S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

[1461748123]

Definitely. I could deal with 2 HDMI's but DVI is a tad antiquated. That sounds a lot less destructive than sawing off part of the card. In that case, would you plug the new fan into the fan header on the GPU? Also how do you plan to mount the new fan?

Yes I would plug the fan into the GPU, Josh have done that before and that's why I'm planning to do this as well.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/s4-25.390/ Here you go!

 

[mtl171]

Yes I would plug the fan into the GPU, Josh have done that before and that's why I'm planning to do this as well.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/s4-25.390/ Here you go!

So thats what those holes are for! Seems promising. The Zotac 1070 also seems to be around 1 cm shorter in height. Hopefully the HDplex power connector also fits without modding.

 

[1461748123]

So thats what those holes are for! Seems promising. The Zotac 1070 also seems to be around 1 cm shorter in height. Hopefully the HDplex power connector also fits without modding.

Yes, and that is another reason why I wanna use zotac's 1070. Also a bigger heatsink must perform better on cooling.

 

[mtl171]

Yes, and that is another reason why I wanna use zotac's 1070. Also a bigger heatsink must perform better on cooling.

And based off other reviews, the shroud mount holes don't stick up this time so no dremeling required! However, it looks like the heatsink will still need to removed to access the fan header.

 

[MODZERO]

Quick question folks, has anyone used the Noctua NH-L9i heatsink with a Scythe Slip Stream Slim fan mounted using the S4 mini fan bracket? (aka no Noctua fan)

J.

 

[Smallform Gaming]

Sort of.
I have done this...
If you get VLP RAM you can use this adapter:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/92mm-to-120mm...%3A9da9fed21580a6229717a2fdffee709e%7Ciid%3A5

Then you an directly bolt the adapter to the heatsink and with some nuts and screws put a 120mm fan directly on top of the sink.
It is quiet and also cools my RAM sticks.

 

[MODZERO]

Sort of.
I have done this...
If you get VLP RAM you can use this adapter:

Then you an directly bolt the adapter to the heatsink and with some nuts and screws put a 120mm fan directly on top of the sink.
It is quiet and also cools my RAM sticks.

I see, how was it? did you maintain/gain cooling performance over the stock solution?

J.

 

[doogie]

So...I really hate to be that guy, but I really, really love this case and the builds that have been shown off. Based on your October update Josh it looked like you were anticipating additional stock by end November - is that still on track? No worries at all if there are delays..just trying to set expectations for timeline. Hope everything's going well!

 

[Josh | NFC]

So...I really hate to be that guy, but I really, really love this case and the builds that have been shown off. Based on your October update Josh it looked like you were anticipating additional stock by end November - is that still on track? No worries at all if there are delays..just trying to set expectations for timeline. Hope everything's going well!

Everything is going great, and there are no problems so far...it is just taking longer. The chassis are on their way to me now.

 

[vioscity]

hi has anyone tried this psu from minibox? http://www.mini-box.com/M4-ATX?sc=8&category=981

 

[vioscity]

theres also a 288w 12v outout adapter from adapter tech. same adapters used with pico psu here http://www.adaptertech.com.tw/300-Watt-Series---Desktop-Type.html?CID=1_1

 

[mtl171]

theres also a 288w 12v outout adapter from adapter tech. same adapters used with pico psu here http://www.adaptertech.com.tw/300-Watt-Series---Desktop-Type.html?CID=1_1

Several people have mentioned it before though it doesn't seem like there's a place to buy it online. Maybe we could plan a group buy?

 

[fjbruening]

Hi All,

First post, not sure if this is the right forum, if not, please feel free to delete or move to appropriate area.

I'm planning my first build in a long time (my last was a 486, so yes, I'm old), and I'm looking to go with Josh's S4 mini.

I've been drinking from the firehose, and trying to get up to speed on this and other forums, and I think I've put together a proposed parts list, and was hoping for thoughts from you guys, who know way more experience and knowledge building around the S4.

First, my build goals are

• S4 sized, upper medium performance general purpose windows/linux box with an emphasis on gaming performance
• Try to stay in the 'sweet spot' of price/performance
• Don't plan to water cool or overclock - I want a stable, hassle free system once it's put together
• I'll sacrifice some performance for ease of use & maintenance - I don't need bleeding edge, but want to be on the blade at least :-)

My proposed parts

• S4 mini
• Some Power Adapter Charger (no idea which)
• HDPLEX 250w DC-CD PSU
• The parts at PC Parts Picker - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dmCcGf

Is this a straightforward, trouble free build? I'd like a box with decent performance that can play most of todays games well (not at ultra or 150 FPS necessarily) as well as be a reliable windows/linux box. Who knows, I may get ambitious and try to make it a hachintosh once I get Windows solid, but that's a nice to have, not a necessity.

