Log Portable workstation (K77 Lite)

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Next step in the never-ending series of The Portable Workstation (R/T(f)M): K77 Lite, a 11.6L classic layout SFF Case. It allows for CPU air coolers up to 135 mm height, but also a 120 mm AIO, ATX or SFX / SFX-L PSU, and 3 slots, 280 mm max length GPU.

This is just a placeholder for now, but as soon as I've disassembled everything in the S400 v2 and start moving it into the K77 Lite, this is gonna be updated.


Case: K77 Lite (11.6L)
Specs: The same as of my portable workstation (Ryzen 9 7950X + RTX 4070), but going to try out different air cooling solutions (Silver Soul 110, Noctua NH-D9L, Silver Soul 135).

Spoiler: Full system specification

Case: SGPC K77 Lite
CPU: Ryzen 9 7950X + Thermal Grizzly Contact & Sealing Frame
MB: Asrock B650E PG-ITX
RAM: 64 GB DDR5 5200 (main build) / 32 GB DDR5 5600 CL30 (test build) - both Corsair Vengeance
Storage: 2x 2 TB (FireCuda 530 + SK Hynix P41)
PSU: Corsair SF750 (2018)
GPU: Inno3D RTX 4070 Twin X2 OC White Stealth with "hidden" power connector
Case fans: Silverstone Air Slimmer 120 (top EXHAUST), be quiet! Silent Wings 4 HS 120 (bottom intake), Noctua NF-A9 (back intake)

​

Modding plans:​

1. Bottom fan mounting with zip ties and bendy wires for now, maybe some kind of 3d-printed mounting attachment, that fits right into the vents, in the nearby future; third option: modify the existing 92 mm fan bracket
   
   
2. Mounting fans on top of the case, because the options inside are very minimal and dont help at all to improve thermals; potentially adding a custom top hat in the nearby future
   
   
3. Add spacer / duct for the back intake fan - Most annoying noise, its either the fan vibrations hitting the case, despite using the classic anti-vibration corners (its a NF-A9), or its the fan intake grill pattern (Fractal Terra effect) - used the 3 mm spacer of the Noctua FD-1 fan duct kit
   
   
4. Replace side panel with one custom made from a meshlicious side panel - work in progress
   
   
5. Add fan duct - the test run with the cardboard fun duct proved to be successful, so with the changed side panel, we might go in a nice direction (maybe not as overkill as Optimum Tech, but certainly better)
   
   
6. Add side vents as an exhaust option (mainboard panel) - only if the meshy side panel doesnt improve the hotbox situation in the top / front corner of the case
   
   
7. Replace the USB slots + power switch, either move them to the side or create a cutout in the front, and have some fancy wood layer cover them
   
   
8. Relocate the power extension cord to the outer TOP of the back panel - instead of the most idiotic after-thought that it originally was put, ie. right above the PCI slot AND thus, right above any regular m2 slot. With this, it should neither interfere with cables running in the back of the case (eg. 8 pin CPU / EPS) nor with any fans (120 mm exhaust on top). The original location for the 2x 92 mm fans is wasted space anyway, as they DO NOT HELP EXHAUSTING. AT. ALL!
   
   
9. Replace the case feet with taller ones, preferably also while improving aesthetics (rectangular / angled feet vs.the current stubby round ones)
   
   
10. Replace the case feet with FOLDABLE ones - because less space wasted during transport = more space for other components

Done so far:​

a) Bottom fan mount:
- mounted a 120 regular sized fan to the case bottom, below the GPU (P12 Max)

b) Top fan mount:
- mounted a slim 120 mm fan (SilverStone Air Slimmer 120) to the case top, as much to the front as possible (PSU extension cord blocks about 2 cm)

c) CPU cooler test #1: Installed and tested the NH-D9L, dual-fan setup, configured as intake - no UV or CO applied yet, sometimes spikes to 87° C, but the rest of the time, 79° C was the limit, idle at 37° C

d) CPU cooler fan duct test #1: Did a test run with cardboard fan ducts. Dropped temps by 1° C for max temp and by 6° C for spikes.
Plans are to try another one with an additional exhaust duct, and also with reverted fans, ie. top intake => CPU cooler => back exhaust.

e) Arctic S8038-10 as fan duct: NOT recommended. Mounting is pretty rough, and noise level is .. bearable with closed case. But would work great in a situation when having to go through a 92 or 80 mm wide radiator.

