S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

[Knolly]

Direct comparison to the ML-08

Many thanks to Josh for his prompt shipping and communication, and going above and beyond for his customers. Additionally, I was very pleased with the quality of the packaging. I'll definitely buy another one in the future, and would not hesitate to recommend someone to Josh/NFC.

Many thanks for the comparison photo!

I have an ML-08 and have been trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to cram it into an S4 Mini, I think it is! Basically I use my unit as a media server and occasional VR PC, so I've been following the progress on cramming a 1070 into these guys.

I'm new to the whole SFF game and am trying to make sure I know the capabilities of the HDPlex. This is the build I'm looking at:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($92.05 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 5TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($219.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 5TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($219.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($383.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1282.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-12 10:40 EST-0500

The reason for the processor/mobo combo is I already have that processor in my current build, but perhaps it'd be worth it to just start with a clean slate and get something lower powered? It seems it's awfully tricky to find an LGA1150 mobo with an M.2 slot.

My apologies if asking for build advice is frowned upon here, still learning the ropes over here!

 

[CubanLegend]

Many thanks for the comparison photo!

I have an ML-08 and have been trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to cram it into an S4 Mini, I think it is! Basically I use my unit as a media server and occasional VR PC, so I've been following the progress on cramming a 1070 into these guys.

I'm new to the whole SFF game and am trying to make sure I know the capabilities of the HDPlex. This is the build I'm looking at:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($92.05 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 5TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($219.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 5TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($219.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Mini ITX OC Video Card ($383.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1282.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-12 10:40 EST-0500

The reason for the processor/mobo combo is I already have that processor in my current build, but perhaps it'd be worth it to just start with a clean slate and get something lower powered? It seems it's awfully tricky to find an LGA1150 mobo with an M.2 slot.

My apologies if asking for build advice is frowned upon here, still learning the ropes over here!

-I assume the M.2 will be on the back of that MOBO, correct? If yes then you'll be fine with that.

-I'd also check the height of that RAM and make sure you wont have clearance issues with the Noctua CPU cooler.

-The HDDs... you should be wary about IF the 15mm 2.5 Internal Laptop drives will fit in the 2.5 SSD bracket on the S4 mini with a 1070 mini. The bracket is on the back of the GPU mount and Josh has mentioned that 7mm and 9mm drives should be fine... but 15mm drives would probably fit BUT would be awfully close to the back of the GPU PCB. Those mechanical drives might "get cooked" by the heat coming off the back of the GPU when it's under full load, as Josh stated. I'd recommend running your 1070 mini with the highest fan profile to keep it as cool as possible, and if you reapply a better thermal paste to the GPU die and VRMs, your temps might go down even further. And I'd probably wrap the side of those 2.5mm drives that's facing the GPU in either gaffer's tape or electrical tape to prevent any electrical parts of the PCB touching the HDDs.

I also planned to have ONE of those 5TB 15mm 2.5inch HDDs in my S4 mini, but I've yet to test fit it as I'd yet to purchase my GPU (ZOTAC 1080mini currently not released yet) And I need to see if it will have a backplate that's too thick and might require removal, in order for the 15mm 2.5inch drive to fit without making physical contact.

 

[Knolly]

The RAM is also a carryover from my current build so it can be swapped if necessary, I hadn't thought of the height with the cooler, thanks!

I've been out of the loop with 2.5 drives for a while so the thought didn't even occur to me to check the thickness. I'm not in a huge rush so if you beat me to the punch I'd love to hear how the 15mm drive goes. I have no clue if this would actually affect things, but for what it's worth the 2.5 drives would rarely if ever be in use at the same time that the GPU was doing anything intensive.

 

[Sean Crees]

So just to get an idea, who else here is planning on buying and fitting a ZOTAC 1070 mini into their S4? What mods are required to fit it into an S4 mini (has anyone done that successfully yet?)

And who is waiting for the ZOTAC 1080 mini to release to try that? (I'm waiting for the 1080mini) The mods required for that aren't known FOR SURE 100% yet, but we might have to trim a bit off of the metal shroud, and the aluminum fins on the heatsink.

I was going to try to wait for the zotac 1080mini. I was planning on just removing the stock fan bracket and hoping the heatsink is short enough without modification. Then either put a single 120mm slim scythe fan or two 92mm slim noctua fans blowing on the stock heatsink.

 

[Josh | NFC]

@Curiosity

The 1060 is freaking sweet man. I really think you will be happy with it. The 1070 is fun to stick in the MINI, but my personal preference is something like the 1060/1050 where it is quiet and doesn't act like a space heater.

The 1080 will be fun to put in from a modding perspective. We just need to figure out how to cool it. The 1070 was stupid hot WATERBLOCKED on my testbench because of the VREGS!!! That being said it does idle really nicely and doesn't get too loud...but here in MS I need all the cooling I can get. It's probably going to be 81F in my office this afternoon...

 

[Sean Crees]

The 1080 will be fun to put in from a modding perspective. We just need to figure out how to cool it. The 1070 was stupid hot WATERBLOCKED on my testbench because of the VREGS!!! That being said it does idle really nicely and doesn't get too loud...but here in MS I need all the cooling I can get. It's probably going to be 81F in my office this afternoon...

The extra 30-60w between the 1060, 1070, and 1080 make that much of a difference huh?

 

[Curiosity]

@Josh | NFC
It sure seems great, and won't be a downgrade which is great. I did something similar when I moved into the Ncase, I had a 560ti and needed something shorter so I got a 750ti, ended up running it passively which was fun.

