New PC build

I have been clamoring to get a new PC together for a while now.  With the new year comes the opportunity to do so (thanks to having room for it in the budget).  I am in the process of figuring out exactly what I want in this machine.

I started out with a smaller case (smaller than mid tower) but not super small.  I then started looking into parts to go with it.  I definitely want to go with a core i7 (Ivy Bridge) CPU with an SSD for the main system bits.  Given this setup, I found that through the Intel purchase program I can get a 3 piece bundle that includes a CPU, SSD and motherboard.  I found a i7-3770K with a full ATX motherboard and 180GB SSD.  That was when I realized that the case that I selected would not do the trick.  So back to a Mid Tower case.

I started piecing together the rest of the system, including a 1TB second drive (may go bigger), 16GB of memory and a 660 ti video card.  I'm pretty much set on these items, and I want a full BluRay burner.

Of course, I started thinking more about this build, and thought to myself, "Do I really need to get a full blown build again?"  Looking back into what I use my current PC for the answer is probably not.  I want a good machine, but needing it to be expandable is not a high on the needs list.  So now I'm looking at a smaller setup.

I went back to the Employee Purchase site, and found a bundle that comes with the 180GB SSD, a mini ITX motherboard and an i7-3770S.  The 3770S doesn't come with an unlocked multiplier, so it significantly reduces the overclockability of the processor.  My last bit overclocking experience was with the good old Celeron 300 overclocked to 450.  The processors are so fast now, there really isn't a need to do any overclocking.

Back to a different case!  There are a number of mini ITX form factor cases out there, but found one with a great minimalist style.  It doesn't have any external 5.25", but I don't use the current optical drives in my current system, and if I need to use one I can just hook up an external drive.

What else is great about going smaller, is the reduction in price.

Now to start buying the pieces...