Stalled Mini-STX with a GTX 1080 Ti

pyxls

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Jun 4, 2016
62
24
www.aperturescience.com
1) Introduction

I am currently playing around with the idea of building a Mini-STX based PC with (almost) no compromises. The inspiration for this project was the awsome STX160.0 by Aibophobia and it's acompanying thread here on SFFF.
There are still a few things though which i'm not quite sure about.

2) Parts

These are the parts I plan to use in the build:

CPU - Intel Core i5 7400 (maybe a Core i7 7700)
CPU cooler - Noctua NH-L9i
Motherboard/Barbone - AsRock DeskMini 110
RAM - 2x8GB DDR4 2133
PSU (for the Motherboard & CPU) - included with the Mobo/Barbone
Case - custom
GPU - Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini
PSU (for the GPU) - HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX and HDPLEX 300W AC-DC
M.2-PCIe adapter - Delock adapter (if that one does'nt work, i'll get the one Aibophobia used: http://www.hwtools.net/ExtenderBoard/P4SM2.html)
PCIe riser - I already have a "generic one", but I might get a HDPLEX riser
Misc - a Phoby power switch

3) Questions

These are a few things I am unsure about. I would be grateful if somebody could help me here.
solved - open

a- Is it possible to power the GPU solely through the 2 8pin connectors? In his STX160.0, Aibophobia connected a power lead to the M.2-PCIe adapter. Is this necessary or can I leave it out?

b- Can I use seperat PSUs for the Motherboard and the GPU? My plan was to power the Mini-STX motherboard and the CPU with the powersupply that comes included with the AsRock barbone/motherboard and the GPU with the HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX and 300W AC-DC combo. Is this even possible?

c- With the aforementioned powersupply-solution, will it work if I connect the power switch to the motherboard and 2 seperate leads from the power switch to the 2 pins of the24pin connector on the HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX unit which one normaly shorts to turn a standard ATX/SFX PSU on?

d- Does the NH-L9i fit onto the motherboard?

e- Can the HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX supply enogh power through the 8pin PCIe connector to power a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti?

f- Can I split the single 8pin PCIe connector of the DC-ATX converter into two 8pins or are there any other connectorst on the HDPLEX 400W DC-ATX which can be adapted to an 8pin PCIe connector?

g- Is any special BIOS-setup/configuration needed to get a PCIe-card up and running over the M.2 slot on the AsRock DeskMini 110?

I might order a few of the components for testing soon.

pyxls
 
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Therandomness

Cable-Tie Ninja
Nov 9, 2016
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I own the motherboard you'll be using and here is what I've found:

2a) Using my off-brand eBay M.2 to PCIe x4 riser, coupled with a x4 to x16 powered riser from modDIY, the card only reliably powered up when both the riser and M.2 card had their power plugged in. However, it occasionally worked with only the x4 to x16's riser plugged in.

2b) Yes, I've been doing that with the XFX PSU in my sig coupled with the STX motherboard getting its own power from a brick. You just have to turn on the PSU before the rest of the build, or at around the same time.

2c) You'd have to have a toggle switch, and not a momentary one to do that. Meaning, the motherboard would receive a constantly closed signal, which will force it to turn off. I have yet to find a way to power on the PSU at the same time as the rest of the build, though I will be testing a dodgy cable in the near future.

2d) In theory, it should do. But don't quote me on that.
 

pyxls

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Jun 4, 2016
62
24
www.aperturescience.com
@Therandomness

Thanks for your quick reply,

3)

a- What PCIe-card are you using? And what connector on the PSU did you use to power the M.2-PCIe adapter? From what I've seen it looks very similar to a 4pin PWM connector.

c- I've had an idea for a solution. Could I use a toggle switch hooked up to the HDPLEX DC-ATX 24pin connector and a momentary switch hooked up to the motherboard? With this setup one would have to turn on the toggle switch first and then start the PC with the momentary switch.
 

Therandomness

Cable-Tie Ninja
Nov 9, 2016
229
270
@Therandomness

Thanks for your quick reply,

3)

a- What PCIe-card are you using? And what connector on the PSU did you use to power the M.2-PCIe adapter? From what I've seen it looks very similar to a 4pin PWM connector.

c- I've had an idea for a solution. Could I use a toggle switch hooked up to the HDPLEX DC-ATX 24pin connector and a momentary switch hooked up to the motherboard? With this setup one would have to turn on the toggle switch first and then start the PC with the momentary switch.
3a) I was using a 560 Ti until I managed to tear the riser somehow. And the connector on the M.2 to PCIe card is a 4 pin floppy power connector. The card will come with an adaptor from that to molex.

3b) Yes, that'd work. You'd just need to make sure to remember to turn the other PSU off afterwards to avoid any potential issues.