Log mATX SFF, research + builds (Mesh-mATX) - finished
- Thread starter hrh_ginsterbusch
- Start date
Installed the additional 120 mm fan yesterday. Temps for everything on the MB is down between 5 and 13 (!) C.
So the NVMe #1 is sitting at 21° C, from before 34° C (its a PCIe 3.x), the NVMe #2 is sitting at 34° C (its a PCIE 4), from before 40° C, the wifi sits now at 28° C, from before - even with the LF II installed - always somewhere around 40ish °C. Other sensors suggest a drop between 5 - 7 C as well.
cu, w0lf.
So the NVMe #1 is sitting at 21° C, from before 34° C (its a PCIe 3.x), the NVMe #2 is sitting at 34° C (its a PCIE 4), from before 40° C, the wifi sits now at 28° C, from before - even with the LF II installed - always somewhere around 40ish °C. Other sensors suggest a drop between 5 - 7 C as well.
cu, w0lf.
... AND another one. Another Riser GPU lock destroyed. This marks the 5th or 6th one. ALL in the Meshroom S V2. And this time, its the official riser cable, too.
You cannot mount the radiator without pre-mounting the Riser. Because else there is no way to screw the riser cable in place. But when the MB is installed, you can only slide the radiator in from above. So while doing that, the GPU lock gets torn cleanly off . The other ones broke straight off directly INCLUDING the mounting parts, so this is kind of an improvement, but still a total PITA.
Thanks to this, my conclusion is: All the installation videos and tutorials are faked - they actually have taken apart the whole case and then reassemble it at the end or whenever fancy video or cam shots are to be made.
Also, the bloody riser cable should still work, its just not 100% fixing the GPU in place anymore. Ugh.
Lets see and try. If things fail, I finally gonna give up on this case and do indeed stuff ALL in the Meshroom D, turn it upside down, and give the S the finger.
cu, w0lf.
You cannot mount the radiator without pre-mounting the Riser. Because else there is no way to screw the riser cable in place. But when the MB is installed, you can only slide the radiator in from above. So while doing that, the GPU lock gets torn cleanly off . The other ones broke straight off directly INCLUDING the mounting parts, so this is kind of an improvement, but still a total PITA.
Thanks to this, my conclusion is: All the installation videos and tutorials are faked - they actually have taken apart the whole case and then reassemble it at the end or whenever fancy video or cam shots are to be made.
Also, the bloody riser cable should still work, its just not 100% fixing the GPU in place anymore. Ugh.
Lets see and try. If things fail, I finally gonna give up on this case and do indeed stuff ALL in the Meshroom D, turn it upside down, and give the S the finger.
cu, w0lf.
I mean, in theory, they're alright. But it feels like the manufacturer mostly griefted all the "enhancements" from the community without attribution at all. And also, the panels look much more ugly compared to the original ones of the Meshlicious.Not a big fan of those meshroom any way..
I got myself the Meshroom D in white just to try it out - and as a fallback for this riser cable disaster - but it looks much more ugly than ANY of the white cases I've owned or built in so far.
Right now I'm seriously considering getting a Shiny Snake G300 instead and STILL doing the "90° flip" business.
The current try was actually to test if I'm okay with the Ryzen 9 7950X as a daily driver with the mATX board, and if so, I'd have upgraded to an ATX board, because the situation for proper USB ports etc. with current AM5 ITX boards looks still so grim aka "afterthoughty". I mean, even better B850 ATX boards now get USB4.
cu, w0lf.
Onto the next trial: I was already strongly pondering how to fix the "not enough room in GPU side" situation, because for mATX / ATX, the case needs to be in 3-slot GPU mode. One of the reasons why so many riser cables - or more like, their mounting brackets and GPU locks - got destroyed in the process is: NOT ENOUGH SPACE.
I've got two options for this situation - so far. Basically replace the PSU with a smaller one and move the MB tray into the 4 slot position.
Option #1: FSP FlexGuru Pro 500W - put it on its side, then its just taking up 40 mm of space. Mounting would be a bit of hit and miss, but still doable.
Option #2: HDPlex GaN 500W. Actually wanted to use this in my "mystery build" in the SG13, but if this fixes the ugly space issue, then I just gonna use a regular SFX PSU in the SG13, or maybe even go for another Flex-PSU.