f) CPU Cooler test #2: Thermalright Silver Soul 110 installed, single fan setup. Max temp 79° C, with spikes to 82° C. Tested with dual-fan with the S8038, but not recommended, noise-wise. Cooling? Superb. But nobody wants a jet turbine next to ones ear

g) CPU Cooler test #3: Same, but dual-fan setup - max temps 76.1 °C, and no changes, even with additional loads. Also, the NVMe stayed much cooler throughout the whole process (at max 45° C). So the Thermalright SS 110 is indeed superior to the NH-D9L, even just with a single fan + a not directly attached back intake fan

h) CPU Cooler test #4: Arctic P9 Max + NF-A9 (kind of) dual-fan setup - max temps 72.9° C, but: ITS LOUD.

i) CPU cooler test #5: Silver Soul 135 with original fan (1850 rpm / 82 CFM / 2.1 mmH2O, 3W) - installed and prep'd, everything connected again, back intake fan (NF-A9) is now connected to the second fan header instead of a splitter cable.

j) CPU cooler test #6: Silver Soul 135 with Arctic P12 Max (3300 rpm / 81 CFM / 4.65 mmH2O, 0.96W) + Thermalright SS 110 92 mm fan as case intake + air duct mod semi-dual fan setup - default mode (170W), NOT 105W cTDP eco!

Pictures:​

1. Arctic S8030 + NF-A9 on Noctua NH-D9L madness
2. Current setup with Thermalright Silver Soul 110 and Noctua NF-A9 as case intake fan, with fan duct detail

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Have finished disassembling the S400 V2 build.

Findings: Sadly, the HDPlex GaN 500 is too tall for this particular combination; would work if my GPU was shorter.
So its back to the SF750.

Other findings, about the case itself: A 120 mm slim fits on top. But even a 140 mm slim (Air Slimmer) fits!

Also, at the bottom, a 140 mm Silent Wings 4 Pro fits as well (two would fit). Oh, and of corpse regular 120 mm fans (tested with Arctic P12 Max). Obviously it'd be all zip-tie action, but nevertheless, not a bad amount of options

Decided to unplug the USB + on/off switch, nearly losing the actual button. Gonna replace it with a cut-to-size option of the S400 V2 switch, hence glowy lights

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

The advantage of the K77 Lite is: Its all cheap - so, no mismatched elements of "premium vs. ultra-cheapskates" like in the U320 aka MC Elite. A lot of things are actually solved quite clever, eg. how the PCI slot covers are mounted (just a middle throng bent in the other direction), etc.

Alas, because there is no slot "side" holder / bracket, I cannot reuse the USB 3.2 Gen 2 PCI panel, as its just flopping around without the additional bracket. So I'm going to rely on the same solution that i used in the Meshlicious build, ie. an externally mounted USB 3.2 + USB 3.0 3.5" insert (which I pimped with several strips of magnet tape).

In terms of bottom fans, I just have to test whether full-sized or slim 120 / 140 mm fans are gonna improve temps, or if its gonna do the opposite. At worst, I'd have to install fans on the outside (slim ones, but with my planned taller feet this should be no issue).

For the PSU, in the nearby future, I definitely want white cables.This would make the setup look much less like a random checkerboard.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Gonna see how far I can go with the front stuff. Like, I got this 3.5" USB 3.2 + USB 3.0 insert, and the old method certainly is nice, but I'd rather have it stuck inside and peaking out to the front, like its kinda supposed to.

Ie. not the whole thing, but just the circuit board where everything is attached to.

What I'd also love to see - but cannot find - is a on/off switch which is attached to a PCI panel. Would make things so much easier. Yes, thousands of external ones, but thats not what I want or need ..

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Noctua NH-D9L installed and ready to go.

Apparently I got the wrong mounting kit, but it looks like its sitting all tight as its supposed to be, so I just gonna see if temps are horrible, and if so, gonna order the apparently missing? up-to-date SecuFirm 2 AM5 mounting kit.

Alas, the info text on the NH-D9L package reads: ... for AM4 and AM5, so maybe its a different setup than the other ones?
Whatever. We'll see soon

2 NF-A9, set to intake, classic NR200 setup.

On a side note: Pressure with the AXP90-X53 was VERY good. Compared to the AXP120, this looked very very solid. Yes, the AXP120 was also nice, but the usual "pressure patterns" looked better with the smaller "direct mount" of the AXP90.

Anyways, after the NH-D9L its reinstall time and we continue with the Silver Soul 110. Gonna be interesting, as I dont have a second fan for this, except the Noctua ones. Maybe I gonna try with the original SS 110 fan, then with a NFA9 + SS 110 fan, and optionally also with the Skythe Kaze 92, as this one should offer similar CFM - not identical, the SS 110 92 mm fan is like the top tier of regular 25 mm fans, but it should do for a decent comparison.

