BUILD IT
High End ITX Art
G.Skills to Pay The G.Bills
ZAK STOREY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LENGTH OF TIME: 2-3 HOURS
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
THE CONCEPT
IT’S FAIR TO SAY that when we first set eyes upon the G.Skill Z5i in its glorious review photoshoot, we were impressed. Even the photographer turned around to us and said: “I’ve shot a lot of big old PC boxes for you guys, but this thing is nice”. And we have to agree with that sentiment.
On first appearance, the Z5i is an exceptionally beautiful chassis, complete with an aluminum frame, curved tempered glass panels and baked in RGB lighting, including a neat little underglow that makes us think back to the glory days (if you can call them that) right at the start of the Fast and Furious franchise.
And it got us thinking about what exactly to build inside this thing? We wanted something a little special, a little different, and a bit more high-end. So we decided to grab a hold of our AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, gather together a few choice parts from manufacturers across the globe, and set to work, with the aim of building a fantastic ITX work of art. Or at least, that was the plan.
Of course, getting parts right now is a challenge and something that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. So, we appreciate it’s not exactly realistic to build this rig, not least when a $700 GPU is still being listed at over double its RRP price, and for a stock reference card at that. Frustrating? Very.
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
AS WE MENTIONED, this build was and is all about that chassis. The PC and hardware itself inside, are relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things right now, so consider this more an exercise on peripherals and case-building, or an in-depth review, rather than a “we built this for X, look how it performs” kind of scenario. If you’re interested in flashy-looking ITX cases that can sit proudly on your desktop, or how G.Skill’s first attempt at case design went, it’s definitely the build-it for you.
That aside, the hardware contained inside, at reasonable prices, would make a fairly chunky gaming PC, or a mid-range entry point for anyone looking to get a foothold into videoediting for sure. The main thing that decided our picks for this issue though? Lighting. The Z5i, being the showcase chassis it is demands some top-quality hardware, and to that end, we went into this with several components in mind.
For our RAM, Dominator Platinum RGBs from Corsair were the logical choice, the cappelix LEDs situated in those things are insanely bright, and once configured properly, can light up a room. Our CPU cooler is the digital display equipped NZXT Kraken Z53 240mm AIO (this case supports up to a 280mm AIO, which we would recommend you go for). And lastly, our GPU is the mildly flashy Radeon RX 6800 XT from AMD.
Originally, we intended to go for one of Zotac’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti’s complete with over-the-top ridiculous LED lighting (as Zotac is one of the best at that), but sadly the card arrived a day after our shoot. Don’t worry though, the availability and pricing would have still been nonsensical for that card. Oh, boy… this industry is frustrating right now.