Log J-Hack Pure Mk2 with R5 5500 and RTX A2000 | Finally a power switch that fits

[Snerual]

Time for another update!

I bought yet another power supply... the reason being threefold:

• I was super sick of the 12V plug dangling out the back of the case, and hadn't found a proper way to mount it yet
• I wanted something with a 6+2 Pin GPU Cable, in case that rumoured Low Profile Gigabyte RTX4060 turns out to be an actual thing.
• There are many more interesting options in terms of "laptop bricks" when you go 19V
• Main reason: I found this second hand for a rather good deal

"this" being a 160W HDPlex DC-ATX with a HP 230W laptop brick included!

The dangling pigtail that was bothering me so much:

Previous AliExpress "380W" board that has served me very well. As you can see, this was already a tight squeeze and I was unsure if the beefier HDPlex would actually fit

But, it fits! With one exception: It interferes with the power switch again... BUT: A low-profile black switch is already on its way from AliExpress

FINALLY I have a jack that mounts directly to the case, you cannot imagine how happy this makes me feel.

In this overview shot, you can see how much excess cabling there is. I do not want to shorten the cables yet, I first need to figure out how nicely this PSU will play with the RTX4060 (again, IF that thing ever comes out)

Is 160W enough for the 4060? On paper, no, but the HDPlex is rated for 200W "peak" and I do plan on undervolting/clocking the 4060 below stock levels to get better noise under full load, so we'll see. HDPlex shipped this thing with an 8 pin for a reason...

And another small but not insignificant update: I replaced the 10mm tall "half dome" case feet with 14mm tall "trapezoid" style feet. The extra 4mm in clearance dropped GPU temps by 2 degrees! (from 80C to 78C under full load with my current fan curve). I have even bigger plans to improve GPU airflow, but this also requires more parts that are still on their way from China... to be continued!

 

[robbee]

I do plan on undervolting/clocking the 4060 below stock levels to get better noise under full load

If the renders are anything to go by, the noctua fans should still fit with a deshroud. Very excited for this card!

 

[Snerual]

If the renders are anything to go by, the noctua fans should still fit with a deshroud. Very excited for this card!

That is my plan! If the card is really 180mm long, maybe even fit a 3rd fan lol.

 

[Snerual]

I finally found some time today to perform 2 more upgrades I had planned for a long time.

First, the power switch. Since upgrading to the 19V HDPlex, the vandal switch couldn't be screwed in fully anymore:

So I replaced it with a black, low-profile switch.

FINALLY this build is in a state where every single part is screwed down properly and seated correctly!

Aside from that, I entered yet another chapter of GPU cooling. With the case in its stock config, there was a 6 degree difference between vertical and horizontal positioning (in favor of vertical positioning of course). I want to use the case horizontally but I also want to squeeze as much power out of the GPU as possible (either by shuntmodding the A2000, or through a 4060LP upgrade, or both). So improving the cooling in vertical position was essential.

The first step I took earlier by replacing the 10mm tall case feet with 14mm. This closed the gap by 2 degrees. Even taller feet are hard to find and would look pretty weird I think, so I saw one final option.

Go from this:

To this:

It apparently shaved yet another 1-2 degrees of the temperature. Playing No Man's Sky at Ultra, the system reached equilibrium at 77C before all "upgrades". After this latest mod, it is down to 73C. This is with a not super aggressive fan curve, so I do think I have some room now to increase the power budget whilst also keeping noise levels acceptable.

In my next post (not sure when you can expect that, I am super busy with other things) you can expect some CPU cooling experiments with a Cryorig C7 full copper and a 120mm Noctua fan that I picked up for cheap. The idea would be to have the 120mm fan as exhaust to have some active exhaust in the system as well.

And aside from that, if the 4060 LP becomes available in Germany for a reasonable price, that is of course a no-brainer But a shunt mod for the A2000 is also not entirely ruled out yet.

 

[ignsvn]

In my next post (not sure when you can expect that, I am super busy with other things) you can expect some CPU cooling experiments with a Cryorig C7 full copper and a 120mm Noctua fan that I picked up for cheap. The idea would be to have the 120mm fan as exhaust to have some active exhaust in the system as well.

+1 for this idea. One common cause of high temp in small cases is lack of exhaust.

In fact, why not try using 140mm fan with some sort of adapter. Or find & 3d print an offset adapter, in case the case layout doesn't permit. This is one example from JH I believe: Noctua NH-L9 120mm Fan Adapter by theHACK - Thingiverse

 

[Snerual]

+1 for this idea. One common cause of high temp in small cases is lack of exhaust.

In fact, why not try using 140mm fan with some sort of adapter.

I'll first see what the 120mm fan does. 140mm would be challenging because there is only space for a slim fan and 140mm slim fans are rare (and would they beat a 120mm Noctua?)

 

[ignsvn]

I'll first see what the 120mm fan does. 140mm would be challenging because there is only space for a slim fan and 140mm slim fans are rare (and would they beat a 120mm Noctua?)

I'm not an expert & I might be wrong - but from my limited understanding, assuming the same RPM & thickness, it's very hard to win against a larger diameter fan.

Anyway, some slim 140mm fans:

RAIJINTEK

P14 Slim PWM PST | Pressure-optimised 140 mm Slim PWM Fan | ARCTIC

TY-14013R Ultra-thin 140mm PWM Fan (quietpc.co.uk)

 

[msystems]

Bigger fan would increase the dead zone so worse cpu load temps but would probably improve the overall temps from more airflow. Usually this is overall better because lower ram, ssd, board temps, lower VRM temps.

 

[ignsvn]

Bigger fan would increase the dead zone so worse cpu load temps but would probably improve the overall temps from more airflow. Usually this is overall better because lower ram, ssd, board temps, lower VRM temps.

Yes, but correct me if I'm wrong - if it's slightly offset on X or Y axis (or both), the deadzone can be shifted away somewhere, instead of directly centered above the CPU.