S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,936
Someone photoshop these onto an S4 Mini please, I'm trying to wrap my head around what it would look like.

 

Al Hoff

Average Stuffer
Feb 25, 2017
80
144
I actually own quite a few of these cone shaped feet that Josh is selling. They may not be the best option on soft woods, if you put a lot of weight down [more than a s4 mini with hardware inside] they will make little round holes (I never really notice them..). HOWEVER hard wood is a different story, takes quite a bit of force to yield the same results as the softwood does. So hopefully that reassures some of you and maybe deters others. Either way you have options. Josh has at the very least provided you all with the idea on how to attach feet so you may all embark on making your s4 mini, YOUR s4 mini. He has given you a canvas, now paint! lol..
 

Broxin

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 16, 2017
188
135
without going through 163 pages. is there a list where i can see which cpu coolers are heightwise
(45mm from cpu heatspreader to ceiling of the case) compatible with the S4 mini case ?

I want to buy sme and compare but woud like to avoid buying coolers that dont fit.

also are 90', 120' or 140' fans applicable onto the cpu?


wanted to try these:

Samuel 17
arctic freezer 11 LP
cryorig c7
titan ttc-nc25/hs
cooltek LP53
cooltek ITX30
Inter-Tech 88885216 T-318
Zalman cnps2

any other that werent tested yet and fit into the s4 ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Biowarejak

Biowarejak

Maker of Awesome | User 1615
Platinum Supporter
Mar 6, 2017
1,744
2,262
without going through 163 pages. is there a list where i can see which cpu coolers are heightwise
(45mm from cpu heatspreader to ceiling of the case) compatible with the S4 mini case ?

I want to buy sme and compare but woud like to avoid buying coolers that dont fit.

also are 90', 120' or 140' fans applicable onto the cpu?
There is really no substitute for doing your own research, but in all fairness I don't think I've read this entire thread yet myself. :p

Pretty sure PCPartPicker would let you do a quick search with that height requirement though :)
 

Reldey

Master of Cramming
Feb 14, 2017
387
405
without going through 163 pages. is there a list where i can see which cpu coolers are heightwise
(45mm from cpu heatspreader to ceiling of the case) compatible with the S4 mini case ?

I want to buy sme and compare but woud like to avoid buying coolers that dont fit.

also are 90', 120' or 140' fans applicable onto the cpu?


wanted to try these:

Samuel 17
arctic freezer 11 LP
cryorig c7
titan ttc-nc25/hs
cooltek LP53
cooltek ITX30
Inter-Tech 88885216 T-318
Zalman cnps2

any other that werent tested yet and fit into the s4 ?
Take a look at this:

 
  • Like
Reactions: Phuncz

Broxin

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 16, 2017
188
135
There is really no substitute for doing your own research, but in all fairness I don't think I've read this entire thread yet myself. :p

Pretty sure PCPartPicker would let you do a quick search with that height requirement though :)

Why not? im here to tinker. Thats the fun of building the S4 (SFF in general)

Take a look at this:


Thanks, yeah i knew this video, i still want to see if i can make some other cooler than these Josh tested to work in the S4.

Problem is that the precise height is nowhere written on these coolers
 
  • Like
Reactions: nix and Biowarejak

Biowarejak

Maker of Awesome | User 1615
Platinum Supporter
Mar 6, 2017
1,744
2,262
Why not? im here to tinker. Thats the fun of building the S4 (SFF in general)
I mean I'm here to tinker also :p but doing your own reading/research ensures that nothing you might care about is missed and personally I've only just recently had an actual consumer-minded interest in the S4 Mini so I've not done all my reading yet.
 
Last edited:

Broxin

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 16, 2017
188
135
NHL9i vs NHL9i* vs LP53* vs LP53 w/i7-7700k Delidded* - RESULTS! (+bonus alternate "mini" VRM heatsinks installed!)

PICS of the Delid process adventure, skip these and look at the results below if you like :) (theres a bonus video in there showing the ACTUAL delid moment, too!)

