Log NFC S4 Mini Classic S4MC #193 "Ant-Man" (7700k/1080mini) *7/11/2020 BRICKLESS 4.2L*
- Thread starter CubanLegend
- Start date
What about these?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-8G-FPV-Antenna-2pcs-2-4G-Dipole-Whip-FPV-Antennae-2dbi-50ohm-RP-SMA-Male-for/182973128366
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Realacc-...a-SMA-RP-SMA-For-FPV-Transmitter/122845420206
The second ones aren't dual band though... does that matter?
(Sorry to derail this thread!
)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-8G-FPV-Antenna-2pcs-2-4G-Dipole-Whip-FPV-Antennae-2dbi-50ohm-RP-SMA-Male-for/182973128366
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Realacc-...a-SMA-RP-SMA-For-FPV-Transmitter/122845420206
The second ones aren't dual band though... does that matter?
(Sorry to derail this thread!
)Stock fan uses rubber mounts with a fixed undersized spacing:
The Noctua fan does not line up with these more closely spaced mounts, so cable ties (or similar) need to be used:
What RAM will you be using by the way? And the LP53 shipping period is 3-6 weeks (got mine in 4) so you'll have plenty of time while you wait for your S4 mini.
Yeah what @EdZ says below is correct, the LP53's stock fan is WAY too big for the S4 Mini, and the A9x14 is perfect for it once you mount it with zip ties, I've also seen others mount it with rubber bands, but Zip ties are much more secure IMO since you can tighten them down securely click by click.
And regarding your question about if i used other fans with the LP53, I did not. The A9x14 was the only one that I had that would fit inside the S4 mini so i only tested it. I didnt test the 120mm slim scythe or the Noctua Redux I had previously tested with the NHL9i, sorry!
I mean, you'd only end up pushing the A9x14 up towards the S4 mini's side panel if you added any more mounting hardware... it WOULD cause more turbulence and probably lower performance and raise sound due to more wind "wooooshing" close to the case side panel. You could always try beige colored zip-ties like in that Dan A4 picture EdZ posted, it's from the LP53 thread on [H]arcOCP btw, where I learned about the Z270i fitment possibilities.
you guys still on LP53 andNoctua fan as i am or did you get some improvement with a new different fan/heatsink setup?
cheers
Yes, I'm still on the LP53 and NF-A9x14 fan. best combo I've ever tried.
So I have some downtime today at work. So i figured I'd update this build thread. Here's 2 posts I made in the S4M-C thread regarding my defective Blackridge Cooler and temp testing against my LP53 setup:
[PART 5] Alpenföhn® Black Ridge & Innodisk VLP DDR4 Install & Temp Testing
TL,DR: If you already have an NHL9i or LP53 in your S4M-C the manufacturer defective Blackridge is,.. well.. not worth it, right now. If the non-defective revision comes out later and can turn out to actually OUTPERFORM the LP53 when i test it again, then and only then will I say a purchase is justified.
[PART 5] Alpenföhn® Black Ridge & Innodisk VLP DDR4 Install & Temp Testing
For added pictures of all the above fitment issues and fitment tolerances in more camera angles of BOTH THE VLP Innodisk DDR4 and the BlackRidge cooler, please see my S4M-C album on Flickr here.So... my Blackridge arrived and I jumped the gun on my thermal tests. I redid all the top LP53 CPU tests I had done before (my temps went up by 2c from having done them last year as my LP53 was a little dusty and probably needing a thermal paste reapplication). Comparison of the two coolers:
BUT, installing this thing was a PAIN, I had instlaled the VLP DDR4, I attached my NF-A12x15 to it, and after a lot of trouble, and a couple of minutes of ACTUALY fearing that it wouldn't fit.. I was able to fit the BlackRidge into my S4M-C, but... in only ONE orientation:
Note that the fan was literally sitting against the PCI-E Riser and has to be pushed away from it so the cooler would seat properly, also it was brushing against the motherboards Rear I/O, and it was almost completely covering the VLP RAM, and jumpers on the motherboard below it, making resetting the CMOS jumper a HUGE PAIN. AND on top of this, the fins were perpendicular to the RAM, where in previous cases with other coolers, they've performed better with the heatsink fins parallel to the RAM. Also, note this cooler is 47mm high, which means it will fit inside the S4M-C, BUT the fins will be absolutely flush against the side panel.
But long story short when it came to temperatutes: the BlackRidge was defective on 4-5 of the 6 heatpipes, as can be seen here in this video demonstration of the heatpipe solder snafu that DAN showed us how to investigate for:
..and so, sadly, the cooler dissapointed me.
