Hot Brick

[SoulTrain]

After a few hours of use, my PC just shuts down. Lately I have been taxing the graphics more with Conan Exiles - great game if you haven't tried it. But I digress. The case temperature is on the warm side but not hot. The brick however is slightly hot. I have elevated the brick and put a fan to it and that has solved my problems but its just a temporary solution as my fan is mega loud.

Below is my build. I have a Dell 330W AC Adaptor. Does the Brick cut power when it gets hot? Are there alternative recommendations for bricks?

Case: NFC Skyreach 4 Mini
Power: HDPLEX 400W Hi-Fi DC-ATX Power, no bracket, no brick
Brick: Dell 330W AC Adapter
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini (8 GB GDDR5)
CPU: Intel Core I7-8700

I bought my brick through Amazon, but have heard that the quality is better getting them direct through Dell.

 

[SoulTrain]

Another option is going with the HDPLEX AC-DC adaptor (sounds like a great cover band name!). Its 98$ and much cheaper than buying the 150$ Dell Brick, but does it fit, and will it work?

https://www.hdplex.com/hdplex-internal-400w-ac-dc-adapter-with-active-pfc-and-19vdc-output.html

 

[rpesit7]

I have a build similar to yours but with an 8400 and an MSI 1070 Aero ITX. I'm also experiencing shutdowns. I tried to undervolt my CPU and lower my GPU's power limit. My system is stable for now. There was an issue with some of the newer HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX units. Is your unit the one with a single heatsink?

I'll try different bricks this weekend and see if I can get it stable without having to undervolt.

Another option is going with the HDPLEX AC-DC adaptor (sounds like a great cover band name!). Its 98$ and much cheaper than buying the 150$ Dell Brick, but does it fit, and will it work?

https://www.hdplex.com/hdplex-internal-400w-ac-dc-adapter-with-active-pfc-and-19vdc-output.html

As for the 400W AC-DC, its not yet released. You can read about it in this forum thread:
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/hdplex-400w-ac-dc-internal-adapter.7069/

 

[SoulTrain]

Thanks for the response. In my case, i'm convinced its not on the PC side. I run my 8700 with a 1070 at regular clock speed and its just a little warm. The brick gets on the hot side. I put a fan on the brick and it has solved my problems although that is a real scotch tape solution. It's a bit loud too. I am going to try to measure my outlet power outage for kicks tonight and see if that's also an issue.

The 400W AC-DC looks wild, I just am not confident it will fit into the NFC Mini. Perhaps there are options to stick that into a small external box? I like how my NFC has some space inside now for ventilation.

I have a build similar to yours but with an 8400 and an MSI 1070 Aero ITX. I'm also experiencing shutdowns. I tried to undervolt my CPU and lower my GPU's power limit. My system is stable for now. There was an issue with some of the newer HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX units. Is your unit the one with a single heatsink?

I'll try different bricks this weekend and see if I can get it stable without having to undervolt.



As for the 400W AC-DC, its not yet released. You can read about it in this forum thread:
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/hdplex-400w-ac-dc-internal-adapter.7069/

 

[rpesit7]

Tried running my system with the Dell 330 instead of the HDPlex internal 300W AC-DC and its now stable at stock voltages. I ran Furmark and Prime95 overnight and no problems. I guess my problem was with the HDPlex 300 AC-DC. I'll undervolt again for lower temps.

Thanks for the response. In my case, i'm convinced its not on the PC side. I run my 8700 with a 1070 at regular clock speed and its just a little warm. The brick gets on the hot side. I put a fan on the brick and it has solved my problems although that is a real scotch tape solution. It's a bit loud too. I am going to try to measure my outlet power outage for kicks tonight and see if that's also an issue.

Even if your issue is the brick, undervolting or lowering power limit will probably help you get stability and avoid shutdowns since doing so will lighten the load and lower temps on your brick. You can do that temporarily while looking for a more permanent solution.

The 400W AC-DC looks wild, I just am not confident it will fit into the NFC Mini. Perhaps there are options to stick that into a small external box? I like how my NFC has some space inside now for ventilation.

It will fit the S4M but not the S4M-C. GPU choices will be limited though as it will only fit with non-overheight cards using custom pcie cables.

 

[Zuuk]

Would put this to the "bad brick" category, these threads seem to pop up now and then and usually there's a Dell 330W involved.

It's been extra hot here in Europe for the past month 34C / 95F, and my little S4M classic has been scroching hot to the touch after some 2-3h PUBG sessions. I haven't experienced any resets or problems so far. I have 2 different Dell 330W Bricks and the V2 400W Hdplex Hi-Fi.

Im running a 6700K and a 1080 aswell so I should be on the verge of tripping over with my power usage.