... Well, wonder NO MORE!

PRE/POST DELID TEMP RESULTS DISCLAIMERS:
1)
AMBIENT TEMP was 74F/23C at all times
2) * means my Z270i's VRM heatsinks were removed
3) Results were taken with the S4 Mini Side Panels On, in a vertical position (power button near the bottom)
4) Synthetic Benchmark temps taken after 10 minutes, or until i hit 99C (with timestamps included)
5) Gaming all done at 1080p in most CPU intensive area I could find, or using the game's built-in benchmark

Here's how I gathered my temps: My temp numbers were taken from the hottest core (core0) noting the highest temp that core had hit during the 10 minutes of continuous load from said benchmark/game. If the benchmark/game was showing erratic spiking of temps up/down within a range, I would take the average hottest temp of that range (ex: if spiking from 75-80c I'd average that to 77c).

  • averaged temps marked with a "~" RealBench, AIDA64,and Watch_Dogs 2 fluctuated within a Temp Range, and the temp noted is an average.
  • the orange temp delta shows the difference between the LP53 and the LP53 with the delid
  • the GREEN temp delta is used to show the difference between my "stock NHL9i" temps and my new "LP53 w/Delid" temps :D

Synthetic Benchmarks:
Prime95_v26.6____IDLE__________LOAD

NHL9i Stock_______39c_________99c@5min (FAIL) on core0, cores1-3 averaged 93c
NHL9i *___________39c_________97c on core0, cores1-3 averaged 91c
LP53 *____________36c_________92c on core0, cores1-3 averaged 86cc
LP53 & Delid*______35c_________79 on core0 , cores 1-3 were ALL at 77c (13c from pre-delid LP53) (-20c from "NHL9i Stock")

Realbench Stress___LOAD
NHL9i Stock_______~99c@2min (FAIL)
NHL9i *___________~94c@
LP53 *____________~90c@
LP53 & Delid*______~76c@ (-14c from pre-delid LP53) (-23c from "NHL9i Stock")

x264 Custom Load___LOAD
NHL9i Stock______99c@2min (FAIL)
NHL9i *__________97c@10min
LP53 *___________ 95c@10min
LP53 & Delid*_____ 78c@10min (-15c from pre-delid LP53) (-21c from "NHL9i Stock")

Intel Burn Test (Standard) Hottest Core after 10 runs
LP53 *___________99c@1min (FAIL)
LP53 & Delid *____75c (-24c from pre-delid LP53)

AIDA64 System Stress Test (15 minutes)
LP53 *___________~92c
LP53 & Delid *____~78c (-14c from pre-delid LP53)

Thats an average 14c temp drop (on the hottest core) from from pre-delid LP53 to Delidding, ALONE.
But let's look at where I started with the NHL9i w/VRM heatsinks on... then this becomes a total average of 20C temp drop (on the hottest core) on these synthetic benchmarks, going from an NHL9i, to an LP53 without VRM heatsinks, and then a CPU delid! :D

Gaming Benchmarks
Watch Dogs 2:
LP53 *___________~83c
LP53 & Delid *____~69c

Mirror's Edge Catalyst:
LP53 *___________77c
LP53 & Delid *____63c

Batman Arkham Knight:
LP53 *___________70c
LP53 & Delid *____57c

Gears of War 4 Benchmark:
LP53 *___________61c
LP53 & Delid *____55c

Rise of the Tomb Raider Benchmark:
LP53 *___________64c
LP53 & Delid *____59c

That's an average 13c temp drop (on the hottest core) in these Real-world PC-game tests!

BONUS Pics of adjustments to the Motherboard VRMs (which were bare after removing the stock VRM heatsink towers). You can buy them here


BONUS pics of adjusting my rear M.2 mounting with the proper spacer:


So... the delid was sucessful. I'm going to attempt to go for 5GHz now and see if I'm stable at a low enough vcore and temps. If not I'm fine with thie 7700k at stock turboboost clocks (4.5GHz @ 1.2vcore)

Thanks to all of you who helped me with this build in this SFF community of ours. This brings the main phase of this build's progress to an end... FOR NOW!

