S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

SpringerTheNerd

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 7, 2017
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Anyone putting K version cpus in their S4 minis? I'm going to get intels 8th gen CPU just don't know if K or not. I know the perks and con's just curious on who actually run the K versions in their rig if they like it or not. Temps and results.

I'll be sticking a 4790k that I had from a old rig in when I'm able to snag a case. If thermals become an issue I'll just delid it and put some better TIM on it.
 

Haulien

Trash Compacter
Sep 28, 2016
34
39
Anyone putting K version cpus in their S4 minis? I'm going to get intels 8th gen CPU just don't know if K or not. I know the perks and con's just curious on who actually run the K versions in their rig if they like it or not. Temps and results.

Like @CubanLegend I threw a 7700K in mine. The system wasn't stable at all under stress prior to de-lidding. De-lidding is a must imho.
 

Josh | NFC

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Jun 12, 2015
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Like @CubanLegend I threw a 7700K in mine. The system wasn't stable at all under stress prior to de-lidding. De-lidding is a must imho.
This, doing so kept the 7700k just at 80c under load with the NHL9i cooler.
I'll be sticking a 4790k that I had from a old rig in when I'm able to snag a case. If thermals become an issue I'll just delid it and put some better TIM on it.

I've had amazing results from a delid and also WORSE results. Liquid metal works great for a while, but I hate the stuff over time ESPECIALLY when I have to work on someone elses horrible leaking mess.

I think some CPUs just have a bad application of the stock TIM, which explains why every now and then I get a customer with 10C peaks higher than what I normally see. If your temps are abnormally horrible then consider it, but if they are doing OK then I really don't recommend it...especially on behalf of the next guy, because if your Delid goes wrong, you can't go back.

:)
 

Creep

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Mar 2, 2017
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Anyone have any idea how to remedy this problem? The connections on my Vandal switch are bending against my 24-pin MOBO slot and it's not illuminating the ring because of it. Think I'll take it to where I got it and see if they can shorten it.

 
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Biowarejak

Maker of Awesome | User 1615
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Mar 6, 2017
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Anyone have any idea how to remedy this problem? The connections on my Vandal switch are bending against my 24-pin MOBO slot and it's not illuminating the ring because of it. Think I'll take it to where I got it and see if they can shorten it.

You could remove the heatshrink, desolder the wires and slide on a new bit of heatshrink down the wire bundle, re-solder the connections at a 90 degree angle, and then heat shrink the connections more securely than they have been. :)
 

Josh | NFC

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NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
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Anyone have any idea how to remedy this problem? The connections on my Vandal switch are bending against my 24-pin MOBO slot and it's not illuminating the ring because of it. Think I'll take it to where I got it and see if they can shorten it.


What you might be able to do (works for my buttons) is use a heatgun and reform the shrink to how you want it.
 

Zero

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jan 27, 2017
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Like @CubanLegend I threw a 7700K in mine. The system wasn't stable at all under stress prior to de-lidding. De-lidding is a must imho.

I have a 7700k, no delid, but I got the K so that I could undervolt, as opposed to overvolting. I am sensitive to fluctuations in noise, so I disabled Turbo Boost (i.e. the processor always runs at 4ghz or less), set my CPU fan to fixed RPM, and got the voltage all the way down to 1.08v. This produces something perfectly stable but also with no real temp/noise spikes. You could get just about the same results and save a ton of money by tossing in a non-K and a normal motherboard, not sure if non Z series motherboards will still let you undervolt these days.

I'm really good at flipping my CPUs as new CPUs come out, and I always buy from Microcenter where they sell the i7 K for $50-$100 less than NewEgg, so I just get the best stuff that'll fit in the thermal/dimensional/sonic limits that I set for my S4.

Coffee Lake is 4w TDP higher but it sounds like due to architecture changes, it might be a bit more efficient with 1/2 core workloads (i.e. gaming).

I'm still waiting on Cryorig to put out the damn all-copper C7 they teased like a year ago! Still using the C7 heatsink with the Cryorig 140x13mm fan mounted to the S4 built-in fan bracket.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
Yeah, you're getting an L9i anyway, so you may as well get the K SKU as doesn't cost much more than the 65W version and it has better clocks and resale value. You may even be able to undervolt and do a minor overclock if you get a good chip. And you can always underclock it to be the same as the 8700 if you want.

