Shenanigans S4 mini

[Shenanigans]

Introductions first. I go by Charlie and this is my first SFF build. I chose the S4 mini because its exactly what I wanted, raw and purpose built. After receiving it I have total confidence in my decision.

Now I have to figure out what I'm going to put in it. Amd or Intel is my big dilemma right now (hoping to see some more mitx and boards pop up). I've decided I want to end up with the most power I can pack in so I think the zotac 1080 is slated for installation. I'll drop the pcpartpicker link below.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xQ2NCy

Power for these small builds is an area I will need guidance in. Hdplex400 is what I was looking into

In the meantime I've pulled the case apart and I'm working on finishing the aluminum how I had initially planned.

 

[Shenanigans]

Reserved

 

[Shenanigans]

Reserved

 

[Shenanigans]

Reserved

 

[Runamok81]

You can't reserve four posts in a row! I call shenanigans!

 

[Shenanigans]

You can't reserve four posts in a row! I call shenanigans!

"Give me a can't and I'll show you a way" -charlie, right now

 

[Soul_Est]

You'll need to define the power you're looking for so we can help guide you to the hardware you will enjoy for years to come. Do you want high multi-threaded performance or high single-threaded performance? What specifically are you going to use the machine for?

 

[Runamok81]

On the surface, their is no mention of budget, he said most power, and has a GTX 1080. I know AMD has closed the gap with Ryzen. They are undercutting intel on price, but by how much? SFF builds are particularly sensitive to performance per watt. So, they usually go Intel. Does that still hold true?

 

[Soul_Est]

On the surface, their is no mention of budget, he said most power, and has a GTX 1080. I know AMD has closed the gap with Ryzen. They are undercutting intel on price, but by how much? SFF builds are particularly sensitive to performance per watt. So, they usually go Intel. Does that still hold true?

Depends on your definition of performance. If your need the highest IPC and single-threaded performance (e.g.: emulation), Intel is in the lead there. If you need to have multiple things running at the same time or need many threads (e.g.: streaming video gaming, video editing, music creation, 3D rendering, VMs, etc.), AMD is your best bet. For the price, AMD's Ryzen outperforms Intel's Kaby Lake in many ways but it depends on your needs.

 

[Shenanigans]

You'll need to define the power you're looking for so we can help guide you to the hardware you will enjoy for years to come. Do you want high multi-threaded performance or high single-threaded performance? What specifically are you going to use the machine for?

This will be a travel game rig primarily. I have a 6 core intel tower at home if I want to edit or stream. I want to pack as much gaming performance in this one as possible.

On the surface, their is no mention of budget, he said most power, and has a GTX 1080. I know AMD has closed the gap with Ryzen. They are undercutting intel on price, but by how much? SFF builds are particularly sensitive to performance per watt. So, they usually go Intel. Does that still hold true?

Performance per watt is a priority, also being my first SFF build heat is a worry of mine. I want to pack the best processor I can for gaming without worrying about it choking out on its own heat. Also, I need to find out more about how much power I can actually supply to such a small case.

Depends on your definition of performance. If your need the highest IPC and single-threaded performance (e.g.: emulation), Intel is in the lead there. If you need to have multiple things running at the same time or need many threads (e.g.: streaming video gaming, video editing, music creation, 3D rendering, VMs, etc.), AMD is your best bet. For the price, AMD's Ryzen outperforms Intel's Kaby Lake in many ways but it depends on your needs.

Sounds like Intel has the edge for my needs. I just want to play new games at high/max settings.

 

[Shenanigans]

Not buffed yet but here's an idea of the desired finish

 

[Soul_Est]

This will be a travel game rig primarily. I have a 6 core intel tower at home if I want to edit or stream. I want to pack as much gaming performance in this one as possible.

Performance per watt is a priority, also being my first SFF build heat is a worry of mine. I want to pack the best processor I can for gaming without worrying about it choking out on its own heat. Also, I need to find out more about how much power I can actually supply to such a small case.

Sounds like Intel has the edge for my needs. I just want to play new games at high/max settings.

It depends on the games you are playing as well. I recommend doing some research (reading/watching reviews) as the answer is not so clear cut. Only by going through much of the bias, will you find the answer you seek.