Also, if option #1 works out, I may consider replacing it with the recently released Silverstone FX600z (which is essentially the white-label version of the Enhance ENP-7660L-OVT). Or, if its still released this year, the freshly shown off FX1000z (Computex 2026; TechPowerUp snapped two pictures, found at the end of the article, and I remember it was mentioned either in Machines & More or Bitwits Computex reports).
If both options fail or just dont help fixing the riser cable issue, I'm considering moving over to the I-Tek Smallcom-P, and rigging up some sort of AIO mounting bracket. In theory, a 240 should just fit in it. Would have to replace the side panel, but that one is not the nicest anyway.
Even in its default state the side panel blocks installing larger CPU coolers, thanks to the idiotic "fancy" indented surface, stealing like 5 - 6 mm. It'd support 145 mm tall coolers all the way if not for that utterly brain-dead decision. "its gotta have SOME flair" - random PR flak, probably.
Really, this is all about testing if I'm okay with the 7950X as my daily driver, ie. workstation system. If that fails, I'm gonna switch over to 1851 / Intel Arrow Lake , even if that is to become a dead platform soon, too. But the combo of 270k Plus + eg. the MSI Z890 ITX board looks just sooooo tempting!
cu, w0lf.
I've got two options for this situation - so far. Basically replace the PSU with a smaller one and move the MB tray into the 4 slot position.
Option #1: FSP FlexGuru Pro 500W - put it on its side, then its just taking up 40 mm of space. Mounting would be a bit of hit and miss, but still doable.
Option #2: HDPlex GaN 500W. Actually wanted to use this in my "mystery build" in the SG13, but if this fixes the ugly space issue, then I just gonna use a regular SFX PSU in the SG13, or maybe even go for another Flex-PSU.
Also, if option #1 works out, I may consider replacing it with the recently released Silverstone FX600z (which is essentially the white-label version of the Enhance ENP-7660L-OVT). Or, if its still released this year, the freshly shown off FX1000z (Computex 2026; TechPowerUp snapped two pictures, found at the end of the article, and I remember it was mentioned either in Machines & More or Bitwits Computex reports).
If both options fail or just dont help fixing the riser cable issue, I'm considering moving over to the I-Tek Smallcom-P, and rigging up some sort of AIO mounting bracket. In theory, a 240 should just fit in it. Would have to replace the side panel, but that one is not the nicest anyway.
Even in its default state the side panel blocks installing larger CPU coolers, thanks to the idiotic "fancy" indented surface, stealing like 5 - 6 mm. It'd support 145 mm tall coolers all the way if not for that utterly brain-dead decision. "its gotta have SOME flair" - random PR flak, probably.
Really, this is all about testing if I'm okay with the 7950X as my daily driver, ie. workstation system. If that fails, I'm gonna switch over to 1851 / Intel Arrow Lake , even if that is to become a dead platform soon, too. But the combo of 270k Plus + eg. the MSI Z890 ITX board looks just sooooo tempting!
cu, w0lf.
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My only comment is regarding this MSI Z890i Mini ITX motherboard.Onto the next trial: I was already strongly pondering how to fix the "not enough room in GPU side" situation, because for mATX / ATX, the case needs to be in 3-slot GPU mode. One of the reasons why so many riser cables - or more like, their mounting brackets and GPU locks - got destroyed in the process is: NOT ENOUGH SPACE.
I've got two options for this situation - so far. Basically replace the PSU with a smaller one and move the MB tray into the 4 slot position.
Option #1: FSP FlexGuru Pro 500W - put it on its side, then its just taking up 40 mm of space. Mounting would be a bit of hit and miss, but still doable.
Option #2: HDPlex GaN 500W. Actually wanted to use this in my "mystery build" in the SG13, but if this fixes the ugly space issue, then I just gonna use a regular SFX PSU in the SG13, or maybe even go for another Flex-PSU.
Also, if option #1 works out, I may consider replacing it with the recently released Silverstone FX600z (which is essentially the white-label version of the Enhance ENP-7660L-OVT). Or, if its still released this year, the freshly shown off FX1000z (Computex 2026; TechPowerUp snapped two pictures, found at the end of the article, and I remember it was mentioned either in Machines & More or Bitwits Computex reports).
If both options fail or just dont help fixing the riser cable issue, I'm considering moving over to the I-Tek Smallcom-P, and rigging up some sort of AIO mounting bracket. In theory, a 240 should just fit in it. Would have to replace the side panel, but that one is not the nicest anyway.
