Log Silverstoned Mini ITX Tower Build in the RCC-MIT1

[REVOCCASES]

we all know - potent ITX sized GPUs are hard to find and/or very expensive these days but that shouldn't stop us from having fun building SFF rigs, right?

for this build in the RCC-MIT1 prototype I am using only available and budget components, so lets get started!

first of all I needed some new fans and a nice cooler for this build. Silverstone had a great discount offer over here (buy two get 10% off, buy three get 20% off, etc.) so I went all in...

secondly I needed a new SFX PSU - I decided to go for a 350W Thermaltake unit which just cost me 25 USD

the PSU will only have to power an i5 6600K and some low spec GPU for now so that's more than enough wattage - only problem are all those unnecessary cables - but that can be solved...

I cut off everything I didn't need for my build and then insulated the cable ends properly with shrink tubing

I wasn't sure yet if I might need the PCIE power connector one day, so I decided to make it modular using XT60 connectors

after a little bit of soldering and shrink tubing - modding complete

next step: getting the motherboard ready and mounting that Silverstone Whopper on top

before moving this monstrosity into the case I mounted the case feet, fans, power button and of course my modded PSU

btw, those 60mm Silverstone fans are awesome... at full speed they might be a bit more noisy compared to Noctua but they have a 0-RPM mode!

having 12mm clearance I could route the fan cables under the motherboard...

in the automobile industry we called it "Hochzeit" when engine and chassis were finally combined - moving the motherboard assembly into the case reminded me somehow of this

at that point I whished I had used a fully modular PSU so I could plug in the cables before moving the motherboard in the case... luckily I have small hands

next time I'll plug the cables in first...

...but seeing that everything fits like a glove was definitely worth it

the GPU is still missing (just using a blank I/O shield for now) but I'm already very happy how it turned out:

bonus picture: thermals and fan speed at 30C ambient during CPU/iGPU stress testing

I hope you enjoyed the build log so far - to be continued once I get the GPU...

 

[REVOCCASES]

got the GPU for this build - a brand new GT730 with a whopping 4GB of DDR3 memory

I think it would have been a bit boring to just plug it in and call it a day, besides this build is sooo quiet with the Silverstone Cooler and fan, why not make the GPU passive cooled...

haven't seen such an empty PCB in a while...

the black heatsink I had laying around turned out to be a perfect match, just had to drill some new mounting holes in the aluminum block...

unfortunately there is only one orientation that fits the NT06-PRO on my old BIOSTAR motherboard, but in this orientation the heatpipes are almost touching the PCB of the graphics card - for safety I put some insulation tape in that area to prevent possible shorts...

Silverstone says that this cooler can also be used totally passive for up to 65W and based on my tests I can confirm it works really fine...

but on the other hand the FHP141 fan can run at just 300 RPM and is inaudible while providing some basic airflow to all the components...

this certainly does not win any performance competition but it makes a cool & inaudible office PC for some CAD work etc...

and that's it for now, hope you enjoyed this little build

 

[ignsvn]

we all know - potent ITX sized GPUs are hard to find and/or very expensive these days but that shouldn't stop us from having fun building SFF rigs, right?

LOL I re-read this thread & just realized that the GPU in the pic was a cardboard

 

[Neathdrawls]

How feasible is it for the whole build to be passively cooled, considering the CPU heatsink is already quite massive?

Ah dang, I should really do up my cable management in mine, looking at yours.

 

[REVOCCASES]

How feasible is it for the whole build to be passively cooled, considering the CPU heatsink is already quite massive?

Totally feasible, Silverstone even says it can be used fanless up to 65W, so this would be a good match with the i5 6600 I'm using.



I already tested it with fans off and the CPU wouldn't go over 74C despite the cooler orientation is not perfect for passive cooling.

Some time ago I disused with @tinyitx that I wanted to do a passive cooled build. If I can find a suitable heatsink to mod my GTX1050Ti I'll give it a try. Only fan remaining would be the one in the PSU, but perhaps I could mod that too.

 

[REVOCCASES]

seems the other heatsink I still had did actually fit on the GTX1050Ti after some modding, so here is the upgraded passive cooled build

meet the KalmX 1050Ti - RCC Edition:

tight and perfect fit with the NT06-PRO...

