My old PC is getting long in the tooth and I'm trying to build a new multi-purpose one. The main uses will be: web surfing, light photo editing, light gaming, and possibly software development. I find that I game less and less these days, but I still want the ability to play MW3, BF3, Mass Effect 3 on decent settings. Also, I'd like to keep the cost below $800.
I'm really intrigued by the small form factor Shuttle PCs and have been looking at the SH67H3 ($299.99):
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=60089
The barebones kit comes with the case, mobo, and 300W power supply. The thinking behind this is my current tower, is large, and a bit loud. I also might use this as a HTPC, so I want something small and quiet (but still powerful).
The rest of the components are as follows:
CPU:
Intel Core i5-2400 (3.10 GHz) ($189.99)
RAM:
GSKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB PC3-10666 Dual Channel DDR3 Kit (2 x 4GB) (44.99)
Video Card:
EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti SuperClocked 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI ($164.99)
DVD Drive:
SH-S243D 24x DVD-Writer, SATA, Black ($26.99)
HDD: I already have a WD Caviar Black 1TB drive from my old PC that I will use for my boot drive
O/S: I have Windows 7 Home Edition (64-bit) already.
The total cost w/ tax would be ~$765. I was going to go for the i5-2500K but I don't overclock so this is useless. Since it's only a 300W power supply, I can't get a more powerful video card. I looked at
Shuttle's Power Supply Calculator and found that the total watts would be 242W (with current components). With a 560Ti, I would need 302W would wouldn't work.
Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with Shuttle PCs? How does this build look (anything you would change)?
I appreciate the comments.