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This thread is about building Small Form Factor (SFF) computers, mostly of the Mini-ITX variety. As many of you may or may not know, the standard ATX form factor has been around since 1995, which is over 20 years and has changed very little. Most people do not need behemoth sized computers to fit their needs. So here are some other form factors. The second post in this thread will cover more about building mini-ITX computers and good hardware choices. Compute Sticks Size: Slightly bigger than a pack of gum  These are the smallest computers we have. The development is lead by Intel, but other manufacturers have released their own models. They plug into a monitor's or TV's HDMI port, and run off USB power. They have Wifi and Bluetooth to connect most of their peripherals, but also have USB ports an microSD card slots. These are very low powered, generally running Intel Atom processors and have 2 or 4GB or RAM that is soldered in, so they are good for simple tasks but not much else. The fans have been described as very whiny and they are not really upgrade able or expandable at all, except for sticking a larger microSD card in. I would not recommend these to most people, they seem like a very cool proof of concept but seems relatively hard to find a good usage case. NUCs Size: About half a liter  Like Compute Sticks, these computers are also primarily developed by Intel, but there are other manufacturers putting out similar products. NUCs are almost always sold as barebone systems, meaning they have their own processor (soldered on), motherboard and power supply, you will need to add your own RAM and storage. Generally NUCs have two form factors, one that fit either an M.2 or mSATA SSD and a slightly taller one that can fit a 2.5" drive of any type. Its important to double check the product pictures and descriptions to make sure you get the right one, or you might end up paying for returns. Many of these have VESA mounting holes so they can be stuck on to the back of monitors. These all use onboard graphics, and do not have PCI-E slots, so the only things you can upgrade are the RAM and storage. It's important to note that these use laptop sized RAM and generally only fit one storage device. The processors do get up to the mid-range or in some cases the mid-high range, but they all use mobile SKUs. The processors are soldered on, so they are not upgrade-able. These are probably the ultimate Mom/Dad computers or for anyone that does not need a beefy graphic card, they also make good HTPCs, although they don't have a lot of storage options. Mini PCs Size: About 2.5 liters   Mini PC is not an official name for these, and there probably isn't one. These are generally about the size of a Mini-ITX motherboard, if it were also 2 inches tall. These are pretty much all custom designs by different manufacturers so there aren't many hard and fast rules about these and pretty much everything will vary on a case by case basis. Some of these come complete, some are just barebones and you will need to add RAM and storage. Some have upgrade-able CPUs while others are soldered on, RAM can be upgraded but they use laptop sized RAM and generally only have two slots, also the storage is usually at least replaceable. The Alienware Alpha only has one 2.5" bay, while the Zotac EN970 has 2x2.5" and an m.2 slot. Graphics cards are all onboard, though they often use custom designs that can be better than laptops. The general use of these are for Steam Boxes, ie: mid to mid-high level graphics on a TV or 1080P monitor. If you don't need the semi-custom GPUs in these, you should probably get a NUC instead. Trash Can Computers Size: 5 to 7 Liters   These are, again, highly custom designed computers. I think they're very well designed but are also super expensive. They use a single fan to cool the whole unit, and have SLI MXM video cards. The MSI Vortex is good for gaming, but around $4000 for the good one. The MacPro is also super expensive, and its a workstation, not for gaming. They are not very upgradeable at all as the market for MXM graphics cards is essentially OEM only, even if you get your hands on new MXM cards, I have no idea if the heatsinks would line up or the drivers would be available. For the sake of discussion, we will mostly consider these to be prohibitively expensive. Mini-ITX builds Size: Extremely variable. Shown below 3.7 Liters, 10.5 Liters, 26.8 Liters    Mini-ITX computers can be built in a lot of ways, and can therefore come in a lot of sizes and shapes. They can be built to be low power machines, or they can be just as powerful as most gaming desktops. Usage cases vary by quite a bit. For example, if you need something with a high end CPU but onboard graphics are OK, you can build something like the first example. If you want a high end gaming machine, but want it to be as small as possible, you can build something like the second example. If you want something that is slightly smaller than a full sized desktop, and maybe want to go with water cooling, you can build something like example 3. I will cover more about the process of building mITX computers in the next post. Please feel free to PM me or reply in thread about anything you'd like for me to change or add to the first two posts.
