I hope you are looking for suggestions:
And you think you can fit a 25mm on top of the NH-L9i on an ASUS STRIX z270i? Idk bro, ask @Josh | NFC since he's got that mobo and HSF, so he can test a 90mmx25mm fan for fitment. :/ But If it fits, please do a comparison of temps form the stock fan if the 25mm one fits. (i secretly wish i could trade my dull black Corsair vengeance LPX 4000MHz 2x8GB kit for an RGB TridentZ 2x8GB kit even if its lower speed )
I. am. speechless! I LOVE IT!Well that was an adventure, but I have to say this is definitely one of the coolest MINI builds I have done.
I was never a fan of RGB until this build, but in person it looks STUNNING! My photographs really SUCK they did not turn out but I am tired and going to bed early.
1080 IN AN S4 MINI: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
That acrylic DOES look awesome!! (I especially like the NFC logo on the front, can't believe you actually remembered I'd asked for one back when we started emailing months ago.) Dude holy crap, is that the scythe 100x12mm slim fan, on your z270i? WHAAA?That was quite a cram job...
Phew.
I. am. speechless! I LOVE IT!
Your photographs are great, imo. And the RGB through the side-panel vents looks SIIICK BROOO!!
Your work ethic to get this card to fit in 99% stock format is amazing, with only shaving the tips of the plastic shroud... I am legit shook at how you managed this. Functional, yet elegant, that Acrylic panel shoulda been a custom option from day 1!
Your attention to detail in getting the card to fit and communicating with me throughout the process was greatly appreciated and gave me peice of mind. I'm so glad that you're glad it worked! I really hope this adds customers to NFC who might not have been if they couldn't get that 1080mini to fit inside this beautiful case of yours. :,)
Now we know that you can have it all folks, no compromises needed. You can fit a 7700K @ 5.0GHz OC (with a delid, your temps should be stable inside the S4, too), and a factory overclocked GTX 1080 with a backplate, dual M.2, an enthusiast-level RGB mobo and RGB 4000MHz+ RAM all synced in colorful harmony,... and you can fit it all in a case that is 4.3 liters. I think I might just tear up a bit once I have mine all built together in front of me. We are truly living in great times for SFF PC building!
Dude holy crap, is that the scythe 100x12mm slim fan, on your z270i? WHAAA?
Ohhhh I see, you SHAVED the sides of it down to 90mm so it wouldn't rub against the ram/heatsinks... How did you shave it? Did you notice actual temp decreases from the stock Noctua NH-L9i fan? (I actually found the Noctua to be quieter at load and gave me 1-2c better temps, odd)
Ah, i understand, so the black Scythe fan was part of your color theme. What 20-pin internal USB 3.0 splitter did you use and how did you get access to it from the outside? What RGB strip? Nevermind, I just clicked on your pcpartpicker link in your sig.
I hope you are looking for suggestions:
CPU: You could get a 7700K from monoprice (i think?) on eBay for $305 USD, and underclock it to 7700T levels, in case you want more performance in the future you can always put it back to stock!
Cooler: My man!
RAM: If you're into RGB, the Gskill TridenZ RGB kits are compatible with ASUS AURA and they fit inside the S4 mini as per another member's pics in this thread, so it can sync with your STRIX motherboards LEDs.
GPU & PSU: Good choice
Storage: great choices with the 960 EVOs, but the 250GB versions are on back-order/Out of stock almost everywhere online... if you dont already have one, it could be MONTHS before they are back in stock for the MRSP of $129, you can get it for like $170 or $200+ from alternate sellers on Newegg or Amazon (dirty scalpers).
Regarding power switches, you can buy them form Josh with a sleeved (correct me if I'm wrong @Josh | NFC ) cable, all wired up, ready to install (or installed for a price), in your choice of color and I believe they fit just fine, not sure how tall they are 12mm or 16mm, but Josh has that STRIX board, so ask him to post a pic of how it fits?
That and underclocking / undervolting in my experience is no where near as stable as specifically binned chips. I'm 27 and have been overclocking CPU's since I was 9 when I built my first AMD computer with my dad, I'm a bit over it at this point. Fun for some things and the epeen awards, but real world usage is next to none. At least for my usage of light gaming but mostly coding ( which is why I wanted the 8 threads of the i7, that I can take advantage of ) the 7700T will be more than fine. Even if it doesn't net a huge gain over the current 2600K.