Test Setup:
-S4M-C with the Side panels ON
-in vertical orientation (power button on bottom)
-room temps were constant 74F (23c)
-temps taken after 10 minutes from hottest core temp unless otherwise stated
TEST__LP53 & NFA9x14 pull vs Blackridge & NF A12x15 push
Idle at Desktop 35c vs 38c
Prime95 26.6 80 vs 82c
RealBench Stress 79c vs 81c
x264 Custom Load 78c vs 82c
Intel Burn Test (Standard) Hottest core after 10 runs 67c vs 70c
AIDA64 System Stress Test 81c vs 84c
Notice, these temps are decent for a defective cooler, as my NHL9i performed about 2-4 c hotter than my LP53, so the defective BlackRidge is basically performing like a more expensive NHL9i, because i had to pay for VLP DDR4, and the NF-A12x15.
TL,DR: If you already have an NHL9i or LP53 in your S4M-C the manufacturer defective Blackridge is,.. well.. not worth it, right now. If the non-defective revision comes out later and can turn out to actually OUTPERFORM the LP53 when i test it again, then and only then will I say a purchase is justified.
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CPU Temp Testing (REDUX) [Post-Delid] LP53 & NFA9x14 pull vs Blackridge & NF A12x15 push vs pull
Test Setup:
-S4M-C #193 with the Side panels ON, in vertical orientation (power button on bottom)
-CPU is i7-7700k @ 4.5GHz, 1.2vcore
-Room temps @ 74F (23c)
-Temps taken after 10 minutes from hottest core temp unless otherwise stated
LP53 & NFA9x14 pull vs Blackridge & NF A12x15 push vs pull
Idle at Desktop 35c vs 38c vs 32c
Prime95 26.6 80 vs 82c vs 75c
RealBench Stress 79c vs 81c vs 74c
x264 Custom Load 78c vs 82c vs 74c
Intel Burn Test (Standard) after 10 runs 67c vs 70c vs 63c
AIDA64 System Stress Test 81c vs 84c vs 78c
Thats a 6-8c decrease in temps in BlackRidge push vs pull
And a 3-5c decrease in temp in LP53 vs BlackRidge pull
(When it comes to noise, the LP53 wins EASY as that NF-A9x14 is silent at idle.. but this BlackRidge has wind noise even with the NF-A12x15, since it's fins are packed tightly up against the S4M-C side panel)
But... are 3-5c of lower temps worth the price? Only if you don't care about your expendable income... You do the math: $60 Cooler, $250 VLP DDR4, $20 Noctua fan... thats $330 USD for 3-5c, thats an average of $88 USD per each degrees C.
When the non-defective version of this cooler arrives in February, then I'll re-purchase, and test and see if it's any better, but so far, I'm impressed.
In my next post I'll be going over the overclock I was able to sustain on my Innodisk VLP DDR4 2666 kit...
I thought I had tested the superior mode (which i thought was push), boy am I glad you suggested I try pull, Here's the new results (good news everyone)!
Test Setup:
-S4M-C #193 with the Side panels ON, in vertical orientation (power button on bottom)
-CPU is i7-7700k @ 4.5GHz, 1.2vcore
-Room temps @ 74F (23c)
-Temps taken after 10 minutes from hottest core temp unless otherwise stated
LP53 & NFA9x14 pull vs Blackridge & NF A12x15 push vs pull
Idle at Desktop 35c vs 38c vs 32c
Prime95 26.6 80 vs 82c vs 75c
RealBench Stress 79c vs 81c vs 74c
x264 Custom Load 78c vs 82c vs 74c
Intel Burn Test (Standard) after 10 runs 67c vs 70c vs 63c
AIDA64 System Stress Test 81c vs 84c vs 78c
Thats a 6-8c decrease in temps in BlackRidge push vs pull
And a 3-5c decrease in temp in LP53 vs BlackRidge pull
(When it comes to noise, the LP53 wins EASY as that NF-A9x14 is silent at idle.. but this BlackRidge has wind noise even with the NF-A12x15, since it's fins are packed tightly up against the S4M-C side panel)
But... are 3-5c of lower temps worth the price? Only if you don't care about your expendable income... You do the math: $60 Cooler, $250 VLP DDR4, $20 Noctua fan... thats $330 USD for 3-5c, thats an average of $88 USD per each degrees C.
When the non-defective version of this cooler arrives in February, then I'll re-purchase, and test and see if it's any better, but so far, I'm impressed.
In my next post I'll be going over the overclock I was able to sustain on my Innodisk VLP DDR4 2666 kit...
[PART 6] Innodisk VLP (Very Low Profile) DDR4 2666 Overclock Performance
So in order to fit my BlackRidge cooler, I had to order some NON-ECC VLP DDR4 from Innodisk. I bought this DDR4 2666 Innodisk kit labeled M4U0-8GSSWCIK.
And thanks to @ceski and his amazing "DDR4 overclocking cheatsheet" spredsheet. I was able to tighten my RAM's timings and increase the clock speed of the RAM and increase my performance almost close to my CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-4000 kit... note that this RAM is dual-rank (dual sided) so Single-Rank may overclock higher. But this RAM is what is known as "industrial downbin" RAM which isn't meant for overclocking, and it's no Samsung B-die, but it's SAMSUNG E-die.
my performance on this VLP DDR4 2666 kit is almost identical to my old DDR-4000 kit except for the Write. I tried higher mem clocks and timing but this is the tightest timings, highest clock and lowest stable voltage for me to be Karhu Memtest 3200% stable (this program is the most easy RAM overclock testing software around, worth the $10USD) . And this is not bad considering my VLP DDR4 2666 kit is downbin E-die.
