S4 Mini 190: DESERT SCOUT

[Smallform Gaming]

This has been a work in progress for six months.
My goal was to build a rig that would play World of Tanks at 100+ FPS for under $1,000 and to use the S4 Mini as the case.
The basic build was under $1,000 using the 65w efficient AMD FM2+ 845 Carrizo CPU.
I took some of the money I saved and spent it on customization and a sweet one of two in the world powder coat.
Basic parts list:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/smallformgaming/saved/4n2jXL

 

[Smallform Gaming]

 

[Smallform Gaming]

Not the greatest of RAM but good for a budget and essential for the build.
Crucial Ballistix DDR3 VLP

Lower than the Noctua N9L cooler....
That's what I need.

A bracket and a Gelid 120mm x 15.8mm blue led fan.
What is this madness?
Will it fit?

 

[GentlemanShark]

Looks great! Can't wait to see the final project.

 

[Smallform Gaming]

4 Allen screws.
It can't be this easy....

Another Gelid 120mm x 15.8mm Blue LED fan....
Will this fit?

Easy day so far.

Gelid connector for a gelid fan.



Night mode.

A big thank you to Josh for making my military themed mini a reality. Having one of only two CARC (chemical agent resistant coating) cases from you is a true privilege.

http://www.milspray.com/products-services/touch-up-paint-coatings/usar/why-carc

It was great working with you. Getting a case painted in the same coating as military vehicles is awesome.
Thanks!

*Photo by Josh of NFC.

*Photo by Josh of NFC.

 

[GreatestUnKnown]

Build looks awwesome @Smallform Gaming! I actually intended to do the same on my future build of desert tan or coyote brown. Was going to try a combo paint and plastidip color change with weathering/distress so that the black showed through but might change my plans now since there is no comparing to actual CARC...

Again, OUTSTANDING results!

 

[Smallform Gaming]

SSD side mounting Location.

Everything fits... barely.

Zero space between 24pin and 120mm fan. I had to use my 250w 24p cable.

 

[CubanLegend]

WOW, AMAZING! I thought the low profile DDR3 you were talking about in the S4 mini thread was nice but I now see WHY you did it! Boy do I wish there was Very Low profile DDR4 (with RGB and ASUS AURA SYNC, a man can dream)...

Not the greatest of RAM but good for a budget and essential for the build.
Crucial Ballistix DDR3 VLP

Lower than the Noctua N9L cooler....
That's what I need.

WOW! that is truly very low profile!

A bracket and a Gelid 120mm x 15.8mm blue led fan.
What is this madness?
Will it fit?

Now THIS is S4 mini cooling creativity!

So did you do a temp test on the stock Noctua NH-L9i fan and this one? What was the difference, did you get a measurable drop in temps? I gotta know!

Wow! that custom switch looks awesome, coupled with the wifi antenna's this S4 looks like its a peice of custom military equipment. Not to mention the paint is spot-on!

SSD side mounting Location.

If you are looking for more M.2 spots on your build, if there is ever any VLP DDR4 I'd consider moving up to the ASUS z270i as it's the first Mini-ITX with dual M.2 slots on the motherboard. Where did you mount your current M.2? in place where the HDPLEX would go?

EDIT: OH I see! up by the GPU area! Nice unique M.2 placement.

 

[Smallform Gaming]

WOW, AMAZING! I thought the low profile DDR3 you were talking about in the S4 mini thread was nice but I now see WHY you did it! Boy do I wish there was Very Low profile DDR4 (with RGB and ASUS AURA SYNC, a man can dream)...



WOW! that is truly very low profile!

Now THIS is S4 mini cooling creativity!

So did you do a temp test on the stock Noctua NH-L9i fan and this one? What was the difference, did you get a measurable drop in temps? I gotta know!

Wow! that custom switch looks awesome, coupled with the wifi antenna's this S4 looks like its a peice of custom military equipment. Not to mention the paint is spot-on!

If you are looking for more M.2 spots on your build, if there is ever any VLP DDR4 I'd consider moving up to the ASUS z270i as it's the first Mini-ITX with dual M.2 slots on the motherboard. Where did you mount your current M.2? in place where the HDPLEX would go?

EDIT: OH I see! up by the GPU area! Nice unique M.2 placement.

*No FM2+ ITX board exists with M.2 SSD slot installed. This is a budget build with an efficient $70 AMD former laptop turned desktop CPU and not a $300+ intel chip. I had to get creative.

 

[CubanLegend]

*No FM2+ ITX board exists with M.2 SSD slot installed. This is a budget build with an efficient $70 AMD former laptop turned desktop CPU and not a $300+ intel chip. I had to get creative.

Oh, i understand now. Sorry if I missed it in your earlier posts.

Well , maybe Rizen can change that for you in the future? and you can evolve this budget build on that Ryzen socket ITX boards once they come out and prices drop.