My goal is to determine if the smaller CPU coolers are still solid enough to both cool and run with a decent noise level, compared to the Silver Soul 135, which is up at the end.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Decided to try my luck, and clip off the sides of the USB + power button mount of the case. Worked after a bit of wiggling around. Removes the totally overlengthy clutter of the USB 3.0 stuff. Remounting requires 2x M3, either 4 mm or 6 mm long. I only had one left, the other disappeared in the void of my .. clutter, essentially. Tried a M3 x 4 mm, and albeit its a bit short, it still keeps the reduced power switch securely in place

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

BTW: An 80 mm fan would fit much better on the back of the NH-D9L - or in the front. Currently pondering about getting an Arctic S8038-10K, that'd fit absolutely well between case and the CPU heatsink (there is like 1 - 2 mm left, and thats basically covered by the side fold of the case).

cu, w0lf

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

I think the worst decision for the K77 Lite (V3 I think it is) was the position of the PSU extension cord. It exits right above the GPU, below the regular position of the CPU cooler. Even that by itself is only semi-bad, if they hadnt cheaped out on the PSU extension as well - if it was an angled one, similar to the one supplied with the A4-H2O, it would be easy to route. With this, its just the most idiotic option ever.

Take a look at it in the installation video for the K66 Lite, the position is identical:



If you are into shaky cam effects, here's one with the actual case:




A simple fix for this would be to supply a different mounting option at the bottom corner of the PCI slots, ie. an additional cover panel with either a cutout for the PSU extension cord + screw holes, or just a shorter cover with a screw hole at the end of it, and a screw hole at the bottom.

That'd allow easy and cheap alternative routing, even if you had to replace the extension cord with a longer one, and the outer border of the glass side panel would easily be able to hide away the fact that you've routed the cable this way, eg. PCI slot, panel side, up to the front and snaking over to the PSU itself.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Installation notes: You really cannot install the EPS cable if the mainboard is already installed in the case. Its waaaay too tight, even with flat plyers, to reach in there.

At least the supplied screwdriver is pretty neat, and magnetic, to help with those very narrow passage-ways.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Another installation note: Getting ANYTHING installed on the top section of the case is a brutally painful job. Maybe instead of making sure to somehow fumble the PSU extension socket in, they just should have added about 1 - 2 cm more of distance between the MB and the top of the case.

For each and any simple operation like adding a fan connector to the board, you have to completely remove the MB again, else you're either going completely mad, break something OR break your fingers.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Ok, first test run: Looks like my not so AM5ish SecuFirm2 kit by Noctua totally works.
79° C at full load after 10 minutes, with a sudden spike to 87° C and directly down back to 79° because the background update check idioticy that is also part of "modern" Linux distributions these days. Oughta admit I havent optimized anything yet, so this is the first thing I gonna shoot down as soon as I get a bit more time with fiddling around in the system.

Idle at 37° C, and the cooling concept seems to work very well, too.

Also, no more overheating NVMe.

There was an annoying fan noise going on, but I couldnt really identify which of the 4 fans (technically, 5) was creating it, but I hope its either the top exhaust (SilverStone Air Slimmer 120) or the bottom intake (Arctic P12 Max).

The fans have been attached to the case with simple twisty wire, so if anything is stuck too near and thus giving off nasty vibrations, its totally because of that.

So the to do list is like:
- properly mount the fans to the case
- add the feet - or maybe even better, use the feet screws together with the longer feet i got myself for the A4-H2O
- properly mount the PSU extension plug - I did indeed route it via the lower bottom PCI slot corner, and it perfectly fits in there, just its not yet firmly attached to the case
- optionally add a second fan below the GPU
- put the side panel back on


And then, when all the basics are done, get on with the task of testing the other 2 CPU Coolers, ie. Silver Soul 110 and the 135
This thing is gonna look so swell when its gonna sit in place of my AP201


Oh, and also to-do: Get a different side panel.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

I properly mounted the P12 Max to the bottom of the case - now it doesnt hum massivelly anymore. The other option would have been to switch to the Scythe Kaze 92s that are still decorating the empty shell of the SAMA IM01.

Might replace the P12 Max with its identical sibling in white, just to match the style. Alas, there is no decent slim 120 fan, so the theme is only gonna continue at the bottom.

Maybe also get a slim 92 mm fan for the intake, and funny enough, the 15 mm Thermalright in white has got more oomph in terms of CFM than a regular Noctua NF-A9

In terms of theme, I am pondering going for white and gold, or maybe white, gold and copper. Something like that. Would let me get away with cutting up the front to properly add the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (= 20 Gbit/s); ie. I could cover the part with some fancy wood or so.

Also done: Adding the case feet. Originally wanted to reuse the ones I added to the A4-H2O, but I couldnt find the cardboard box. So we go with the original ones - FOR NOW. Those are easily replaced anyway. Something like the rectangular ones for the AP201 would fit much better, than the round ones they come with per default.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Its kinda weird: The case would totally support 120 mm fans at the bottom. There is enough openings, too. But instead, they decided to just add 92 mm mounting options.

