Concept Is this Pico PSU combination okay? And advice for a custom case?

Chris_Beentjes

Minimal Tinkerer
Original poster
Dec 23, 2017
3
0
Hi people!

I am brand new to this forum and this is my first thread so I'm sorry if it's in the wrong category. I am going to make a custom wooden small form factor PC case to suit my needs as I travel a lot. It will be an all in one computer with a 15 inch display converted from a laptop screen running off one of those audio video controller boards from ebay.

I've seen several tutorials on YouTube about how to make them and I know how to solder now so that will be easy though I don't think any soldering is required. I already have my own power button and stuff for the build.

My system will use the following specs:

i3 4130,
1x8gb ddr3 ram low profile
GTX 1050 2gb graphics card
525gb Crucial SSD

For my power supply I plan to get a 330 watt laptop charger and pair it with a 250 watt Pico PSU from ebay since that seems to be the best pairing for my build. Will that be enough to run an i3, gtx 1050 (not the Ti variant), an SSD, and the 15 inch screen?

This will all be housed in a custom wooden all-in-one case. Also the cooler will most likely be the low profile Noctua cooler though I want to find a passive CPU cooler if possible though I will probably stick with the one I have already which is the Noctua one.

What do you think of the power issue? Due to the case having to be as small as possible I want to use a pico psu since it has to fit in a backpack or similar travel bag.

The case will be as big as the screen (maybe a few centimeters bigger) and will have cooling at the rear of the case behind the screen which will be on the front panel. I will cut out some holes for the vents and will drill holes into the wooden side panels. The case will be raised on feet a few inches tall to allow ventilation at the bottom.

I will use brass standoffs to mount the motherboard and the GPU will be secured using the case and the riser cable screw holes and standoffs.

The SSD will either be screwed to the case or simply held in place with velcro.

Any thoughts on this build? I have been running a similar build in a wooden briefcase for a couple months and it worked fine with no fans but it is still too large since I am using a 21 inch monitor vesa mounted to the inside of a screen and have the PC built into the inside of the box.

But there is no lid and I'm paranoid about that and airflow.

Is this a good build or a waste of time? I'll probably try it out anyway since it's been in the back of my mind anyways.
 

garyroks

Trash Compacter
Dec 2, 2016
51
23
Hi people!

I am brand new to this forum and this is my first thread so I'm sorry if it's in the wrong category. I am going to make a custom wooden small form factor PC case to suit my needs as I travel a lot. It will be an all in one computer with a 15 inch display converted from a laptop screen running off one of those audio video controller boards from ebay.

I've seen several tutorials on YouTube about how to make them and I know how to solder now so that will be easy though I don't think any soldering is required. I already have my own power button and stuff for the build.

My system will use the following specs:

i3 4130,
1x8gb ddr3 ram low profile
GTX 1050 2gb graphics card
525gb Crucial SSD

For my power supply I plan to get a 330 watt laptop charger and pair it with a 250 watt Pico PSU from ebay since that seems to be the best pairing for my build. Will that be enough to run an i3, gtx 1050 (not the Ti variant), an SSD, and the 15 inch screen?

This will all be housed in a custom wooden all-in-one case. Also the cooler will most likely be the low profile Noctua cooler though I want to find a passive CPU cooler if possible though I will probably stick with the one I have already which is the Noctua one.

What do you think of the power issue? Due to the case having to be as small as possible I want to use a pico psu since it has to fit in a backpack or similar travel bag.

The case will be as big as the screen (maybe a few centimeters bigger) and will have cooling at the rear of the case behind the screen which will be on the front panel. I will cut out some holes for the vents and will drill holes into the wooden side panels. The case will be raised on feet a few inches tall to allow ventilation at the bottom.

I will use brass standoffs to mount the motherboard and the GPU will be secured using the case and the riser cable screw holes and standoffs.

The SSD will either be screwed to the case or simply held in place with velcro.

Any thoughts on this build? I have been running a similar build in a wooden briefcase for a couple months and it worked fine with no fans but it is still too large since I am using a 21 inch monitor vesa mounted to the inside of a screen and have the PC built into the inside of the box.

But there is no lid and I'm paranoid about that and airflow.

Is this a good build or a waste of time? I'll probably try it out anyway since it's been in the back of my mind anyways.
Hey man. I am using HD plex 160w to power up my rig which consists of an i3 7100 and evga gtx 1060 ssc version. I am using dell 240w adapter to power my entire rig. You specs should be okay to run your rig. Good luck.