 

[Phuncz]

@Smallform Gaming I've merged about 15 seperate posts into three, there's no need to seperate every photo in another post. By the way, you can also link IMGUR albums using the MEDIA button (the film reel icon) if you prefer.

I like the approach to the M.2 SSD and the low profile "profile" of your base board setup ! Very nice !

 

[Smallform Gaming]

So did you do a temp test on the stock Noctua NH-L9i fan and this one? What was the difference, did you get a measurable drop in temps? I gotta know!


Wow! that custom switch looks awesome, coupled with the wifi antenna's this S4 looks like its a peice of custom military equipment. Not to mention the paint is spot-on!

1. The 120mm Gelid fans are incredibly quiet and both the 1060 GTX and CPU are very cool.
I went from a less ventilated case to a more ventilated purpose built one in the mini the cooling difference between the Travla 137 and the actual mini is night and day.
The 120mm GPU fan was a very easy mod thanks to an intelligently designed inno3D 1060 card and innovative S4 Mini design but the CPU fan was a nightmare to install and I don't have temperatures to compare yet. I do plan on replacing the screws as the fit was so tight I had to remove one screw to get the panel on. When I do that I can run some tests. For now, my system runs cool and looks cool with blue 120mm LEDs on either side.
To install the 120mm fan over the CPU required exact steps to be followed and lots of cramming... it took hours.

2. Thanks! I actually debated using a regular switch or coming up with something more military looking. I'd display it more but II scratched the Vulcan switch and also broke one of the solder connections for the blue LED so I ordered another one through Josh.
*This is a link to the mod. You just pull the old generic switch out and put a replacement 16mm Vulcan switch in.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U1JF0VY/?tag=theminutiae-20

 

[Ceros_X]

Nice, I see a lot of that CARC paint every day lol. Now you just need to stencil your S4 Mini # in flat black spray paint to be rounds complete.

 

[GreatestUnKnown]

NFCSNS4190... no impact no idea for NSN in supply SSgt.

 

[zovc]

Man... excellent work on that fan mod. It looks so much better than the Noctua fan which would haveeven actually matched your color theme! (Which is like a one-in-a-million occurrence that Noctua's fan would match anything.)

I know you said that mod was a pain, but I'm super tempted to try it myself if only because it looks so damn good. Is there any chance you could give a step-by-step on how you got it done?

 

[Smallform Gaming]

Rear facing Laptop GPU blower works and adds another memory slot.
*You need a slimline SATA adapter.


+gaffer tape
+panel

 

[Smallform Gaming]

*System CPU

Idle temp: 38C
Gaming temp: 42-45C

 

[Smallform Gaming]

A story about the CARC S4 Mini Paint. (The most expensive paint to hit an S4 Mini)
My build is custom designed for playing World of Tanks at a high FPS with low cost in a mini case.
I wanted something unique that would reflect my passion for the tank game and after discussing options with Josh we came up with the possibility of using military spec federal CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coating) paint. (This was in July of 2016)
The problem with CARC paint is that it is extremely expensive ($600+ a gallon), unavailable in small quantities, only available to certain contractors, and has a ridiculously low shelf life. "Samples" aren't available and I was trying to buy some in the off-season. The person Josh works with was all out of paint so competitors were sought out. Months later (December 2017), through Josh's tenacity and dedication, finally one supplier was reached who had a small amount of it leftover and was willing to sell it. The paint turned out fantastic and it has a completely unique textured feel that is a mix of grip-tape and a chalkboard. It is also very durable and presumably could weather a chemical agent attack, which is both terrifying and interesting to think about. Most of all, it looks like a mini piece of military equipment that I enjoy playing tanks on. The upshot of this whole thing is that in addition to the base case price, and the highly expensive powder coat, I also made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/) on top of the powder coat. With the small amount of CARC paint that was obtained, Josh was able to powder coat a second S4 mini that will likely be used as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project in the future. As a service member and fourth generation veteran, taking care of my brothers and sisters in arms is a concern of mine. I can't wait to see what happens when what is likely the only other CARC painted SFF PC case in the world goes up for a sale to see what it sells for and to see what the new owner does with it.

 

[zovc]

Hey, I asked about your heatsink/fan mod and I wasn't sure if you maybe missed my question so I wanted to ask again:

Man... excellent work on that fan mod. It looks so much better than the Noctua fan which would haveeven actually matched your color theme! (Which is like a one-in-a-million occurrence that Noctua's fan would match anything.)

I know you said that mod was a pain, but I'm super tempted to try it myself if only because it looks so damn good. Is there any chance you could give a step-by-step on how you got it done?

 

[Smallform Gaming]

*I haven't forgotten about it.
I just haven't had the time to respond. What motherboard would you be using?