Pedro's 1st SFF Build

[Pedro]

Hey guys, I have been hovering around the forums for a few months trying to learn the ways of SFF. I am still in the planning phase for my first SFF build. I wanted to start a topic laying out my current plan and elaborate of some of the questions I still have. Also, It’s probably better if I put all my stupid questions in the same thread instead of polluting the entire forum with my idiocy.

I know this build is pretty simple compared to many, heck, most of the builds on these forums. It’s been very humbling reading through the many build logs and any input you guys can give me would be of great help.

The core goal of this system is a portable Gaming PC. I do a handful of LAN parties each year and also want the ability to start dragging my system with me when I travel for work which as of late as every other week for 3-5 days each time and I want to play games during my boring lonely evenings.

Case: Dan Case A4-SFX V3

• Chosen for ability to fit a Full Length GPU, and SFX Power Supply while keeping the volume low. I have used standard ATX power supplier for all my previous builds and wasn’t in the mood to go down the HDPlex + Dell brick route on my first SFF build, even though that is an option with this case.

Power Supply: Corsair SF600

• I wanted to assure I had all the power I needed for whatever components end up in the case into the future while staying in the SFX form factor. The SFX-L power supplies seemed to make the A4 case very cramped I am concerned about restricting airflow, even though they are quieter.

Note: I don't really care much about system/fan noise. I usually game with headphones and this system will not be used in the livingroom.

Question 1: I have seen a Noctua fan mod in SF600 power supplies using a the A9x14 fan. What is the main goal of this mod? Noise Reduction? Increased Cooling capacity? The mod doesn’t seem to terribly difficult, is it recommended?

CPU: I7-8700 (non-k)

• I had been an avid overclocker previously but over that past few years it has gone from a hobby to chore. I wanted a plug & play system with the speed and cores to last me for many years to come. Also having 65 watt TDP will really help keep the heat down.

MoBo: Asus H370-I

• Since I do not plan on overclocking I wasn’t going to pickup a Z370 MoBo and majority of it’s features aren’t needed. It also saves me a few bucks.

Question 2: This board has a the I/O sheild pre-installed an also has a large cover over the VRM heatsink. Keeping in mind I do not plan to overclock. Should I be concerned that cover will cause cooling issuses? If so I likely will need to switch to the Z370-I which is more open for improved cooling.. or heck I just take the cover off.

CPU Cooler: Undecided

• Here is where I am up in the Air. I know the A4-SFX V3 supports a 92mm radiator (Asatek 545LC). However, since I do not plan on overclocking will a Noctua NH-L9i suffice for the 8700? I also do not want to mess with undervolting in order to reduce heat to avoid throttling, I would rather just throw a overkill cooling solution at it and walk away.

Question 3: Is an Asatek 545LC over kill for this application and will a NH-L9i be sufficient?

Question 4: If I do run the Asatek 545LC will I need to setup a fan to cool all the other MoBo components? I have seen builds with zip-tied 120mm fans, or even some small 40mm fans tucked into which ever nook/cranny they will fit.

GPU: Undecided

• It will be an Nvidia GPU since I run a G-sync monitor so I am waiting to see what gets released this summer. I am in no rush to build this thing since I won’t even be getting the case until next month anyway. It will also be a blower style cooler as that is what Dan recommends for his case.

Storage: Samung 970 Evo + Crucial MX500 M.2 SSD

• Likely two M.2 Drives. One will be a 500gb Samsung 970 Evo acting as the Boot & main Games drives. The 2nd will be one the newer 1TB Crucial MX500 drives as the main storage/dump drive. I am trying to see if I can completely migrating away from the 2.5” SATA form factor.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my wall of text. As things comes together over the coming months I will update this thread, even though it will be pretty cookie cutter. Thank you ahead of time for your help and input. This is a really great community and I look forward to gradually becoming a part of it.

Kindest Regards,
Pedro

 

[jtd871]

Case: Nice choice
PSU: I'd wait until you choose all the components that draw power. I'm guessing the Noctua mod is for noise.
CPU: The k chips are better binned, and should run cooler at stock frequencies if you don't overclock or use MCE.
Mobo: See CPU. You could still run a k CPU in a H mobo, and might even still get some power tweaking options depending on the BIOS. You should read reviews of the mobo to see if the cover poses an issue.
CPU cooler: The CPU will run at a higher turbo frequency at lower power draw with better cooling. If the H370 mobo has covers over most of the components, I'd lean toward being not so worried about needing to provide spot cooling if you go AIO, especially in this case.
GPU: Your call. If the power draw of the card you choose is no more than a 1060 or maybe even a 1070, I'd consider an open cooler card, as the A4 can handle it, and it will be quieter than a blower.
Storage: Probably the right (but pricier) call to eliminate SATA cables.

