The SFF and Mini-ITX thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The SFF and Mini-ITX thread

X13Fen: Oct 18, 2006; "Is that an accurate quote? It should be.
I think about it often enough."

See, I like that the Node 202 was designed to be horizontal, and imo none of the other cases in that form factor look nice, but its thermals are not great/not terrible.

Whereas the Sliger will have better thermals and room for the only gpu that fits my needs (2060 Super, but with a dvi port and nvidia aren't selling the FE's in Australia for some reason) as it's a triple-slot. But the Sliger is also like $400+ shipped to Australia.

I'm still a few months out from actually building the thing, so I've got some time to think which will be better at least

# ? Aug 13, 2019 01:19

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# ? May 9, 2024 23:44

havelock: Jan 20, 2004; IGNORE ME; Soiled Meat

orcane posted:

You can absolutely run a "95W" CPU (realistically they all use much more if they're allowed to) no problem in a Dan A4 with minimal tinkering, I ran both a 7700k (delidded with LP53 heatsink + Noctua NF-A9x14 fan) and a Ryzen 7 2700X (stock Noctua NH-L9a-AM4) in mine and the only way to get close to throttling temperatures is by running stress tests. There's no need to downgrade to 65W CPUs if you don't want to. What you do is set a long term power limit in the mainboard's BIOS, eg. to 95W. Both the old-ish AsRock Z270M-ITX/ac and the more modern Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro WiFi I tried had this option. The CPU will still reach its boost clocks, just not for as long (and not as many cores at once) but you usually only lose single digit % of performance compared to the same CPU fully unlocked in a larger case with a bigger cooler.

The Black Ridge is an okay cooler but for the maximum performance you'll need to use VLP RAM and a 120mm fan, otherwise it's about on par with the Noctua NH-L9 variants. On most AMD boards it has compatibility issues because the retention mechanism for some insane reason supports old AMD sockets like FM2 so people had to file off parts of the brackets or they would collide with mainboard parts. Also people suggest using it in an intake configuration so it blows on the mainboard/VRM. If you get an AMD CPU you can just use the Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, its heatsink is larger than the Intel variant. The creator of the case also suggests using a fan duct (you can find templates for 3d printers on the internet for most of the common coolers/fans) to reduce noise and improve airflow, he says it dropped temperatures by about 5�C for him. On the NH-L9a-AM4 another option is to use a 120 mm fan (like the Noctua NF-A12x15) with a fan adapter.

Thread has moved on a bit, but I'm running a 9600k in an a4 with only a slight undervolt and everything stays nice and stable, even without the power limit in the bios. On prime95 with avx the temps get above 80, but I've never seen anything close to that in real world usage (mid 60s-70s). I'm using a likely defective first batch Blackridge, which fits easily with normal ram and a asrock z390.

I found the fan under the psu to help, but the individual cables of the sf600 made it so I could clear a little path for the airflow. I have a v3 case so it doesn't have room for the fan under the mobo, but I'm sure that would be worth at least a few degrees under load.

# ? Aug 14, 2019 20:57

Lungboy: Aug 23, 2002; NEED SQUAT FORM HELP

Does anyone know which AM4 itx boards have a front usb 3.1 gen 2 type c header?

# ? Aug 25, 2019 19:16

Koesj: Aug 3, 2003

For a Dan A4? My B450 Aorus accepts the plug and it�s supposed to work just fine. Haven�t used it yet but that�s what Dan himself says.

# ? Aug 25, 2019 19:58

Lungboy: Aug 23, 2002; NEED SQUAT FORM HELP

Koesj posted:

For a Dan A4? My B450 Aorus accepts the plug and it�s supposed to work just fine. Haven�t used it yet but that�s what Dan himself says.

Lian Li TU150.

# ? Aug 25, 2019 20:29

Llamadeus: Dec 20, 2005

I think that's because the A4 has a regular Type A header on the inside, if you wanted to connect an actual Type C to a B450 board you'd need something like this: https://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en

Looks like the upcoming Asus Mini-DTX X570 board might be one of the only small AM4 motherboards with a Gen2 connector.

