Looking to get educated on the methods/hardware/electrical used for sff

[DmnsnX]

I'm brand new to the forum and building sff PC's in general. While researching cases and what I'll need to keep the build as small as possible, it seems the biggest factor is going to be the psu. Can anyone point me to any posts or resources where I can start familiarizing myself with the basics and different methods people have used to power their builds?

My components so far:

Ryzen 5 2600
Asrock b450 fatality mini itx Mobo
Zotac 1070 ti mini
2x8 adata xpg gammix 3000 ram
960gb adata xpg 3x4 2280 nvme m.2 SSD

While everything is unopened and returnable/exchangeable I need to be able to power something about this config ( 550w?)

Any advice or sources would be appreciated. Forgive me if this post is in anyway unappropriate for the forum.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Welcome among us. Don't worry, your question is perfectly on point with the forum.

First and important question: do you have a case in mind ?

 

[Jaeryd]

The first way to decide on powering your components should be to find a case. It needs to be able to physically fit your components, as well as have proper airflow.

The easiest way is to use an sfx psu. It is basically a normal psu, but smaller.

The other options require two parts. The first part to convert from ac to dc. This is usually done with either a power brick, or something like a meanwell or HDPlex ac-dc.

The other part you need is to distribute power. There are two types for this, something like the hdplex 400w, which is a block that directs power to where it needs to go. The other type is a direct plug dc board, such as a picobox or a g-unique.

The direct plug is smaller, but generally has lower power output. There are ways around the low power output of direct plug units, but those require a lot of modding and knowledge.

There are other forum members that can give you more details, but this should give you the basics.

 

[DmnsnX]

Thanks for that.

Im don't really have anything specific in mind. I am coming from a Dell t1700 mini tower (14x6x17) and I had never really researched cases, just knew I wanted something a lot smaller than my Dell(2/3 of the case is empty space and I have 2 3.5" hd's and a optical drive) When I did start looking at cases, I couldn't believe how big they were! Even the cheaper/common "mini itx" cases were barely smaller than my Dell.

So anyway, I started researching and found you guys. I've only looked at a few and the mc600 seems about what I'm looking for price wise(under 100$). I've also considered doing a Dell sff optiplex mod on one of the smaller cases (3020 is ~12x11x3.7) as that might be a cheapish fun project . But essentially it looks like I'm going to have to build around whatever psu rig I come up with. Considering im not willing to spend 400$ on a hdplex, and I'm clueless about what my options are without it, figuring that out seems the best place to start.

 

[DmnsnX]

The first way to decide on powering your components should be to find a case. It needs to be able to physically fit your components, as well as have proper airflow.

The easiest way is to use an sfx psu. It is basically a normal psu, but smaller.

The other options require two parts. The first part to convert from ac to dc. This is usually done with either a power brick, or something like a meanwell or HDPlex ac-dc.

The other part you need is to distribute power. There are two types for this, something like the hdplex 400w, which is a block that directs power to where it needs to go. The other type is a direct plug dc board, such as a picobox or a g-unique.

The direct plug is smaller, but generally has lower power output. There are ways around the low power output of direct plug units, but those require a lot of modding and knowledge.

There are other forum members that can give you more details, but this should give you the basics.

Ok, so I guess the first question I shouldve asked is; how much does this sort of thing cost?
I've seen that 400w hdplex are 400$ which is more than I'm willing to pay even if they were in stock. The sfx psu's from corsair etc are in the 100$ range which I would be willing to do. So I guess I need to start looking at cases that are appropriate for those.

Btw, what's the min wattage I would need for my config in your opinion?

 

[DmnsnX]

Im confused. The parts I need are a dc-atx psu (such as hdplex hifi 400w dc-atx) and an ac-dc transformer adapter (such as hdplex 400w ac-dc)?

And something like the Dell 330w power brick would be a substitute for the adapter (obviously bottlenecking the 400w psu)? Or the power brick would be in addition to the two components?

 

[Choidebu]

I've seen that 400w hdplex are 400$

Wherever you read that? It says 98USD.

First of all, netiquette. Do edit your post don't just reply after reply. This is not whatsapp.

As @Jaeryd explained above, you need (1) a brick - ac to dc converter, (2) a dc distributor - some call it dc-atx (since it distributes one dc input to multiple voltages that atx standard requires such as +12V, -12V, 5V, 3.3V)

Going with SFX is cheaper, prob like 30% cheaper. IMO a more sound choice once you decided you'd need more than 400W.

And something like the Dell 330w power brick would be a substitute for the adapter (obviously bottlenecking the 400w psu)? Or the power brick would be in addition to the two components?

Yes, a substitute. Yes, the wattage available to you is the least of the two. In this case 330W.

Well, ask away.

Edit: had some time to google...

Btw, what's the min wattage I would need for my config in your opinion?

Cpu - 80W
Gpu - 180W, oc-able up to 240W
Mobo, nvme etc - 25W

~300W typical, ~400W if you're looking to oc the gpu.

Just some google math not personal experience.

 

[NateDawg72]

Cpu - 80W
Gpu - 180W, oc-able up to 240W
Mobo, nvme etc - 25W

~300W typical, ~400W if you're looking to oc the gpu.

This is right on the money.

My PC is a ryzen 5 2600 and GTX 1080, so from experience I'd say a 450w SFX PSU is a solid pick. Personally I loved the Corsair SF450 gold, it was very quiet for me.
~$90 for SFX, depends which you choose

If you want less easy but more small then
HDPlex 400 AC-DC ($95) + HDPlex 400 DC ($95) = $190
HDPlex 400 AC-DC may not be in stock yet

Hard mode would be a Meanwell EPP-400-12 ($80) + PicoPsu 160XT ($45). This is pretty DIY and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are happy to dive into making your own cables, soldering, crimping, and electrical safety.