The SFF and Mini-ITX thread

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mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

nCase M1 owners: how are the noise and dust levels?

I've been a Fractal owner for the last few years and I love how quiet and clean their cases are. Basically the only noise I hear is my GPU fan at full load. I've been torn between the M1 for size and the Fractal Nano for silence.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2016 15:32

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:56

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I have a 1080 with an open-style cooler (Asus Strix OC) that I'd like to eventually shove into an M1 build. How much am I going to regret that? Are there steps I can take to make it not turn into a toaster? Never worked with a case that small.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2016 19:45

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Does anyone have a link to that super handy picture that had silhouettes of a bunch of popular ITX cases for size comparison purposes?

edit: never mind, found it a couple pages back

I looked at a couple cases at Microcenter yesterday. I wish NXZT made a practical ITX case; the manta is lol huge. Probably end up going with the Fractal Nano but even that is a little bigger than what I'd like.

mega dy fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Sep 26, 2016

# ¿ Sep 26, 2016 15:49

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Do the Corsair SFX PSU's come with a bracket to adapt to ATX? I'm also planning on building in a Fractal Nano and am going SFX just to give my open-cooler GPU some breathing room. Or does the Nano natively support SFX?

mega dy fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Sep 28, 2016

# ¿ Sep 28, 2016 15:53

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Apparently these are priorities over making nicely built, smallish sized tower-style ITX cases with good cooling and acoustics:

- ATX-sized ITX cases
- Yacht-themed ITX cases
- Toaster-shaped ITX cases
- Trashcan-shaped ITX cases

I just want a slightly smaller version of the Fractal Nano that looks a little sharper.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2016 15:57

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

AEMINAL posted:

just get the nano, it's a ballin little case.

only gripe i have with it is the blue LED when a white one would have been so much cooler looking

I'm pretty resigned to the fact that I'm going to end up buying it, I just wish someone like NZXT or Phanteks would make a slightly smaller, more attractive version of it using a SFX PSU. I'm overall really disappointed in the variety of appropriately-sized ITX mini tower style cases; there are only like 3-4 real contenders.

mega dy fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Oct 10, 2016

# ¿ Oct 10, 2016 18:08

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Coredump posted:

Sale on Fractal Define cases at newegg. Define Nano S is $50. https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/575l7b/meta_big_sale_on_fractal_design_define_cases_from/

Ooooooooo do you think this means Fractal is about to release a refresh?

# ¿ Oct 13, 2016 19:56

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Dammit. All I wanted was a smaller Nano.

# ¿ Nov 3, 2016 18:10

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

an skeleton posted:

Can you lovely ITX-knowledgable folks let me know if the case (NZXT manta mini ITX) should be sufficient for these parts? https://pcpartpicker.com/user/polymetric/saved/sbQRBm

I was considering the Manta until I saw it in person. It's very nice, but laughably huge for ITX. I would recommend you swing by a microcenter and pull it out of the box to take a look.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2017 02:56

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

an skeleton posted:

Thanks for the input, y'all. If you have any suggestions on an alternative case that i can basically interchange with the Manta, that would be great. I will say that I am new to building PCs and if fitting everything into a tiny case means I am going to gently caress things up, maybe I should just go with the Manta?

Will changing to these affect anything else?

The Manta is kind of like if you want to a restaurant and ordered sliders and then they just gave you three regularly sized cheeseburgers, but the cheeseburgers are still delicious.

I think you just need to figure out what you want. You're not going to gently caress anything up as long as you don't try to go super-small; maybe stay away from the very small cases for a first-time build.

If you really like the aesthetics of the Manta and you don't care that it's pretty big for an ITX case, just go with it. If you want something a little smaller that's still big enough to comfortably work in without having any real restrictions, grab the Fractal Nano.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2017 14:47

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I'm contemplating an M1 build and trying to decide what to do for CPU cooling (ie air or liquid AIO, and what to go with for either). I've never done an ITX build before. I already have a 1080 with an open-air cooler (Asus Strix) that I'd be using.