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May 18, 2016 22:13
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Limitations of mITX For me, building a mITX computer is about building a system that is as small as possible but still meets all of your needs. Obviously there are some fairly hard limitations as far as mITX boards go. For example, you only get one PCI-E slot. This is usually going to be for a video card, but it could also be for other specialized equipment. We can't directly overcome this barrier, but there are often other alternatives. As far as video cards go, you can't go SLI with a Mini-ITX build, luckily, SLI is kind of a bad deal to begin with. Before even considering SLI, you should have a single top-tier video card. Up until then, its not worth the power requirements, additional heat to manage. Hell, even NVidia is pulling support for anything more than 2-way SLI, since single cards are getting so good. If you simply need more displays than one GPU can drive, there are USB devices that can help you there. Some high end SSDs are PCI-E, but most of the development are going towards PCI-E M.2 SSDs. Higher end mITX boards will have slots for that in addition to the regular PCI-E slot. Some people like to run big RAID arrays that require additional cards, if you need more than 6 drives, or some special RAID array that you can't find onboard and you need a video card, mITX is not your friend. As far as wifi goes, most mid tier and high end mITX motherboards will already have wifi, and if the card that comes with it isn't good enough, it's usually mPCIE and replaceable, or you can try a USB solution. Sound cards are probably the last fairly common item, onboard sound has been getting better and better, especially on high end boards. Some even have their own daugtherboards for it, there are also USB solutions. I guess if you need some sort of special port that you can only get through PCI-E, AND you need another PCI-E, then I guess you are a unique snowflake, and mITX just isn't good enough for you. Another limitation is RAM slots. Pretty much every mITX board only supports 2 slots. I can't definitively say there are no boards with 4, but I've never seen one. However, modern consumer chipsets support up to 32GB of RAM. There is even a mITX X99 board, and that will support up to 64GB. If you need more than that, this won't work for you. Before anyone says you only have quad core options, let's quickly dismiss that. A quick scan of Newegg shows that AMD has 8 core options and Asrock's X99E-ITX/ac will support up to an 18-core Xeon, and might support more with BIOS updates in the future. Choosing hardware Now that we're past the limitations of mITX, if you're still here, we need to discuss how to make good hardware choices. I would probably start with your graphics card or your case. The most limiting factor for hardware compatibility will be your case, the case also decides how large your build will be, as everything else goes inside it. If you choose a case that doesn't support full size video cards, you won't be able to use a full size video card unless you do some extensive and probably stupid modding. The same goes for CPU coolers and power supplies. Some cases will only support low profile coolers, some cases won't support radiators or extra fans at all and some cases won't support ATX power supplies and you'll need to go SFX or SFX-L. Some cases only support 2.5" drives. In general you also want a case that has good ventilation, overheating or throttling equipment is no good to anyone. So choose your case based on your needs, then in my opinion, choose the smallest one that gets good reviews. For your GPUs, most cards out there use a dual fan open shroud design, these are generally good choices in cases that have plenty of space and good airflow or ventilation. Unfortunately, this won't always be the situation with mITX builds. So, a reference blower design may actually be preferable in many scenarios. You also won't run in to clearance issues as far as width goes with reference models. Some of the stock overclocked GPUs have wider coolers on them which can create issues, like the evga Kingpin for example. If you're worried, its best to stick to video cards that don't expand past the mounting bracket. After you choose your case, your processor, motherboard and RAM are actually fairly uneventful choices. You need a mITX motherboard, of course, and your motherboard needs to have the features you want, but some quick filtering on Newegg or PCPartspicker will help you with that. When choosing your processor, its important to remember that you may have reduced cooling capacity depending on your other hardware choices. This means you may not be able to get as high of an overclock, or may opt for no overclocking at all. For RAM its best to stick with low profile or ones without large heatspreaders on them, to avoid any possible clearance issues with your CPU cooler. Unfortunately, you may not have many options, as some of the faster speed RAM only has large heatspreaders. If gaming is important to you, RAM speeds are starting to matter. Although I