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

[Snerual]

Almost 18 months after pre-ordering (I had honestly forgot I even ordered it lol) I finally got the happy news that my J-Hack Pure Mk2 was on the way.

I wasn't really planning a new build (having since upscaled from a Silverstone ML09 to an SG13) but considering how affordable A2000s had gotten, I really looked forward to doing a relatively low-budget ultra-SFF build just for the sake of it.

I did some research and sourced almost all of my parts second hand:

• ASRock A520 ITX because it was the most reasonably priced used AM4 ITX board I could find
• Ryzen 5 5500 because the monolithic 7nm die makes it easy to cool and the most power efficient AM4 chip (in terms of Watt/FPS)
• Black Ridge with Noctua fan because max cooler height is 47mm and that is the best cooler in that size (right...?)
• 16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600 which I was actually planning to use as an upgrade for my main build
• Crucial MX500 mSATA SSD I still had lying around
• Streacom Nano160 PSU because I found a good deal and it was the only reputable one that looked powerful enough (more on that later...)
• Last but not least a 12GB RTX A2000 that was advertised as a 6GB model (felt like winning the lottery)

So I started my build with lots of enthusiasm. In goes the motherboard and PSU components:

And the first two minor issues appeared:

Cable doesn't really mount to the case. I can make a bracket later, no big deal.

The 24-pin connector sits VERY high on this motherboard, meaning it is a tight squeeze between the on/off switch and the 12V board (but it works, so no big deal)

In goes the GPU and CPU:

Aaaaand here is the first REAL issue with my parts choice. The Black Ridge is designed for Sandwich cases only and overhangs the PCIe slot... D'oh!

So that one is back for sale and a Noctua L9a is on the way already... For the purpose of testing though, I'm running it with a stock cooler and the top cover off:

So then I started testing and... it boots! Everything seemed to work at first BUT... then the random reboots started to happen... After a lot of troubleshooting I could confirm the issue lies with the PSU.

• The Nano160 is actually only rated for 160W "peak"... and can only sustain 8 amps on the 12V line (or 96 Watts)
• Ampere GPUs are known for their very "spiky" power demands, so even though it is rated at 70W TDP, it probably occasionally draws more.
• I can get the build stable when I lock the power target to 90%, but at that point I am leaving 10% performance on the table and I still feel uncomfortable running a PSU so close to its limit...

Potential solutions I thought of (not all mutually exclusive):

• Buy a PicoPSU 160 which is rated for 200W "peak", although that also is only rated for 8 amps on the 12V rail sustained... Also get a 192W AC-DC brick while I'm at it to be double safe (and get one with a plug that fits the case directly). I have strong doubts this will make a noticeable difference.
• Use the B550 Gigabyte board from my main build so I can undervolt the CPU and limit it to 40W or so. The added advantage would be that the 24-pin connector on that one will not interfere with the on/off switch of the case.
• Hopelessly wait for the HDPlex 200W to come back in stock, but that thing is very bulky so it would only work in combination with my B550 board. Even then I am not 100% sure it wouldn't brush against the heat sink of my RAM stick...
• Try to source a B450 ITX board so I don't need to take apart my main rig... though I don't plan on keeping both builds long-term. I really wouldn't mind downsizing since I am only a very casual gamer and I don't mind turning down settings. (although it is literally half the GPU performance...)

So yeah that's where things stand... I need to sleep a few nights on the mobo/PSU situation and any input from more experienced builders is welcome.

Bonus picture: This is how I trouble-shooted the PSU situation: I hooked up the SFX PSU from my main rig but didn't want to undo all my cable management...

 

[smitty2k1]

Almost 18 months after pre-ordering (I had honestly forgot I even ordered it lol) I finally got the happy news that my J-Hack Pure Mk2 was on the way.

I wasn't really planning a new build (having since upscaled from a Silverstone ML09 to an SG13) but considering how affordable A2000s had gotten, I really looked forward to doing a relatively low-budget ultra-SFF build just for the sake of it.

I did some research and sourced almost all of my parts second hand:

• ASRock A520 ITX because it was the most reasonably priced used AM4 ITX board I could find
• Ryzen 5 5500 because the monolithic 7nm die makes it easy to cool and the most power efficient AM4 chip (in terms of Watt/FPS)
• Black Ridge with Noctua fan because max cooler height is 47mm and that is the best cooler in that size (right...?)
• 16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600 which I was actually planning to use as an upgrade for my main build
• Crucial MX500 mSATA SSD I still had lying around
• Streacom Nano160 PSU because I found a good deal and it was the only reputable one that looked powerful enough (more on that later...)
• Last but not least a 12GB RTX A2000 that was advertised as a 6GB model (felt like winning the lottery)

So I started my build with lots of enthusiasm. In goes the motherboard and PSU components:

And the first two minor issues appeared:

Cable doesn't really mount to the case. I can make a bracket later, no big deal.