So TL;DR... is the VLP DDR4 and the BlackRidge cooler worth it? If money is no object, and lower CPU temperatures are your goal... yes! Otherwise stick to normal height DDR4 and the NHL9i.
In my next post... well... here's a preview.. @Josh | NFC sent me a custom CPU ventplate for my S4M-C...
I'll be attempting to make my S4M-C the only S4M-C with all 4 sides vented! (basically making it comparable in airflow to the newer Skyreach S4M, I will then be testing the temperature results of the new CPU-side vent!.. Stay Tuned!!
So in order to fit my BlackRidge cooler, I had to order some NON-ECC VLP DDR4 from Innodisk. I bought this DDR4 2666 Innodisk kit labeled M4U0-8GSSWCIK.
And thanks to @ceski and his amazing "DDR4 overclocking cheatsheet" spredsheet. I was able to tighten my RAM's timings and increase the clock speed of the RAM and increase my performance almost close to my CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-4000 kit... note that this RAM is dual-rank (dual sided) so Single-Rank may overclock higher. But this RAM is what is known as "industrial downbin" RAM which isn't meant for overclocking, and it's no Samsung B-die, but it's SAMSUNG E-die.
old vs New DDR4 RAM Comparison:
closeups:
the RAM fit perfectly with the new cooler:
Here's my AIDA64 benchmartks:
Corsiar LPX 4000MHz
(19-23-23-45 CR2)
Read: 49644 MB/s
Write: 56790 MB/s
Copy: 46705 MB/s
Latency: 43.3 ns
(STOCK) Innodisk VLP DDR4 2666MHz 1.2v
(19-19-19-43 CR2)
Read: 38152 MB/s
Write: 41103 MB/s
Copy: 36841 MB/s
Latency: 57.2 ns
(OC) Innodisk VLP DDR4 3333MHz 1.392v
(14-18-18-36 394T CR2)
Read: 48632 MB/s
Write: 51818 MB/s
Copy: 46846 MB/s
Latency: 44.0 ns
my performance on this VLP DDR4 2666 kit is almost identical to my old DDR-4000 kit except for the Write. I tried higher mem clocks and timing but this is the tightest timings, highest clock and lowest stable voltage for me to be Karhu Memtest 3200% stable (this program is the most easy RAM overclock testing software around, worth the $10USD) .
And this is not bad considering my VLP DDR4 2666 kit is downbin E-die.So TL;DR... is the VLP DDR4 and the BlackRidge cooler worth it? If money is no object, and lower CPU temperatures are your goal... yes! Otherwise stick to normal height DDR4 and the NHL9i.
In my next post... well... here's a preview.. @Josh | NFC sent me a custom CPU ventplate for my S4M-C...
check it out:
It goes here:
I'll be using this $14 Amazon Rotary tool and Dremel metal cutting bits:
And I've got my #193 S4M-C all taped up and ready for surgery...
I'll be attempting to make my S4M-C the only S4M-C with all 4 sides vented! (basically making it comparable in airflow to the newer Skyreach S4M, I will then be testing the temperature results of the new CPU-side vent!.. Stay Tuned!!
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So yeah... It's been a while, I know. Please excuse the tease & my subsequent absence, life got in the way.
But I did do the CPU cutout and vent-plate mod on my #193 S4M-C with that cheap amazon Rotary tool using some Dremel Metal cut-off wheels, and I then installed the custom S4M-C CPU vent-plate w/skylots, acquired from @Josh | NFC , and the CPU cut-out and vent-plate worked, like a charm! Here's a preview, but see the rest below...
[PART 7] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge, S4M-C CPU-side cut-out & vent-plate (& CPU Temp Reduction Tests)
[PART 7.1] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge S4M-C CPU-side cut-out & vent-plate
[PART 7.2] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge CPU Temp Reduction Tests
Note 1: I did perform all tests with both power button up (inverted) and power button down (normal) orientation, the normal orientation gave the better temps, and is the orientation I've used for all previous tests. The DIFFERENCE this time, is that the S4M-C is being held 10mm off the flat table surface, by 2 pieces of neoprene foam, all 8 skyslots are unobstructed.
Note 2: I'm still actually using the v1 of the Blackridge Cooler, the one that had 4 out of the 6 heat pipes not soldered on with 100% contact.. with the newer v2 Blackridge I'd expect maybe another 1-2c or so.. as reviewers didn't really pick up and compare the v1 to the v2. Plus the v2 is more dark grey than pure black, so i prefer my pure black v1 cooler.