Speaking of the 8700, they must have done some serious optimizations to be able to have a 65W chip with 6 cores at 4.3GHz. In comparison, my 6800K is OCed to 4.0 Ghz at 1.16 Vcore and cache at stock, and it consumes around 100W at full load. They may not be delivering much in the way of IPC improvements, but they're letting you get to higher clocks on more cores for less power which is... well, better than nothing.
 
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lhl

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Nov 16, 2015
121
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I have a 4790K w/ an L9i in mine. I disabled Turbo (it thermal throttles in less than a minute anyway), but it runs all day at 4.0GHz w/ an undervolt (1.12V I think, it's been a while since I checked). I feel like using a K is worth it since you have more flexibility and it's usually a better bin so for equivalent performance you will have less heat/power usage (that being said, I quite like my Ryzen 7, and I might stick to AMD for my next mini-ITX bump since ultimate gaming is lower on my personal priority list).
 

Creep

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Mar 2, 2017
91
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You could remove the heatshrink, desolder the wires and slide on a new bit of heatshrink down the wire bundle, re-solder the connections at a 90 degree angle, and then heat shrink the connections more securely than they have been. :)

What you might be able to do (works for my buttons) is use a heatgun and reform the shrink to how you want it.

Will try both, thanks. Any tips for cleaning the frosted acrylic front bezels?
 
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QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
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Leaked benchmarks I've seen suggest that the 8700K pulls around 30-40W more than the 7700K at gaming load. I don't think it will be as magic as they're letting on.

Yeah, actually looking at the specs, both the 8700K and the 8700 default to 4.3 GHz with all 6 cores active, so how is one rated at 95W and the other at 65W...? My understanding is that those ratings are based on the stock clock settings without an overclock. So yeah, the ratings seem to be mostly BS.

Sorry to digress.
 
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SpringerTheNerd

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 7, 2017
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As I'm waiting for my opertunity to snag myself my very own S4 Mini I have put together a parts list of what I have and what I need. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could take a quick look at it and let me know if you see anything that wouldn't work or maybe if there is a better alternative.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Springerr/saved/Yb68K8

Also side note the heat spreaders on the ram came off during initial installation 3 years ago and are actually pretty low profile without them.

EDIT: and really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction of where to get a proper PSU
 
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DocH

G4G
Apr 2, 2017
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As I'm waiting for my opertunity to snag myself my very own S4 Mini I have put together a parts list of what I have and what I need. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could take a quick look at it and let me know if you see anything that wouldn't work or maybe if there is a better alternative.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Springerr/saved/Yb68K8

Also side note the heat spreaders on the ram came off during initial installation 3 years ago and are actually pretty low profile without them.

EDIT: and really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction of where to get a proper PSU
you already have a few issues. i think your ram you could run into height issues. your itx motherboard your vrm that comes straight out will also not fit i believe. That is a laptop hard drive HDD?
 
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SpringerTheNerd

Cable-Tie Ninja
Sep 7, 2017
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you already have a few issues. i think your ram you could run into height issues. your itx motherboard your vrm that comes straight out will also not fit i believe. That is a laptop hard drive HDD?
Yeah it's a laptop hard drive. 7mm it should fit just fine. The daughter board that sticks up is on the "top" so it shouldn't interfere with anything and it's maybe 1mm taller than the i/o shield. And the RAM has the heat spreaders removed and they are very low profile so I'm not really worried about that.
 
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Creep

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Mar 2, 2017
91
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Microfiber cloth and soapy water :)

Yeah, seems that doesn't work very well. I put some athletes tape over the bezel to keep it from sliding/moving while I was getting parts/making adjustments and it left this dull stain I can't seem to get off. Not very noticeable and honestly no big deal, but still bothersome when you're a perfectionist.

 
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Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
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Jun 12, 2015
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Yeah, seems that doesn't work very well. I put some athletes tape over the bezel to keep it from sliding/moving while I was getting parts/making adjustments and it left this dull stain I can't seem to get off. Not very noticeable and honestly no big deal, but still bothersome when you're a perfectionist.


Hmmmm I would have suggested MF and soapy water too, but maybe its just not enough to get the residue off. You could refinish the bezel, but you need an orbital sander and 800 grit paper to get the right finish. I'm happy to refinish it for you for free, but you would need to arrange shipping.

Best of luck!