hoped to avoid making this thread too Intel-centric, they generally are the better hardware choice for most builds, so I'm going to go on a small tangent here. If you want faster RAM, you will probably have to go with a Z170 motherboard as H170/H110/B150 only supports up to 2133mhz, regardless of whether or not you choose an overclockable processor. I personally like Asrock boards as they offer a good balance of features and price. Power supplies aren't super exciting here, either. If your case can fit a regular ATX PSU, there are plenty of good recommendations in the regular building thread. If you can only fit an SFX or SFX-L, there are only about 6 good choices which I will list below. Just choose the one that meets the capacity you need. Most of the smaller mITX cases won't fit a full sized tower cooler, and usually can't even fit a closed loop water cooling radiator. If you can fit a CLC cooler, choose one with shorter tubes. If you're going with a small case, you might be stuck with a low profile cooler. You are obviously giving up cooling capacity to save space. If you aren't overclocking, choose a low profile cooler with a 92MM fan and you shouldn't have any clearnce issues. If you are going to overclock, you're best off choosing the largest low profile cooler that will fit your case. However, once you start moving into the 120MM or 140MM fan low profile coolers, you start running in to clearance issues. These issues are going to vary on a case by case basis. The first thing to do is check cooler height vs what your case can support. Then you will probably won't to google your motherboard and cooler, and see if anyone else has run in to clearance issues with those specific models. Luckily, there are plenty of other people out there building tiny computers and they love showing them off. Within your first couple of hits, you will probably find a Overclockers.uk, [H]ardforum or similar hardware forum discussing their exact build and they will usually have pictures. Sometimes you buy a bigger cooler and replace the fan with a slimmer one just to get more cooling capacity than a smaller cooler. Hardware recommendations Cases Silverstone Sugo 13B - $40 10.5 Liters ATX/SFX/SFX-L PSUs 10.5" GPU 3x2.5" or 1x2.5" and 1x3.5" drives Supports a 120MM fan and/or radiator and low profile coolers. No optical drive support. Fractal Design Node 202 - $80 10.2 Liters SFX/SFX-L 12.5" GPU 2x2.5" drives Low profile coolers only. Silverstone RVZ02 -$70 12 Liters SFX/SFX-L 13" GPU 2x2.5" drives, slim line optical drive. Low profile coolers only Silverstone ML08B-H - $80 12 Liters SFX/SFX-L 13" GPU 2x2.5" drives, slim line optical drive. Low profile coolers only Basically the same as the RVZ02, but has a more subdued fascia and a handle, but a bit more expensive. Silverstone RVZ01 - $80 14 Liters SFX/SFX-L 13" GPU 2x2.5", 1x3.5" and a slim slot-loading optical drive Low profile cooler recommended, but can fit certain 120MM CLCs with slim fans mITX-sized Video Cards Some cases will only support shorter video cards, and sometimes only as long as the motherboard. I don't recommend these, in general as they aren't a terrific price to performance ratio, but if you are married to a case that doesn't support full length and still want mid-high performance, these may work for you. As of May 2016, it is probably not a good time to buy one of these cards as new models may be coming soon. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB I had this card in the past and mine was perfectly fine, but there do seem to be reports of some DOA cards and some cards with coil whine. Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB Asus released their own version of the above card after Gigabyte, and they included a vapor chamber, so it is probably a better card, but also more expensive. Various AMD R9 Nano The current king of ITX graphics card, but you can get a much better full length card for the money. SFX/SFX-L Power Supplies As of right now, Corsair and Silverstone seem to be the only manufacturers of worthwhile SFX PSUs. At this point the Corsairs are better picks than the Silverstones because they are much newer designs and are smaller, making cable management easier. Corsair SF600 SFX-L 600W Gold Modular ~$120 Corsair SF450 SFX-L 450W Gold Modular ~$105 Low profile coolers Cryorig C7 Probably the best low profile cooler on the market right now, it has a 92MM fan and similar width so it should not run in to clearance issues. The sound profile when it ramps up can be rough, some people are messing around with replacing the fan with a slim Noctua. Noctua NH-L9i Gotta run for now, I'll add more to this post later. VulgarandStupid fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Jan 14, 2020 |
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May 18, 2016 22:13
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lethial posted:Thanks for all the great information! I have a 980Ti and the RVZ02. It's an open shroud cooler but it runs just fine. It's a little loud under load, but I think all 980Ti's are. Also the GPU is in a compartment of its own, so it can't really heat other stuff up.
