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SKYREACH 4 MINI (S4M)

skp683

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
Oct 13, 2017
4
1
I just ordered S4 Mini Skyreach with the impression that I can fit a GTX 1070 or 1080 Mini and be just fine to install the HDPLEX400+Dell 330W power brick combo to power everything. I came across a post from Josh stating that it will only fit a 1050ti. I am really confused... I wonder if I need to cancel my order?
 

Sean Crees

Airflow Optimizer
Jan 1, 2017
352
316
I just ordered S4 Mini Skyreach with the impression that I can fit a GTX 1070 or 1080 Mini and be just fine to install the HDPLEX400+Dell 330W power brick combo to power everything. I came across a post from Josh stating that it will only fit a 1050ti. I am really confused... I wonder if I need to cancel my order?

The 1050ti only restriction is with the internal AC/DC HDPLEX converter i believe.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
This is random, but I feel like an externally powered back-to-back tower-like design could be a natural second product for NFC. I mean basically an S4M folded in half or a variant of that, perhaps without 1080 Ti support, but with a basement for the DC-DC. It's more cube-like vs. tall and slim, which some people prefer. I feel like there's demand for a product like this but it just doesn't exist for some reason. CustomMod makes a few cases with that general configuration, but they have occasional QC issues and aren't generally up to Lian Li quality. And the Hutzy XS was abandoned, so there aren't any premium options for people looking for a tiny tower. Just a thought for the distant future, I know currently Josh's focus is on the new S4M.
 

McTeags

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Feb 18, 2017
130
148
I just ordered S4 Mini Skyreach with the impression that I can fit a GTX 1070 or 1080 Mini and be just fine to install the HDPLEX400+Dell 330W power brick combo to power everything. I came across a post from Josh stating that it will only fit a 1050ti. I am really confused... I wonder if I need to cancel my order?
Someone already covered the GYX 1050 Ti but I would also highlight that with a 95w CPU and a GTX 1080 you would be around the limit of what the external 330w power brick can handle. I would suggest either getting a GTX 1070 or undervolting your GPU and CPU a bit if you get a 1080 if you’re comfortable doing that.
 
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Nightblade

Airflow Optimizer
Nov 29, 2017
294
243
@brennan It is a bad time to be building a new PC right now. RAM is insanely high and NVIDIA GPU prices are going up, while AMD fails to deliver. See what CES offers this year before deciding.

I myself bought some used ram thats only 8 months old and got a decent price for it. the only thing left for me is to get the motherboard and gpu, and both are sold out right now.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For $169.99)
CPU Cooler: Zalman - CNPS2X CPU Cooler (Purchased For $29.46)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B350-I GAMING Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($142.98 @ Newegg)
RAM: G.SKILL Aegis 16 GB(2 x 8 gb) DDR4 3000 mHz (Purchased For $129.00)
Storage: XPG SX7000 PCIe NVME Gen3x4 M.2 512GB SSD (ASX7000NP-512GT-C) (Purchased For $139.99)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 1.1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $270.99)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB Mini Video Card ($449.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: NFC Skyreach 4 Mini (Purchased For $199.99)
Power Supply: Dell Alienware M18x 330W AC Adapter XM3C3 (Purchased For $99.00)
Power Supply: HDPLEX 400W HiFi DC-ATX (Purchased For $95.00)
Total: $1726.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-06 01:00 EST-0500

[/spoiler
 
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scott.bumps

Minimal Tinkerer
Dec 27, 2017
3
1
First post on the site:

Question for everyone while I am trying to piece together my first build. I would like to go with a brick less 1050 ti. My question is that josh mentioned it doesn’t have to be a low profile 1050ti I believe but I was wondering what the best option might be? Sorry I am missing something just looking for some advice.
 
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Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,936
You can use any card shorter than the Zotac 1080ti Mini (211mm) in the S4M. The mounting points for the HDPlex 160W AC-DC are on the bottom of the case and unless the card is quite overweight (like some of the Gigabyte ITX models) you should have ample room.
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
So I've read some conflicting information here. I thought an L9i could not cool an 8700K under load even at max RPM. Is this incorrect? What is the best way to cool a non-delidded 8700K in the S4M?

I'm thinking of a mod where you make an opening in the top panel to fit the coldplate and beginning of heatpipes of the L12S and then have the cooler go over the top panel with an open fan on top. Would look pretty cool. Not practical for transportation though.
 
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kittysox

Cable-Tie Ninja
Aug 8, 2017
156
195
I mean high end water coolers can’t cool an overclocked 8700k it’s a blisteringly hot chip. Intel even put out a press release about it basically telling people not to overclock it. At stock speeds with turbo disabled and maybe an undervolt the nhl9i will keep in under 90 most likely. But at full power and overclocked you better cut a hole big enough enough for an nh-d15
 

QuantumBraced

Master of Cramming
Mar 9, 2017
507
358
I mean high end water coolers can’t cool an overclocked 8700k it’s a blisteringly hot chip. Intel even put out a press release about it basically telling people not to overclock it. At stock speeds with turbo disabled and maybe an undervolt the nhl9i will keep in under 90 most likely. But at full power and overclocked you better cut a hole big enough enough for an nh-d15

Well I meant stock, and by stock I meant no OC with Turbo enabled + undervolted. Disabling Turbo = running at base clock i.e. 3.8GHz on 1-6 cores, which seems like way too big a sacrifice. We're in the awkward situation now where the upper range of Intel mainstream chips can't be cooled in USFF cases at stock settings, so... I'm just wondering what the best option is for the S4M.

What if you limited turbo boost to 4.4GHz on 1-4 cores and 4GHz on 4-6 cores? I wish someone did detailed testing on this. And there has to be a better option than the L9i. Something a few mm taller and all copper + A9x14.
 
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brennan

Efficiency Noob
Jan 4, 2018
7
5
I mean high end water coolers can’t cool an overclocked 8700k it’s a blisteringly hot chip. Intel even put out a press release about it basically telling people not to overclock it. At stock speeds with turbo disabled and maybe an undervolt the nhl9i will keep in under 90 most likely. But at full power and overclocked you better cut a hole big enough enough for an nh-d15

That seems like a bit of an exaggeration but I’ll take your word for it. What would be my next best bet for a powerful cpu to pair with a 1080? Any chance Intel will fix the cooling issue with their next releases?
 

kittysox

Cable-Tie Ninja
Aug 8, 2017
156
195
Yeah I think you could run the 8700k no problem with nhl9i with a proper tune. Maybe josh will chime in as I’m sure he has experience doing just that.

Link to extreme tech report on intels response to k series heat; 7700k in this case.
https://www.extremetech.com/computi...g-issue-cluelessly-suggests-stop-overclocking

All I’m trying to say and I guess I should have been more clear is that, putting an 8700k in your s4m is going to be very hot and running the fans at 100% is going to be very loud. Some people don’t mind this at all, I know I didn’t 15 years ago, but I wouldn’t do it for anything. I’ll personally wait for the 8700t. I have right now an 8700 non k in an s4c and it runs mid 70’s to mid 80’s at default settingns and it is hella loud with some tuning work even on the non k chip
 
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