S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

[CXH4]

Good to know. How do you disable boost clocks? And did you measure the power consumption from the wall?

The way that I disabled the boost clock of the GPU was through the manufacturer's software, such as Zotac's Firestorm application. You can either have it configured on to the software and it will load the settings on start up, or you can have it set on the GPU's BIOS. I have measured the power consumption of the system, and under gaming load it usually remains around 130 watts of constant power draw. (Both the GPU and CPU [Underclocked and Undervolted] are set to 90% power consumption)

 

[Smallform Gaming]

CXH4,
What motherboard are you using?
I've found my MSI motherboard to be high quality and nice looking but the stock BIOS is not user friendly and the overclocking doesn't work with Carrizo. It also defaults to 1.8v on boot for my 1.35v RAM sticks.
Is there a better and more user friendly way to regulate voltage and power consumption of the various system components?

 

[CXH4]

CXH4,
What motherboard are you using?
I've found my MSI motherboard to be high quality and nice looking but the stock BIOS is not user friendly and the overclocking doesn't work with Carrizo. It also defaults to 1.8v on boot for my 1.35v RAM sticks.
Is there a better and more user friendly way to regulate voltage and power consumption of the various system components?

The only way I know of @Smallform Gaming is through the BIOS, sometimes it takes a bit of looking through the selections and looking up some information on the BIOS. I have an ASUS motherboard and everything seems for the most part understandable other than that I don't have any experience with MSI motherboards.

 

[Smallform Gaming]

Thanks.
The interface is obnoxious enough that I'd think twice before buying another MSI motherboard especially with price points being so similar. It's a shame too because I like the company and the hardware is quality. It is still one of the best FM2+ Compatible ITX boards for cases like the S4. I just may base part of my next motherboard purchase decision on BIOS interface.

 

[Smallform Gaming]

The waiting continues...

 

[kirin]

My Dell 330w power adapter just die on me. Was browsing around when my S4 suddenly shut off. At first I thought it was my cpu but I realize that the led light on the power brick was off completely. Tried messing around for a bit but it seems like the adapters dead.

Just wanted to vent a bit, don't want to offtopic this thread or anything. It just doesn't seem normal that this would happen, not to mention I don't have a dedicated gpu installed atm.

 

[Kmpkt]

Warranty?

 

[kirin]

I ordered from from my-adaptor.com, ironically I found the site through this very thread. The business operates somewhere in China. I already left them an email as there no sign of a warranty policy on their website. Not counting on much, to be honest.

 

[CXH4]

I ordered from from my-adaptor.com, ironically I found the site through this very thread. The business operates somewhere in China. I already left them an email as there no sign of a warranty policy on their website. Not counting on much, to be honest.

Mine had shut off like that once, but it's still operational. May need to just give it some time, unplug it, plug it in later and see if it works.

 

[MarcParis]

Seeing all issues on power supplies, I guess I was right to go to external SFX power supply for my S4 mini..

 

[EdZ]

I realize that the led light on the power brick was off completely. Tried messing around for a bit but it seems like the adapters dead.

Just to rule it out: disconnect the Dell PSU from the wall, leave it for 1-2 minutes, then plug it back in again without being connected to the HDPLEX. These Dell PSUs will trip internally when they hit overcurrent and the LED will go out, but I've had some that were slow in resetting themselves once unplugged. Leaving it unplugged from the HDPLEX rules out a failure there.

 

[MarcParis]

This XFX RX460 card with single fan, and no pcie connector, could be a really a good mate for NFC S4 mini :
http://www.cowcotland.com/news/54520/carte-graphique-xfx-rx-460.html

 

[Tatari]

My Z4-200-ATX just arrived! Guess I'll chime in on some of the power supply talk... Maybe this should be in its own thread.

Running on a:
i7 6700T
EVGA 1060 SC 6GB
Intel 512gb 600p SSD

A few unscientific tests later, it seems to cut out on default 100% power target on Company of Heroes 2 and Black Desert Online. Red Orchestra 2 ran fine though funnily enough. After I sett the power target to 75% the cut outs were fixed. Albeit this is running off a molex to pcie adapter, might try and mod half the CPU EPS plug into a 6pin and see how it goes...

 

[jeshikat]

My Z4-200-ATX just arrived!

How long did it take to ship?

A few unscientific tests later, it seems to cut out on default 100% power target on Company of Heroes 2 and Black Desert Online.