The 24-pin connector sits VERY high on this motherboard, meaning it is a tight squeeze between the on/off switch and the 12V board (but it works, so no big deal)

In goes the GPU and CPU:

Aaaaand here is the first REAL issue with my parts choice. The Black Ridge is designed for Sandwich cases only and overhangs the PCIe slot... D'oh!

So that one is back for sale and a Noctua L9a is on the way already... For the purpose of testing though, I'm running it with a stock cooler and the top cover off:

So then I started testing and... it boots! Everything seemed to work at first BUT... then the random reboots started to happen... After a lot of troubleshooting I could confirm the issue lies with the PSU.

• The Nano160 is actually only rated for 160W "peak"... and can only sustain 8 amps on the 12V line (or 96 Watts)
• Ampere GPUs are known for their very "spiky" power demands, so even though it is rated at 70W TDP, it probably occasionally draws more.
• I can get the build stable when I lock the power target to 90%, but at that point I am leaving 10% performance on the table and I still feel uncomfortable running a PSU so close to its limit...

Potential solutions I thought of (not all mutually exclusive):

• Buy a PicoPSU 160 which is rated for 200W "peak", although that also is only rated for 8 amps on the 12V rail sustained... Also get a 192W AC-DC brick while I'm at it to be double safe (and get one with a plug that fits the case directly). I have strong doubts this will make a noticeable difference.
• Use the B550 Gigabyte board from my main build so I can undervolt the CPU and limit it to 40W or so. The added advantage would be that the 24-pin connector on that one will not interfere with the on/off switch of the case.
• Hopelessly wait for the HDPlex 200W to come back in stock, but that thing is very bulky so it would only work in combination with my B550 board. Even then I am not 100% sure it wouldn't brush against the heat sink of my RAM stick...
• Try to source a B450 ITX board so I don't need to take apart my main rig... though I don't plan on keeping both builds long-term. I really wouldn't mind downsizing since I am only a very casual gamer and I don't mind turning down settings. (although it is literally half the GPU performance...)

So yeah that's where things stand... I need to sleep a few nights on the mobo/PSU situation and any input from more experienced builders is welcome.

Bonus picture: This is how I trouble-shooted the PSU situation: I hooked up the SFX PSU from my main rig but didn't want to undo all my cable management...

Thanks for sharing. I actually just logged in for the first time in a while due to a similar problem I'm having. I've had a HTPC with a LP GTX 1650 in a J-Hack Pure X for many years using a 160w PicoPSU and Meanwell 12v AC/DC. I just upgraded the TV the HTPC is attached to from an old 1080p to a new 4k. Any time I set the resolution to 4k on the HTPC it instantly hard resets. I'm pretty sure it's a PSU limitation so I'm also looking to beef mine up. Let me know what you end up with.

Glad to know J-Hack is still making/selling stuff!

 

[robbee]

Buy a PicoPSU 160 which is rated for 200W "peak", although that also is only rated for 8 amps on the 12V rail sustained... Also get a 192W AC-DC brick while I'm at it to be double safe (and get one with a plug that fits the case directly). I have strong doubts this will make a noticeable difference.

I would opt for this solution. The Mini-box 160xt and their 192W brick are high quality and I've been using them for multiple 75W GPU + 65W CPU builds.

As you unfortunately found out, Streacom power supplies aren't as high quality as the cases they make. The 160xt, on the other hand, is a proper unit. AFAIK, it just passes on the 12V input without regulation so the 8 amps limit is very conservative. You can find multiple builds on this forum using it even with 120W GPU's, although that's really pushing it.

 

[Snerual]

I would opt for this solution. The Mini-box 160xt and their 192W brick are high quality and I've been using them for multiple 75W GPU + 65W CPU builds.

As you unfortunately found out, Streacom power supplies aren't as high quality as the cases they make. The 160xt, on the other hand, is a proper unit. AFAIK, it just passes on the 12V input without regulation so the 8 amps limit is very conservative. You can find multiple builds on this forum using it even with 120W GPU's, although that's really pushing it.

Thank you for your input. Looking a bit closer, the caps and mosfets on the 160XT do seem a bit beefier... However that might pose another issue. All the bulky components are pointing towards the ram sticks... I am worried about clearance and can not find any dimensions regarding how far those components stick out past the 24-pin plug itself... The HDPLEX has the advantage that all those components are pointing outwards, away from the motherboard.