Things that might make me update this thread in the future:
  • A new 1080ti Mini from ZOTAC that fits in the S4 mini ...? (praying for one at least, if not for me but so Josh can get more customers! and more can join the SFF or S4 Mini community!) XD
  • The release of PC 4K/UHD Bluray PC Players, so I can drag all my 4K blurays that havent been ripped yet along with me when i take it with me for movie nights.
This post took me WAY TOO LONG to do, so glad my long-format updates are over for this build...

... and now that the latest version of CEMU is relased, I'm off to play Zelda Breath of the Wild in Glorius 4K! and then take the S4 to a friends house for some Mario Kart 8 4-player couch-multiplayer in Glorious 4K on his projector! :)
Very nice tests, thanks.

I have a few questions:

*Why have you removed the stock VRM heatsinks?
*so the LP53 is way better than the noctua that everybody prises as the best one?
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
Very nice tests, thanks.

I have a few questions:

*Why have you removed the stock VRM heatsinks?
*so the LP53 is way better than the noctua that everybody prises as the best one?
*I removed the ASUS Z270i STRIX's stock VRM heatsinks because the stock VRM heatsinks were blocking airflow around the CPU heatsink/fan, so I had increased airflow which helped with temps, also this gave me extra room to fit and install the LP53.

*Yes, the LP53 was slightly better than the NHL9i, by about 2-4 degrees, depending on the situation. The REAL drop in temps came after I delidded the CPU, I recommend that if you plan to have any i7 inside an S4 Mini. :) Just remember that I had to custom mount the NF-A9x14 fan onto the LP53 with Zip-ties, which made the installation a little bit more time consuming, but for me and the lower CPU temps, it was totally worth it.
 

W1NN1NG

King of Cable Management
Jan 19, 2017
616
532
*I removed the ASUS Z270i STRIX's stock VRM heatsinks because the stock VRM heatsinks were blocking airflow around the CPU heatsink/fan, so I had increased airflow which helped with temps, also this gave me extra room to fit and install the LP53.

*Yes, the LP53 was slightly better than the NHL9i, by about 2-4 degrees, depending on the situation. The REAL drop in temps came after I delidded the CPU, I recommend that if you plan to have any i7 inside an S4 Mini. :) Just remember that I had to custom mount the NF-A9x14 fan onto the LP53 with Zip-ties, which made the installation a little bit more time consuming, but for me and the lower CPU temps, it was totally worth it.
Did you manage to get any tests with the L9i and the idcooling fan from the vc45?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broxin

Broxin

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 16, 2017
188
135
*I removed the ASUS Z270i STRIX's stock VRM heatsinks because the stock VRM heatsinks were blocking airflow around the CPU heatsink/fan, so I had increased airflow which helped with temps, also this gave me extra room to fit and install the LP53.

*Yes, the LP53 was slightly better than the NHL9i, by about 2-4 degrees, depending on the situation. The REAL drop in temps came after I delidded the CPU, I recommend that if you plan to have any i7 inside an S4 Mini. :) Just remember that I had to custom mount the NF-A9x14 fan onto the LP53 with Zip-ties, which made the installation a little bit more time consuming, but for me and the lower CPU temps, it was totally worth it.
Not a problem, i allready delidded and fluidmetalled all my cpu's at home and got roughly 20*C better temps :)

Not a problem with time. Im here to tinker ;)
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
Did you manage to get any tests with the L9i and the idcooling fan from the vc45?
Sorry I dont own the VC45, thats the vapor chamber cooler that I remember Josh did a review of on youtube, and it didnt perform as well as it should've. The NF-A9-x14 PWM fan from the NHL9i is the best fan you can put on your CPU right now if you have an S4 Mini. :) I havent tried the new slim 120 Noctua fan, because I'm satisfied with my current temps and setup. :)
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
Did you manage to get any tests with the L9i and the idcooling fan from the vc45?