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May 19, 2016 18:11
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El Scotch posted:Good OP. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to find a Z68/Z77 mITX board at a reasonable price. I checked around 6 months ago with no luck. There are still enough H97/Z97 mITX boards floating around if you don't mind trying to buy as Haswell processor, which are going for fairly cheap because Skylake is out now. May not be worth it, though.
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May 19, 2016 18:39
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Paul MaudDib posted:I'm finally putting together my RVZ01 since I have a Vive coming on Monday. Swapping the guts of my desktop into it, with a Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI and a blower 780 Ti I have on-hand, and buying a Silverstone 500W SFX-L PSU. I have some low-profile SATA cables on the way, do I need the Silverstone PSU cable kit with the short cables or are the stock Silverstone cables going to be short enough? Unfortunately, cable management in small mITX cases is never going to be pretty as they forego cable management spaces for less overall volume. However, I have the same power supply and the RVZ02, it's a little rough on the PSU/Mobo side but not horrible, with the larger RVZ01 it should be fine. You won't be tucking much behind anything, but you shouldn't be struggling to put the panels back on. I think those AIOs need the fan replaced with a slim fan so the prices start to add up, but I don't know what processor you're going to be using.
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May 19, 2016 20:37
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HalloKitty posted:Fury Nano? It's faster (and shorter!) than that 970. The 970's a great card, but it doesn't win in the **FPS per inch** category. It's also has a really bad performance to price ratio. It is, however, for the time being the best ITX sized card out there.
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May 19, 2016 22:41
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Paul MaudDib posted:I would like to get parts on order real soon, so any suggestions (and air configurations) on low profile air vs slim AIO in a RVZ01 would be highly appreciated. http://www.overclock.net/t/1466816/silverstone-raven-rvz01-rvz02-ml07-ml08-ftz01-owners-club According to this the Corsair H55 and Antec Kuehler 620 should work, but I'm not sure on the fan situation. Like I said you might need a slim fan.
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May 20, 2016 05:42
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Eletriarnation posted:A NUC would probably have been easier, but you can take some solace in the fact that what you have is faster and more upgradeable. The compute sticks have microSD slots, so you can add a pretty good amount of storage to them.
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May 21, 2016 21:36
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THE DOG HOUSE posted:I'd like to throw some compatibility info with at least one specific model of case into the mix since this comes up a lot when people are interested in these style cases. My build is pretty similar in the RVZ02 with the same power supply. I went with it because there is a ghetto way to put a 3.5" drive, literally ripping out a mounting post and shoving the drive in there. There is no mechanical decoupling at all and it's not mounted securely, so it is loud. I have an EVGA 980Ti which is a bit narrower than the MSI, and an i7-5775C cooled with a Cyrorig C7. The CPU runs hotter than it should, but I read an article saying most stock paste isn't enough for the 5775c because it also has the eDRAM generating heat, so when I switch my system from an H97 board to a Z97, I will repaste it. I probably would have gone with the SH13B if I had to do it all over again, since I have an extra CLC sitting around, it properly supports a 3.5" drive and is actually cheaper. The fit and finish isn't as nice as the Raven, but it shaves off 1.5 liters.
