S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

xcrco

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Apr 16, 2017
111
84
Nice build you got there!! thanks for sharing! so 1060 6GB is really doable on a 160 + 330w!! this validates my long time question!
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
832
1,011
smallformfactor.net
Does anyone know if G.Skill Ripjaws V ram fits in the Mini? From what I was able to find it is supposed to be too tall to fit in the Mini, but when I look at my NH-L9i and the ram together in my current build they are the same height.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/nfc-systems-s4-mini.96/page-122#post-39183

Looking at that build it would fit, but I just want to make sure it does before I go and buy some new ram.
Try asking the guy who posted that build on reddit. :) https://www.reddit.com/r/sffpc/comments/61poc5/my_s4_mini_came_in/
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,466
www.nfc-systems.com
Nice build you got there!! thanks for sharing! so 1060 6GB is really doable on a 160 + 330w!! this validates my long time question!

Yes, it absolutely works. This thread is really big so I am sorry that info like that is hard to find. But I have done several of those builds no issues. The HDPLEX 160 + Dell 330 has been perfect for 1060 builds for me.
 

FF48

Cable Smoosher
May 18, 2017
8
9
hello there @Josh | NFC im wondering if you are using usps for shipping in Canada,i 'm trying to figure out the customs i will have to pay.Thanks for answering me!
 

|||

King of Cable Management
Sep 26, 2015
775
759
No, continental USA...all of the US except for Alaska, Hawaii, and island territories and commonwealths.
 
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Al Hoff

Average Stuffer
Feb 25, 2017
80
144
I've seen a few pictures of people's builds and their hardware and what not... But I haven't really seen many pictures of how the s4 mini looks in that persons environment. How nice does it fit by sitting on the desk, where do you put it, etc. So if you have a s4mini I would love it if you posted a picture of your setup.
 
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CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
832
1,011
smallformfactor.net
I've seen a few pictures of people's builds and their hardware and what not... But I haven't really seen many pictures of how the s4 mini looks in that persons environment. How nice does it fit by sitting on the desk, where do you put it, etc. So if you have a s4mini I would love it if you posted a picture of your setup.

Here's two videos of my S4 Mini in my bedroom (note these videos were originally shot to showcase the temps during 3D Mark Firestrike and Timespy, and to showcase the HDPLEX-300's coil whine as well.)

And here's where it's placed now.

I recently did a mod on the backside of my SSD/SSHD drives with some black Gaffer's tape and so it helps make the case even MORE incognito when I drop all the lights and do a theater/movie night, which is like almost every night in my room. :D thanks again @Josh | NFC for the beautiful white/clear power button, I was able to disable it's LED by not plugging in the LED power and it still works but helps keep the case out of sight in the dark. :) and the clear part matches the frosted acrylic! :D
 
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FF48

Cable Smoosher
May 18, 2017
8
9
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Zero

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 27, 2017
120
262
Hi all, I have a sneak preview of the new HDPlex 400w, and some exciting developments regarding the fight against coil whine.

I've had the both of the HDPlex 300w DC-DC models, and as you all may have seen I have driven my HDPlex 300w PSUs rather hard with overclocked 970's, 1080's, and even 1080ti's, often approaching the PSU peak ratings. When benchmarking and playing high-end games, I've had some noticeable coil whine. Sometimes it is from the cards themselves (Zotac mini cards seem particularly susceptible because they don't have room for many VRM phases etc.) and sometimes it is from the HDPlex. Not only do I push my system harder than most, but I leave my S4 Mini half-naked with the front of the case and bezel removed, plus it is only two feet from my head; nothing to muffle the noise.

Anyway, I discovered that all of the coil whine from the 300w HDPlex was being generated from the 12v inductors (the two exposed large copper coils). I went ahead and bought some JB Weld "ClearWeld" on Amazon for $3.50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009EU5ZM0/?tag=theminutiae-20 , then mixed it up, applied a smear to both coils, and let it cure for 24 hours. I did a before/after sound recording and the results are substantial. The coil whine is only about half as loud with epoxy applied to the coils, making it much easier for fan/ambient noise to cover it up.