 

[robbee]

The cables are very flexible and ram clearance has never been an issue for me. You need about 6-8mm clearance on both sides of the 24 pin header on the motherboard to route all the cables.

 

[princess_daphie]

It's funny I've been playing with picoPSUs a lot lately, and trying different combination of builds, PSUs, power bricks, etc.

My HDPlex 160W from days old is still the most reliable I have. It's running my current build like a champ. One unit I have tested had the same issue as you, it was rated at 180W, 200W peak, but with only 10A on the 12V rail and 15A peak, but it couldn't even make it that far, not unless I powered it up with 24V instead of 19V. It's the z4-atx-200, btw, I wouldn't buy this one. As far as wide-range input picoPSUs, I haven't found any unit that seems reliable like the HDPlexes, and like you said, they've been out of stock forever.

The only alternative is going with 12V picos. Like it's been suggested, the mini-box units seem very high quality, but they're also quite expensive. I scoured aliexpress and found a model that seems reliable and is quite cheap, and is easy to mod.

No idea if this link will work for you, but you can take a look: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004125633668.html

I received one, I played with it a bit, and managed to power my 5600G with a rx 6500 xt, no limits, running unigine and prime95, without shutting down. I did the exact same thing as you for the 12V input, I rigged an output plug from my power supply into it.

 

[ignsvn]

[*]Black Ridge with Noctua fan because max cooler height is 47mm and that is the best cooler in that size (right...?)

I would like to suggest Thermalright AXP90 X36 (36mm) or X47 (47mm) or X53 (53mm).

It's more or less 95 x 95mm, so it should fit nicely.

I use it to cool my stock Ryzen 5600G.

 

[REVOCCASES]

No idea if this link will work for you, but you can take a look: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004125633668.html

That's a good one... IOASPOW is also the OEM for the STREACOM PicoPSUs

 

[smitty2k1]

It's funny I've been playing with picoPSUs a lot lately, and trying different combination of builds, PSUs, power bricks, etc.

My HDPlex 160W from days old is still the most reliable I have. It's running my current build like a champ. One unit I have tested had the same issue as you, it was rated at 180W, 200W peak, but with only 10A on the 12V rail and 15A peak, but it couldn't even make it that far, not unless I powered it up with 24V instead of 19V. It's the z4-atx-200, btw, I wouldn't buy this one. As far as wide-range input picoPSUs, I haven't found any unit that seems reliable like the HDPlexes, and like you said, they've been out of stock forever.

The only alternative is going with 12V picos. Like it's been suggested, the mini-box units seem very high quality, but they're also quite expensive. I scoured aliexpress and found a model that seems reliable and is quite cheap, and is easy to mod.

No idea if this link will work for you, but you can take a look: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004125633668.html

I received one, I played with it a bit, and managed to power my 5600G with a rx 6500 xt, no limits, running unigine and prime95, without shutting down. I did the exact same thing as you for the 12V input, I rigged an output plug from my power supply into it.

That's a good one... IOASPOW is also the OEM for the STREACOM PicoPSUs

Thanks for the reviews. I just purchased one of those to try to solve the issue of my 160w picopsu shutting down when setting my gtx1650 to 4k resolution.

 

[Snerual]

Thanks for all the super helpful input, everyone! Time for a substantial update from my side.

CPU Cooler:

I opted for a pre-owned L9a directly from Noctua (comes with full warranty for close to half the price). I wanted to avoid 47mm coolers with the fan on top, because the fan would sit only 1mm from the top panel and very likely create loud turbulence. Combined with the foam pads from the kit I bought for the Black Ridge, I managed to make a tight seal to pull clean air. (you need 12mm total so 7mm + 5mm rings)

Cinebench R23 temps are 5 degrees lower now, so definitely happy with the result. However in a perfect world I still want to limit the TDP to 45W or so. I think this should be possible without ever bottlenecking the A2000.

Thanks to the new cooler, I could finally close the case:

GPU:

On the GPU side, I did the thermal pad mod, using Gelid Extreme 1.5mm pads. This dropped memory temps by a full 10 degrees! However, I think it also caused a small temp increase on the GPU itself, now that the memory can transfer heat to the cooler better, I suspect it saturates a bit more. It is hard to confirm for sure though. I triple checked my thermal paste application and cooler mounting.

Stock thermal pads are super thick and the thermal paste is very dry and crusty.