Test Setup:
-S4M-C #193 with the Side panels ON, in vertical orientation (power button on bottom) WITH NEW Custom 8-Skyslot vent-plate, raised 10mm from table using 2 neoprene blocks
-CPU is i7-7700k @ 4.2GHz, 1.12 vcore
-Room temps @ 74F (23c)
-Temps taken after 10 minutes from hottest core temp unless otherwise stated
Blackridge & NF A12x15 pull vs CPU cut-out results:
Idle at Desktop 32c vs 31c
Prime95 26.6 75c vs 72c
RealBench Stress 74c vs 72c
x264 Custom Load 74c vs 71c
AIDA64 System Stress Test 78c vs 73c
Final Thoughts:
That's a 2-5c decrease in load temps in BlackRidge pull vs CPU vent plate (I must say, this setup certainly had me super happy!)
But... are 2-5c of lower temps worth the price? Only if you don't care about messing up your S4Mc Side panel... You do the math: $15 Rotary Tool, $15 Metal Cutting pads, $30 USD for 2-5c, thats an average of $6-15 USD per each degrees C. (price for cpu vent-plate from @Josh | NFC is not counted, as it may vary)
And thats, it.. for now...
This is probably the end of the line for mods on my #193 S4M-C Ant-man build. Although.. Noctua did recently release the black NF-A9x14 chromax fans... I MAY try to pull off my 1080 mini's stock fans/shroud and put 2 of those black Noctua's on instead, to see if i can drop temps, and drop fan noise levels on my 1080 mini (with the stock BIOS). As now at idle the 1080 mini is indeed the loudest part of my S4Mc due to the minimun 37% fan curve @ 1200 RPM.
Currently the build is 38.5 db from my ears... with this pandemic quarantine going on, and a lot of extra time on my hands, I might just do it...
So, don't hold your breath or stay tuned, just wish me well, lol. May you all be well, and stay well & safe, and happy S4M-C modding!
But I did do the CPU cutout and vent-plate mod on my #193 S4M-C with that cheap amazon Rotary tool using some Dremel Metal cut-off wheels, and I then installed the custom S4M-C CPU vent-plate w/skylots, acquired from @Josh | NFC , and the CPU cut-out and vent-plate worked, like a charm! Here's a preview, but see the rest below...
[PART 7] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge, S4M-C CPU-side cut-out & vent-plate (& CPU Temp Reduction Tests)
[PART 7.1] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge S4M-C CPU-side cut-out & vent-plate
Here's the S4M-C CPU-side cut-out process:
started out with pilot holes,
then I carefully cut out the edges of the holes and the taped cut-out line:
As you saw above, the results were great!
LCD Glue on the back of the CPU Vent plate to ensure it holds:
And I taped and cut the skyslot holes on the DiNoc myself:
The Final results looked amazing, look at all those vent holes, and the DiNoc looks amazing from the right angle:
[PART 7.2] S4M-C Alpenföhn® Black Ridge CPU Temp Reduction Tests
Note 1: I did perform all tests with both power button up (inverted) and power button down (normal) orientation, the normal orientation gave the better temps, and is the orientation I've used for all previous tests. The DIFFERENCE this time, is that the S4M-C is being held 10mm off the flat table surface, by 2 pieces of neoprene foam, all 8 skyslots are unobstructed.
Note 2: I'm still actually using the v1 of the Blackridge Cooler, the one that had 4 out of the 6 heat pipes not soldered on with 100% contact.. with the newer v2 Blackridge I'd expect maybe another 1-2c or so.. as reviewers didn't really pick up and compare the v1 to the v2. Plus the v2 is more dark grey than pure black, so i prefer my pure black v1 cooler.
Test Setup:
-S4M-C #193 with the Side panels ON, in vertical orientation (power button on bottom) WITH NEW Custom 8-Skyslot vent-plate, raised 10mm from table using 2 neoprene blocks
-CPU is i7-7700k @ 4.2GHz, 1.12 vcore
-Room temps @ 74F (23c)
-Temps taken after 10 minutes from hottest core temp unless otherwise stated
Blackridge & NF A12x15 pull vs CPU cut-out results:
Idle at Desktop 32c vs 31c
Prime95 26.6 75c vs 72c
RealBench Stress 74c vs 72c
x264 Custom Load 74c vs 71c
AIDA64 System Stress Test 78c vs 73c
Final Thoughts:
That's a 2-5c decrease in load temps in BlackRidge pull vs CPU vent plate (I must say, this setup certainly had me super happy!)
But... are 2-5c of lower temps worth the price? Only if you don't care about messing up your S4Mc Side panel... You do the math: $15 Rotary Tool, $15 Metal Cutting pads, $30 USD for 2-5c, thats an average of $6-15 USD per each degrees C. (price for cpu vent-plate from @Josh | NFC is not counted, as it may vary)
And thats, it.. for now...