I do this test here:

(TL;DW there is nothing good about the VC-45, I'm sorry to say)

As for the other info there is also an index in the first post with some info on this topic. Please let me know if you find more stuff worthy to be on the index so I can add it!

All these (specific) cooler permutation questions have been answered several times in this thread--I know it is frustrating to hear--I am not trying to be annoying, but just to let you know that the info is here and it has been tested. I haven't seen a new cooler combo in a while that hasn't been tested and I try to follow the thread. Going through all the pages sucks--don't do that. Use the search feature. You can try putting my name in there with the cooler name, or Cuban's or someone else who likes to talk about coolers. Again, ONLY saying this to be helpful--not annoying. <3 <3 <3

I've posted a couple times all the reasons I consider the NHl9i to be the best of the lot out of the box. The LP53 as Cuban has shown in his detailed post (link to it on index) is the king if you want to mod it and your motherboard a bit...but not really by much. You can get superb results from just taking off the stupid heat spreaders that block the NHl9i.

Another note @Kmpkt is working on a cooler right now to take the best of all worlds and we are all wishing him luck.

Peace
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
I've posted a couple times all the reasons I consider the NHl9i to be the best of the lot out of the box. The LP53 as Cuban has shown in his detailed post (link to it on index) is the king if you want to mod it and your motherboard a bit...but not really by much. You can get superb results from just taking off the stupid heat spreaders that block the NHl9i.
Thanks for making this point, I agree that for most users just looking for the best temps with the easiest setup: I'd also recommend the NHL9i with it's stock A9x14 PWM fan, just like Josh says. As long as you've delidded your i7, and removed the big VRM heat spreaders on the ASUS z270i mobo, your CPU will be cooled just fine by the NHL9i and it's stock fan, with minimal to zero modding required. :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Biowarejak

Broxin

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 16, 2017
188
135
All these (specific) cooler permutation questions have been answered several times in this thread--I know it is frustrating to hear--I am not trying to be annoying, but just to let you know that the info is here and it has been tested. I haven't seen a new cooler combo in a while that hasn't been tested and I try to follow the thread. Going through all the pages sucks--don't do that. Use the search feature. You can try putting my name in there with the cooler name, or Cuban's or someone else who likes to talk about coolers. Again, ONLY saying this to be helpful--not annoying. <3 <3 <3

I've posted a couple times all the reasons I consider the NHl9i to be the best of the lot out of the box. The LP53 as Cuban has shown in his detailed post (link to it on index) is the king if you want to mod it and your motherboard a bit...but not really by much. You can get superb results from just taking off the stupid heat spreaders that block the NHl9i.

Another note @Kmpkt is working on a cooler right now to take the best of all worlds and we are all wishing him luck.

Peace

ok, allow me to ask, i am going through the thread right now, until now i did not see this:

how would the Cryorig XT140 x 13 would be as a 140mm whole system cooler ?
if im not mistaken it also would fit over the GPU wouldnt it ?

anybody tried this one ?

P.s. i also thought you would recommend the Zalman over the noctua because of omnidirectional airflow ?
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
ok, allow me to ask, i am going through the thread right now, until now i did not see this:

how would the Cryorig XT140 x 13 would be as a 140mm whole system cooler ?
if im not mistaken it also would fit over the GPU wouldnt it ?

anybody tried this one ?

P.s. i also thought you would recommend the Zalman over the noctua because of omnidirectional airflow ?

Don't go through the thread, you will be old by the time you finish. Cheat and use google or the search function :D

A couple people have tried it. You could PM them for more info. The big issue is going to be getting enough air pressure with a fan that big to cool your CPU block.

The Zalman with a fan over it can indeed out-perform the NHl9i stock in certain configurations. But there are lots of weird things you can do with certain configs that varies depending on your exact hardware layout. The LP53 mods for instance. The Zalman with a thin fan over the top works best with very neat cable management.

All MINIs work best though with the inverted vertical format.

Peace
 
  • Like
Reactions: Biowarejak