I also cut away the little bar that separated the 2 PCIe slots. This was blocking roughly 30% of the GPU's ventilation holes. I am super happy with how it turned out, aside from marginally better airflow, I just think it looks better. (this was the first time I Dremel'd anything)

PSU:

In order to keep things truly stable I currently have to limit the GPU to 90% Power Limit. But even with those settings, full GPU and CPU load at the same time will cause a reboot. I contacted HDPlex and they said an upgraded version of the 200W DC-ATX should be available in June. Meanwhile I am checking daily if I can find a 160W PicoPSU second hand somewhere. I put the Streacom up for sale and if I can get a decent price for it, I'll probably just order a new Pico from Amazon. For now I want to avoid AliExpress since shipping times and import fees can be very annoying to deal with. (also I really find it difficult to trust these so-called 300W and 400W plugin boards when their caps and mosfets are smaller than the ones on the PicoPSU...)

Basically I want to either:
- get a good sale price for my Streacom and buy the PicoPSU
- wait for the HDPlex to come back in stock and keep struggling with the Streacom until then

Motherboard:

I think I'll stick with the A520 for now... I would really like to be able to tweak TDP and voltage though... I am still contemplating parting out my main build and using the B550 from that, but I only want to do that if I am 100% sure I find a satisfactory PSU solution. I feel like a decent B450 would be a good match for this build but I don't want to pay 114 EUR for a brand new one.

 

[smitty2k1]

Thanks for all the super helpful input, everyone! Time for a substantial update from my side.

CPU Cooler:

I opted for a pre-owned L9a directly from Noctua (comes with full warranty for close to half the price). I wanted to avoid 47mm coolers with the fan on top, because the fan would sit only 1mm from the top panel and very likely create loud turbulence. Combined with the foam pads from the kit I bought for the Black Ridge, I managed to make a tight seal to pull clean air. (you need 12mm total so 7mm + 5mm rings)

Cinebench R23 temps are 5 degrees lower now, so definitely happy with the result. However in a perfect world I still want to limit the TDP to 45W or so. I think this should be possible without ever bottlenecking the A2000.

Thanks to the new cooler, I could finally close the case:

GPU:

On the GPU side, I did the thermal pad mod, using Gelid Extreme 1.5mm pads. This dropped memory temps by a full 10 degrees! However, I think it also caused a small temp increase on the GPU itself, now that the memory can transfer heat to the cooler better, I suspect it saturates a bit more. It is hard to confirm for sure though. I triple checked my thermal paste application and cooler mounting.

Stock thermal pads are super thick and the thermal paste is very dry and crusty.

I also cut away the little bar that separated the 2 PCIe slots. This was blocking roughly 30% of the GPU's ventilation holes. I am super happy with how it turned out, aside from marginally better airflow, I just think it looks better. (this was the first time I Dremel'd anything)

PSU:

In order to keep things truly stable I currently have to limit the GPU to 90% Power Limit. But even with those settings, full GPU and CPU load at the same time will cause a reboot. I contacted HDPlex and they said an upgraded version of the 200W DC-ATX should be available in June. Meanwhile I am checking daily if I can find a 160W PicoPSU second hand somewhere. I put the Streacom up for sale and if I can get a decent price for it, I'll probably just order a new Pico from Amazon. For now I want to avoid AliExpress since shipping times and import fees can be very annoying to deal with. (also I really find it difficult to trust these so-called 300W and 400W plugin boards when their caps and mosfets are smaller than the ones on the PicoPSU...)

Basically I want to either:
- get a good sale price for my Streacom and buy the PicoPSU
- wait for the HDPlex to come back in stock and keep struggling with the Streacom until then

Motherboard:

I think I'll stick with the A520 for now... I would really like to be able to tweak TDP and voltage though... I am still contemplating parting out my main build and using the B550 from that, but I only want to do that if I am 100% sure I find a satisfactory PSU solution. I feel like a decent B450 would be a good match for this build but I don't want to pay 114 EUR for a brand new one.

In the unlikely event my "300w" Aliexpress plugin PSU solves my reboot issues I'll happily sell you my PicoPSU. Otherwise I suppose we are both waiting for this summer for the HDPlex restock.

 

[Snerual]

In the unlikely event my "300w" Aliexpress plugin PSU solves my reboot issues I'll happily sell you my PicoPSU. Otherwise I suppose we are both waiting for this summer for the HDPlex restock.

Thanks for the offer! Though if it solves your issues, I think I will just risk it and buy the same one lol. I just wish I can recoup some costs first of all the "wrong" parts I ordered...

 

[princess_daphie]

Thanks for the reviews. I just purchased one of those to try to solve the issue of my 160w picopsu shutting down when setting my gtx1650 to 4k resolution.

Hopefully it works well for you!!!

The interesting thing about this one is that it also comes with a bunch of free through-holes for 12V and that's how i was able to add a cable for PCIe quite easily!