Llamadeus fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Aug 25, 2019

# ? Aug 25, 2019 20:31

Rabid Snake: Aug 6, 2004

Llamadeus posted:

I think that's because the A4 has a regular Type A header on the inside, if you wanted to connect an actual Type C to a B450 board you'd need something like this: https://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en

Looks like the upcoming Asus Mini-DTX X570 board might be one of the only small AM4 motherboards with a Gen2 connector.

The type A header is on the right and the Type C header is on the left.

# ? Aug 25, 2019 22:08

Llamadeus: Dec 20, 2005

Not sure what's being implied here :confused:

# ? Aug 25, 2019 22:16

Rabid Snake: Aug 6, 2004

Llamadeus posted:

Not sure what's being implied here

I was just adding more information. I was pointing out most upcoming mobos should include both and to look out for both connectors in mobos if you want front USB-C. Unless you want to deal with an adapter that looks like it'll snap easily. B450 is not upcoming sadly but if you wait for the B550 boards they might include both like above

Rabid Snake fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Aug 25, 2019

# ? Aug 25, 2019 22:23

ChazTurbo: Oct 4, 2014

Does anyone have any good mobo suggestions for a locked 9700 or 9900? Also would a ftw2 1070ti fit into a define nano s if I'm using a evga g3 psu?

ChazTurbo fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Sep 1, 2019

# ? Sep 1, 2019 17:12

ilkhan: Oct 7, 2004; I LOVE Musk and his pro-first-amendment ways. X is the future.

ChazTurbo posted:

Does anyone have any good mobo suggestions for a locked 9700 or 9900? Also would a ftw2 1070ti fit into a define nano s if I'm using a evga g3 psu?

Its a 2 slot card so it should fit.

# ? Sep 2, 2019 05:34

Lungboy: Aug 23, 2002; NEED SQUAT FORM HELP

Is there any reason that only one of the itx/dtx x570 boards has appeared yet?

# ? Sep 5, 2019 21:25

Beverly Cleavage: Jun 22, 2004; I am a pretty pretty princess, watch me do my pretty princess dance....

ASRock and gigabyte both have itx offerings...

# ? Sep 6, 2019 01:00

ilkhan: Oct 7, 2004; I LOVE Musk and his pro-first-amendment ways. X is the future.

Lungboy posted:

Is there any reason that only one of the itx/dtx x570 boards has appeared yet?

What Beverly Cleavage said.

Its just Asus that can't get their poo poo together and release their ITX/DTX boards.

# ? Sep 6, 2019 05:12

Lungboy: Aug 23, 2002; NEED SQUAT FORM HELP

Beverly Cleavage posted:

ASRock and gigabyte both have itx offerings...

Gigabyte was the one I knew was out, but UK pcpartpicker doesn't show me any others. Maybe the ASrock range hasn't made it here yet.

# ? Sep 6, 2019 09:17

Beverly Cleavage: Jun 22, 2004; I am a pretty pretty princess, watch me do my pretty princess dance....

I can�t say from experience, but the gigabytes offering seems really solid for the price. The only catch I�ve heard is it looks like the socket placement is a little different, and depending on case/cooler may be a bit of a new challenge. It�s actually made me reconsider my planned layout, but it�s not going to happen for a bit anyways so I have time to figure it out.

# ? Sep 6, 2019 10:42

Salted_Pork: Jun 19, 2011

ilkhan posted:

What Beverly Cleavage said.

Its just Asus that can't get their poo poo together and release their ITX/DTX boards.

Asus' DTX board seems like a waste of time, since it doesn't actually have a second pcie slot

# ? Sep 11, 2019 10:26

ilkhan: Oct 7, 2004; I LOVE Musk and his pro-first-amendment ways. X is the future.

Salted_Pork posted:

Asus' DTX board seems like a waste of time, since it doesn't actually have a second pcie slot

The benefit is more space for circuitry, not a second pci slot that is inevitably going to be covered by the GPU.

# ? Sep 11, 2019 13:59

Mr Luxury Yacht: Apr 16, 2012

Beverly Cleavage posted:

I can’t say from experience, but the gigabytes offering seems really solid for the price. The only catch I’ve heard is it looks like the socket placement is a little different, and depending on case/cooler may be a bit of a new challenge. It’s actually made me reconsider my planned layout, but it’s not going to happen for a bit anyways so I have time to figure it out.

Can confirm, it's a pain in the rear end.