I removed the fan on the CPU cooler but left the case fans there since they have a 0-RPM mode. just for "emergency" they can kick in when it gets too toasty in the case...

time to see if my DIY passive cooled 1050Ti can compete with the PALIT KalmX [click for review]

results, running Valley Benchmark plus Kombustor CPU Burner at the same time, case closed, all fans off except the for the one in the PSU (note: ambient today about 28C)

IMHO, looking at the PALIT KalmX review that looks totally fine to me. CPU temperature is a bit higher compared to my previous tests because of the additional heat from the GPU. Also, the orientation of the NT06-PRO is not perfect for passive cooling. It should work better if I could rotate it by 90 degrees. Anyways, it's still far away from thermal throttling - even when stress testing - and in a normal use case scenario like playing a game I expect GPU and CPU can both be kept below 80C.

 

[tinyitx]

seems the other heatsink I still had did actually fit on the GTX1050Ti after some modding, so here is the upgraded passive cooled build

meet the KalmX 1050Ti - RCC Edition:


IMHO, looking at the PALIT KalmX review that looks totally fine to me. CPU temperature is a bit higher compared to my previous tests because of the additional heat from the GPU. Also, the orientation of the NT06-PRO is not perfect for passive cooling. It should work better if I could rotate it by 90 degrees. Anyways, it's still far away from thermal throttling - even when stress testing - and in a normal use case scenario like playing a game I expect GPU and CPU can both be kept below 80C.

Good!
Looks like your passive 1050Ti performs better than Palit's as your card sits inside a case with no airflow and it is oriented facing down (therefore, non beneficial to natural convection) while guru3d's testing on an open bench does not have this adverse factors.

Putting these 2 together (Noctua/Asus' massive 4-slot 3070 and the NH-P1), I am wondering if Noctua will partner with Asus again to release a new passive powerful GPU? Palit's 1650 KalmX is not really too attractive and, maybe, a passive 3060 could be justified as the new king? Am I dreaming too much?
(BTW, Typhoon signal 8 is still hoisted here. Not too windy though. How is it over there?)

 

[REVOCCASES]

Putting these 2 together (Noctua/Asus' massive 4-slot 3070 and the NH-P1), I am wondering if Noctua will partner with Asus again to release a new passive powerful GPU? Palit's 1650 KalmX is not really too attractive and, maybe, a passive 3060 could be justified as the new king? Am I dreaming too much?
(BTW, Typhoon signal 8 is still hoisted here. Not too windy though. How is it over there?)

Agreed, would love to see some more recent / more powerful passive cooled GPU. Given most of the current gen GPUs can be pretty well undervolted without too much sacrifice in performance this actually shouldn't be too hard. Probably just needs a ton of heatpipes due to the high transistor density...

Seeing the cooperation between NOCTUA/ASUS already points in a good direction. Else, maybe PowerColor comes up with a passive RX6600 (XT?) or even better, COLORFUL takes their concept from 2012 to the next level and surprises us with a passive RTX 3060Ti (Super?)

It probably won't happen but yeah, we still can dream!

(so far no Typhoon over here, just heavy raining and a bit windy, nothing serious )

 

[REVOCCASES]

After countless hours of searching and refreshing websites I may finally have found a reasonable priced RTX 3060Ti to turn the MIT1 into my main gaming rig - downsizing from my current MID2 build.

If I haven't been cheated, this unique RTX 3060Ti Maya the Bee Edition was quite reasonably priced with "only" EUR 600,- and if my research is correct, under the hood it is the exact same card that sells under many different brands and is manufactured by GALAX or PCpartner.

Of course, the card will not fit in the MIT1 like that but - after doing a bit more research - the PCB is ITX sized! Not only that, it also seems to share the same layout like the 3060 ITX cards from PNY and PALIT.

Long story short: if my plan works out (and given it is a legit 3060Ti) I'm going to build my own RTX 3060Ti "Aero" for my MIT1

 

[rfarmer]

After countless hours of searching and refreshing websites I may finally have found a reasonable priced RTX 3060Ti to turn the MIT1 into my main gaming rig - downsizing from my current MID2 build.

If I haven't been cheated, this unique RTX 3060Ti Maya the Bee Edition was quite reasonably priced with "only" EUR 600,- and if my research is correct, under the hood it is the exact same card that sells under many different brands and is manufactured by GALAX.

Of course, the card will not fit in the MIT1 like that but - after doing a bit more research - the PCB is ITX sized! Not only that, it also seems to share the same layout like the 3060 ITX cards from PNY and PALIT.

Long story short: if my plan works out (and given it is a legit 3060Ti) I'm going to build my own RTX 3060Ti "Aero" for my MIT1

Very nice, let's hope you don't get "stung".