I relayed all this to Larry from HDPlex, and he was kind enough to send me a prototype of the new 400w DC-DC PSU, with the twin inductors seriously beefed up in size!

I'm happy to report that under the same conditions of my 300w PSU coil whine test, the 400w PSU is completely inaudible. I pushed the 1080ti up to a 120% power limit and 120Mhz core overclock, and still no noise while running Valley and Superposition benchmarks. I could only hear a faint buzz if I held the 400w PSU literally an inch from my ear. Any further away and the system/GPU fans would cover it up, whether under load or idling.

Here is a pic of the JBWeld, then the 300w PSU with that epoxy on both inductors. Finally, the prototype 400w PSU is shown at bottom. Note that the prototype came with no heatsinks, so I used some thermal tape and heatsinks I had laying around to build my own. At max system load with passive cooling, the heatsinks only got slightly warm to the touch with the ambient temperature at 71f:



Here is a screencap from one of my benchmarking runs with the new 400w PSU:



According to that I'm in the top 200 posted scores for that benchmark, and I'm just running a founders edition 1080ti with the stock cooler and a modest overclock. Kudos to HDPlex for what's shaping up to be the best DC-DC PSU yet!
 

FF48

Cable Smoosher
May 18, 2017
8
9
Hi all, I have a sneak preview of the new HDPlex 400w, and some exciting developments regarding the fight against coil whine.

I've had the both of the HDPlex 300w DC-DC models, and as you all may have seen I have driven my HDPlex 300w PSUs rather hard with overclocked 970's, 1080's, and even 1080ti's, often approaching the PSU peak ratings. When benchmarking and playing high-end games, I've had some noticeable coil whine. Sometimes it is from the cards themselves (Zotac mini cards seem particularly susceptible because they don't have room for many VRM phases etc.) and sometimes it is from the HDPlex. Not only do I push my system harder than most, but I leave my S4 Mini half-naked with the front of the case and bezel removed, plus it is only two feet from my head; nothing to muffle the noise.

Anyway, I discovered that all of the coil whine from the 300w HDPlex was being generated from the 12v inductors (the two exposed large copper coils). I went ahead and bought some JB Weld "ClearWeld" on Amazon for $3.50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009EU5ZM0/?tag=theminutiae-20 , then mixed it up, applied a smear to both coils, and let it cure for 24 hours. I did a before/after sound recording and the results are substantial. The coil whine is only about half as loud with epoxy applied to the coils, making it much easier for fan/ambient noise to cover it up.

I relayed all this to Larry from HDPlex, and he was kind enough to send me a prototype of the new 400w DC-DC PSU, with the twin inductors seriously beefed up in size!

I'm happy to report that under the same conditions of my 300w PSU coil whine test, the 400w PSU is completely inaudible. I pushed the 1080ti up to a 120% power limit and 120Mhz core overclock, and still no noise while running Valley and Superposition benchmarks. I could only hear a faint buzz if I held the 400w PSU literally an inch from my ear. Any further away and the system/GPU fans would cover it up, whether under load or idling.

Here is a pic of the JBWeld, then the 300w PSU with that epoxy on both inductors. Finally, the prototype 400w PSU is shown at bottom. Note that the prototype came with no heatsinks, so I used some thermal tape and heatsinks I had laying around to build my own. At max system load with passive cooling, the heatsinks only got slightly warm to the touch with the ambient temperature at 71f:



Here is a screencap from one of my benchmarking runs with the new 400w PSU:



According to that I'm in the top 200 posted scores for that benchmark, and I'm just running a founders edition 1080ti with the stock cooler and a modest overclock. Kudos to HDPlex for what's shaping up to be the best DC-DC PSU yet!

Nice benchmark!there is no plate on the hdplex?
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
832
1,011
smallformfactor.net
Hi all, I have a sneak preview of the new HDPlex 400w, and some exciting developments regarding the fight against coil whine.