Of the two ways you can place the stock Ryzen cooler, one is impossible because the RAM is in the way and the other is a real tight fit because of the giant metal backplate assembly. I could see larger coolers not fitting at all to be honest.

Mr Luxury Yacht fucked around with this message at 14:33 on Sep 11, 2019

# ? Sep 11, 2019 14:16

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO: Feb 28, 1985

D15s fits fine on the giga x570 itx, not that that's going to help in typical itx.

# ? Sep 11, 2019 14:18

Beverly Cleavage: Jun 22, 2004; I am a pretty pretty princess, watch me do my pretty princess dance....

Mr Luxury Yacht posted:

Can confirm, it's a pain in the rear end.

Of the two ways you can place the stock Ryzen cooler, one is impossible because the RAM is in the way and the other is a real tight fit because of the giant metal backplate assembly. I could see larger coolers not fitting at all to be honest.

My plan was c14s in an m1, but someone did it and found the top no longer closed. U9s should still be fine in my case (plan is for 3700x), but what a pain, I wanted the extra overhead of a better cooler.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 00:37

SO DEMANDING: Dec 27, 2003

ilkhan posted:

What Beverly Cleavage said.

Its just Asus that can't get their poo poo together and release their ITX/DTX boards.

The Asus boards are apparently just starting to trickle out, mostly random European shops and very high prices. I don't think the actual MSRP is known for either board, but I don't expect them to be cheap at all.

Here's a reddit thread with some teardown pics and a few photos of the DTX board in an Ncase M1: https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/d1q3kw/lots_of_crosshair_viii_impact_x570_pictures_with/

Asus also updated their page for the X570-I (itx board) and what do you loving know, it's got two fans :barf:

I'm just going to get a B450-I.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 02:03

Lungboy: Aug 23, 2002; NEED SQUAT FORM HELP

SO DEMANDING posted:

I'm just going to get a B450-I.

Yeah this seems the most sensible option, other than waiting for a B550 announcement.

# ? Sep 12, 2019 10:21

eames: May 9, 2009

The tiny fans aren't optimal but I have a feeling you'd never hear them unless your intentionally loop a NVMe drive benchmark. :shrug:

# ? Sep 12, 2019 15:57

X13Fen: Oct 18, 2006; "Is that an accurate quote? It should be.
I think about it often enough."

X13Fen posted:

See, I like that the Node 202 was designed to be horizontal, and imo none of the other cases in that form factor look nice, but its thermals are not great/not terrible.

Whereas the Sliger will have better thermals and room for the only gpu that fits my needs (2060 Super, but with a dvi port and nvidia aren't selling the FE's in Australia for some reason) as it's a triple-slot. But the Sliger is also like $400+ shipped to Australia.

I'm still a few months out from actually building the thing, so I've got some time to think which will be better at least

I ended up getting the SM560, and it arrived today. Holy poo poo, I hadn't appreciated just how small ITX really is!

Now to wait until December, when I can order the actual components...

# ? Oct 9, 2019 08:30

ReelBigLizard: Feb 27, 2003; Fallen Rib

Any opinions on the Kolink Rocket? Seems like a Dan A4 with just slightly more room and a bit cheaper?
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-rocket-aluminium-mini-itx-case-titanium-grey-ca-035-kk.html

(12.5 x 23.5 x 32.8 cm) with 9.6 litre volume
Includes system fans and a GPU riser module
SFX- or SFX-L

ReelBigLizard fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Oct 18, 2019

# ? Oct 18, 2019 16:19

GutBomb: Jun 15, 2005; Dude?

I ordered a Streacom DA2 today along with a SFX PSU and an ITX board to transplant my 9900k/2080/h115 pro/660p into from an NZXT h500i. I don�t see much chatter about this case in here. Have I made a huge tiny mistake?

# ? Oct 19, 2019 01:45

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO: Feb 28, 1985

The build quality is amazing, it's ultimately flexible re: mounting components and fans. It can fit a fairly big GPU, I have a 2.5 slot card and it could go wider.

The ventilation is extremely poor at the sides, but you can remove the top and bottom filter and it's essentially open there.

I love mine.