#1 priority is silence at idle, I don't mind a bit of loudness when things are cranking but also don't want a jet engine.
#2 priority is performance/temp.
#3 priority is price. I'll gladly pay an extra few bucks for something quiet and cool.

Any thoughts?

mega dy fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Jun 16, 2017

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 17:18

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I just plunked down for an M1 in preparation for a Coffee Lake build. I feel so horrible spending $230 on a case but couldn't resist.

Any tips for cooling setups? Never worked in a case so small. Would prefer low noise > performance. I have an Asus Strix 1080 (open air) I'm going to be putting in.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2017 16:46

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

horchata posted:

Don't strix gpus not fit inside the ncase

You sure? I've heard it barely fits.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2017 00:57

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

beepsandboops posted:

I kinda felt weird when I got mine as well, but I got over it. It's such a nice case.

Honestly unless you're doing some crazy overclocking or anything, a NH-U9S and some case fans should be fine.

More nCase chat:

Any tips for fan config? Assuming I'm going with the NH-U9S, and I'll have a Strix 1080 so it will be dumping air. Plan on having two 120mms at the bottom dumping out, but ???

# ¿ Oct 9, 2017 18:45

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

brainwrinkle posted:

I thought the Strix models had difficulty fitting in the NCase M1?

From the reports I've seen, the 1080 will fit, it's just a very very tight squeeze.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2017 20:00

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

MaxxBot posted:

I'm running an open cooler 1080 Ti in the Nano S, it's workable but I wouldn't recommend it as the case doesn't quite have enough airflow. I really wish the top of the case had a dust filter.

So this brings up a good question I've been pondering. My Strix 1080 has me getting cold feet on an ITX build (I cancelled my M1 order from a few weeks ago). Anyone have any opinions on this question: what is the smallest, quietest case that will handle an open-air 1080?

# ¿ Oct 27, 2017 23:37

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Completed my first ITX build this week, and learned that you really need to have a plan for ITX.

Everything went mostly OK except the heatsink I ordered is probably too big (it blocks literally the entire motherboard). I managed to get three of the four motherboard mounting screws in, but the heatsink is preventing me from reaching the upper-left by just a little bit of an angle. Anyone have any tips for screwing in a hard-to-reach screw without taking the whole drat heatsink off?

# ¿ Dec 10, 2018 21:47

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Granite Octopus posted:

I recently learned these things exist (from AI) http://cdn.axminster.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/920x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/3/4/340355_xl.jpg
Search for offset ratchet screwdriver.

Also flexi-shaft screwdrivers might do it, depending on the angle.

Stubby screwdrivers are common but only in larger sizes than what you would probably need.

Thanks! I bought this. I don't think a flexi-shaft would be long enough.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2018 22:55

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

SalTheBard posted:

I built a computer in the Mini ATX version of this case and it was a dream. Honestly if I could go back in time a year I would probably build my system in this case since it's not much bigger than my H200i

Ooo. Would be all over this if it was available without a window.

Anyone happen to know a similar thing (MATX case supporting ATX mobo) with a solid side panel? I really don't care at all about the look, I just have a big ole desktop that I need to rebuild into an under-the-tv sized box.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2019 17:57

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Zack Ater posted:

Depending on your budget, there's the Cerberus, which is pretty similar but doesn't have space behind the motherboard to mount drives, I think?

Ah yeah. I love that case but trying to do this on the cheap (just repurposing an old system), should have mentioned that.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2019 19:04

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

My NCASE M1 just cleared customs. Anyone have any "I wish I would have known this before I built my M1" tips I should know about?

# ¿ Apr 12, 2021 17:54

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Warmachine posted:

Without knowing what else you're doing

Main gist is moving from an NZXT H200 with air cooling to a M1 with an AIO water cooler.