If you're going to make this your log thread, ask a mod to move it to the Build Logs section.

 

[Pedro]

CPU: The k chips are better binned, and should run cooler at stock frequencies if you don't overclock or use MCE.

Wait... What? You're saying a 95 watt TDP i7-8700K will run cooler at stock speeds vs a 65 watt TDP non-k version? I guess I am confused about the TDP rating of the processors and it's significance on heat production relative to the CPU coolers capability. The NH-L9i asks that you use a 65 watt TDP max CPU. I am all for spending a bit more $ if it means things run cooler and are more stable.

I will also wait to buy the PSU until all my components are selected. I see that the build linked in your signature runs a SF450, but you are also running a 1060. My GPU plan is to run a 1080 or it's next gen equivalent (1180? or whatever they end up calling it).

If you're going to make this your log thread, ask a mod to move it to the Build Logs section.

I am not so sure my build is really worthy of a Build Log post, it's pretty plain. I just wanted a place to ask questions and get input from everyone.

 

[Thehack]

Wait... What? You're saying a 95 watt TDP i7-8700K will run cooler at stock speeds vs a 65 watt TDP non-k version? I guess I am confused about the TDP rating of the processors and it's significance on heat production relative to the CPU coolers capability. The NH-L9i asks that you use a 65 watt TDP max CPU. I am all for spending a bit more $ if it means things run cooler and are more stable.

I will also wait to buy the PSU until all my components are selected. I see that the build linked in your signature runs a SF450, but you are also running a 1060. My GPU plan is to run a 1080 or it's next gen equivalent (1180? or whatever they end up calling it).



I am not so sure my build is really worthy of a Build Log post, it's pretty plain. I just wanted a place to ask questions and get input from everyone.

TDP is moving target. The 8700K will clock faster but you can easily undervolt it, reduce multiplier, or reduce clocks in windows. Buying a regular 8700 means you can't go back and overclock should you want to.

Tdp rating on coolers is quite worthless as there is no set standard that they measure it with.

I personally would get a 2600X unless you specifically want Intel. Soldered chips make it easy to handle temps and performance value is great.

And for the build post, many people begin build post with plans and ideas and get feedback. It's perfectly fine.

 

[Pedro]

My thought process for CPU selection is this...

• I run a G-sync Monitor and really enjoy the smooth frames, In turn the GPU will continue to be a Nvidia.
• Nvidia GPUs tend to have slightly better performance characteristics when paired with Intel Processors (very slightly)
• Since this is a pure gaming rig i will get more in-game performance from higher clock speeds. So I feel like the goal is to get the maximum clock speed for the lowest TDP possible.

... if this logic is flawed please correct me. I am wide open for suggestions as I have only purchased the case thus far.

Also, I am really looking for a plug-n-chug solution here and am not interested in getting into the over/under clocking realm with this build. I know that feels kinda sacreligous here but I want to move away from the tweeking game.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

I am not so sure my build is really worthy of a Build Log post, it's pretty plain. I just wanted a place to ask questions and get input from everyone.

Once it has pics, it becomes a build log . Do not hesitate to ping one of us once you've added pics. I'll gladly promote it to a build log.

 

[Thehack]

My thought process for CPU selection is this...

• I run a G-sync Monitor and really enjoy the smooth frames, In turn the GPU will continue to be a Nvidia.
• Nvidia GPUs tend to have slightly better performance characteristics when paired with Intel Processors (very slightly)
• Since this is a pure gaming rig i will get more in-game performance from higher clock speeds. So I feel like the goal is to get the maximum clock speed for the lowest TDP possible.

... if this logic is flawed please correct me. I am wide open for suggestions as I have only purchased the case thus far.

Also, I am really looking for a plug-n-chug solution here and am not interested in getting into the over/under clocking realm with this build. I know that feels kinda sacreligous here but I want to move away from the tweeking game.

Intel is faster if you're using fast monitors. They're just faster in single thread due to higher clocks but that's just the case, nothing to do with Nvidia. I wouldn't worry about a few percentage. Just giving some feedback for more bang for your buck.

