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Aaron C.

Aaron C.

Joined on 01/16/14

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 3
Most Favorable Review

King of gaming

Intel Core i7-4770K - Core i7 4th Gen Haswell Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 84W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646I74770K
Intel Core i7-4770K - Core i7 4th Gen Haswell Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 84W Intel HD Graphics Desktop Processor - BX80646I74770K

Pros: Overclocks well. Runs smooth with turbo. Very low power usage.

Cons: People say these run hot after overclocking. I havn't seen this yet. Mine never goes above 50C. I guess just don't use that little stock cooler and you'll be fine.

Overall Review: I have mine on a mild overclock at 4.2Ghz, no voltage changes. Works perfect in turbo mode, At desktop it's like .7Ghz. Idle watts are around 60watts. I was afraid it wouldn't beat out my old Sandy Bridge 2600K @ 4.8GHz. It's scary, but, it does.

Just amazing.

EVGA Hadron Air Mini-ITX Chassis Black with 500W 80Plus Gold Power Supply (110-MA-1001-K1)
EVGA Hadron Air Mini-ITX Chassis Black with 500W 80Plus Gold Power Supply (110-MA-1001-K1)

Pros: Please note I have a Hadron Hydro, but this still applies. DONT BE AFRAID OF ENOUGH POWER. The hydro is water cooled, so i have an added power pump. The whole system i have: EVGA z87 Stinger i7 4770k OC'd @4.2GHz ATI HD7970 OC'd Samsung 250GB SSD Seagate 2TB Idle: 60 watts. Gaming: 200 watts. Full load stress test: 350 watts. That's not 500W, Dont fear the power. And don't fear the sound. The little fan on the power supply almost never turns on, unless it's working really hard (350w+). And even then, it's not loud.

Cons: EVGA you make your own power supplies, never time give me some pure black power cords. I'd pay an extra $50 if that's what it takes. The red, yellow, orange, green, everywhere looks gross in a case made to be looked at.

Overall Review: I've seen people put a noctua cooler in there on the Air, looks great, quiet, and runs cool. I use the EVGA waterblock, and it should run about the same temps. 20-25c at Idle, and around 45 in games. What more could i ask for in a tiny, very tiny, full on gaming case.

Why you should choose this board

EVGA Z87 Stinger miniITX - LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Motherboard with Brand New GUI BIOS (111-HW-E872-KR)
EVGA Z87 Stinger miniITX - LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Motherboard with Brand New GUI BIOS (111-HW-E872-KR)

Pros: I'm having no issues with it. The BIOS works perfect. Overclocking has no issues. I have a 4770k at a mild overclock of 4.2GHz, completely stable. And also a ATI 7970. Very small case so i'm just RAIDing 2 Samsung 250GB SSDs. I came from a EVGA Z77 board, not the stinger, but the improvements across the board make the board worth it. Pros: Just as good as a ATX board for gaming systems. UEFI (BIOS) Looks and works easy as can be, tons of options Plenty of USB 3 ports Plenty of Fan connectors Pros: Just as good as a ATX board for gaming systems. UEFI (BIOS) Looks and works easy as can be, tons of options Plenty of USB 3 ports Plenty of Fan connectors

Cons: The front panel audio and USB2 are impossible to get at after installing the rear I/O cover plate. Do that first if you want those options. For cable management reasons i just opt'd out of using them.

Overall Review: This board is the perfect medium. Let me explain. It overclocks fine. And that's all you really need for a m-ITX. Works just as well as any ATX. You aren't going to nitrogen cool this board at completions, you dont need a daughter board with extra power. The ASUS board is really really nice, but you just dont need it. I choose the EVGA mainly because i'm using the EVGA Hadron Hydro and it's made to fit. Plus the daughter board would most likely block some fan stream. Overall great board and great new BIOS (uefi).