This is probably the end of the line for mods on my #193 S4M-C Ant-man build. Although.. Noctua did recently release the black NF-A9x14 chromax fans... I MAY try to pull off my 1080 mini's stock fans/shroud and put 2 of those black Noctua's on instead, to see if i can drop temps, and drop fan noise levels on my 1080 mini (with the stock BIOS). As now at idle the 1080 mini is indeed the loudest part of my S4Mc due to the minimun 37% fan curve @ 1200 RPM.
Currently the build is 38.5 db from my ears... with this pandemic quarantine going on, and a lot of extra time on my hands, I might just do it...
So, don't hold your breath or stay tuned, just wish me well, lol. May you all be well, and stay well & safe, and happy S4M-C modding!
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Cuban Legend! Man I remember following and reading this thread like a mad man when I got my S4M-C and was copying your build. I wasn’t crazy enough to cut up my case though lol.
Thank you bro, yeah it's been a while but this build was made to last until early 2027, so it's going to be a long-term project of mine.
I'm not selling the case so cutting it for lowered temps and a unique one-of-a-kind PC case, was not only something i wanted, but was fulfilling my goal to adding to the form and function of my portable Movie & Game night PC. I hope your S4 lasts too!
[PART 8] ZOTAC 1080 Mini Fan mod, 2x Noctua NF-A9x14 Premium
So, 2 years ago when i built this, I reached out to Noctua and asked nicely for 2 of the high RPM editions of the NF-A9x14 (2500rpm max vs 2200RPM max) they sold me 2 and sent me a fan extension and a y-cable for free! Today.. I put them to good us finally, by installing them onto my ZOTAC 1080 mini.. without having to pull out the GPU from my S4M-C!
I know this has been done before, but.. with this pandemic going on, I'm bored and i work on my S4MC all day from home and the stock fan ceiling of 37% @ 1250RPM was way too loud for my taste.. sadly, the black NF-A9x14 chromax fans are out of stock as of 2 weeks ago and won't be back in stock until after the pandemic eases shipping restrictions, so i decided to use the 2 fans i had sitting around, oh and also a GELID GPU to MOBO fan header adapter.
Here's the process:
So what were the results..? Lower sound, lower temps? Both.
[PART 8.5] #193 S4M-C & ZOTAC 1080 Mini Fan mod (2x Noctua NF-A9x14 Premium) +GPU undervolt (Sound & Temp Results)
(27 inches away, ear level, 1min avg once temps peak/stable)
stock fans:
idle desktop 36db 37% 1201RPM, 35c
furmark 41.5 66% 1980RPM, 83c
unigen heaven 41.1 64% 1923RPM 83c
superposition 41.1 64% 1927RPM 83c
rog realbench 40.1 58% 1751RPM 80c
CEMU 1080p 37.6 45% 1351RPM 74c
CEMU 4k 41.7 66% 1981RPM 84c
Noctua fans testing methodology:
okay so the Noctua fans with the STOCK fan curve were quieter, but they still led me to the same max temperatures and my fan curve hadn't been adjusted from stock. I don't like 83c on a Pascal GPU as a regular max temp. So i also decided to:
1. flash the ZOTAC AMP Edition BIOS for fan control under 27% (down to 16%) (it performed about 1-2db quieter on Noctua fans vs stock, before the under-volt)
2. under-volt the card to .850v @ 1873Mhz core (+500MHz mem) for the below results, so its running not only quieter than stock, but.. even quieter than that & also cooler, due to the under-volt. (if you wonder how the GPU performed without the under-volt and the Noctua fans, cut the temp decrease in half)
1873mhz @ .850v Undervolt can be seen below:
ZOTAC 1080 Mini 2x NFA9x14 & undervolt results:
-idle desktop 34.5db 1000RPM, 28c (-7c idle)
furmark 38.7db 1900RPM, 70c (-13c)
unigen heaven 39db 1800RPM 70c (-13c)
superposition 39.5db 1850RPM 68c (-12c)
rog realbench 37.2db 1550RPM 66c (-8c)
CEMU 1080p 36.1db 1200RPM 62c (-12c)
CEMU 4k 38db 1650RPM 67c (-17c!)
Temp results Final Thoughts: I'm ecstatic! that's an average of about -13c all around.. and in games (even new games like NFS Heat) i got an averge of -10c from my previous max temps under real-world game load.
Sound results Final Thoughts: I'm beyond satisfied. Not only is the new fan setup quieter than is was before, by 2-3db! The difference is definitely noticeable when I'm sitting right next to it, the fans aren't even audible up to 1100RPMs, so i have them always spinning at that rate, to actively cool the GPU while idle and silent (AMAZING!). The fans at idle are in fact, so DEAD SILENT, that my spinning HDDs are louder than the fans, and i think the only noise i hear from the S4M-C now, is.. the sound of air pulling through the Blackridge cooler. Amazing!
So yeah.. i think that's all I'll be doing to the build for now, it's quieter, runs cooler, and uses less power. I'm satisfied! Any questions of concerns, please feel free to post below.
