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S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
As the owner of a crate of these meanwell bricks I can say they work great. They are just big and you have to wire them yourself. This LulzBot is going to be HUGE but it looks nice and if its quiet would be nice for some people.
 
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palace97

Trash Compacter
Sep 6, 2017
40
16
Looking for some advice. i'm currently rocking the classic s4 mini with a EVGA 1060 6gb, however i've just purchased the PG348Q as i want to get into ultra wide gaming. I need some recommendations on a graphics card upgrade that would best suit this display as it's 3440 x 1440. i've been looking at the Zotac 1080 mini and the MSI areo 1070 itx as i've heard it runs quiet but unsure what i need to do so that it fits inside the chassis. Any help on what graphics card to get and what to do in regards to fitting it inside the classic s4 mini would be greatly appreciated.
 

Reldey

Master of Cramming
Feb 14, 2017
387
405
Looking for some advice. i'm currently rocking the classic s4 mini with a EVGA 1060 6gb, however i've just purchased the PG348Q as i want to get into ultra wide gaming. I need some recommendations on a graphics card upgrade that would best suit this display as it's 3440 x 1440. i've been looking at the Zotac 1080 mini and the MSI areo 1070 itx as i've heard it runs quiet but unsure what i need to do so that it fits inside the chassis. Any help on what graphics card to get and what to do in regards to fitting it inside the classic s4 mini would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my build thread. Although for that many pixels, I would seriously consider the 1080TI.
 

palace97

Trash Compacter
Sep 6, 2017
40
16
Check out my build thread. Although for that many pixels, I would seriously consider the 1080TI.
Thanks bro, that's a nice idea and a good alternative from josh's video. However i'm not a fan of switching out the fans haha and seems like a lot of work especially as i've had no experience with modding, i think i'm going to go with a 1070 then and wait for the next gen of cards to come out. If anyone has any advice on fitting a gtx 1070 inside, especially the MSI areo, that'll be great!
Just to add, does the Gigabyte 1080 mini fit inside the s4 mini and if so what modding is involved if any?
 
Last edited:

Reldey

Master of Cramming
Feb 14, 2017
387
405
Thanks bro, that's a nice idea and a good alternative from josh's video. However i'm not a fan of switching out the fans haha and seems like a lot of work especially as i've had no experience with modding, i think i'm going to go with a 1070 then and wait for the next gen of cards to come out. If anyone has any advice on fitting a gtx 1070 inside, especially the MSI areo, that'll be great!
Just to add, does the Gigabyte 1080 mini fit inside the s4 mini and if so what modding is involved if any?

The only thing about those cards is that they are tall, and may mess with the location of your power jack. There have been a few builds that have gotten around this, the build log section is probably the easiest section to peruse. If you don't want to mess with the fans, the zotac 1070 mini with a bezel from Josh would be one of the easiest ways to go I'd think.
 

palace97

Trash Compacter
Sep 6, 2017
40
16
The only thing about those cards is that they are tall, and may mess with the location of your power jack. There have been a few builds that have gotten around this, the build log section is probably the easiest section to peruse. If you don't want to mess with the fans, the zotac 1070 mini with a bezel from Josh would be one of the easiest ways to go I'd think.
Do you know if the gigabyte 1080 mini fits inside the stock s4 mini? also i'm new to this sorry, how do i find the build logs section?
 

Josh | NFC

Not From Concentrate
Original poster
NFC Systems
Jun 12, 2015
1,869
4,468
www.nfc-systems.com
Do you know if the gigabyte 1080 mini fits inside the stock s4 mini? also i'm new to this sorry, how do i find the build logs section?

Hello, palace!

You need a 3D bezel to fit the 1080 mini, 1070ti mini, or 1080ti mini from Zotac. You can find those here:

http://nfc-systems.com/skyreach-4-mini-1/3d-bezel

At 4k I would recommend the 1080 mini. Reldey's advice for the 1080ti is good, but as you say you don't want to mess with the complications, and yes, the 1080ti is an "expert" level build. The 1080 mini is very simple and can be run off a Dell 330.

BUT JUST TO CLARIFY

I am talking about the S4M-C, which is formally known as the S4 MINI. The new S4M you do NOT need any aftermarket bezel, and all those cards drop right in. The 1080ti also becomes a much easier install, although you still need to power it, but there are many options available now that just weren't ready when I started working on the video this (late) spring.
 

palace97

Trash Compacter
Sep 6, 2017
40
16
Can anyone tell me what the performance is like on the zotac 1080 mini and in reference to noise, is it loud and do the fans spin constantly, sorry for all the questions. Just don't want to make the wrong decision before i go ahead and purchase Josh's 3D bezel
 

ngriesdo

Cable-Tie Ninja
Feb 15, 2017
193
163
I have found the Zotac 1080 mini to be loud but not really ridiculous. There is no 0 RPM fan mode though, you will also have to hear the fans and they are quiet but always on. I don't have exact numbers but it isn't bad. I haven't had a lot of experience with the card yet.
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
I have. Any slim 120mm on the bracket will not outperform the NHL9i's fan... sorry! The slim 120mm's are so close to the side panel that they are louder and underperform... :(

