First Ever Build and It's a SFF PC.

Artmov

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 28, 2018
14
2
Hey Guys!

Decided to build my very first computer and I'll be doing it SFF style!
I've been slowly researching and buying parts during the past 2 weeks.

Parts I currently have:
Intel Core i7-8700
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini
HyperX FURY DDR4 32GB
970 EVO NVMe 500GB

Parts on my shopping list:
Asus Rog Strix H370-i OR ASRock H370M-ITX/ac
Corsair SF600 Platinum

I'm I on the right track so far?
If you guys think any of the above parts should be replaced, I'm still in the return time frame, please let me know.

I'm still learning of the different types of cooling solutions out there.
My priority will be to make the build as quiet as possible without getting the system too hot.
Any tips?

The cases I'm currently looking at are:
Raijintek Ophion Evo
Dan A4-SFX
Kolink Rocket
Ncase M1

Can you guys help me make a quick decision on which mother board is preferable between the Asus Rog Strix H370-i and ASRock H370M-ITX/ac? The ASRock is on sale (about $60CAD cheaper then ASUS).

Cheers!
 
Last edited:

NinoPecorino

Tweezer Squeezer
Platinum Supporter
Nov 24, 2017
505
515
maybe take a look at the h370 from evga. they also have a 650watt sfx psu. try making them an offer for those items on their ebay store. i got them to go as low as 105(usd) on the power supply.
 

Artmov

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 28, 2018
14
2
maybe take a look at the h370 from evga. they also have a 650watt sfx psu. try making them an offer for those items on their ebay store. i got them to go as low as 105(usd) on the power supply.

Is this the mobo you are referring to? Can I ask what makes it better?

What makes the EVGA PSU better then the Corsair one? Is it quieter?
 

NinoPecorino

Tweezer Squeezer
Platinum Supporter
Nov 24, 2017
505
515
Is this the mobo you are referring to? Can I ask what makes it better?

What makes the EVGA PSU better then the Corsair one? Is it quieter?

that's the motherboard. the bios is easily as good or better than asus' and far better than asrock's, the power delivery is at least equal to the asus and better than the asrock, it doesn't have a big io shield heatsink thing or a weird m.2 riser heatsink to get in the way of a cooler, and evga has WAY better customer service than asus and asrock. plus it's cheaper.

the evga psu is cheaper, very quiet and it has 50 watts of headroom for a possible future upgrade. for a lower power build, 50 watts could be the difference between the fan being on or off during web-browsing or youtube or netflix.

i only say all this after doing probably too much research for an 8700 ES QN8H based build and then buying that motherboard and psu combo. they're both solid and evga has the best customer service in the industry.

just my two cents. hope it helps.
 
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Artmov

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 28, 2018
14
2
just my two cents. hope it helps.

I'll take all the cents I can get. I'm new to PC building so everything helps at this point :)

In Canada the EVGA is the most expensive option at the moment. It's $200 vs $120 for ASRock or $180 for the ASUS.
I purchased the ASRock earlier today as the sale was ending but since it seems to be the worst option out of the mobo I'll try to cancel the order.
 

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
I'll take all the cents I can get. I'm new to PC building so everything helps at this point :)

In Canada the EVGA is the most expensive option at the moment. It's $200 vs $120 for ASRock or $180 for the ASUS.
I purchased the ASRock earlier today as the sale was ending but since it seems to be the worst option out of the mobo I'll try to cancel the order.
I'd keep the asrock, the stinger isn't worth the extra $80. You aren't going to OC (making bios a lot less important) and the difference in vrms isn't that huge. On top of that, asrock and evga have similar RMA policies/support (speaking from experience here)
 

annasoh323

Master of Cramming
Apr 4, 2018
424
314
re: the rest of your system - I think things look fine. For the cases you listed, a Mini card can help with clutter but it's not required. All of those cases can fit larger (read: longer, but not much fatter) cards. I'd check with other folks on here but I think that your using the non-K chip will open up options for sufficient cooling. That said, one man's cool is another man's "give me more liquid N2" and one man's quiet is another man's "give me my noise cancelling headphones; it's too loud in this jetliner." You'll also have to decide how much of a desk footprint you're okay with your case taking up. All of the options you've listed are fine options with many, what I would consider, perfectly adequate cooling solutions for your 8700. You'll just have to familiarize yourself with the limitations of each one. Of those, the M1 definitely has the most cooling options but it's also the largest. I think the A4 may be the most restrictive with the Rocket either right with it or slightly bigger. The Ophion may or may not have enough clearance to make a huge difference.
 
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Artmov

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 28, 2018
14
2
Are there any downsides to a mini card? I can still return mine and get a regular sized one.

Now I'm trying to decide between the NCASE M1 and the DAN A4 case.
I'm leaning towards the NCASE M1. Is everyone happy with their M1's, any buyers remorse?

From what I read so far an M1 build is easier to keep cool and quiet when compared to the DAN A4. Is this correct?

Is a blower card preferable in the M1 case?
Or a VGA cooler would be better like an Arctic Accelero Twin Turbo III or RaIjintek Morpheus II?


What would be the ultimate case and setup to keep the build as quiet and cool as possible? liquid or air cooling?
 
Last edited:

Damascus

Master of Cramming
Feb 27, 2018
550
387
Are there any downsides to a mini card? I can still return mine and get a regular sized one.

Now I'm trying to decide between the NCASE M1 and the DAN A4 case.
I'm leaning towards the NCASE M1. Is everyone happy with their M1's, any buyers remorse?

From what I read so far an M1 build is easier to keep cool and quiet when compared to the DAN A4. Is this correct?

Is a blower card preferable in the M1 case?
Or a VGA cooler would be better like an Arctic Accelero Twin Turbo III or RaIjintek Morpheus II?


What would be the ultimate case and setup to keep the build as quiet and cool as possible? liquid or air cooling?
Depends on the mini, and what you want to use it for. A mini + accelero in an ncase is a great combo, but the stock mini will be outperformed by beefier aftermarket cards without the accelero.

The ncase is awesome, definitely easier to cool than the dancase as well. All around a way more forgiving entry point to sff as you can use a bunch of great aircoolers, aios and beefed up gpus

Accelero/morpheus are the kings for the ncase.