6.45 Litre GTX 1050 Ti Build

[TheGooseIsHere]

Thought I'd just post a quick thread on my updated mini itx tower build since the new Gigabyte 1050 Ti Low profile gpu is out. Advantages of the Gigabyte version is that it's a couple of cm shorter than the MSI version and supposedly has a quieter fan (can agree to this since it is quieter than my 2.5" HDD on idle).

Case is a Chieftec FI-01w (I've had it for a few years, and have used it in several builts, back from when the AMD 7750 LP was the go-to sff card). Even got an mAtx motherboard in there right now even though it's designed for itx (this is because I've re-arranged the power supply leaving a bit more space underneath the graphics card).

Anyway, the 1050ti is pretty sick! And this is probably the smallest mini itx case you can get for it without going for a DC/smaller form factor psu.


Full specs
Chieftec FI-01w Flyer Series Case
Gigabyte GTX 1050 Ti Low Profile (4GB) OC
Intel i5-4570 with Scythe Big Shuriken (rev.B) fan
Noctua F-12 120cm as a CPU fan and side intake
Noctua NF-R8 80cm fan as a top out-take
1TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
1TB Samsung Spinpoint M8 2.5* HDD
8GB Crucial Ballistix RAM
Seasonic SS-350TGM TFX power supply
Gigabyte H series mATX motherboard (can't remember the exact model but some crap).

 

[cleveland]

Have you made any mods in that chassis?

 

[jtd871]

Nice.

 

[cleveland]

I always thought TFX is the perfect AC-DC-ATX solution for SFF builds.

The case is pretty damn good. Would be rated as *absolutely perfect* if:
- it was suitable for ITX only;
- the PSU orientation would be inverted (power input near the power button/power output afar from the button);
- at least 2 80 mm fan mounts for air intake, right near the GPU;
- at least 1 (or even 2) 80 mm fan mounts for air exaust;
- hard drive(s) mounted in a separated layer, underneath the mobo.

Yes, i'm working on it. Me and some friends are sketching the case exactly the way i described above. Hope it works.

 

[TheGooseIsHere]

Have you made any mods in that chassis?

Yup, cut out a 120mm fan hole in the side of the case and put a dust filter over it. This just gives a lit bit more airflow and reduced noise (the stock case already has holes there, so you don't need to mod it to put a 120mm fan there).

Apart from that, I've moved the PSU to the front of the case where the HDD/CD bay is (and taken out the HDD/CD bay).

 

[TheGooseIsHere]

I always thought TFX is the perfect AC-DC-ATX solution for SFF builds.

The case is pretty damn good. Would be rated as *absolutely perfect* if:
- it was suitable for ITX only;
- the PSU orientation would be inverted (power input near the power button/power output afar from the button);
- at least 2 80 mm fan mounts for air intake, right near the GPU;
- at least 1 (or even 2) 80 mm fan mounts for air exaust;
- hard drive(s) mounted in a separated layer, underneath the mobo.

Yes, i'm working on it. Me and some friends are sketching the case exactly the way i described above. Hope it works.

TFX can be good, although I think there is only 1 really good brand for TFX psu's that I've heard of that run silently (e.g. the seasonic one). It really has been reliable as I've used this psu for years in several builds (although mine annoyingly suffers from coil whine). Ideally higher quality DC-DC power supplies could come out that would support a 75W gpu. That way you could cut down volume to like 5~ litres.

Not sure what you mean by 'suitable for ITX only' as this case is designed for miniITX motherboards? And also I agree about the layout, some slight changes would make this thing awesome, now you need some awkward cable management e.g. routing the power cable out the back of the case to fit everything inside.

 

[cleveland]

Not sure what you mean by 'suitable for ITX only' as this case is designed for miniITX motherboards? And also I agree about the layout, some slight changes would make this thing awesome, now you need some awkward cable management e.g. routing the power cable out the back of the case to fit everything inside.

I'm literally quoting your original post: "Gigabyte H series mATX motherboard"

 

[TheGooseIsHere]

Only fits because it's a small mATX motherboard, full size mATX boards don't fit due to being too wide (yeah they come in 2 different sizes, it's the ones with only 1 pcie 16x slot that can actually fit in there though)

 

[cleveland]

Only fits because it's a small mATX motherboard, full size mATX boards don't fit due to being too wide (yeah they come in 2 different sizes, it's the ones with only 1 pcie 16x slot that can actually fit in there though)

My point is that the perfect-to-be sff case must be ITX only.

 

[TheGooseIsHere]

Yes, an ideal case could shave a couple of inches of length off this one - i.e. everything underneath the bottom of the graphics card could be cut out, if there were also air holes added. Keep in mind there are 2.5" drives and a fan underneath that point which would have to be moved somewhere else or taken out completely.

Apart from that, the TFX power supply is going to be the deciding factor to how small the case can be.

 

[cleveland]

Apart from that, the TFX power supply is going to be the deciding factor to how small the case can be.

I cant agree more, sir.

Despite being definitely sff, the PSU itself "costs" 0,966 liters in any build and, even worse, defines the overall height/width of the case. On the other side, TFX PSUs represents: no need of external bricks; high and reliable wattage; sort of a built in exaust fan; smaller footprint than the SFX standard PSU.

Balancing all those strenghts and drawbacks, TFX is always my way to go SFF. Congrats for the sleak build and thanks for the elucidative points we've brought into this thread.

 

[this_is_ridiculous]

Hi!. Nice mod. Could you please give some info on how you mounted the PSU? I've the same case. Dropped in single slot RX 550, but it seems to me temperatures are a bit toasty. Would appreciate your input.