That's disappointing. Hopefully since I'm using mine for just the GPU I can leave my 1060 at 100% power target.

 

[Tatari]

How long did it take to ship

About 17 days to Sydney, Australia. Somewhat fast for something from China IMO.

 

[Rene Canlas]

The issue is not exactly the pico but rather the power brick you have driving it. The pico can be viewed as simply a power distribution block with the main power coming from the power brick. In my testing (65 watt cpu (undervolted and IGPU disable for 45 watt operation) and the 120 watt GPU) my system peaks at 215 watts under artificial stress testing and around 180 watts while gaming. So that 192 watt power brick might not be up to par with powering the system for extended periods of time near its max power output. Pair the Pico with a stronger 12 volt power adapter (like the xbox one adapter I am using) and you should not see any more issues (I have not come across any issues with my rig).

For any interested, here is the link to my build log where I detail my power numbers and some of the modifications I did to the pico.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/nfc-systems-s4-mini-72-build.740/

Here are the max and peak amperage per rail for the 160-XT PicoPSU. I got this info off page 4 of the manual here: http://resources.mini-box.com/online/PWR-PICOPSU-160-XT/PWR-PICOPSU-160-XT-manual.pdf

For the +12V rail, the max amperage is 8A, and the peak amperage is 15A. This translates to max wattage of 96w and a peak wattage of 180w. It seems that the pico is able to deliver better than 96w on average without any problems. You will start to encounter issues once the pico hits closer to 180w as most PSUs are design to operate at peak wattage for only a few seconds.

 

[Rene Canlas]

Rene - see the images below, hope this helps. Weight wise.. all pretty similar.

! Left to Right: Pico 192W, Flextronics PA-9E 240W, DELL 300W

Good to know, thanks! Maybe in the future i'll have a go again, but i'll just stick to the HDPlex for now.

Cheers
Shaun

Thanks, Shaun! Mind tell me where you bought your Flextronics PA-9E? It seems to be a perfect replacement for an eGPU buld i maintain.

 

[MarcParis]

I've just finished yesterday to install my former faming motherboard (asrock Z97E-ITX/AC with core i 4770k OC 4GHz, no discrete gpu, 2 SSD, powered by HD plex 250w+dell 240w power brick)...here is my feedback :

• I was unable to ake work my second Z4-ATX-200...as it's my second defective Z4-ATX-200, I can complain about quality of pico box..
• HD plex, even if it's bigger, was still here as back up...and it did brilliantly. However I was just able to put 1 screw on DC input...but it's ok when plugging power brick, and it's working great and silently!
• I used, again, my beloved id cooling IS-VC45 with noctua 92mmx14mm. I just realized that on the Asrock Z97E-ITX/AC was located father from pci-express slot than gigabyte Z170n gaming 5. This has direct consequence on S4 mini as my cpu cooler is now just below side panel (where the 2 panels meet)...it wasn't the case with the Z170n gaming 5...at the end I was able to close the side panel but with only 2 screws (on gpu side). Please note that my core i7 4770K is OC @4Ghz..
• This time I used sdd bracket. However hd plex power connector cable were touching side panel of S4 mini. Not too agressive but it's in contact.

Globally, S4 mini is now in living room, standing horinzontally, with no feet (no need as no intake required below (no M.2 sdd or gpu intake)...and it' beautiful and deadly silent! (I truly like this is-VC45..)

Following this great successful installation, I might consider building an Zen APU with hdmi 2.0 ports configuration inside it...it should be a kick product. This computer is used for watching videos and in home streaming (software decode as it's the best in latency and video quality..)

 

[Kmpkt]

I was unable to ake work my second Z4-ATX-200...as it's my second defective Z4-ATX-200, I can complain about quality of pico box..

I'll second that. Not only did my Z4 die, but it seems to have damaged my Gigabyte B85 Phoenix as well. Since I don't really care enough to replace a B85 board, my Orangulan build is essentially dead now. I'll submit a warranty request and hope I get another one from Gigabyte which may resurrect the build at some point. I've done the same thing as everyone else and done a 1060SC build in the meantime.

 

[loc125]

Ok, im back, and im ready to answer some questions... on my previous post i posted pictures with the GTX 1070 mini itx in my NFC S4 MINI. i was able to get the hdplex power adapter inside the system without modding the case.
And this is how i got the 1070 to fit.