But I'm using an inwin d-frame mini right now. It looks like a crashed 90s go kart, but it fits a Morpheus 2 / nhd15s, and they're both hanging in fresh air. So it's extremely quiet :q:

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Oct 19, 2019

# ? Oct 19, 2019 11:56

ChazTurbo: Oct 4, 2014

Would an sfx-l psu be ideal for a nano s? Hoping the cables in one would be long enough with extensions

# ? Oct 20, 2019 02:52

GutBomb: Jun 15, 2005; Dude?

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO posted:

The build quality is amazing, it's ultimately flexible re: mounting components and fans. It can fit a fairly big GPU, I have a 2.5 slot card and it could go wider.

The ventilation is extremely poor at the sides, but you can remove the top and bottom filter and it's essentially open there.

I love mine.

I am wondering about how I should set up the cooling. I�ve got a thin 92mm Noctua for the back, and then a 280mm AIO. Im not sure which if any should be an intake. My plan as it stands is to have the fans on the radiator blowing the heat out of the side of the case but I don�t really know what to do with the fan on the back.

# ? Oct 20, 2019 02:57

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO: Feb 28, 1985

If the aio is exhaust, could try the rear fan as intake. It'll be tight with a 280!

A small PSU helps, I used a sf600.

Have a think about how you can leverage it being pretty much open air at the top and bottom if you remove the filters too.

If the aio is mounted high up the side panel as exhaust, removing the top filter might help it intake. Worth a go.

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Oct 20, 2019

# ? Oct 20, 2019 10:29

Corb3t: Jun 7, 2003

It seems like the Corsair SFX Platinum PSUs are the go-to for most SFF builders.

# ? Oct 20, 2019 16:03

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO: Feb 28, 1985

Gay Retard posted:

It seems like the Corsair SFX Platinum PSUs are the go-to for most SFF builders.

I'm impressed with them. Cheap semi passive PSU, nice braided cables that are a good length for ITX, super small. I haven't heard the fan spin up in mine.

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Oct 20, 2019

# ? Oct 20, 2019 18:36

Literally Lewis Hamilton: Feb 22, 2005

I�ve had one for several years and it�s been great. I�m not sure if the fan switches on because I could never possibly hear it over my 2 fan 970, which sounds like a small airplane when it hits 80c

# ? Oct 20, 2019 19:26

VulgarandStupid: Aug 5, 2003; I AM, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, UNFUCKABLE AND A TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT TO EVERYONE. DAE WANNA CUM PLAY WITH ME!?

Good deal for an HTPC barebones. https://slickdeals.net/f/13469704-amd-ryzen-3-3200g-quad-core-processor-asrock-deskmini-a300w-barebone-system-214

# ? Oct 21, 2019 14:54

ReelBigLizard: Feb 27, 2003; Fallen Rib

Waiting for my CPU to arrive. It was meant to be here on Saturday. I've had all weekend to think about PC building and out of frustration I designed a 12L 2x240mm water cooled Mini ITX case and I actually like it enough I might try build it this winter. Still need to add the graphics card on the other side and decide what to do about the power button and whether or not I want front USB. Thinking I might go with Cherry for the front. I have access to a laser cutter and a CNC router but not currently a sheet metal brake so I'll have to figure out if I can get it done by someplace local.

Roughly 135x300x300, 3mm Aluminium. SFX PSU front mounted. Should fit up to a 220mm GFX Card, more if I go with a DC-DC PSU.

ReelBigLizard fucked around with this message at 12:13 on Oct 22, 2019

# ? Oct 22, 2019 12:10

GutBomb: Jun 15, 2005; Dude?

GRINDCORE MEGGIDO posted:

If the aio is exhaust, could try the rear fan as intake. It'll be tight with a 280!

A small PSU helps, I used a sf600.

Have a think about how you can leverage it being pretty much open air at the top and bottom if you remove the filters too.

If the aio is mounted high up the side panel as exhaust, removing the top filter might help it intake. Worth a go.

I removed the bottom and side filter but left the top on because it looks better with it. I was able to fit everything in there, a 92mm noctua on the back as an intake, 280mm AIO as an exhaust on the side, and I�m happy to report everything works great and temps are fine. The 2080 maxed out on an hour long run of Heaven benchmark at 76c and a mild GPU OC (same as I used in my big case) maxes out at 81c.

CPU temps also looking great. This is a really cool case to build in and it was like a puzzle figuring out how to get everything in there and in what order.

I�m in love with my tiny beast pc.