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S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
314
306
Outer case shell is currently being powder coated. Polling the forum: How many of your current GPUs have coil whine under load? Wonder if I should just forget about it or RMA it. I RMA'd my 970 Strix and it fixed it so I'm curious if I should do the same. I know it's normal, but it's honestly quite noticeable just a foot and a half from my face.
Would have no idea. I am using fans and not the current gpu shroud to cool it and there is no coil wine. The loudest part of my system I think is the cpu fan.
 

spintje

Average Stuffer
Feb 16, 2017
55
24
I have some coil whine, but i am unable to identify whether the source is the HDPLEX 400w or the MSI Aero 1070, however i only hear it during benchmarks such as 3DMark or Unigine Superposition, when i game it's completely inaudible.
 
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W1NN1NG

King of Cable Management
Jan 19, 2017
616
532
I can hear mine on my 1060 aero itx without my headset. When I wear my headset I can't. So im living with it because I don't have speakers so there's no point in rmaing it
 
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lac29

Average Stuffer
Apr 1, 2017
67
40
I have some coil whine, but i am unable to identify whether the source is the HDPLEX 400w or the MSI Aero 1070, however i only hear it during benchmarks such as 3DMark or Unigine Superposition, when i game it's completely inaudible.

Wasn't the 400w designed to NOT have any coil whine?
 
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Dezz

Chassis Packer
Jun 13, 2017
18
10
Does anyone know a lot about surge protectors and could recommend me a good travel sized one that would be appropriate for my S4 build + a monitor? Say max power draw is probably around 500 watts, and total equipment cost (that will be plugged into surge protector) is about $2000.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,936
Wasn't the 400w designed to NOT have any coil whine?

The 300W tended to whine towards the upper limits of its rating. Since you can't really eliminate coil whine completely, the point was to increase the rating and capacity of the unit so that similar system builds would be at a lower percentage of the capacity of the unit, hopefully not triggering coil whine. I suspect most people just went "Oooh higher power budget" and pushed the unit closer to 400W.
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
The 300W tended to whine towards the upper limits of its rating. Since you can't really eliminate coil whine completely, the point was to increase the rating and capacity of the unit so that similar system builds would be at a lower percentage of the capacity of the unit, hopefully not triggering coil whine. I suspect most people just went "Oooh higher power budget" and pushed the unit closer to 400W.

Yeah it's a never ending goalline, unfortunately. :(
 
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DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
314
306
Just want to drop this off here

S4 mini redone
Tried the S4 skins Josh has and I will say if you are not accustomed to putting screen protectors on or skins on your phone you may have some difficulty. I had no difficulty at all doing the front bezel but it did need a little stretching to fit perfectly. The single panel was easy as well. However the wrap around panel was rough for me. I have a couple areas I need to work out but you can only tell if you looked really hard.

I am not sure about the most optimal way to install these maybe Josh can chime in. I know if you pull on them to much it will stretch out and cause issues. I used some soapy water spray to help with minor movements.

All in all i like them. I wanted to practice on one before doing the one royalba designed. Btw he did the cables for this as well.
 

Zero

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 27, 2017
120
262
I have some coil whine, but i am unable to identify whether the source is the HDPLEX 400w or the MSI Aero 1070, however i only hear it during benchmarks such as 3DMark or Unigine Superposition, when i game it's completely inaudible.

It is almost certainly the R22 inductors on your graphics card. I got a prototype HDPlex 400w without the heat sink so the two giant inductors were completely exposed and I was able to put a mic right up to them at all sorts of loads, no coil whine whatsoever.

Unigine Benchmarks make my Founders Edition 1080ti whine like hell too, but a normal game with a frame limit set to match my monitor is of course much less audible, plus when I'm playing games I'm wearing headphones.

The last like, 5 years of graphics cards all use the same R22 inductors in them for voltage regulation and that's what causes the noise when your PSU is silent. The custom boards that use way more power phases and inductors than needed are more likely to avoid whine, where the cards that skimp on the inductors (i.e. some cheap reference cards) or can't fit enough in the first place (i.e. Zotac Mini series) are more susceptible.

Someone crazier than me could try desoldering all the R22 chokes from a GPU, running long, high gauge wires to them, and putting them all together in an acrylic tube filled with mineral oil. Acrylic and mineral oil both dampen sound a *lot* so the inductors likely wouldn't have the kinentic energy to whine through that even if they're resonating.