Gotta write up a proper review of this at some point, but this could be a much nicher case if there were a few changes for a, lets say, K77 Lite V4:

- additional mounting options for 120 mm fans at the bottom
- optional routing of the PSU extension cord at the back bottom corner of the case, eg. with two different covers
- mounting "hooks" for the PCI slots, similar how its done in the S400 and S300; its just a protrusion, easily done.
- a side vent on the mainboard panel side, towards the front, at best with mounting options for fans, but if not, just a simple long vent row from top to bottom would help dissipate the heat much better; that area is a constant hot box
- maybe: USB slots placed above each other and not spaced out, and in its internal structure, distached from the power switch

And optionally:
- an additional side panel with the same hole / vent pattern as the top and bottom panel

I wouldnt mind paying a few more money units for this either.

Right now, my plans are to implement most of this myself, ie.:

- bottom fan mounting with zip ties and bendy wires for now, maybe some kind of 3d-printed mounting attachment, that fits right into the vents, in the nearby future.
- improved mounting of the top fan, and also adding another slim fan above the PSU
- if the hotbox situation continues, a nice opening / vent pattern to the side
- custom side panel made from a meshlicious side panel
- replace the USB slots + power switch, either move them to the side or create a cutout in the front, and have some fancy wood layer cover them

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Form follows function: Trying out a DIY cardboard air channel for the NH-D9L. Its all fancy card board and black heat-resistant duct tape

If that helps, good - order the "proper" stuff aka NA-FD1

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Results with fan duct (10 minute run, full load):

- max temp: 78° C
- spikes: 82° C
- noise level: meh (pretty obvious, but yeah)


So thats 1 C in overall temps and 6° C improvement for spikes.

Currently a bit more concerned about the heat box on top than the intake. Gonna try the "original" setup of 2x 92 mm fans, lets see if it improves anything.

After that, a bit of UV tests, and then its time to switch over to Thermalright

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Next test: Figuring out if the Air Slimmer 120 was causing the fan noise, or if its the P12 Max again.

Also to test: Can we use the S400 top fan mounting bracket as a BOTTOM mounting bracket for 120 mm fans?
Both of these cases have that "stick" with the mounting brackets being attached to the side of the case, so this might work out.
Size-wise, it should, but whether it works out well in terms of noise .. thats an entirely different kettle of fish.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Ok, P12 Max being pissed off as usual. Lets hope the mounting bracket is gonna help.

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Replaced the P12 Max with a "leftover" SW 4 HS*. Looking good. Guess its all white SW 4 Pro next
The anti-vibration mounts with the simple plugs with padded washers is soooo helping to keep the noise = vibrations down.

Wish Arctic had such a kit, just like an add-on sold for the P12 Max or so.

cu, w0lf.

* leftover as in: It was a replacement fan for the SL 2 280, because the regular top 140 was blocking parts of the ATX power connector. The 120, even with the noctua 120 to 140 adaptor bracket, was still short enough so I could successfully install the the plug.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Ok, using the 2x 92 mm fans on top as "the creators intended" leads to worse temps.

After 15 minutes, the overall temps hover at max load between 79.9 and 81.6° C, NMVE is at 55.9 (which was stuck at 50° C with the 120 slim on top).
Also, heat removal of the hot box corner / side panel has become worse as well.

Overall, the case really needs side vents AND a 120 mm + 80 or 2x 60 mm fan on top. At best, 2x 120 mm mounting options would be the holy grail, but thats already a structural issue (except moving the PSU bracket 1 - 2 cm lower).

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Helpful things to remember: The Silverstone FTF 6025 as well as the 4010 come with lots of accessories, including long fan mounting screws with .. I guess its called hand-fastening screw nuts?

Anyways, reused 3 of them with the Air Slimmer 120, and also am using the daisy chain PWM cable to connect both the FTF 6025 and the Air Slimmer 120. The setup is going to be: 60 mm fan in the case back, the 120 mm directly follows and sits snuggly right before the PSU mounting bracket.

This setup has another advantage: As I still want to test the other two CPU coolers, removing the fans on top is being improved vs. going with zip ties or anything else. Just unscrew the nuts, remove the screws, next fans and finally the connector. Remove the mainboard, install the next CPU cooler, and reassemble the top fan configuration backwards. The FTF 6025 can actually be left connected because its just so small and easy to reinstall.

Well, thats at least the plan. We're gonna see how this one fares as soon as I do the replacement dance.

Before that, I want to test with the top fan placement, and also do some UV, to get the best possible results from the current setup (7950X in 105W Eco mode + NH-D9L dual fan).

cu, w0lf.