S4 MINI Classic (S4M-C)

Curiosity

Too busy figuring out if I can to think if I shoul
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Apr 30, 2016
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Ah, it took me a moment to figure out what you'd done!
The doesn't look like too sketchy a mod, to me. :)
 

TheWhiteWolves

Caliper Novice
Jul 28, 2016
25
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Quick question for you loc, whats the mod you made to the wires? is it just a simple upgraded thickness to handle the larger power draw?
 

Josh | NFC

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Jun 12, 2015
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Awesome, you are a great guy for taking the risk in setting up the 1070 in the S4 "For Science", gives me the confidence to look into making the jump to it when the next S4 batch comes around.

Not just you...ME TOO!

I was never going to spend the $$$ to try this, but thanks to loc I bought two of them and will be doing two builds because I KNOW people are going to as about it.

So far I am very impressed with Nvidia's lineup this round...the 1080 barely breaks 270w under load for the whole system putting it in HDPLEX range quite comfortably (need to edit and upload my video of this). To put it in perspective, the 285ITX was about 275w, and the 970 mini was 255w. The 1070 hovers at about 220w for the whole system.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
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Feb 1, 2016
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Can't wait to see wattages in two years when everything moves to a smaller fab process again.
 
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Smallform Gaming

Cable-Tie Ninja
Aug 10, 2016
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The laptop 10 series variants are the same wattage as the desktop.
Except the 1060 laptop is 85w instead of 120w.
*Would be nice to see a 85w desktop variant.
 

CC Ricers

Shrink Ray Wielder
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Nov 1, 2015
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I might be up for a S4 mini in the next batch, especially if clear anodized finish is available. I am planning to turn my build into a Hackintosh and like the "black components in bare aluminum" look.

And with a low-profile card, it'll give me extra room to put in a HD-PLEX AC-DC power unit to completely power it from the inside.
 
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Haulien

Trash Compacter
Sep 28, 2016
34
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Hey Josh, I'm curious why the design of the S4 has the graphics card facing the opposite side of the CPU heatsink?
Was the PCIe extender an issue on the previous S3 design to have the graphics card cooler facing the same side as the CPU heatsink?

Just stumbled across these and they look amazing though! Seems more logical to me when both coolers are facing the same direction!
 
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Josh | NFC

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Jun 12, 2015
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Hey Josh, I'm curious why the design of the S4 has the graphics card facing the opposite side of the CPU heatsink?
Was the PCIe extender an issue on the previous S3 design to have the graphics card cooler facing the same side as the CPU heatsink?

Just stumbled across these and they look amazing though! Seems more logical to me when both coolers are facing the same direction!

Thanks for the question! This is a long story I can't tell fully tell right now, but here are the cliffnotes:

S3 vs S4

1.The S3 layout has superior horizontal cooling, the S4 layout has superior vertical cooling (the ribbon doesn't block the backside of the GPU)
2.I consider the S3 and S4 separate models. I hope to bring back the S3 someday...
3.Legal issues forced me to drop the S3 for a while; those are pretty much resolved now.
4.The S4's layout is easier for the end user to do a build in.
5.The custom ribbon for the S3 layout was _extremely_ expensive ($1400 for 25 MOQ). Now there are dozens of low-cost alternatives (HDPLEX).




 
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Saltvann

Trash Compacter
Aug 26, 2016
40
11
Question - are there any 192w+ adapters out there using the 4-pin DIN connector?

My PicoPSU came with another screw-on 1-pin power connector but not sure which adapters it'll work with...

Sorry for the late reply - I was re-reading parts of this thread tonight and thought I would share what I found. Yes there are some 12volt adapter with higher rated wattage than the infamous 192 Adaptec. Unfortunately they do not seem to come with 4pin DIN connectors. I have been doing quite a bit of searching and even just finding a more beefy 12V adapter than the Adaptec proved to be a challenge. I have only looked at typical "power brick" designs. So far these are really the only ones I have found:
ETA-USA DTMF300-12SX-F-W6 (6pin molex) 300W
Mean Well GST280A12-C6P (6pin molex?) 252W

Adaptec also makes a 12V 288W adapter but I have not found it for sale anywhere. With that said the adapter bundled with the 160XT seems to make sense overall, and it probably not too wise to be using a system that needs more power than the bundled adapter can provide in the first place. But if I have learned anything here at this forum it is that fortunately the "only one way to find out"-mindset seems to be quite common! Keep in mind that according to the spec-sheet the PicoPSU XT160 Max Load (continuous) at 12V is listed at 8 amps. That means 96W. We all ready know that the XT160 is capable of way more.


When we are on the subject of power supplies I might as well mention that the 192W Adaptec AC-DC adapter has been updated to meet the requirements of the Efficiency VI label. STDs are no more it seems! : ) The new model is called: ATS200T-P120.

Basically the requirements of the new label is > 88% efficiency at load and no more than 0.21W power consumption at no load. Hardly exiting. According to the manufacturer the new adapter is over 90% efficient at 230v and 89% at 115v. Ripple is between 117-133mV. So efficiency has clearly been improved.
 
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flacman

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Feb 23, 2016
128
61
Sorry for the late reply - I was re-reading parts of this thread tonight and thought I would share what I found. Yes there are some 12volt adapter with higher rated wattage than the infamous 192 Adaptec. Unfortunately they do not seem to come with 4pin DIN connectors. I have been doing quite a bit of searching and even just finding a more beefy 12V adapter than the Adaptec proved to be a challenge. I have only looked at typical "power brick" designs. So far these are really the only ones I have found:
ETA-USA DTMF300-12SX-F-W6 (6pin molex) 300W
Mean Well GST280A12-C6P (6pin molex) 252W

Adaptec also makes a 12V 288W adapter but I have not found it for sale anywhere. With that said the adapter bundled with the 160XT seems to make sense overall, and it probably not too wise to be using a system that needs more power than the bundled adapter can provide in the first place. But if I have learned anything here at this forum it is that fortunately the "only one way to find out"-mindset seems to be quite common! Keep in mind that according to the spec-sheet the PicoPSU XT160 Max Load (continuous) at 12V is listed at 8 amps. That means 96W. We all ready know that the XT160 is capable of way more.

Thanks for following up Saltvann! Looks like the best option is just to stock up on another Adaptec 192W adapter in case my current one fails (unlikely).