Dude, you are the right kind of S4 mini builder. You know exactly what you want and why.I currently have an I7-2600K that hasn't been overclocked since the first week of its release when I got it. That's the main reason I decided to go with the 7700T, as well as the lower TDP in case I decide to go with a smaller PSU ( I'm sure I can get away with a direct plug PICO style with my 1060 paired with a 35w CPU ). Always planning for future builds and possibly going smaller still
Big reason for upgrading from the 2600K is the M.2 support, and specifically the STRIX for it's 2 M.2 slots. Allowing me to ditch my 2 current 850 EVOs ( 250GB / 500GB ) again, further reducing size. And since I only need 2 internal drives, that combo seems perfect. I like to keep a dedicated drive for my games, old habit, but can be useful.
Cooler: I have quite a few Noctua fans left over from my many builds over the years. So I can at the least, test the idea. If it fits, it fits... if not, no big deal really.
RAM: I thought about it, but I think the boards lighting will be just subtle enough to add a nice effect without over doing it, which is easy to do with lights ( I can remember fondly the days of my tracers and cold cathode setups from the early 2000's ).
Storage: Typically I order online, but if needed I can get them from a few friends that work in the areas Bestbuy's and Microcenter. Wouldn't be the first time I've had them lock up a few things for me in the back cages.
I can't argue with those sounds reasonings you brought up. I can't wait to see your build and for your build thread to start.
whats so funny to me as I look back a page 61 of this thread... I initially intended to build with a 1070 mini from gigabyte, so glad I moved up to the 1080 from ZOTAC.
Great news @LodisKnight , thank you for sharing! Hey I wanted to ask you about your 1inch rubber feet i saw in that list. You dont seem to have a Build Thread up so I wanted to know how they looked on your S4 mini? Did you put them on a side panel to sit the case horizontally? I'm curious how they fit on the panel and how strong/rubbery they are.
Wow! So great to see the S4 being used in such varied ways! Very nice PSU cabling, exceptional even. That LED strip is something I really want to do now, to accentuate my GPU and have some LED lighting sycned with the mobo's on the other side of the S4.So, my journey has finally come to an end. It has been a long and arduous one, but it turned out exactly how I had envisioned so it's hard to complain. The black and red scheme, the custom black and red wiring of all of the HDPLEX PSU wires, I had so many times regretted embarking on the journey. The build had to be very particular.
I wanted a portable VR build that was capable of playing all available VR games at max settings. (Gigabyte GTX 1070 Mini)
I wanted to be able to use a single power outlet. (GeChic 1303i 1080p USB Touchscreen Monitor w/ built-in speakers)
I wanted it to fit in a carry-on. (Pelican Cases 1510LOC)
So there you have it. I don't have the photographical prowess or setting to make them pop like Josh does, but I can only do so much with an iPhone camera.
S4 Mini, Oculus Rift, two Oculus Touch controllers, two Oculus Sensors, Xbox One controller (Bluetooth), Logitech G533 Gaming Headset, GeChic 1303i 1080p USB Touchscreen Monitor w/ built-in speakers, Logitech K410 Wireless Keyboard w/ Touch Pad, and Dell 330W Power Brick, ALL inside the Pelican Cases 1510LOC.
Here's one of the LED strip wrapping around the interior chassis frame by the video card:
Side Note #1 - For anyone looking to do a similar build, there are cheaper USB monitors out there, but they use DisplayLink technology that directly interferes with VR headsets. GeChic is the only company that has options for USB power while still using an HDMI port on the video card for display.
Side Note #2 - I delidded my 7700T. :-P No reason other than curiosity.
They hold up really well and stick really well.
Ah I see, could you do me a huge favor and mockup what theyre look like if they were to go on the 4 corners of one of the sidepanels? curious how big they are and if they dont cover any vents.I just have them on the bottom of the vertical orientation. Didn't wanna scuff that aluminum.
Wow! So great to see the S4 being used in such varied ways! Very nice PSU cabling, exceptional even. That LED strip is something I really want to do now, to accentuate my GPU and have some LED lighting sycned with the mobo's on the other side of the S4.
You inspire me to dremel my scythe 100mm CPU fan to fit inside my z270i
And your use of the 120mm slim scythe over the GPU is well-done!
I like those wifi antennas. I'm gonna have to consider buying some for mine too. (so i dont have to use that clunky ASUS wifi adapter)
And now I'm gonna have to reconsider swapping my Corsair 4000 kit for that Gskill RGB kit... sucks Neweggs listing of it has a price error, its listed at $260 when the same higher speed kits are less expensive.
-Delidded 7700t?! Nice, that thing must run really cool now!