I really wish I could try modding for the 1080, it sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[Sean Crees]

@Josh | NFC

You said in your video's you've done work with Sapphire, and you play MWO with a guy from Sapphire on occasion. You ever tell them how much you would love to put one of their current gen cards in your S4 mini, and when we might be able to expect that to happen?

 

[Josh | NFC]

The extra 30-60w between the 1060, 1070, and 1080 make that much of a difference huh?

According to my custom valley + prime benchmark averages with my Watts Up Pro graph :

1050 - Score 1013, 115W
1060 - Score: 1695, 178W
1070 - Score: 2383, 220W
1080 - Score: 2784, 270W

The 1070 stays in my hot office with my hot CPU in my HAWT silver + black mini about 77C - 80C in prolonged benchmarks, but that is on die measurment. The backplate covering the Mosfet/Vregs gets to be 70C ON THE SURFACE. not

So I don't think its so much the wattage difference but the card design.

 

[Josh | NFC]

@Josh | NFC

You said in your video's you've done work with Sapphire, and you play MWO with a guy from Sapphire on occasion. You ever tell them how much you would love to put one of their current gen cards in your S4 mini, and when we might be able to expect that to happen?

I tell them all the time. It's a meme now.

 

[CubanLegend]

According to my custom valley + prime benchmark averages with my Watts Up Pro graph :

1050 - Score 1013, 115W
1060 - Score: 1695, 178W
1070 - Score: 2383, 220W
1080 - Score: 2784, 270W

The 1070 stays in my hot office with my hot CPU in my HAWT silver + black mini about 77C - 80C in prolonged benchmarks, but that is on die measurment. The backplate covering the Mosfet/Vregs gets to be 70C ON THE SURFACE. not

So I don't think its so much the wattage difference but the card design.

@Josh | NFC You're running that 6700 non-K on that system, correct? If it's a K, is it overclocked, if so to what frequency?

 

[Smallform Gaming]

I tell them all the time. It's a meme now.

Maybe you can design the heatsink/shroud with Sapphire and get an NFC logo etched on the back-side (S4 visible side) to match those slick risers.... wouldn't that be so nice?

 

[Sean Crees]

I tell them all the time. It's a meme now.

You know i really love the 1060, and the whole 10xx linup in general. Short PCB's, low TDP's for the amount of graphics power they produce, and good SFF aftermarket support from AIB's. But i really don't like some of the things Nvidia as a company does. Like how they refuse to support "adaptive sync" even though it's part of the displayport standard, or how all the gsync monitors are way more expensive than their freesync competitors.

I really want that buttery smooth adaptive sync goodness, but i don't want to reward a company's bad consumer practices by giving them my money. So i really feel like i'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here. I love your case, i'm definitely getting it no matter what, but i want adaptive sync support, and nvidia won't give me that. I really wish AMD had some sort of response. The RX480 is good performance wise compared to the 1060, but its way hotter and no one makes a SFF version. The closest you can get is to get a blower version, take the blower cooler off of it, then mod some sort of aftermarket heatpipe cooler onto it that fits inside the S4 mini. I'm sure it's possible, but it would be a PITA.

I really wish either AMD or one of their AIB's would produce a product to fill this niche. I'm really hopeful that SOMETHING vega related will fill this void, but if CES was any indication i may have to wait another 6+ months for that product and i don't know if i can hold off that long.

 

[Josh | NFC]

@Josh | NFC You're running that 6700 non-K on that system, correct? If it's a K, is it overclocked, if so to what frequency?

DISCLAIMER!!!!!

I recommend 35w CPUs with the MINI. Those benchmarks are done with a stock 6700K on a test bench and are used for my benchmarking and testing only.

Maybe you can design the heatsink/shroud with Sapphire and get an NFC logo etched on the back-side (S4 visible side) to match those slick risers.... wouldn't that be so nice?

Maybe I should start sneaking my logo in on the shroud designs next time. I didn't think of that on the 480...

 

[hat1324]

One day maybe we'll have perforated PCBs for proper SFF ventilation

 

[jtd871]

One day maybe we'll have perforated PCBs for proper SFF ventilation

One day maybe DVI will die for proper GPU ventilation.

 

[Kmpkt]

One day maybe DVI will die for proper GPU ventilation.

I wish I could like this comment more than once. I really don't get why they would have a DVI outlet on anything save maybe a few of the 1050/1050ti cards these days. If you can shuck out a few hundred dollars of more for a GPU, I'm pretty sure you can also find a couple bucks for a DVI to HDMI adapter.

 

[Chongker]

Have my preorder in and am well excited to get my case =)

My current setup has an EVGA 1060 6GB SC, which I find astonishingly capable for the size of the card, while being more than quiet enough for my needs (it's on par noise and performance wise with the Sapphire 480 Nitro+ I did a build with for someone else some time ago, a card twice the size!).

That said, I'm also waiting to see if the Zotac 1070 mini would fit comfortably enough in the S4. Just eyeballing it, I reckon at least the shroud would need trimming, but if the heatsink fits that would be great news, and I'll quite likely have an upgrade in my sights for a killer portable setup (That is until Josh can pull something together to wrap around that crazy new miniSTX + MXM board from Asrock *winkwink*nudgenudge) =)

The Zotac 1080 mini, I'm less sure on, both in terms of likelihood of fitment and thermals, the 1070 is likely as far as I'd go.

 

[3lfk1ng]

Hello Chongker,

Congrats on the preorder.
@1461748123 managed to fit the Zotac 1070 with removal of the stock fans back on page 53. He is using that exact card in his S4 Mini as well.

 

[Curiosity]

picked up my S4, #107 from UPS today, thanks Josh!

Unfortunately all my parts are too big to build in it right now, but I'm going to start working on solving that asap!