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May 22, 2016 21:52
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Skull Canyon NUC reviews. Still worse than a GT760. http://anandtech.com/show/10343/the-intel-skull-canyon-nuc6i7kyk-minipc-review/4
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May 23, 2016 20:09
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The Dan Case A4-SFX will start its crowdfunding in 5 days. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to back it, but it is an awesome looking case and probably the smallest we're going to see that fits a full sized video card. The total volume is 7.25 liters. http://www.dan-cases.com/
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May 24, 2016 18:23
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knox_harrington posted:It's really nice looking. Any idea whether a PCI riser like that screws up how the graphics card works? According to the designer, he tested a bunch of riser cables and that is the best of the best, which is not surprising because it is from 3M. He is having Lian-Li make his case. They have their own riser cable which was cheaper per single unit, but not cheaper in bulk, and didn't have the flexibility or performance of the 3M one. Unfortunately the bulk price is still rather expensive and the A4 will be more expensive than the M1, probably around $250.
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May 24, 2016 20:04
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Watermelon Daiquiri posted:Another thread pointed out that Cyrorig is getting into the business of making cases, and they are teasing some interesting looking mini-itx cases here. That taku looks cool and I may end up getting it, and if you wanted a trash can but didn't want to pay apple, nows your chance! The Ola looks pretty awesome. Hopefully they get some more information out on it before I have to make a decision about whether or not I'm backing a Dan A4-SFX. It seems to use more or less the same layout, but puts it in a vertical orientation, which could lead to better cooling, as well as a smaller footprint. It might be as small as a A4 and will probably be cheaper too, if I had to guess.
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May 26, 2016 07:37
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Zotac announced a few new miniPC type deals. The most exciting is the EN980, which is NUC sized and packs a possibly mobile 980. They did something that I think is pretty cool, which is an integrated CPU and GPU closed loop water cooler. It adds some height to the unit, as it's probably taller than any other NUC, but it's always really cool to see things like that. And they do, of course, save space and are usually quieter than separate cooling solutions. http://techreport.com/news/30186/zotac-beefs-up-lineup-of-mini-pcs-for-computex I just wish they weren't a year+ behind on graphics hardware. Hard to justify the 980 when Nvidia themselves just poo poo all over it. Of course, it doesn't perform worse because newer things are out, but it definitely makes it harder to sell. VulgarandStupid fucked around with this message at 19:59 on May 26, 2016 |
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May 26, 2016 19:53
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eggyolk posted:If anyone wanted in on the A4 it's Kickstarter is going now. Won't last long. I've talked about this case a lot, and I really want to back it. However, for a total final cost of $280, I don't think I'm going to pull the trigger.
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May 29, 2016 18:13
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Watermelon Daiquiri posted:Yeah. I was strongly considering getting one of those and using my current case as a file server, but that's a little too steep for me. I might as well just get something cheap isntead instead and get one of those cyrorig cases when they come out next year. I know the huge Enthoo case was a hit, how is Phantek's itx case? It's 50 bucks on newegg right now. It's huge. Like 34 liters. I think the SG13B is the best small case. 10.5 liters, fits a 120mm AIO cooler and supports a 2.5" and a 3.5" or 3x2.5", and a ATX PSU. VulgarandStupid fucked around with this message at 21:14 on May 29, 2016 |
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May 29, 2016 21:12
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Watermelon Daiquiri posted:Oh wow http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163275
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May 29, 2016 21:37
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That's like twice as big as my 304, and that's a big case itself. The SG13B is cheap and all, but I'm not too big a fan of that chamfered look the front panel has.
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Karsh posted:I ordered an NCASE M1 for my next build. It won't be here for a few weeks, so naturally I'm obsessing over every other part I'm purchasing. You could always try the 500W PSU in the OP if you're worried the 450 won't be enough, I have it and so do a bunch of goons. Actually, it's probably the most common PSU for SFX builds, judging from all the pictures I've seen. Anyway, my 5775C and 980Ti only pull 365W from the wall according to my killawatt, but I haven't OCed anything.
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May 30, 2016 17:50
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I think the moral of this story is avoid ATI/AMD whenever possible for SFF builds. I didn't want to say it implicitly in the OP, but I think we all know...