 

[Shenanigans]

It depends on the games you are playing as well. I recommend doing some research (reading/watching reviews) as the answer is not so clear cut. Only by going through much of the bias, will you find the answer you seek.

Let the digging begin!

Now who is the power supply guru around these parts?

 

[royalba94]

Image
Not buffed yet but here's an idea of the desired finish

Looking good

Performance per watt is a priority, also being my first SFF build heat is a worry of mine. I want to pack the best processor I can for gaming without worrying about it choking out on its own heat. Also, I need to find out more about how much power I can actually supply to such a small case.

Performance per watt isn't my specialty but I believe @CubanLegend has a 6700k and gtx 1080 in his S4 Mini build with pretty decent temps. If you're looking for the most gaming power you can cram into it then that'd likely be a 7700k and gtx 1080ti mini.

As for the PSU, the HDPlex should be able to drive both configs mentioned but the problem is finding a power brick for it right now. It looks like @Josh | NFC has found a new solution for the issue but we don't have details just yet. The other route you could go would be one of @guryhwa's units and a modded power brick from him and get 400w (500w peak) capacity. Supposedly he might be able to go a bit higher but I don't think that'd be needed.

Just my 2 cents. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out

 

[CubanLegend]

Looking good



Performance per watt isn't my specialty but I believe @CubanLegend has a 6700k and gtx 1080 in his S4 Mini build with pretty decent temps. If you're looking for the most gaming power you can cram into it then that'd likely be a 7700k and gtx 1080ti mini.

As for the PSU, the HDPlex should be able to drive both configs mentioned but the problem is finding a power brick for it right now. It looks like @Josh | NFC has found a new solution for the issue but we don't have details just yet. The other route you could go would be one of @guryhwa's units and a modded power brick from him and get 400w (500w peak) capacity. Supposedly he might be able to go a bit higher but I don't think that'd be needed.

Just my 2 cents. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out

delidded/OC'ed 7700k, 16GB of DDR4 4000MHZ XMP, and an OCed 1080 mini.

 

[royalba94]

delidded/OC'ed 7700k, 16GB of DDR4 4000MHZ XMP, and an OCed 1080 mini.

And that's what I get for not double-checking, I stand corrected

 

[W1NN1NG]

I can vouch on gunique psus I love mine, granted im not using the full 400w that I've got but It still a solid performer

 

[lac29]

I can vouch on gunique psus I love mine, granted im not using the full 400w that I've got but It still a solid performer

Any chance you can post your build parts list? I've been collecting a bunch of them from recent S4 mini builders and just from reading over the past few months it seems like heat and power are the biggest problem areas. That's why I feel like it almost is better to not try to max out the specs of an S4 build unless you really know what you are doing (delidding mod, custom power route via gury or other more complicated power and power brick stuff, underclocking 1080, etc).

 

[CubanLegend]

Any chance you can post your build parts list? I've been collecting a bunch of them from recent S4 mini builders and just from reading over the past few months it seems like heat and power are the biggest problem areas. That's why I feel like it almost is better to not try to max out the specs of an S4 build unless you really know what you are doing (delidding mod, custom power route via gury or other more complicated power and power brick stuff, underclocking 1080, etc).

i undervolted my 7700k and my 1080 mini very slightly, and they hold steady Overclocked while undervolted slightly, which helps slightly with temps at idle and load. with my HDPLEX-300 and Dell 330 I'm well within power limits, never had a hard shutdown.

So you can max an S4 mini, but if you really wanna max it then go for the thicker front panel, 1080 Ti Mini, HDPLEX-400 and a custom @guryhwa Power Brick... its a small increase in cost for the HDPLEX-400, so you could just go for a Gury PSU & power brick combo. :/

 

[lac29]

Yeah I put you in the camp of "knowing what you're doing" @CubanLegend hah =). But for me and probably many others who are building an SFF for the first time I think there are some hurdles to jump through if you want to avoid potential headaches and problems. I've built two mid sized PCs in the past without too much problem but I'm kinda worried that this S4 Mini build coming up won't be very straight forward for me.