So, 2 years ago when i built this, I reached out to Noctua and asked nicely for 2 of the high RPM editions of the NF-A9x14 (2500rpm max vs 2200RPM max) they sold me 2 and sent me a fan extension and a y-cable for free! Today.. I put them to good us finally, by installing them onto my ZOTAC 1080 mini.. without having to pull out the GPU from my S4M-C!
I know this has been done before, but.. with this pandemic going on, I'm bored and i work on my S4MC all day from home and the stock fan ceiling of 37% @ 1250RPM was way too loud for my taste.. sadly, the black NF-A9x14 chromax fans are out of stock as of 2 weeks ago and won't be back in stock until after the pandemic eases shipping restrictions, so i decided to use the 2 fans i had sitting around, oh and also a GELID GPU to MOBO fan header adapter.
Here's the process:
So i just unscrew one of the 2 side panels:
After unplugging the PC from power, I unscrew the 2 fans, and the fan shroud, but i can't pul them off yet as theyre connected tothe GPU with 2 cables.. I locate the 2 fan headers on teh GPU the 4 pin is PWM for the 2 stock fans (80mm & 100mm), the 3-pin is for the LEDs. I reach into there with tiny needle nose pliers/pincers and i removed them from under the GPU heatpipes without having to remove the GPU or even the GPU heatsink.
Here's the 1080 with the stock fans/shroud removed.
Here's a mockup of the 2 fans, the Nocua y-splitter, and the GELID MOBO-to-GPU fan header adapter:
Here's the fans installed and running:
How did i keep the fans pushed against the ZOTAC 1080 mini heatsink and away from the sidepanel for maximum quiet and performance/airflow? I ziptied the fans to eachother, then used 1 ziptie to keep the bottom of the fans down, on the left hole of the right fan, note the arrows, i attached it to the lower GPU heatsink. I kept the TOP of the ZOTAC 1080 mini down by using 2 pieces of 8mm squared of neoprene i got from Josh with i bought my S4M-C, to push the fans away from the side-panels, using the 120mm fan mounting holes on the S4M-C (see the 2 lines in the pic below).
And here's the final result:
So what were the results..? Lower sound, lower temps? Both.
[PART 8.5] #193 S4M-C & ZOTAC 1080 Mini Fan mod (2x Noctua NF-A9x14 Premium) +GPU undervolt (Sound & Temp Results)
(27 inches away, ear level, 1min avg once temps peak/stable)
stock fans:
idle desktop 36db 37% 1201RPM, 35c
furmark 41.5 66% 1980RPM, 83c
unigen heaven 41.1 64% 1923RPM 83c
superposition 41.1 64% 1927RPM 83c
rog realbench 40.1 58% 1751RPM 80c
CEMU 1080p 37.6 45% 1351RPM 74c
CEMU 4k 41.7 66% 1981RPM 84c
Noctua fans testing methodology:
okay so the Noctua fans with the STOCK fan curve were quieter, but they still led me to the same max temperatures and my fan curve hadn't been adjusted from stock. I don't like 83c on a Pascal GPU as a regular max temp. So i also decided to:
1. flash the ZOTAC AMP Edition BIOS for fan control under 27% (down to 16%) (it performed about 1-2db quieter on Noctua fans vs stock, before the under-volt)
2. under-volt the card to .850v @ 1873Mhz core (+500MHz mem) for the below results, so its running not only quieter than stock, but.. even quieter than that & also cooler, due to the under-volt. (if you wonder how the GPU performed without the under-volt and the Noctua fans, cut the temp decrease in half)
1873mhz @ .850v Undervolt can be seen below:
ZOTAC 1080 Mini 2x NFA9x14 & undervolt results:
-idle desktop 34.5db 1000RPM, 28c (-7c idle)
furmark 38.7db 1900RPM, 70c (-13c)
unigen heaven 39db 1800RPM 70c (-13c)
superposition 39.5db 1850RPM 68c (-12c)
rog realbench 37.2db 1550RPM 66c (-8c)
CEMU 1080p 36.1db 1200RPM 62c (-12c)
CEMU 4k 38db 1650RPM 67c (-17c!)
Temp results Final Thoughts: I'm ecstatic! that's an average of about -13c all around.. and in games (even new games like NFS Heat) i got an averge of -10c from my previous max temps under real-world game load.
Sound results Final Thoughts: I'm beyond satisfied. Not only is the new fan setup quieter than is was before, by 2-3db! The difference is definitely noticeable when I'm sitting right next to it, the fans aren't even audible up to 1100RPMs, so i have them always spinning at that rate, to actively cool the GPU while idle and silent (AMAZING!). The fans at idle are in fact, so DEAD SILENT, that my spinning HDDs are louder than the fans, and i think the only noise i hear from the S4M-C now, is.. the sound of air pulling through the Blackridge cooler. Amazing!
So yeah.. i think that's all I'll be doing to the build for now, it's quieter, runs cooler, and uses less power. I'm satisfied! Any questions of concerns, please feel free to post below.