The previous case was my first ITX build and I definitely did a lot of dumb stuff that I wish I had thought through more. Like I didn't realize that the heatsink was going to cover the entire motherboard and prevent me from accessing any plugs, didn't realize I wouldn't have enough room for a full-size top fan, the usual mistakes about not fully setting up for good cable routing, etc etc.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2021 16:48

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Lardroom posted:

If you're side-mounting an AIO, try to mount it as high as possible, and align the tubes so that the tubes the highest point of the loop and not the pump.

Thanks for this. I don't know anything about water cooling so this prompted me to do a little bit of research.

I want the pump slightly lower than the radiator, right? Do I need to worry about which of the rad tubes is the inlet vs. the outlet and mount one or the other higher?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2021 20:12

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

NCASE M1 Trip report and tips:

This case is really cool. It is easily the most well-designed piece of PC hardware I've touched. Noise and temps are much better than my previous case.
Using a side-mounted AIO liquid cooler is gonna eat up basically all of the room in the upper portion of the case.
Cable routing is really difficult and took me a few attempts before I found something that worked. There aren't easy or obvious places to route. The best strategy I found was to tie longer-running cables down to the bottom on the side where the motherboard sits - plenty of room to run there without interfering with airflow.
The best way I found to keep all of the PSU cables under control was to gently zip-tie them to the PSU itself (obviously not the part that provides airflow). This prevents them from interfering with the GPU or AOI.
The gap in between the case and front panel is surprisingly roomy and is a really good place to hide excess cables or route bulkier items like SATA power.
The case is very light, but the thin aluminum is easy to bend. Don't be a dummy like me and lean on it while you're working.
If you have a long GPU, make sure to leave plenty of space open in the front bottom. It won't fit straight in, so you'll need to poke the card through there in order to maneuver it into position.

PS - after getting the new case up and running, my GPU thermals were atrocious (90+ C under slight load). I thought I might have busted my card while trying to force it into the case, but it's around 3 years old and a good GPU cleaning and new coating of thermal paste has it good as new. I think the jostling just shook the old, crusty paste a little loose.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2021 22:06

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I only want that case if it comes with all the floating metal orbs.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2022 01:56

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Cheese Thief posted:

Putting the parts from old (mini-its) case to new Ncase m1 is harder than I expected. Right away the heat sink is too large and I don�t know how to get the psu attached. Might I get some help and we can get this together.

Lol wait until you try to get the GPU in there

# ¿ May 5, 2022 19:00

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Klyith posted:

The latest GN video about GPU power transients is a must-watch for anyone in the SFF space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnRyyCsuHFQ

tl;dr be very afraid of putting a high-power nvidia 40 series on a SFF PSU when they come out later this year, because there is a real possibility that they will produce neat-kilowatt power spikes and a mini-PSU can't handle it

They'll just make a SFX-L psu that can handle it. Life will find a way.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2022 16:38

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

New Optimum Tech video with a 4080 in a FormD T1. I'm in love with this case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2fZOykkyjQ

I'm waiting for the case to arrive and gonna attempt to do this (except with an AIO) next week.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2022 00:02

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Phone posted:

Sup T1 buddy. It's a really fun but exacting build.

Good to see you put the GPU in first. I did not do that and it was a big mistake.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2023 18:58

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I did my first build with a PCIe riser cable a few months ago and have been having a strange GPU-related issue (4080). After a period of heavy GPU activity on some games, my screen will start flickering off, then go blank completely, then come back on after 5-10 seconds. It will intermittently repeat this, and then eventually it will stay blank until I reboot. Temps are generally fine during this whole thing.

I think this is some kind of power-related issue since I find that it if I set power limit to 80%, it doesn't happen. My theories are either the PCIe riser cable, the GPU power cable, or maybe insufficient power delivery. Anyone else ever have a similar issue?

# ¿ May 2, 2023 17:03

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Wibla posted:

What PSU do you have? Might be worth checking out if the pci-e riser cable gets unreasonably hot during gaming as well.

Corsair SF750. I'll check the cable, never thought to do that, thanks.

Romes128 posted:

is ur pci-e set to gen 3 or 4 in bios?