 

[Fa5en]

Great little build. Looking to do something similar later this year. Recently managed to get a Intel NUC for free (overheating). Fan needed replacement, so waiting for a new one to arrive. Might do something with it, like GPU over M.2. Time will tell

 

[Snerual]

Re: PSU, I keep having reboots so I am looking for a solution ASAP... I now found this 200W board that is affordable and widely available locally. Pro: it is rated for 10A on the 12V rail, it generally looks beefier which gives me trust. Con: it is very wide and will definitely interfere with the vandal switch unless I attempt some cable modding there.

However I am now also considering picking up an ASRock Fatality B450. It is pricy, but it will allow me to undervolt the CPU, and the 24-pin is located further down which also solves any potential interference issues with the vandal switch...

Aside from that, I am now contemplating NOT selling the Black Ridge, but in stead keep it and migrate my main build into a Sliger CL520 Console... (when they become available again). However I am not 100% certain my ASRock 6700XT will fit in it.

 

[princess_daphie]

Re: PSU, I keep having reboots so I am looking for a solution ASAP... I now found this 200W board that is affordable and widely available locally. Pro: it is rated for 10A on the 12V rail, it generally looks beefier which gives me trust. Con: it is very wide and will definitely interfere with the vandal switch unless I attempt some cable modding there.

Have you tried disabling core performance boost in BIOS? you mentioned you can't undervolt your CPU, but CPB is one of the things that caused my shitty pico to trip up, and it should be in any bios i think. and in the meantime, you can always limit your gpu down to as low as 60% i think.

isn't it better to avoid reboots until you find a more permanent solution?

 

[Fa5en]

Which riser card did you use?

 

[morj]

Re: PSU, I keep having reboots so I am looking for a solution ASAP... I now found this 200W board that is affordable and widely available locally. Pro: it is rated for 10A on the 12V rail, it generally looks beefier which gives me trust. Con: it is very wide and will definitely interfere with the vandal switch unless I attempt some cable modding there.

However I am now also considering picking up an ASRock Fatality B450. It is pricy, but it will allow me to undervolt the CPU, and the 24-pin is located further down which also solves any potential interference issues with the vandal switch...

Aside from that, I am now contemplating NOT selling the Black Ridge, but in stead keep it and migrate my main build into a Sliger CL520 Console... (when they become available again). However I am not 100% certain my ASRock 6700XT will fit in it.

I'm using this "450W" pico from Ali in my build, seems to hold up pretty well with a 200W brick.

 

[Snerual]

Which riser card did you use?

It is a hard riser that came with the case, made by J-Hack. Should be good for PCIe Gen4 but the motherboard and CPU are Gen 3 anyway.

Update time:

I decided to risk buying that Inter-Tech 200W PSU (10A on the 12V rail). It was quite affordable and came from a reputable vendor with good return policy, so no real risk.

It is mainly intended for NAS builds and comes with 6(!) SATA connectors. Luckily these can all be removed.

It is quite a bit wider than the Streacom, BUT that means more space for power delivery components.

And, good news! With the Streacom I would get occasional shutdowns playing AC Unity even at 90% power target on the GPU, but now have seen no reboots in game yet with 100% power target set! Running a CPU and GPU load test at the same time is still not possible, but I don't think any game I run will ever push the CPU really hard.

There are a few downsides though, the CPU 4pin and the 12V in cable are much shorter, which makes cable management not so easy and clean.

But the biggest issue is, as I expected, this:

The wider PCB means it is incompatible with the on/off switch on this motherboard. However I see two options:

- look for a lower profile switch (if so, where? I wouldn't even know where to look)
- Buy another motherboard. (The ASRock B450 Fatality seems like the best option. Would allow undervolting the CPU and the 24 pin is significantly lower which means the switch should not interfere with the PSU PCB anymore.)

Basically I am open for replacement power switch suggestions, but at the same time I am keeping my eyes open for good deals on motherboards.

Up next:

- Make a proper mounting bracket for the barrel plug (see top post, same issue applies to the new PSU)
- Potentially swap the motherboard OR get a different power switch
- Longer term: mod the case to install a front USB-C port
- Pipe dream: HDPlex 200W and shunt mod on the RTX A2000

However, due to family circumstances it could take a while until I have time to continue on this project. Stay tuned!

 

[BaK]

- look for a lower profile switch (if so, where? I wouldn't even know where to look)

There are some on aliexpress, like here or here.

A third option would be to unsolder the black and yellow wires and put them back on the other side of the PCB. I had to do that on my APU build (see sig).
Hard to tell if that would be enough for the stock power switch to fit though.