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May 31, 2016 18:14
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wipeout posted:Yep that's it. It can fit 2 x 200mm fans at the top, but I was wondering if the additional size of the rad would be a problem. Looking at measurements for it, I think a 200 x 400mm rad should fit. Sweet jesus, that's a 56 liter mITX case...
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Jun 5, 2016 12:28
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Since the DAN A4-SFX case broke my heart with such a high price, this is the next case I'm waiting to be heartbroken by. https://hardforum.com/threads/sentry-console-sized-gaming-pc-case-project.1832126/page-29 6.9L so its even smaller, but back to the slim tower/low wide type, similar to the RVZ02 or Node 202. Currently they are saying it will cost $170-190, which is definitely more reasonable and even smaller than the Dan Case. However, that is already up from their intial estimate of $160. Also I have a very strange idea, that I will probably never do. But Inwin makes a 12.5L microATX case that comes with a 300W SFX PSU that could be replaced by an SFX-L power supply. It would require a ton of cutting, just to get airflow, but you could SLI 9.5" video cards. Hugely irresponsible, but it would be hilarious to see it done. Hopefully one of the AIB partners makes a smaller R480 or GTX1070. http://www.in-win.com.tw/Corporate/en/goods.php?act=view&id=BK644%20Special%20Edition VulgarandStupid fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Jun 7, 2016 |
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Jun 7, 2016 03:59
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Zero VGS posted:I know how to make a 3D printable ITX case that's smaller than any design on the market, including the Dan A4 and everything else, I just can't model in CAD to save my life. Zero, would you mind writing a little blurb about picoPSUs for this thread? I know you've discussed them before and I probably just know the basics. I would be happy to add it to the OP. I think people avoid 3D printed because the materials used are much weaker than steel or aluminum, meaning you need thicker walls and those insulate heat. It probably also doesn't feel like a nice material, which some people care about but isn't a big deal to me.
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Jun 9, 2016 03:21
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CharlieFoxtrot posted:I'm using a Prodigy right now It's basically the same as the RVZ02, which is pretty nice. It's what I'm using right now. You could also consider a node 202, which is a little smaller at the cost of no optical drive compatibility.
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Jun 16, 2016 19:12
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I guess I understand the complaints though, it basically takes up the same footprint as an ATX tower so there's no real estate savings there.
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It's the case we need, but not the case we deserve...
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Jun 19, 2016 09:24
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diesiel posted:Well you can't upgrade a NUC's cpu, and the NUC comes out more expensive for the same hardware. Plus with that particular model you can add an aftermarket HSF. Do you just need high end compute performance?
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Jun 22, 2016 05:36
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particle9 posted:The more I've looked at cases the more perplexed I've become over what choice to make. I went from the rvz01 to the ftz01 to now wanting a fractal node 304. This would be a lot easier if I didn't want to keep an internal 3.5" hard drive Have you considered the SG13b?
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Jun 23, 2016 21:16
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particle9 posted:From what I can tell it's a lot less packed than the rvz01 or ftz01. I am just going to keep my 1tb ssd and a 6tb WD 3.5" drive for files. A lot of the super small cases (Node 202) don't have any room for a 3.5" drive. I just want it to fit in my TV console eventually. Sg13b-q Look it up
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Jun 24, 2016 08:35
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Allstone posted:The RVZ02 and ML08 fit a 3.5" drive but only if your GPU is less than about 200-210mm long. I broke the ODD mounting stud off in my RVZ02 and shoved a 3.5" in that space. There's nothing to mount it down and the vibrations are kind of loud, though.
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Jun 24, 2016 18:04
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Zero VGS posted:This poo poo has been vaporware for years but I've had my eye on their webpage and it looks like we might finally see some of these spinning-heatsink coolers: Do these have to be situated face up?
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Jun 30, 2016 08:05
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NihilCredo posted:Overclocked RAM is essentially worthless in real world usage. Get it only if it costs pretty much the same as a basic 2133 MHz stick, otherwise don't bother. Faster RAM is starting to make a difference in certain games now. I don't have the link on hand because I'm on my phone, but DigitalFoundry i5-6500 video outlines it very well. I think DDR4-3000 has a good price/performance ratio.