Good News! I received my Silver Grade C Wrap-Around bezel for my S4M-C from Josh yesterday! AND best of all! It came with the 2 screws for the end of the bezel! No pics yet, but this means I have ALL the parts available now to start my 1080 mini fan & original wrap-around bezel mod. I can't say WHEN I'll have time to do it, but I'd like to do it and am excited to see the results. I'll be testing GPU temps from various synthetic loads and real-world gaming loads, both BEFORE and AFTER the fan mod, and I'll also test the before and after of swapping the custom 5mm 2D frosted acrylic bezel, with the original black wrap-around, AND before and after adding the thermal pad to mate the 1080 mini's heatsink with the bezel. :D

And I'll detail the entire process in my build log. So, yeah doing it will take some time, and documenting it will take time too. Please have patience with me guys! XD
shameless self-quote. XD

Okay so, I'm looking to remove my 1080mini's fans and shroud to swap them with the 2 NHL9i fans i have. I want to run thermal tests of the GPU beforehand, and noise tests too...

So guys, What benchmarks do you recommend I run, just furmark? at what settings? what other synthetics should I run to test GPU temps and noise?

and what games should I run as well? I know I'm gonna run Forza Horizon 3 because I know a spot that can get the GPU up to 100% load ingame, for a consistent in-game load. any other game & real-world recommendations?
 
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ngriesdo

Cable-Tie Ninja
Feb 15, 2017
193
163
shameless self-quote. XD

Okay so, I'm looking to remove my 1080mini's fans and shroud to swap them with the 2 NHL9i fans i have. I want to run thermal tests of the GPU beforehand, and noise tests too...

So guys, What benchmarks do you recommend I run, just furmark? at what settings? what other synthetics should I run to test GPU temps and noise?

and what games should I run as well? I know I'm gonna run Forza Horizon 3 because I know a spot that can get the GPU up to 100% load ingame, for a consistent in-game load. any other game & real-world recommendations?
I heard GTA 5 and Battlefield love GPU’s lol.
 

CubanLegend

Steely-Eyed NVFlash Man
Dec 23, 2016
834
1,011
smallformfactor.net
EDIT: So I found out that to remove the fan shroud I HAVE to remove the heatsink, according to our very own SFFForum review of the 1080 mini ... meaning i might have to reapply thermal paste... which would probably change my thermal results between the stock fans test and the noctua fans tests....

So, you have to at least it's VERY easy to remove the entire heatsink, but it's real easy because its just 6 screws according to this youtube video.

Do you guys think I should just go all-in and swap the NTH1 that @Josh | NFC put on my 1080mini for his 1080mini video... and just go with CoolLaboratory's Liquid Ultra on my 1080 mini's GPU die? it's the Liquid Metal that i have on my 7700k... thoughts?
 
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ngriesdo

Cable-Tie Ninja
Feb 15, 2017
193
163
EDIT: So I found out that to remove the fan shroud I HAVE to remove the heatsink, according to our very own SFFForum review of the 1080 mini ... meaning i might have to reapply thermal paste... which would probably change my thermal results between the stock fans test and the noctua fans tests....

So, you have to at least it's VERY easy to remove the entire heatsink, but it's real easy because its just 6 screws according to this youtube video.

Do you guys think I should just go all-in and swap the NTH1 that @Josh | NFC put on my 1080mini for his 1080mini video... and just go with CoolLaboratory's Liquid Ultra on my 1080 mini's GPU die? it's the Liquid Metal that i have on my 7700k... thoughts?
Liquid Metal.
 

rfarmer

Spatial Philosopher
Jul 7, 2017
2,675
2,799
EDIT: So I found out that to remove the fan shroud I HAVE to remove the heatsink, according to our very own SFFForum review of the 1080 mini ... meaning i might have to reapply thermal paste... which would probably change my thermal results between the stock fans test and the noctua fans tests....

So, you have to at least it's VERY easy to remove the entire heatsink, but it's real easy because its just 6 screws according to this youtube video.

Do you guys think I should just go all-in and swap the NTH1 that @Josh | NFC put on my 1080mini for his 1080mini video... and just go with CoolLaboratory's Liquid Ultra on my 1080 mini's GPU die? it's the Liquid Metal that i have on my 7700k... thoughts?

After watching that video I would definitely go with the liquid metal for a 10C temp drop, plus the MHz gain. I recently delidded my 8700k but I am doing a new build with a different cooler as soon as I get my MI-6 case, when I do I am going to use the CoolLaboratory Liquid Pro that I used in the delid. With a 8700k and a smaller CPU cooler figure I can use all the help I can get.