[scrolling]

I looking putting together another system and this is what in looking at.

CASE
APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
MEMORY
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C7AD3K2/4G
MOTHERBOARD
Foxconn H67S LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
CPU
Celeron G530 2.4GHz LGA 1155

I have narrowed my choices to these two XFX HD-645X-ZQH2 and GIGABYTE GV-R645SL-1GI. I have read eskro review and read through Beer40oz build. I'm interested in hearing everyone's opinion for either board. Also, is a PCI express 2.1 X 16 board compatible with the PCI express 2.0 X 16 slot on the MB? I read on-line saying that they were but I just want to make sure.

[bluray]

Also, is a PCI express 2.1 X 16 board compatible with the PCI express 2.0 X 16 slot on the MB? I read on-line saying that they were but I just want to make sure.

Yes, PCI-E is backward compatible and there is nothing to worry about.

[hick]

The intel graphics will be just as good as a 6450. No need for a gpu with that IGP.

[scrolling]

Yes, PCI-E is backward compatible and there is nothing to worry about.

That's good to know and thanks for the quick reply.

The intel graphics will be just as good as a 6450. No need for a gpu with that IGP.

Can it handle 1080p with out any micro-blocking and dropped frames?

[eskro]

Can it handle 1080p with out any micro-blocking and dropped frames?

i think intel graphix have been discussed alot over the last year...
just make a search on this forum for it and you'll find your answer,,
but to be short, INTEL graphics currently have 24p problems..
this should be fixed in their next version coming soon, Ivy Bridge...
hopefully..
anyhow, for windows, XFX HD6450 FTW!

[scrolling]

Thanks Everyone

[eskro]

your welcome

[scrolling]

So I got my parts and started to put it together. I finally decided to go with the XFX video card.

While everything went together just fine and it is a tight fit I did, however, have a couple issues. The first is the Video card. Since it has a large heat sink there was a clearance problem so I had to cut out a small piece of the faming in the case. The other is the clearance between the PSU and the CPU fan and I’m not sure if this is going to be a problem or not. It seems like the PSU fan and the CPU fan are going to fight against one another and not going to generate any air flow at all and cause over heating problems. So is this a problem or am I over reacting? And are there any solutions?

[Beer40oz]

You should be fine! try it out and do some testing.

[eskro]

your asking something thats answered in my HTPC guide
thats why i suggest you put a 120mm FAN in there.

[FAN: 120mm] SilenX EFX-12-15 1400RPM 74CFM 15dBA ($12 + $3)



problem solved!

[hi_its_me_scott]

there was a clearance problem so I had to cut out a small piece of the faming in the case

I owe you an apology. I saw the cut you made in the case and thought "man that's sloppy, mine will be much neater". I wish mine looked half as good as yours. It is such a difficult spot to get to. I almost used it as an excuse to get a Dremel.

To future builders: I would not recommend the XFX in the Apex MI-008 case alongside the core i3 stock cooler unless you're ok with doing some work. What a pain. I had to clip the case, I had to shave some of the XFX's heat sink fins that were interfering with the cooler's plastic framing, and there still appears to be a tiny bit of binding due to some of the heat sink fins pressing against the upper tip of the RAM sticks. I think I'm good to go, but it took a lot of elbow grease. Oh, and if you do decide to go this route, do yourself a favor and seat the cooler so that the two "cooler plastic frame arms" with wire clips are not facing the direction of the XFX. Those would cause even more interference, I didn't realize this until it was too late and had to disconnect several wires and components to rotate the cooler.

[hi_its_me_scott]

So I got my parts and started to put it together. I finally decided to go with the XFX video card.

While everything went together just fine and it is a tight fit I did, however, have a couple issues. The first is the Video card. Since it has a large heat sink there was a clearance problem so I had to cut out a small piece of the faming in the case. The other is the clearance between the PSU and the CPU fan and I’m not sure if this is going to be a problem or not. It seems like the PSU fan and the CPU fan are going to fight against one another and not going to generate any air flow at all and cause over heating problems. So is this a problem or am I over reacting? And are there any solutions?

Were you able to get this to work? That XFX card needs 400 watts and the MI-008 PSU is only 250 watts.

[bluray]

Were you able to get this to work? That XFX card needs 400 watts and the MI-008 PSU is only 250 watts.

250w is plenty for XFX HD6450 because it is 31w TDP GPU....

[hi_its_me_scott]

Whew. Ok. Thanks. I must've screwed something else up then. Tomorrow I'll start looking for a short.

[eskro]

yeah PSU requirements for GPU's should be taken with a grain of salt,