Even in its default state the side panel blocks installing larger CPU coolers, thanks to the idiotic "fancy" indented surface, stealing like 5 - 6 mm. It'd support 145 mm tall coolers all the way if not for that utterly brain-dead decision. "its gotta have SOME flair" - random PR flak, probably.
Really, this is all about testing if I'm okay with the 7950X as my daily driver, ie. workstation system. If that fails, I'm gonna switch over to 1851 / Intel Arrow Lake , even if that is to become a dead platform soon, too. But the combo of 270k Plus + eg. the MSI Z890 ITX board looks just sooooo tempting!
cu, w0lf.
I tried it with my 270K and l love its features : 4 m.2 (ease of installation compared to the Asus X870i/Z890i), USB 4.0, no fan to cool the chipset, Intel Wifi/BT (compatible Linux)...but I hate one point : noise of the fan on VRM (customed 25mm)....keeps spinning at 6000rpm, just get me crazy...I decided to stick to my MSI Z890 Tomahawk, fully passive.
I would suggest to disconnect physically the fan if you want to test this MSI Z890i, but that is requiring to dissassemblying most the board..
yeah, I read about it in the review on TechPowerUp. It feels like they made the same mistake as Asrock with their Z690 + Z790 ITX boards.
IF the rest is good, I might bother. Maybe replace it with something better or a different solution. On the other hand, as alternative, the Asrock Z890I Nova looks nearly as good. Got only 3 m2 slots, but aside of that, still very solid. Also costs about 100 - 120 Euro / $currency_unit_of_choice less.I would suggest to disconnect physically the fan if you want to test this MSI Z890i, but that is requiring to dissassemblying most the board..
cu, w0lf.
You are right the Asrock Z890i nova is a good alternative. It's vrm fan is spinning at 2000rpm, but it is a 40mm thus, at this speed it is pretty inaudible.
@rfarmer seems satisfied with it.
The Board has been solid. I haven't used an Asrock board since like B85 and this one seems really good, rear IO is a bit sparse compared to the MSI but it is slightly better than the Gigabyte z890i I was using before. I wanted at least 3xM.2 slots and the MSI was more money and I didn't want a white one. I was reading the wrong fan info before, the VRM fan actually runs at 4,000 to 4,500 rpm. It is surprisingly quiet, I didn't even realize it had a VRM fan until @MarcParis asked me about it.
I've rebuild the GPU + radiator combination now for like the oomptieth time. First, the rad didnt fit, next, the explosive nature of PCIe riser cables. Then, the power cables could not properly sit squeezed in-between radiator and GPU, so I replaced the power extension cord, then had to replace it with the one that comes with the HDPlex GaN 500, then replaced it again with the original extension, only to finally, again, have to replace it with the one from the HDPlex GaN. And because that didnt work out either, I had to replace the standoffs, which I already had replaced with 10 mm ones, with even taller ones again.
And now, FINALLY, everything fits. No cables being caught in the AIO, no connectors breaking the pesky balance of the GPU mounting apart.
The only thing left is connecting all the cables to the PSU, figuring out how to route the PSU plug, and hopefully not have to use a HDMI converter for the GPU. In theory, it should now sit tall enough so that a regular cable would fit right in, as the first thing I did when restarting the build with the HDPlex GaN, was to install the same 3 cm tall feet I've already sucessfully used with the A4-H2O.
On another note: The cables and plugs for the HDPlex GaN are incredibly well-made. I've struggled so hard with others before, like the SF750, which might have nice cables, but some of these plugs are such a PITA
Should have build much earlier with that, like, straight-out skipped over the "classic" route with the "normal" SFX PSU.
cu, w0lf.
And now, FINALLY, everything fits. No cables being caught in the AIO, no connectors breaking the pesky balance of the GPU mounting apart.
The only thing left is connecting all the cables to the PSU, figuring out how to route the PSU plug, and hopefully not have to use a HDMI converter for the GPU. In theory, it should now sit tall enough so that a regular cable would fit right in, as the first thing I did when restarting the build with the HDPlex GaN, was to install the same 3 cm tall feet I've already sucessfully used with the A4-H2O.
On another note: The cables and plugs for the HDPlex GaN are incredibly well-made. I've struggled so hard with others before, like the SF750, which might have nice cables, but some of these plugs are such a PITA
Should have build much earlier with that, like, straight-out skipped over the "classic" route with the "normal" SFX PSU.
cu, w0lf.