 

[Neathdrawls]

Didn't know that Emtek made a 3060Ti variant of the Miracle/Bee Edition.

Previously, saw a couple of articles regarding unique colour of the GPU and also came across the card while searching through Videocardz and Techpowerup databases, the Emtek Miracle only comes up only as a 3060 (non-Ti).

Seems like Emtek is a rebranding of Palit cards, looking at the shroud designs, with the exception of this card.

I hope it is a legit 3060Ti variant!

 

[REVOCCASES]

Didn't know that Emtek made a 3060Ti variant of the Miracle/Bee Edition.

Previously, saw a couple of articles regarding unique colour of the GPU and also came across the card while searching through Videocardz and Techpowerup databases, the Emtek Miracle only comes up only as a 3060 (non-Ti).

Seems like Emtek is a rebranding of Palit cards, looking at the shroud designs, with the exception of this card.

I hope it is a legit 3060Ti variant!

Indeed, if it is legit then it is certainly unique. This model is only selling in China and only by one vendor. As a fun fact, the vendor also sells a 3060 (non Ti) for the exact same price but with the shroud of the GALAX 3060Ti. Maybe they just messed up the pictures... Let's see what I will get when the card arrives, as long as it is a Ti with the short PCB I should be fine.

 

[Analogue Blacksheep]

I like that Bee themed GPU. Reminds me of something from the 2000's in a fun way.

 

[Neathdrawls]

Indeed, if it is legit then it is certainly unique. This model is only selling in China and only by one vendor. As a fun fact, the vendor also sells a 3060 (non Ti) for the exact same price but with the shroud of the GALAX 3060Ti. Maybe they just messed up the pictures... Let's see what I will get when the card arrives, as long as it is a Ti with the short PCB I should be fine.

I came across a seller on Taobao selling the 3060 StormX heatsink & fan , and putting one and one together with your post, has gotten me thinking and theory crafting this morning while having a walk, actually.

From what I can source from online pictures, Palit's 3060 Ti Dual also use an ITX size PCB, and if their layouts are actually the same, maybe one could get their own "3060Ti StormX" from changing out to heatsink.

The question is then, why Palit didn't go ahead and do that initially. Probably a mixture between ITX/single fan designs don't market and sell as well, and the cooling capability of the single fan isn't up to their standards. Only MSI decided that their Aero ITX cooler design is suitable enough, but their 3060Ti has more heatpipes than the 3060.

Although, if the cooling is alright enough and other AIBs dual fan cards PCB layouts are similar enough, like Gainward's , PNY's, even ASUS's 3060Ti.

 

[REVOCCASES]

I came across a seller on Taobao selling the 3060 StormX heatsink & fan , and putting one and one together with your post, has gotten me thinking and theory crafting this morning while having a walk, actually.

From what I can source from online pictures, Palit's 3060 Ti Dual also use an ITX size PCB, and if their layouts are actually the same, maybe one could get their own "3060Ti StormX" from changing out to heatsink.

The question is then, why Palit didn't go ahead and do that initially. Probably a mixture between ITX/single fan designs don't market and sell as well, and the cooling capability of the single fan isn't up to their standards. Only MSI decided that their Aero ITX cooler design is suitable enough, but their 3060Ti has more heatpipes than the 3060.

Although, if the cooling is alright enough and other AIBs dual fan cards PCB layouts are similar enough, like Gainward's , PNY's, even ASUS's 3060Ti.

Haha, you have totally figured out my plan! Already ordered the Palit cooler together with the card.

Both should arrive tomorrow and I'm excited to see if / how it works.

I'll probably make a separate thread to document the mod and my experience for the community.

 

[Neathdrawls]

Haha, you have totally figured out my plan! Already ordered the Palit cooler together with the card.

Both should arrive tomorrow and I'm excited to see if / how it works.

I'll probably make a separate thread to document the mod and my experience for the community.

Oh yes please! It would be very interesting to see the breakdown and results of it.

Hah, great minds think alike!

 

[REVOCCASES]

Oh yes please! It would be very interesting to see the breakdown and results of it.

Hah, great minds think alike!

card and cooler arrived! seems to be a legit 3060Ti ...

I started the "mod-log" over here:

RTX 3060Ti Aero alternative? Meet the DIY PALIT StormX 3060Ti ITX Edition

DISCLAIMER: if you are planning to replicate this mod with your 3060Ti, please do your own research first and proceed at your own risk. I take no responsibility if it does not work out for you. Long story short, I was looking for a MSI 3060Ti AERO for quite some time now but as we all know...

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