Hello!

Hello everyone! I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago and got really hooked into sff builds.

At the moment I am using an itx build, but it is in no way a sff volume-wise. My pc spec is as follows :

I7-7700k w/ Noctua u9s
B250i strix
16 GB DDR4 Team Elite Plus 2400Mhz
WD Green m.2 Sata ssd (front)
Intel 600p Nvme ssd (back)
MSI GTX 970 gaming 4G
Seasonic M12ii 520w
Thermaltake suppressor f1

As I have a small desk, my pc took about 1/5 of my desk space and I am really interested in downsizing my pc. I hope to replace my case with the a4-sfx or the s4mini. I'm in no rush to replace the case, but it will be nice to know which gpu to get once the next gen nvidia are released, so that I can build my pc with the case in mind.

Thermal wise, which one offers a better overall ventilation? Should I be concerned with placing an m.2 behind my motherboard?

Also does using a pcie riser introduce a significant latency? Will I be at a disadvantage when playing fast paced fps games?

Cheers

 

[confusis]

In most cases, M.2 drives should be ok with heat, especially with cases like the S4M, which has adequate ventilation right near a rear mounted SSD.

The issue you will come across is that the S4M has a tighter limit on GPU length, which can cause supply issues.

PCIe risers introduce some latency by virtue of being longer traces, however, as of yet, no user has reported it effecting their gameplay

 

[izrek]

In most cases, M.2 drives should be ok with heat, especially with cases like the S4M, which has adequate ventilation right near a rear mounted SSD.

The issue you will come across is that the S4M has a tighter limit on GPU length, which can cause supply issues.

PCIe risers introduce some latency by virtue of being longer traces, however, as of yet, no user has reported it effecting their gameplay

Awesome! With my current case my 600p temp averages around the high 60's centigrade and its reading speed is awful, but maybe it's just the 600p in general.

Over here it's already pretty hard to get ahold of gpu that are 1060 level or better, even harder if you are looking for mini size gpu. Many shops won't accept any preorders, but hopefully it will change when volta/ampere geforce series is released.

I know that the A4-sfx is the better choice for me because it fits my 970, I can get the psu locally, and comes in black which will match pretty nicely with my desk setup. But somehow I always keep thinking of the s4mini when I'm looking at my pc, despite the hassle of sourcing all the needed components.

Decisions decisions