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Re: In terms of overall system power - should be roughly 500W at max. In any case, OCP triggers at 120% power draw, so if there is a bit more than 500W during 100% CPU + 100% GPU, everything should still be good.
Supposedly the Inno3D RTX 4070 normally sits at 180W, and then, I'm also running the 7950X in 105W Eco mode. Havent done any UVing / other optimizations, but that should improve things quite a bit, too.
Anyways, I think I'm save for now.
cu, w0lf.
Supposedly the Inno3D RTX 4070 normally sits at 180W, and then, I'm also running the 7950X in 105W Eco mode. Havent done any UVing / other optimizations, but that should improve things quite a bit, too.
Anyways, I think I'm save for now.
cu, w0lf.
Funny stuff one reads when researching if the HDPlex GaN 500 fan PUSHES air through the PSU or PULLS it out of it:
These are the times I'd like to create a new reddit account (my original one is long lost, ancient times ago) and tell them stuff like: IDK dude, it sure can take an untamed 7950X with 64 GB RAM, 2x 2 TB and an RTX 4070 .. I wonder if it would be bothered with those much less power hungry components either. Take a guess? /s
Alas, on another note, I found out the CPU temps are misbehaving after installing the Cooler Master Atmos II, because apparently the MSI board thought to reset itself after replacing the PSU, so we're running the 7950X with default settings. First I thought I didnt properly install the waterblock / pump combo, but it looks like as if everything is sitting how its supposed to be .. so I went to the bios, to maybe improve fan settings, and there it was: No more eco mode. WTF?!?
IDK if thats an expected behaviour, but I thought that should be buffered with the MB CMOS battery, shouldnt it?
cu, w0lf.
ps: when I'm finished having figured out how to mount the 120 Air Slimmer as VRM fan, I gonna "perfom" the Eco+ mode s/o suggested in r/overclocking. They were also so nice to write down formulas on how to properly set up EDC + TDC with PPT as a variable.
These are the times I'd like to create a new reddit account (my original one is long lost, ancient times ago) and tell them stuff like: IDK dude, it sure can take an untamed 7950X with 64 GB RAM, 2x 2 TB and an RTX 4070 .. I wonder if it would be bothered with those much less power hungry components either. Take a guess? /s
Alas, on another note, I found out the CPU temps are misbehaving after installing the Cooler Master Atmos II, because apparently the MSI board thought to reset itself after replacing the PSU, so we're running the 7950X with default settings. First I thought I didnt properly install the waterblock / pump combo, but it looks like as if everything is sitting how its supposed to be .. so I went to the bios, to maybe improve fan settings, and there it was: No more eco mode. WTF?!?
IDK if thats an expected behaviour, but I thought that should be buffered with the MB CMOS battery, shouldnt it?
cu, w0lf.
ps: when I'm finished having figured out how to mount the 120 Air Slimmer as VRM fan, I gonna "perfom" the Eco+ mode s/o suggested in r/overclocking. They were also so nice to write down formulas on how to properly set up EDC + TDC with PPT as a variable.
Guess there is always a first time for everything.
Reminder: if you're bordering a burnout, DO NOT BUILD (any type of) PCs.
I was wondering why the CPU was behaving so weirdly. Aside of the gone Eco mode.
So I pulled it apart, to check if the waterblock actually did make proper contact with the CPU.
Yes.
Guess what I forgot to remove?No, not the plastic sheet, as there is none. But the idiotic "smear thermal paste here" mask / sticker thingy. And THIS IS WHY I prefer simpler stuff like Thermalright: Only one flimsy plastic sticker, no fancy other stuff.
Surprisingly the CPU still did work reasonably well, despite much less contact with the CPU cooler.
Anyways, things should work now in a much orderly fashion
Really, this was a first time in like 30 years of building computers.
So, to recap: if you happen to install the Cooler Master Atmos II: First thing to do BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE: Get RID of the bloody sticker shite - cover it in a soft plastic bag instead, is gonna protect against scratches, too, and you wont ever forget about it either
cu, w0lf.
Onto new grounds!
As it turns out, the fans of the Atmos II 240 are rather mediocre. Cooling is now down to somewhat expected temps, but: I did expect to see A BIT better performance. I mean, come on: The cheapo Thermalright Edge 240 with stock fans can easily pace out those!
