zeph·yr
/ˈzefər/
(n.)
A gentle, mild breeze. It does not disrupt, nor cause chaos; it merely brings a warm, pleasant sensation on a summer day.
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XEPHYR DRIFTR
West Wind Drifter
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Salutations, all!
I'm new to.. well, everything regarding building a PC, how the components work, and what each part does, but I'm determined to learn and pretty darn set on building something that's so intimately intertwined with my life and played such a large role in shaping who I am as an individual.
My main goal is this: to build a PC robust enough it can withstand constant travel, small enough I can slip it and all its needed cables and peripherals into a single backpack, and powerful enough to tackle modern games on high settings, at 1080p and with a stable 60fps.
So I did some research. Originally I was leaning towards the Silverstone Sugo SG13B, with the mesh front for improved airflow, when a kind Redditor suggested I take a look at the Skyreach 4 Mini... And, well; the rest, they say, is history. I fell irrevocably in love with the little aluminium enclosure, and my original 'portable PC' budget of $700 pretty much doubled as I tried to find parts worthy of being in such a beautiful case.
My eyes burn looking at my PCPartPicker list, haha.
Perhaps it's unnecessary when I could make a decent rig for half that price, but.. aluminium is much hardier than plastic. It'll be an investment!
So yeah. Without further ado:
I'm new to.. well, everything regarding building a PC, how the components work, and what each part does, but I'm determined to learn and pretty darn set on building something that's so intimately intertwined with my life and played such a large role in shaping who I am as an individual.
My main goal is this: to build a PC robust enough it can withstand constant travel, small enough I can slip it and all its needed cables and peripherals into a single backpack, and powerful enough to tackle modern games on high settings, at 1080p and with a stable 60fps.
So I did some research. Originally I was leaning towards the Silverstone Sugo SG13B, with the mesh front for improved airflow, when a kind Redditor suggested I take a look at the Skyreach 4 Mini... And, well; the rest, they say, is history. I fell irrevocably in love with the little aluminium enclosure, and my original 'portable PC' budget of $700 pretty much doubled as I tried to find parts worthy of being in such a beautiful case.
My eyes burn looking at my PCPartPicker list, haha.
Perhaps it's unnecessary when I could make a decent rig for half that price, but.. aluminium is much hardier than plastic. It'll be an investment!
So yeah. Without further ado:

TL;DR:
Newbie to PC-building, fell in love with S4M.
My budget weeps but my heart has hardened.
Halp
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P C • P A R T • P I C K E R • L I S T
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Newbie to PC-building, fell in love with S4M.
My budget weeps but my heart has hardened.
Halp

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P C • P A R T • P I C K E R • L I S T
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For $176.00)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9a 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B350-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($204.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Crucial - BX300 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $99.99)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (Purchased For $179.99)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Fractal Design - FD-FAN-SSR2-50 4.6 CFM 50mm Fan ($11.86 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Fractal Design - FD-FAN-SSR2-50 4.6 CFM 50mm Fan ($11.86 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Prolimatech - Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($32.40 @ Amazon)
Other: NFC Skyreach 4 Mini ($199.00)
Other: Machined ON/OFF Switch ($32.00)
Other: SkyWire Cables - 8 Pin (CPU) ($12.00)
Other: SkyWire Cables - 8 Pin (GPU) ($15.00)
Other: Polarized C8 Connector ($9.00)
Other: 3D Bezel - Zebrawood (S4M) ($60.00)
Other: NFC Shipping ($15.00)
Other: Dynamo Mini 160 DC-ATX ($58.00)
Other: HDPLEX 160W AC-DC ($55.00)
Other: HDPLEX Shipping ($3.00)
Other: SFFLab Shipping ($25.00)
Total: $1475.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-01 22:33 EDT-0400
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For $176.00)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9a 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($45.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B350-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($139.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($204.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Crucial - BX300 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $99.99)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (Purchased For $179.99)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Fractal Design - FD-FAN-SSR2-50 4.6 CFM 50mm Fan ($11.86 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Fractal Design - FD-FAN-SSR2-50 4.6 CFM 50mm Fan ($11.86 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Prolimatech - Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 55.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($32.40 @ Amazon)
Other: NFC Skyreach 4 Mini ($199.00)
Other: Machined ON/OFF Switch ($32.00)
Other: SkyWire Cables - 8 Pin (CPU) ($12.00)
Other: SkyWire Cables - 8 Pin (GPU) ($15.00)
Other: Polarized C8 Connector ($9.00)
Other: 3D Bezel - Zebrawood (S4M) ($60.00)
Other: NFC Shipping ($15.00)
Other: Dynamo Mini 160 DC-ATX ($58.00)
Other: HDPLEX 160W AC-DC ($55.00)
Other: HDPLEX Shipping ($3.00)
Other: SFFLab Shipping ($25.00)
Total: $1475.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-01 22:33 EDT-0400