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Jun 30, 2016 20:58
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CharlieFoxtrot posted:Thanks, this was really helpful. I was thinking about building in an ML08, which seems really similar to this case, and the one thing that was giving me pause was temperatures. Also from reading the parts thread everyone is saying overclocking a gaming rig is a no-brainer at this point, and not doing so is leaving money on the table, but that would be putting more heat into the system... You can take the filters out for more air flow. Yes, dust will get it, but since no one puts this case on the floor, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Alternatively the windowed version has perforation but no filters.
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Jul 12, 2016 19:56
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Lungboy posted:How precise are the case measurements for the Core 500? It says the max gpu length is 310mm and the card I'm eyeing up is 310mm... Generally the best way to find out if it fits is to see what other people say, so Google "Core 500 whatever video card." If it's a new card and no one has done that combo yet, try a similar model i.e. Asus 980 strix is probably the same length as an Asus 970 or 980ti Strix. If that fails, just check out some other builds find out how long their card is and see how much space is left, often times they will tell you.
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Jul 21, 2016 10:53
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Lungboy posted:Good to know, thanks. Usually, if a card extends that long, the last 5mm or so is usually just shroud, and can be shaved down to fit, as the board itself is still reference length.
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Jul 22, 2016 22:17
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twxabfn posted:So I was just playing Talos Principle and got some wicked stuttering, so I checked the temps. CPU (i5-4590) was in the low-to-mid 60s, GPU (1070) was in the low 80s but the fans were still only at ~50%. I've got stock everything in my RVZ01B - stock CPU cooler and just the two stock fans that came with it. Why don't you just adjust the fan curve with a program like Afterburner?
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Jul 24, 2016 04:37
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twxabfn posted:I hadn't tried that yet because I've never done it before. But, isn't that a little like putting a Band-Aid over a festering wound? All it would do is make the fans run faster at certain temperatures, which should keep your GPU cooler but make your system run a bit louder. If your GPU doesn't cool down, well, then you might have a set up that might have issues. It's also completely reversible and doesn't cost anything to try.
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Jul 25, 2016 20:27
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Watermelon Daiquiri posted:huh, for some reason I thought the rvz01 couldn't fit a AIO cooler... Though I wonder if it's one of those that requires a thin fan and or rad. Regardless, I didn't want to have to buy a new PSU, and I love the look of the 380t and plus I can slap a AIO on my 1070 in the future! The 380t is twice as big as anything I mentioned in the OP. However, the SG13b fits your description as long as full size means up to 10.5" gpu, which reference and some of the smaller 2 fan cards are.
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Jul 25, 2016 20:30
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Bass Bottles posted:Well in a normal tower case isn't the GPU centered on the plug? So the center of balance is even. In either case, the video card is supported by the backplate and screw, as well the PCI-E slot itself, or in the Node's case the PCI-E extender card, which should be just as secure.
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Aug 6, 2016 07:01
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NihilCredo posted:Ooh this one is cool, I've been waiting on a case in this form factor since I saw the MSI Vortex pre-built: That looks horrible. Well, it looks nice, but everything about it is horrible.
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Aug 8, 2016 06:01
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Coredump posted:I have a Silverstone 450 sfx modular power supply. Where can I get a longer atx 4/8 pin cable? There are custom PSU cable makers that know what they're doing, you just input the PSU that you have and they will make it for you. They are however, a little expensive but you can get the exact length you need, and colors. I've never been so motivated, but it is an option.
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Aug 13, 2016 20:24
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Quite A Tool posted:I ended up getting the RVZ02 case,reference 1060 and the AR06 cooler. I'm a little nervous about temps as its been pretty toasty here in Seattle the past few days and I don't have AC, but it shouldn't be a problem for most of the year. If you're super worries just pop the filters out until it cools down. I've been running mine with the panels off all Summer because I got too lazy to put the panels back on after making a hardware change.
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Aug 19, 2016 20:21
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