I've had the both of the HDPlex 300w DC-DC models, and as you all may have seen I have driven my HDPlex 300w PSUs rather hard with overclocked 970's, 1080's, and even 1080ti's, often approaching the PSU peak ratings. When benchmarking and playing high-end games, I've had some noticeable coil whine. Sometimes it is from the cards themselves (Zotac mini cards seem particularly susceptible because they don't have room for many VRM phases etc.) and sometimes it is from the HDPlex. Not only do I push my system harder than most, but I leave my S4 Mini half-naked with the front of the case and bezel removed, plus it is only two feet from my head; nothing to muffle the noise.

Anyway, I discovered that all of the coil whine from the 300w HDPlex was being generated from the 12v inductors (the two exposed large copper coils). I went ahead and bought some JB Weld "ClearWeld" on Amazon for $3.50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009EU5ZM0/?tag=theminutiae-20 , then mixed it up, applied a smear to both coils, and let it cure for 24 hours. I did a before/after sound recording and the results are substantial. The coil whine is only about half as loud with epoxy applied to the coils, making it much easier for fan/ambient noise to cover it up.

I relayed all this to Larry from HDPlex, and he was kind enough to send me a prototype of the new 400w DC-DC PSU, with the twin inductors seriously beefed up in size!

I'm happy to report that under the same conditions of my 300w PSU coil whine test, the 400w PSU is completely inaudible. I pushed the 1080ti up to a 120% power limit and 120Mhz core overclock, and still no noise while running Valley and Superposition benchmarks. I could only hear a faint buzz if I held the 400w PSU literally an inch from my ear. Any further away and the system/GPU fans would cover it up, whether under load or idling.

Here is a pic of the JBWeld, then the 300w PSU with that epoxy on both inductors. Finally, the prototype 400w PSU is shown at bottom. Note that the prototype came with no heatsinks, so I used some thermal tape and heatsinks I had laying around to build my own. At max system load with passive cooling, the heatsinks only got slightly warm to the touch with the ambient temperature at 71f:



Here is a screencap from one of my benchmarking runs with the new 400w PSU:



According to that I'm in the top 200 posted scores for that benchmark, and I'm just running a founders edition 1080ti with the stock cooler and a modest overclock. Kudos to HDPlex for what's shaping up to be the best DC-DC PSU yet!
WHAAAAAT!? Interesting! So that's where you've been all this time, @Zero You must've been so excited to share this wealth of info with us. Good on Larry from HDPLEX for sending you a prototype 400W unit! You are a brave man to test that on your HDPLEX-300 like that. How did you figure out that epoxy would be the fix, is the coil whine just a result of the inductors vibrating and creating that whine?

Would you recommend this for others to do as well?
Do you have any tips to make the results the best possible?
What are any possible negative risks/dangers or long term effects of this epoxy being applied to the HDPLEX-300?
Have you applied any Epoxy to your 1080mini to see if it would reduce coil whine coming from it? I'd like to also explore this option.

So, you said you ended up recording before and after noise levels for the 300. Did you also record noise levels for the 400 in the same test situation? Could you post those audio/video results please? I'm REALLY interested in doing this Epoxy thing to my HDPLEX-300 if it'll HALF my coil whine. :D

@hdplex To be perfectly honest, I only wanted the HDPLEX-400W to eliminate the coil whine I get from my 7700k/1080mini/HDPLEX-300 system. sorry Larry :( I guess I'll be buying that JB Weld "ClearWeld" instead of an HDPLEX-400, I'm not really looking to jump up from my 7700k/1080 anytime soon and the HDPLEX-300 is MORE than enough for my current system. The 1080 Ti mini is tempting for higher 4K FPs at Ultra settings but I'm satisfied right now at 4K with a few dropped settings to achieve 60fps.

But a NOTE to all future S4 Mini customers without an HDPLEX yet! Preorder/Buy this HDPLEX-400, it is going to be amazing if you dont have an HDPLEX-300 already, the thing has 400W operating and 500W peak in a TINY form factor! So I highly would recommend it, since coil whine is now gone, and you'll then have the ability to upgrade your S4 mini's internals down the line and still be within PSU power limits.
 
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m_power20

Trash Compacter
May 16, 2017
39
21
@CubanLegend Since you have what I understand to be just about the pinnacle of S4 Mini builds, let me ask you. Could I expect from that build too be able to run any (or at least most) games in ultra settings @ 1440p/60+fps?
 
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