I've been looking into build videos and stalking-- I mean, scouring-- NFC's YouTube to try and glean what parts I could use for my own build, and it's largely similar to the Brickless BOM on his page. Haha. I was a little worried the G.Skill Trident Z's wouldn't fit, but they're listed in the BOM so they probably do?
Anywho- I'll probably switch the CPU out for something slightly weaker since I don't /really/ need an i7 in my build when i5 or even i3 will probably do me just fine... It'll make my budget sag a little less, at the least.
So yeah! I'm gonna paint this thing blue like the sky and name it something cool, but I wanted to know first if this looks like it would be a viable build before I go and actually buy the parts.. sometime nearer to summer, probably.
Anywho- I'll probably switch the CPU out for something slightly weaker since I don't /really/ need an i7 in my build when i5 or even i3 will probably do me just fine... It'll make my budget sag a little less, at the least.
So yeah! I'm gonna paint this thing blue like the sky and name it something cool, but I wanted to know first if this looks like it would be a viable build before I go and actually buy the parts.. sometime nearer to summer, probably.

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I N S P I R A T I O N
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The builds that influenced the final form.

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C H A N G E L O G
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The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
C H A N G E L O G
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The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

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R E S E A R C H
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The research I've done in the pursuit of making this project a reality, compiled into a sort of 'masterlist' for anyone that might find it helpful to have all the resources in one area for easier, speedier reference.
1st grade level TL;DR:
The key is to look and see if the power supply is labeled DC-DC or AC-DC. You need both.
------------Step 1: AC-DC----------------
AC power is what comes out of your wall. DC power is what computer electronics run off of (and batteries).
You need to convert the AC that comes out of your wall to DC before your computer can use it.
This is accomplished with a AC-DC power supply.
------------Step 2: DC-DC------------------
Once you have DC power you need to get it to your PC components. Computers have lots of different plugs and voltages. You need a DC-DC power supply to handle the task of getting every part their correct voltage and power.
-----------Step 3: Why you are confused--------------
Think of a standard ATX power supply that you are used to as two power supplies in one. It is a AC-DC converter, and a DC-DC distributor. You plug in your giant ATX power supply into the wall, it converts the voltage to DC, and then it separates the the DC voltages into 12v, -12v, 3.3, and 5v and distributes it to each part in your PC.
-----------Step 4: Divide and Conquer-------------------
The MINI seeks to save space by chopping an ATX power supply in half. Outside of the case you have your AC-DC power supply or "power brick" and inside the case you have your DC-DC power supply (Dynamo Mini 200 DC-DC, HDPLEX 400 DC-DC, Pico 160 XT DC-DC, G-Unique DC-DC).
The theory here is that this saves space with the current PSU technology we have.
-----------Step 5: The exception to the rule--------------
The S4 MINI phenomenon has spurred progression in the development of compact AC-DC power supplies. Think of these as small power bricks that you can fit inside the case. Examples are the HDPLEX 160 AC-DC, and HDPLEX 300 AC-DC. You still need a DC-DC power supply so you can power your individual parts.
-------------Step 6: These aren't really steps anymore are they?--------------
You can post in @Kmpkt subforum as he makes power supplies for the MINI. I'll let him explain them.
R E S E A R C H
╰ ◦ ¤ ╯
The research I've done in the pursuit of making this project a reality, compiled into a sort of 'masterlist' for anyone that might find it helpful to have all the resources in one area for easier, speedier reference.
1st grade level TL;DR:
The key is to look and see if the power supply is labeled DC-DC or AC-DC. You need both.
------------Step 1: AC-DC----------------
AC power is what comes out of your wall. DC power is what computer electronics run off of (and batteries).
You need to convert the AC that comes out of your wall to DC before your computer can use it.
This is accomplished with a AC-DC power supply.
------------Step 2: DC-DC------------------
Once you have DC power you need to get it to your PC components. Computers have lots of different plugs and voltages. You need a DC-DC power supply to handle the task of getting every part their correct voltage and power.
-----------Step 3: Why you are confused--------------
Think of a standard ATX power supply that you are used to as two power supplies in one. It is a AC-DC converter, and a DC-DC distributor. You plug in your giant ATX power supply into the wall, it converts the voltage to DC, and then it separates the the DC voltages into 12v, -12v, 3.3, and 5v and distributes it to each part in your PC.
-----------Step 4: Divide and Conquer-------------------
The MINI seeks to save space by chopping an ATX power supply in half. Outside of the case you have your AC-DC power supply or "power brick" and inside the case you have your DC-DC power supply (Dynamo Mini 200 DC-DC, HDPLEX 400 DC-DC, Pico 160 XT DC-DC, G-Unique DC-DC).
The theory here is that this saves space with the current PSU technology we have.
-----------Step 5: The exception to the rule--------------
The S4 MINI phenomenon has spurred progression in the development of compact AC-DC power supplies. Think of these as small power bricks that you can fit inside the case. Examples are the HDPLEX 160 AC-DC, and HDPLEX 300 AC-DC. You still need a DC-DC power supply so you can power your individual parts.
-------------Step 6: These aren't really steps anymore are they?--------------
You can post in @Kmpkt subforum as he makes power supplies for the MINI. I'll let him explain them.
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