There's hardly any tweaking. Just got into the BIOS and give it a -100mV offset or reduce the multiplier and continue on. But aside from that...

The L9i will just cool an 8700 and it won't be very quiet at full loads.

My Dan case is on order and I'll be running a 1070 and 1700.

 

[Pedro]

Intel is faster if you're using fast monitors. They're just faster in single thread due to higher clocks but that's just the case, nothing to do with Nvidia. I wouldn't worry about a few percentage. Just giving some feedback for more bang for your buck.

There's hardly any tweaking. Just got into the BIOS and give it a -100mV offset or reduce the multiplier and continue on. But aside from that...

The L9i will just cool an 8700 and it won't be very quiet at full loads.

My Dan case is on order and I'll be running a 1070 and 1700.

Thanks for the feedback! What will you be using to cool your 1700?

 

[Thehack]

Thanks for the feedback! What will you be using to cool your 1700?

The only thing that fits is the Noctua NH-L9a. Other coolers causes turbulence. We should be seeing a 48mm cooler later this year similar to Dan's HSLP-48

 

[Pedro]

The only thing that fits is the Noctua NH-L9a. Other coolers causes turbulence. We should be seeing a 48mm cooler later this year similar to Dan's HSLP-48

Dan dropped the production of the HSLP-48 correct? I was really looking forward to that cooler.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Intel is faster if you're using fast monitors. They're just faster in single thread due to higher clocks

Clocks speed alone doesn't make single thread performance better. It is a factor of the IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) and the frequency.

The theorical GFlops of a CPU is calculated as follow: IPC x number of cores x stock frequency (GHz). AMD bulldozer architecture is a good example. It had higher frequency, but worse IPC. It resulted in bad single thread / frequency ratio.

 

[Thehack]

Clocks speed alone doesn't make single thread performance better. It is a factor of the IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) and the frequency. AMD bulldozer architecture is a good example (higher frequency, but worse IPC, resulted in bad single thread)

Indeed. I didn't bother to mention it because Ryzen/Intel are pretty close in IPC nowadays.

 

[Pedro]

GPU is on the way.

Was looking at one of these Zotac GTX 1080 Mini's back when I was considering a S4M case.

Low-and-behold you can get one at MSRP right now on newegg.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...00414&cm_re=zotac_1080-_-14-500-414-_-Product

$549.99 Regular Price
-$20 Mail in Rebate
-$30 with Promo Code EMCXPUEX4

$499.99 Total

Pretty good deal I think. Not really sure what I will do with the extra space though. I was reading through D10S's build here..

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/d10s-dan-a4-7920x-1080ti-mini-x299-itx.6927/

...and it gave him some free space to drop in a custom AIO rad. At the very least it gives me more space for cable management and maybe a fan or something.

Also trying to figure out how to add a carry handle onto the A4 SFX w/o adding bulk. Something that folds down like the carry handle on top of old eastern block rifles.

 

[Pedro]

Micro Center just told me the Corsair SF600 was being discontinued and they no longer stock it. It has also been out of stock at newegg for awhile. I think I can get it on amazon, but it still worries me that its going away.

Running my numbers on Cooler Masters Power Supply Calculator its suggesting 468 watt is my basement hence why I was looking at the 600 watt in SFX form factor. Are there other good options around this same wattage in SFX form factor that you guys would suggest in case Amazon doesn't work out?

 

[tinyitx]

Micro Center just told me the Corsair SF600 was being discontinued and they no longer stock it. It has also been out of stock at newegg for awhile. I think I can get it on amazon, but it still worries me that its going away.

Maybe the staff at Micro Center is misinformed or maybe they wish you to buy another PSU simply because they do not have the SF600 in stock.
SF600 has been out of stock here locally as well from Feb to April but I am seeing local stores are getting stock back since late April.

More importantly, back in early March, Corsair rep said ''SF450/600 is not EOL''.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/sf450-600-eol.6803/

 

[loader963]

I bought 1 back in early April late March. I don’t think they are eliminating it. But by golly, they need to do something with the power cables. They are so horrendous, especially in tight places.

I’ve also had a silverston sfx 600 that worked well for me. Plus the cables are softer and bend easier. I know a few here are skeptical of them, but I regret not buying another one of them instead of the Corsair, mainly because of the cables.