EVGA, Gigabyte and some others have sold supplemental power phase boards that you were supposed to solder on to your existing graphics cards, but they don't seem to make them anymore. I bet they would solve whine too: http://wccftech.com/gigabyte-showca...computex-2014-compatible-r9-290x-gtx-780-ghz/
 
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CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
Someone crazier than me could try desoldering all the R22 chokes from a GPU, running long, high gauge wires to them, and putting them all together in an acrylic tube filled with mineral oil. Acrylic and mineral oil both dampen sound a *lot* so the inductors likely wouldn't have the kinentic energy to whine through that even if they're resonating.

Dude. What.

Someone crazier that ALL OF US maybe, lol. That sounds SUUUUUPER sketchy.
 

FreezingCode

Chassis Packer
Jun 4, 2016
16
6
Seems like I've missed a lot since the last time I was here! He had just started shipping the 300w this past January, and now he's already beefed up to a 400, and a few of you wanting a 500! :)

What's the current recommended power brick for the HD-Plex 300 (or 400 for that matter)? I'm in need.....

I did a build in the S4 Mini today with the help of my 6 and 7 year old daughters (their first build). After powering it on we got no POST and after a few seconds it shut itself off. I'm using the 300w HD-Plex with an Alienware 330w brick. I can run the system using integrated graphics, it's just when also running with dedicated GPU that it shuts itself down before POST. I tried powering the GPU with a separate PSU (to confirm it's not an issue with the PCIE slot or the riser) and it works fine. I've basically narrowed the problem down to the HD-Plex or the brick. The brick was a 'refurb' from eBay (China) -- so I'm betting it's the brick. I've not heard about people having issues with the HD-Plex. Thoughts?

The system is a Gigabyte Z270-N board, Intel i5-7600K cpu, Noctua NH-L9i cooler, 2x4gb DDR4 (some basic GEIL), EVGA GTX 1060 (6gb), and a Samsung 960 Evo m.2 (500gb).
 
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Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
Seems like I've missed a lot since the last time I was here! He had just started shipping the 300w this past January, and now he's already beefed up to a 400, and a few of you wanting a 500! :)

What's the current recommended power brick for the HD-Plex 300 (or 400 for that matter)? I'm in need.....

I did a build in the S4 Mini today with the help of my 6 and 7 year old daughters (their first build). After powering it on we got no POST and after a few seconds it shut itself off. I'm using the 300w HD-Plex with an Alienware 330w brick. I can run the system using integrated graphics, it's just when also running with dedicated GPU that it shuts itself down before POST. I tried powering the GPU with a separate PSU (to confirm it's not an issue with the PCIE slot or the riser) and it works fine. I've basically narrowed the problem down to the HD-Plex or the brick. The brick was a 'refurb' from eBay (China) -- so I'm betting it's the brick. I've not heard about people having issues with the HD-Plex. Thoughts?

The system is a Gigabyte Z270-N board, Intel i5-7600K cpu, Noctua NH-L9i cooler, 2x4gb DDR4 (some basic GEIL), EVGA GTX 1060 (6gb), and a Samsung 960 Evo m.2 (500gb).

When you try to power it all plugged in, does the HDPLEX cut off and the light go out until your unplug everything again? If it does, then it could be a grounding issue from a defective cable, wiring job, or an issue with the HDPLEX (very very rare). If not, it is probably the brick.

My guess...

Congratulations on your daughter's first build! Good luck!
 

FreezingCode

Chassis Packer
Jun 4, 2016
16
6
When you try to power it all plugged in, does the HDPLEX cut off and the light go out until your unplug everything again? If it does, then it could be a grounding issue from a defective cable, wiring job, or an issue with the HDPLEX (very very rare). If not, it is probably the brick.

My guess...

Congratulations on your daughter's first build! Good luck!

The lights on the HDPlex go out with the lights on the mobo as well. I can power it back on without unplugging anything, and it will do the same. It's running roughly 10 seconds before it shuts down.


Thanks - they had fun!

Just ordered some of the case feet! Wish I had done that before the build! :)
 
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Tanax

Average Stuffer
Jul 7, 2016
88
58
Which Nvidia 10XX cards fit in the S4 Mini without any modding? Ideally I want a 1080 Mini or 1070 Mini but it appears they both need some modding, either on the case or the power connector?
 

DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
314
306
Which Nvidia 10XX cards fit in the S4 Mini without any modding? Ideally I want a 1080 Mini or 1070 Mini but it appears they both need some modding, either on the case or the power connector?
I fit a gtx 1080 in mine with zero mods to the case. You should look in the builds logs section as everyone has a different route. If you get the front bezel you can fit any card really as long as it is a small form factor.
 
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