Thanks for any feedback or suggestions.

Regards,
Francis

 

[Kmpkt]

As far as the build goes, I'd suggest the following changes (only my opinion):

- CPU: Kaby Lake is right around the corner and might be worth waiting a couple weeks. With updated BIOSes now popping up, it seems to be a significantly better alternative to the Skylake Chip. Also if this is just for general gaming and no overclocking you might be better off going for a non-K i5 or i7 as they have a 65W TDP which is well below that of the 6700K/7700K (which hypothetically should make em easier to cool).

- GPU - If you're only going for a 1060 then I would highly suggest using the eVGA 1060 Superclocked. I'm almost positive that the Gigabyte 1060 uses the same overheight shroud as their 1070 card. While you CAN fit it into the S4 mini, I'm pretty sure it's a pain in the ass to do (ie modding the case).

 

[fjbruening]

Hi LampShade,

thanks for the insight. The only reason I was leaning towards the 1060 is because in one of Josh's posts he stated the 1060 was a better 'fit' (TDP wise). I'd much prefer a 1070, which should extend the useable life for games by a year or two. I'd prefer to avoid case mods to get one to fit however. I did see Josh's video on the Gigabyte 1070 mini and it is tempting...

I didn't realize Kaby Lake is coming so soon. I might wait a few weeks to see what the specs actually are. I don't see how significant the TDP savings can be at the same process (14nm) level, but we'll see.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
Francis

 

[Kmpkt]

Here is a set of 7700K benches with the newest BIOS from MSI (I assume other manufacturers will have comparable BIOS versions for Z170 by Kaby Lake launch). Gives you a pretty good look at how it stacks up against the 6700K. It's not an earth shattering improvement, but if the price point is more or less the same, might as well have the newer chip with a bit more headroom for performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i7-7700k-kaby-lake-overclocking-update,33119.html

Here's the whole Kaby Lake lineup with prices:

http://www.pcgamesn.com/intel/kaby-lake-release-date

Also I'm not sure you quite understood my point about the Gigabyte 1060, but it has the exact same measurements for height as the 1070 which means you'll run into the exact same fitment issues as the 1070 in the S4 mini.

 

[fjbruening]

Thanks for the info on Kaby Lake. Agree with you on newer (might) be better.

And I did misunderstand your point about the 1060/1070. Thanks for the clarification.

I've been looking more at some of the challenges of fitting a full sized GPU in the S4. I love the idea of a backpackable case like the S4 mini (and I love the way it looks) - but I'm wondering if i'm expecting too much out of it. If this is to be my primary box at home, I'm beginning to think I might want to relax my size requirements... Time to reevaluate a bit.

Thank Lampshade!

 

[zhl146]

@fjbruening judging from you earlier statement about wanting to play games well and not necessarily at ultra, your plan to have a 1070 is very much overkill. A 1060 is more than enough to ultra most games at 1080p and still holds strong at 1440p. It really depends on what you expect, but you may want to go with a dancase a4 if you don't want to make any compromises. You may have to wait until q1 or q2 of next year before they are available, however.

 

[|||]

I guess I'll weigh in on the listing. Firstly I am so honored to have you guys in my corner sticking up for me. I can't tell you how much it means to me and I will return the favor if I can.

The seller lost a huge amount of money on this even not counting the insane shipping/import fees. The buyer is getting a great deal. That Gunmetal Diamond color is extremely rare, insanely expensive (for everyone, especially me) and now that its over I really hope to find one for myself one day.

Peace!

Thanks for making me feel bad I picked up the last one, again

Waiting for some releases to come out to build a system it (Kaby Lake vs. Zen, Vega 10 Nano vs. Pascal ITX)...more than the barebones components I have in it right now.

 

[iFreilicht]

@fjbruening judging from you earlier statement about wanting to play games well and not necessarily at ultra, your plan to have a 1070 is very much overkill. A 1060 is more than enough to ultra most games at 1080p and still holds strong at 1440p

I second this. Remember that the 1060 is performing better than the 970 in every regard, sometimes significantly so, and is priced very similarly. If you found the 970 to be a great fit for your use-case, there's no real reason to now go for a 1070.