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[PART 9] S4 Mini Classic #193 (Antman) HDPLEX 400 AC-DC Brickless mod!
So.. I've done the impossible! And have documented every step for you all to replicate it!
I spent the last 3 weeks working out the world's first HDPLEX 400W AC-DC “Brickless” config in an S4 Mini Classic! Based on the layout from the newer S4M's 5.0 liter layout, but inside the more restrictive 4.2L layout of the S4 mini Classic.. because of that sweet, sweet, Aluminum Wrap-Around Bezel!
Here's the details inside of this quote:
..
Here's the completed build minus the side panels! S4MC Brickless , 7700k, ZOTAC 1080 mini, HDPLEX 300 DC-DC & HDPLEX 400W AC-DC .. if you look you can see where the JBweld was added, and it worked!
Side Panels closed:
..
I'll be using this build for the next few years, it can also house and power an undervolted 10600k and a 2070 Super if needed.. and as new RTX 3000 cars come out on a suspected 8nm process, less power usage should allow future ITX cards to fit as well!
In the future.. I plan to wait for benchmarks of the ID-COOLING IS-47K cooler (rated at 130W TDP) and if it fits, I'll upgrade to it and do a temp comparison against my blackridge.
So.. I've done the impossible! And have documented every step for you all to replicate it!
I spent the last 3 weeks working out the world's first HDPLEX 400W AC-DC “Brickless” config in an S4 Mini Classic! Based on the layout from the newer S4M's 5.0 liter layout, but inside the more restrictive 4.2L layout of the S4 mini Classic.. because of that sweet, sweet, Aluminum Wrap-Around Bezel!
Here's the details inside of this quote:
and that was it, any questions, please feel free to ask!DISCLOSURE:
So the tools i used to accomplish this were:
staples (to extract PCIE mini-Fit pins)
JB Weld Quickweld (to strenghten the inner chassis after cutting it)
Bernzomatic Butane portable Soldering Iron & Butane Fuel (to solder some wires i shortened, and to heatshrink)
some heatshrink i bought at Home depot (to electrically isolate modded wiring)
Liquid Elextrical Tape (for additional electrical isolation of the C6 Connector)
and some m2.5 screws and standoffs (for the C6 connector mounting)
So first, I needed to buy an HDPLEX 400W AC-DC (the new v2.0 is thinner and SHOULD fit in the inner chassis) to see if it would even FIT.. so I bought the AC-DC & DC-DC 400W combo, just to support Larry.
Here's the 400w AC-Dc next to my current external DELL 330W brick (.7L)
When the AC-DC arrived I test fitted it inside one of my spare Silver S4MC's, ..and it fit!
So how would i get it to fit.. I'd need to do a few things.. 1st..
I'd need to cut a HOLE here on the bottom of the inner chassis, so the HDPLEX AC-DC could fit through it and touch the wrap-around bezel.. this would turn out to drop the rigidity of the inner chassis, requiring some simple JBweld brackets to stengthen the inner chassis. And i would need to make a SUPER low profile PCIe 8-pin power cable, which means, a Mini-fit pin extraction, and cable heatshrinking has to be done with my butane torch on my Soldering Iton.
I measured the HDPLEX surface and started cutting away with my $12 Amazon Rotary tool!
After some widening out of the hole, the HDPLEX 400W AC-DC would slide right into the S4 Mini Classic's inner chassi, with no issue!
Now to adress the issue of the GPU needing to be SHIFTED DOWN towards the motherboard about 15-20mm.., here's how far it needed to go.. it would be super close to the CPU cooler, and the PCI-E Riser would be nestled UNDER the CPU cooler lol.
While trying to fit the 1080 mini and push it down, one of the heatpipes was contacting the HDPLEX 300 DC-DC and i needed about 2-3mm more room, so i flattened the heatpipe on the ZOTAC 1080 mini in that spot with a hammer. Heatpipes can be flattened about 60% and still function properly, if done right, so i just SENT IT and hammered away carefully. IT WORKED!
Next was the Low profile cabling for the PCI-E 8-pin power. I used the cheap extraction method of using flattened staples to extract the pins, and i got them all out, I marked them with paint marker to note their position, and I seperated the 2 sides for better low profile-ness.
-Note I marked the cables first with marker, but then i used numbered heatshink bits and i paired them up to know where they go.
Then I put some electrical tape on the top of the HDPLEX 400w AC-DC and then some gaffers tape on to to minimize wire movement.
Next was the C6 connector, it needed to have a hole cut for it to fit in the back of the S4MC, so I used a mechanical pencil and that $12 Rotary tool to cut the hole, and a drill to drill the m2.5 sized holes for the mounting screws.
I ended up shortening the C6 connector wire from the HDPLEX 400W AC-DC, i BENT the pins to make it more low profile, soldered them back for strength, heatshrunk the ends, and i replaced the gaffers tape pictured.. with 4 layers of Liquid Electrical tape.