But if we skip the PR BS of Cooler Master, then a 120 unit of theirs sits at approx 70 CFM. Thats .. underwhelming, to say the least. So I decided to pull out the big 'uns: The Lian Li Uni Fan P28.
Performance supposedly is on part with the T30 and the Vardar, but unlike the latter ones, they arent that screamingly loud.
Installation turned out to be rather unchallenging - the Lian Li spec sheet mentions having to use a very specific length for the mounting screws, but it turned out that regular ones fit easily, too, because despite the 28 mm depth the mounting holes are slightly recessed, so any screw with not too large of a head sits basically at the same depth as on a regular 25 mm fan.
And while I was at it, I used the flat head screws that come with the Thermalright AIOs, so we have less of a worry with the side panels. They look a bit nicer, too.
cu, w0lf.
As it turns out, the fans of the Atmos II 240 are rather mediocre. Cooling is now down to somewhat expected temps, but: I did expect to see A BIT better performance. I mean, come on: The cheapo Thermalright Edge 240 with stock fans can easily pace out those!
But if we skip the PR BS of Cooler Master, then a 120 unit of theirs sits at approx 70 CFM. Thats .. underwhelming, to say the least. So I decided to pull out the big 'uns: The Lian Li Uni Fan P28.
Performance supposedly is on part with the T30 and the Vardar, but unlike the latter ones, they arent that screamingly loud.
Installation turned out to be rather unchallenging - the Lian Li spec sheet mentions having to use a very specific length for the mounting screws, but it turned out that regular ones fit easily, too, because despite the 28 mm depth the mounting holes are slightly recessed, so any screw with not too large of a head sits basically at the same depth as on a regular 25 mm fan.
And while I was at it, I used the flat head screws that come with the Thermalright AIOs, so we have less of a worry with the side panels. They look a bit nicer, too.
cu, w0lf.
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And a quick update about this: Didnt do any bigger tests yet, but the idle desktop temps with the P28s look VERY VERY satisfying. Like, nearly identical to the ones with the Thermalright Frozen Edge in the Meshroom D; albeit maybe 1 - 2 C off (46 C was like the best temp so far).
Probably have to fine-tune this further, and also, oc, there is a GPU, that adds to the heat crescendo, too.
cu, w0lf.
Probably have to fine-tune this further, and also, oc, there is a GPU, that adds to the heat crescendo, too.
cu, w0lf.
Current status: Installed the original bottom aka front bracket of the Meshroom D in front of Meshroom S, using 4x M4 30 mm screws, with 2x 140 mm slim fans. Just finished adding a makeshift air duct using sketchbook paper.
It's all to figure out whether there is any benefit from adding fans there or not. Because if not, then I don't need to disassemble the Meshroom D for the Extender bracket, saving me some time with further tests, and instead getting the fine-tuning of the already existing fan setup done.
If things don't improve, I'm going to remove the 140 mm fan setup and just test if adding 3x 80 mm exhaust fans to the GPU part of the "front" panel do improve temps.
It's all to figure out whether there is any benefit from adding fans there or not. Because if not, then I don't need to disassemble the Meshroom D for the Extender bracket, saving me some time with further tests, and instead getting the fine-tuning of the already existing fan setup done.
If things don't improve, I'm going to remove the 140 mm fan setup and just test if adding 3x 80 mm exhaust fans to the GPU part of the "front" panel do improve temps.
On that note: After studying which type of BIOS upgrade the Nova Z890i supports, I decided to make nails with heads ("Nägel mit Köpfen machen") and purchased both board and the Ultra 270k Plus via Mindfactory.
No clue what to do with my existing i7-13700k config, but maybe build a fancy "OP Steam Machine" in the SG16, live on stream, using the leftover, never really used Gigabyte RX 6800 that I originally bought for the initial Mesh-mATX build, a huge air cooler (thinking like Royal Pretor or so) and then sell it later on.
cu, w0lf.
Ok, going to call this finished, as of August 2026. Gonna prepare + convert all the photos I did, then dump them all into my own site, and select a few to post here, plus link to the rest when I'm done with that
Next projects:
- main system: 270k "mystery case" build
- 7950X console / sleeper build - media server + streaming machine - goes into the ThinkCentre Sleeper
cu, w0lf.
Next projects:
- main system: 270k "mystery case" build
- 7950X console / sleeper build - media server + streaming machine - goes into the ThinkCentre Sleeper
cu, w0lf.
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