Gen 4 with a Gen 4 riser cable (the one that comes with the FormD T1).

# ¿ May 2, 2023 20:03

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

LODGE NORTH posted:

I'm just running this through here to see if there's anything I'm missing that would ultimately make my idea impossible.

I want to built an "emulation stick" type deal. Like a Fire Stick, but instead of seeing various streaming services, it's just a sea of games etc.

My plan is to get one of those cheapish HDMI stick PCs off Amazon, then install Batocera (Linux) to accomplish this. Occasionally however, there are few moments where I need Windows to get something done� and this would be enough for me to do that too. At that length, could I partition the drive 3 ways, install Batocera on one, Tiny 11 on the other, then use the rest of the space as shared storage between both OSes?

I get the first linux/retrogaming part, but for the Windows part, just why? Why do you want to "get something done" on a usb stick and your TV?

# ¿ May 2, 2023 22:55

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

LODGE NORTH posted:

It�s really small things every now and again. I mostly use macOS and other Apple stuff since they all work with each other easily with no third party apps in between. But sometimes there�s a random app that�s the only one available for rooting or flashing a specific Android phone. Or some guide to do some niche thing requires an app from the 90s to work � really just random oddities.

Even on macOS using Parallels, it�s not a good experience if any app needs to be pointed to a directory other than the default Downloads or Desktop folders. Having something like this would hopefully kill two birds with one stone.

And just as an aside, it wouldn�t be going into my TV for Windows stuff, just straight into one of my monitors.

I don't see why it wouldn't work but I don't think it's gonna work well and honestly sounds like more trouble than its worth vs. just running linux on it. I've fooled with stuff like this a few times and come to the conclusion that running Windows on less than a laptop or desktop is a huge pain in the rear end.

Wonton posted:

Something similar here, so many headaches. My riser is pcie 3.0 but my board and card 4.0,

Lots of compatibility issues and head aches even if I use the mb bios to set 3.0 pcie. A quick band aid is disabling and re-enabling the graphics card in device drivers

My 4.0 cable is on the way but hopefully it works. But my last itx raijin itx had a 3.0 match 3.0 pcie but heat issues and long term wrecked the case (2 years)

Did you have the same temporary loss of video? Very curious since mine is definitely advertised as PCIE 4.0. Still need to check the temp specifically at the riser cable though.

# ¿ May 4, 2023 20:09

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

I thought the whole point of PFF was the sadistic desire to buy overly expensive cases that are impossible to build in and functionally uncoolable, you guys are missing the whole point.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2023 16:42

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

dkj posted:

Was wanting to look into replacing the psu cables in my system, hoping it might help with thermals and also look nicer, but it seems like it might be more complicated/risky than I originally thought.

How do you know for a fact the cables will work with your psu and not destroy everything?

They probably won't destroy everything if something goes wrong. But generally, buy from a reputable source that makes them for your specific build. There are a few vendors that have great reputations and will work with you to get it right if something is weird.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2023 23:23

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:56

mega dy: Dec 6, 2003

Plant MONSTER. posted:

I had no idea small form factor computers were a thing. If I was looking to spend about 400ish in filthy, useless Canadian dollars on a machine that could realistically do the following:

- Run basic music producing software like FL Studios and not have my beautiful music tracks stutter because I have like, a few samples and some VSTs loaded at the same time.

- Run basic image editing software. Nothing too crazy, just something that won't lag when working with a .pdf file that has more than a few layers

- Run basic games that aren't necessarily graphic heavy. I'm not an intense gamer but poo poo like minecraft shouldn't run at at 12 fps

For context I've been using a broken down HP floor model laptop with a busted screen, loose keys. It's a pathetic situation but I've still manage to produce ART. I just want to do it more efficiently at a reasonable price. What should I be on the lookout for?

Building in a small form factor is considerably more expensive. Basically every part will cost more. It probably doesn�t make sense to do at your price point, it�s already going to be very difficult to get what you want out of a $400 machine.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2024 01:11

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