This is where you need to strengthen the inner chassis, I used an old credit card i cut up to make brackets, I filed down the surface of the inner chassis and the credit card, to make the JBweld mate better (note once this was done, to install or uninstall the AC-DC or the GPU, i had to unscrew that half of the inner chassis from the motherboard tray, as it was too stiff to flex out of the way:
Here's the fitment of the c6 connector and the HDPLEX 400W AC-DC & the 1080 mini fitment, I ended up mounting the c6 EXTERNALLY to dissalow physical contact with the back of the HDPLEX which would cause issues.
Here was the external Nylon m2.5 threaded standoff (6mm) for the C6 connector:
Here's the connector mounted, there's aout 1.5mm between the back of the connector and the S4MC side panel.
The Blackridge didn't fit, so i switched back to the LP53 and the NF-A12x15, which fit's wonderfully with my VLP DDR4
The TIGHT fit between the HDPLEX 300 DC-DC, the power button and the 1080 mini, was so TIGHT, i had to install the power button on the wrap-around bezel like this below: and then i would slide it up and over the 400W AC-DC and screw it into the back of the inner chassis.
For more step-by-step details.. i have to install the power button on the front panel with the 2 main inner chassis potions separated like seen below.., then push the dc-dc against the power button and in towards the motherboard, and then reconnect the inner chassis, then i ROTATE the wraparound using the power button as the point of rotation.. and then carefully push down on the AC-DC to fit the wrap-around bezel over it, then when it's in place, i screw the rear 2 screws on the wrap-around to the inner chassis..
Here's the entire setup before installing the wrap-around bezel
And for those curious about the back of the S4MC after all this.. the ZOTAC 1080 Mini DOES have the bottom Displayport no longer usable due to the exreme 15mm+ of GPU shift i needed
AND, some may wonder, how did i do this in an S4MC without a GPU SHIFT bracket?.. I just went Bracketless, i unscrewed the Bracket and friction mounted the 1080 mini inside the case, it doesnt move because its literally squished between the PCIE-bracket and the HDPLEX 400W AC-DC
..
Here's the completed build minus the side panels! S4MC Brickless , 7700k, ZOTAC 1080 mini, HDPLEX 300 DC-DC & HDPLEX 400W AC-DC .. if you look you can see where the JBweld was added, and it worked!
Side Panels closed:
..
I'll be using this build for the next few years, it can also house and power an undervolted 10600k and a 2070 Super if needed.. and as new RTX 3000 cars come out on a suspected 8nm process, less power usage should allow future ITX cards to fit as well!
In the future.. I plan to wait for benchmarks of the ID-COOLING IS-47K cooler (rated at 130W TDP) and if it fits, I'll upgrade to it and do a temp comparison against my blackridge.
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Thanks @seven7thirty30 coming from you.. and your pedigree of custom S4M builds, I must say.. I am honoured you appreciate it!
I love the Classic S4M too too, I do own a newer 5.0L S4M too though (bought one to support Josh), but I wont build in it until a few hardware gens from now, when i can be the first to try something new, and maybe squeeze in some crazy fast hardware in there that's never been tried, only time will tell!
Dang, thats some bad as* modification of the S4M-C[PART 9] S4 Mini Classic #193 (Antman) HDPLEX 400 AC-DC Brickless mod!
So.. I've done the impossible! And have documented every step for you all to replicate it!
I spent the last 3 weeks working out the world's first HDPLEX 400W AC-DC “Brickless” config in an S4 Mini Classic! Based on the layout from the newer S4M's 5.0 liter layout, but inside the more restrictive 4.2L layout of the S4 mini Classic.. because of that sweet, sweet, Aluminum Wrap-Around Bezel!
Here's the details inside of this quote:
and that was it, any questions, please feel free to ask!
..
Here's the completed build minus the side panels! S4MC Brickless , 7700k, ZOTAC 1080 mini, HDPLEX 300 DC-DC & HDPLEX 400W AC-DC .. if you look you can see where the JBweld was added, and it worked!
Side Panels closed:
..
I'll be using this build for the next few years, it can also house and power an undervolted 10600k and a 2070 Super if needed.. and as new RTX 3000 cars come out on a suspected 8nm process, less power usage should allow future ITX cards to fit as well!
In the future.. I plan to wait for benchmarks of the ID-COOLING IS-47K cooler (rated at 130W TDP) and if it fits, I'll upgrade to it and do a temp comparison against my blackridge.
I thought i had mine ready after modding a 3070SI into it but now i think ill work the 400W AC-DC into it that is laying around...
I wanted to install the AXP90-X47 Heatsing as i ve read that it beats everything. I wanted to replace the i7-8700k with the i7-9700k to max out this build, but after reading a lot of comparsions between those two i think ill stick with the 8700k.
Im still thinking about replacing the LP52/noctua combo with a sanded down AXP90-X47, but after undervolting the 8700k and getting 92°C on full load of GPU/CPU i think im good.
This is a very nice accomplishment CubanLegend. I dint know how i missed that in 2020.
Is that your current status of your build?
