cooler, swap the fan out on the hybrid radiator and connect the new fan to the mobo. For some reason, you can't control the fan curve on the radiator fan. You might be able to get about 3 or 4 degrees cooler.

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

I might just do that as I'm considering swapping the 120mm fans (3 in total right now) with a set of RGB fans in the near future. Thanks for the tip!

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

No problem m8, just make sure you have enough fan headers on your mobo first.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Nice, update me on how it goes.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

I've been testing for a few hours and I think I've just about hit the stable limit on this card.

I could take the GPU up to 2138MHz, but I had to reduce the memory clock significantly which produced much worse results in the Heaven benchmark. It's very stable and produced the fastest benchmarks at 2113MHz/5514MHz (11028MHz since it's DDR), so that's what I'm going to run with.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Sweet, sweet. Enjoy it man

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Just finished my build with the hybrid. It kicks ***. Running at 2139 right now, hopefully I can squeeze out some more later. At full usage it stays at 45 and below. So glad I got it, wishing you luck!

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Damn passed the 2100 stable? Thats really nice you got lucky!:D how are the general case temps? Like mobo

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Haven't checked mobo temps, but in the case (Enthoo Evolv ATX TG) it's just warm, most of the heat coming from the GPU, but of course the case could be cooler but I set the CPU and GPU fan curves for quiet operation in the lower loads. CPU idles in low 20s, haven't recorded temps while gaming because I'm not concerned for it, but I will next time I play. Coming from a 2014 mini ITX cube I am astonished by the temperatures at such low noise.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

What's your memory clock at? I'm finding the that if I take the GPU clock up I need to reduce memory clock, and vise versa. Still trying to find the best balance with this card.

  • 40 months ago
  • 2 points

I added a +500 something in EVGA PrecisionXOC, forgot the exact number. I also tried 2152 in Unigen Heaven but it kept going back down to 2139 by the end of the benchmark. I'll try putting the left slider for power/voltage to 100% instead of 90%, maybe It'll make a difference.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Dang good job!

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

This build is awesome !

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

Would the 5.25in drive bay fit if you put it back in the case?

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

The GTX 1080 and H100i v2 extend the full length of the case and protrude too far inward to allow the cage to be mounted. That might be a deal-breaker for some on the 250D, however I have no use for an optical drive in this build. There should be enough clearance left for something like a shallow fan controller, though you may have to get creative to secure it in place.

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

nice build, :)))). where did you get that table from, it toooooo sick:)))))))

  • 40 months ago
  • 1 point

I got the desk back in July at Office Depot. It's $150 right now, but tends to go on sale sometimes for $100. Here's the link: Realspace Limble Glass Computer Desk

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Hi, I love the build, and I too am building with a Corsair 250D, and H100i v2, with all the usual installation problems, and I am putting a DVD drive as well. My question is, how did you install the M2 drive? I am having huge problems getting this detected in the bios, and windows install. It just won't appear no matter what options I put in the Bios. Funnily enough I can see the drive in device manager when I boot off another drive, however in disk management I can't see it either. Wondering how you got the drive to be your boot drive. Thanks

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

I installed the M.2 drive on the back of the motherboard and it was instantly recognized in the bios, but I don't think it showed as a boot device. When I installed Windows I made sure no other drives were connected and did the install from a flash drive. Once the Windows install was complete I reconnected my data drive and went back into the bios and set the M.2 drive as the boot device and it's been running fine since. Are you using the same motherboard? Also, are you running the latest firmware on your board?

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Yes I have the latest firmware. My problem is when I install from a flash drive, windows can't see the drive to install windows to. Very frustrating. So much that I've given up! ha. I've built my PC now using a normal SSD and it's all good but I've wasted the M2 drive. Really wanted this to work.

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Found myself looking at this build again, love those visual improvements!

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks! I too am loving the visual improvements. I find myself often times sitting back at the desk and just admiring the lighting :)

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Hey man, I love this build. I hope to build something like this in 2017, but I have a question: Does this top panel close easily, or do the psu cables and GPU wc tubes get in the way?

Nice setup, thanks for sharing

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks! The hoses for the CPU and GPU coolers barely push against the top panel. Enough to add a little resistance when working with the panel, but not enough to cause any issues.

Good luck with your build, I hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying mine!

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

How many lighting strips did you need for the He+ to get that look?

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

The Hue+ comes with four 10-LED strips, and that was the perfect amount for this build. The two on the inside extend just past the window, and the two on the front panel can pretty much make a complete circle, as seen in the last few pics.

  • 39 months ago
  • 1 point

I've been looking at this case for a future build but after looking at all the pictures, how did you set up the 8 pin eps cable? The tubing from the cpu cooler looks like it get in the way.

  • 38 months ago
  • 1 point

Between the layout of that connector on the ASRock motherboard and the PSU having flat cabling, that gives just enough clearance for the CPU cooler tubes to get by. I'll add a picture of the layout tomorrow if you'd like.

  • 38 months ago
  • 1 point

Sure, that would be great.

  • 38 months ago
  • 1 point

Pics added to the end of the gallery.

  • 29 months ago
  • 1 point

On the front panel for the LED's, what are those small hooks for ziptie that you used called?

  • 29 months ago
  • 1 point

Zip tie mounts, mounting bases or something similar. I got a 10 pack at Home Depot for a few bucks. Here's a link on Amazon for a 50-pack, but you might be able to find a smaller pack once you know what to look for: https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Backed-Mounting-Bases-Pieces/dp/B0071N1YGS/. I believe mine are 1" x 1", but you can probably get away with smaller mounts.

  • 29 months ago
  • 1 point

Thanks! :) Great job on the build!

  • 20 months ago
  • 1 point

This is a really cool build, how does the dolphin bar perform?

  • 16 months ago
  • 1 point

Great creative build! +1

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