NFC S4 Mini #341

axtran

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Feb 13, 2017
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68

Hopefully everyone enjoys the build! I just finished my S4 Mini last night. The combination of the 6700T and the GTX 1060 is perfect to maintain the HDPlex 160W in the system. I still have custom cables to do, but for now, it's kicking off a successful test run!

I bought some aluminum feet for it that should arrive in a few days, as well. They're made for Mechanical Keyboards, but I think they will work just fine for what I want out of them.
 

jØrd

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What drive is that?
 
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axtran

Average Stuffer
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Feb 13, 2017
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Wanted to add another update--I picked up some stubby antennas from Amazon due to a cool video from @Tek Everything that went over an antenna solution that is cleaner to fit the compact nature of the S4 Mini.

I purchased a few different SMA to RP-SMA converters which to me was a little better than removing/breaking the SMA pins:

The 90 Degree adapters don't work that well (affects nearby ports, goes past the "flat planes" of the S4 Mini). I recommend the straight adapters and the stubby antennas, they work extremely well for me in my home for both 5GHz as well as 2.4GHz operation. :)
 

axtran

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Feb 13, 2017
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Another two updates!

I decided to try out ModDIY to see what cables they could custom make, since they had an option offering custom sleeved cables. Pretty glad that I did! Grey cable sleeving on shorter cables make the HDPlex 160W look phenomenal and perfect for the S4 Mini. I decided to leave the cables "un-zip-tied" so that it looks more "natural" as they rest on the backside of my 1060. Only issue is that I may have asked for a tad too long of a 8-pin CPU power cable.

(it pretty much turned out how I envisioned it would be in my head)

I got feet. Now the feet don't necessarily match the S4 Mini's type of finish (brushed vs. bead-blasted, I'm assuming). However, since they're on the bottom, and also silver, I figured I'd just deal with it. The feet are actually meant for mechanical keyboards, and purchased from switchtop (switchtop.com). I actually love the rubber bottoms that actually touch the surface. It helps with vibrations and sound dampening, and lifting the S4 Mini does provide for better cooling performance. The only alteration that I did was that I added M4 washers as well as used button-top hex screws made of stainless steel, for strength as well as for the flat bottom of the head. Note that the feet come with screws which are cone-shaped on the bottom of the screws. The M4 washer is actually a tad too small for the S4's skyslots, but with careful eyeballing and lightly tightening, they stay in place extremely tightly. The washer is a must!


Link to Switchtop's Feet: http://www.switchtop.com/product/anodized-cnc-aluminum-feet (I bought two, which came out to a total of four feet, as they're charged by pair).
 

axtran

Average Stuffer
Original poster
Feb 13, 2017
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68
Just an update--

I removed the feet because I find myself actually bringing this build around to show off to people. LOL! It's _that_ beautiful! Other than that, I also swapped out my WiFi module from the Qualcomm to a more reliable Intel 8265. I went ahead and did that to all of my computers, including my Alienware 13R3. Couldn't recommend that WiFi module any more than that!

Temperatures are indeed superb with the 6700T choice, and the 1060 is more capable than I had thought!
 

axtran

Average Stuffer
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Feb 13, 2017
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Came back for an update, just to share some experiences (no pictures, sorry!). I have kept all of the hardware, except for the processor, which I’ve upgraded to the 7700T. There’s no increased heat output from the 7700T over the 6700T, however I’ll admit other than personal internet points, there’s very little performance difference between the two processors. If you’re still on Skylake and only jumping up to Kaby Lake on the T-series, just stay put!

Thermals on the S4 Mini Classic are still as good as they were with the 6700T, and I’ll admit that this produces a LOT less noise than my gaming laptop (Alienware 13R3). Full load on this S4 build is quieter than using Google Chrome on the AW 13R3! ;)

The next thing that I’m looking for out of the S4 Mini Classic package is a quality portable monitor that I can use for gaming, preferably powered via USB and accepting DisplayPort... oh, and maybe an Intel 9260 for increased wireless performance!
 
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confusis

John Morrison. Founder and Team Leader of SFF.N
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Awesome build :D Yeah, I've found Intel wireless solutions to be the most reliable.. qualcomm, broadcom, atheros.. have all caused me issues in the past :(
 

axtran

Average Stuffer
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Feb 13, 2017
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Pretty much decided to perform some swapping and surgery on my S4 Mini Classic. Gone is the ASUS Z270i Strix and the EVGA GTX 1060 SC... and in goes a EVGA Z270 Stinger and a MSI RX580 8G V1! I also ended up swapping out my Intel 9260 with a Broadcom A1466, and now my S4 Mini Classic is essentially my favorite computer that I own, thanks to macOS. Wanted to add to the post to let people know that the MSI RX580 8G V1 requires some basic installation gymnastics, but the 198mm card length fits within the S4 Mini Classic even with the all-metal bezel on it (it's just under the 8" maximum clearance). The vertical non-edge mounting of the wireless card on the EVGA Z270 Stinger is why I selected the motherboard, and it has a nice amount of clearance which clears the side of the S4 Mini Classic. I'll link the picture of it here:


Wanted to get some information out there on the Internet detailing that a S4 Mini Classic is definitely Hackintosh-viable! macOS Mojave is running swimmingly with a nice, compatible graphics card. Still my favorite little case!
 
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m.trix

Trash Compacter
Jul 9, 2019
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How is the 750 SSD working out for you?
I have been considering using U.2 drives instead of Sata based SSDs because there don't seem to be very good ones (up to 2-4ish TB).
Maybe I am becoming a data hoarder.
-M.