Smallest case for 65W CPU and DDR4

[Kmpkt]

You can always buy a aftermarket aluminum case from Silverstone or something and just swap the motherboard and I/O insert across from the Deskmini if you don't like the steel case it ships in. Also I don't think any of these cases are going to heat sink the components inside in the way you seem to think they will. In order for that to occur you're going to need to have some degree of direct physical contact between the hot surface (IHS) and the surrounding case. The major component for cooling in a mini STX based system like this is direct and reliable access to fresh air from outside the case (ie. adequate and appropriately designed for airflow given your choice of cooler.

Also if you're really keen on a passively cooled solution, you could always get one of these NUCs

http://www.logicsupply.com/products/industrial-computers/ml100-series/

 

[Saltvann]

If you are set on a 65w tdp cpu I would forget about a small case that acts as a heatsink. It it just to much heat to get rid of, and you would be better of some kind of well designed forced airflow.

If you are willing to drop down to a 35w cpu you can have a look at this passive case: Akasa Euler M

 

[3lfk1ng]

Have you looked into the Streacom FC8 EVO Fanless?
It uses a quad-heatpipe mounted to the CPU and it supports up to a 95 watt CPU.

The aluminum casing is 4mm thick so it's a pretty solid heatsink.

 

[Therandomness]

Have you looked into the Streacom FC8 EVO Fanless?
It uses a quad-heatpipe mounted to the CPU and it supports up to a 95 watt CPU.

The aluminum casing is 4mm thick so it's a pretty solid heatsink.

101% off topic: Someone should mod the low profile 1050Ti to fit in that That'd make for a great, almost silent rig.

 

[Phryq]

Have you looked into the Streacom FC8 EVO Fanless?
It uses a quad-heatpipe mounted to the CPU and it supports up to a 95 watt CPU.

The aluminum casing is 4mm thick so it's a pretty solid heatsink.

Ya, I was looking at that before, and I thought it was way bigger than it is,
240 x 250 x 100mm FC8 EVO
155 x 155 x 80mm AS Rock

It still seems a bit too big to keep in my backpack (with another laptop). I've read good things about that chassis, I just wish it could be a bit smaller.

 

[Phryq]

Have you looked into the Streacom FC8 EVO Fanless?
It uses a quad-heatpipe mounted to the CPU and it supports up to a 95 watt CPU.

The aluminum casing is 4mm thick so it's a pretty solid heatsink.

But then, the H1.S case is exactly what I need, and the perfect size. But can it really handle a 65w cpu? http://www.hd-plex.com/hdplex-h1.s-fanless-computer-case.html

 

[Josh | NFC]

I'm late to the thread. I was going to recommend the Silverstone PT13B but you beat me to it! They are awesome and I have been using them for one of my clients.

They use a 65w CPU and a 15w capture card with M.2 SSD and it cools great!

*edit*

The H1.S would be sweet if you want to bump up in size a bit because Larry makes awesome stuff and you would be supporting another SFF enthusiast creator.

 

[Phryq]

I'm late to the thread. I was going to recommend the Silverstone PT13B but you beat me to it! They are awesome and I have been using them for one of my clients.

They use a 65w CPU and a 15w capture card with M.2 SSD and it cools great!

*edit*

The H1.S would be sweet if you want to bump up in size a bit because Larry makes awesome stuff and you would be supporting another SFF enthusiast creator.

Thanks! I'd love to get the PT13 because of size, and it looks cool. But is it loud under heavy loads? If I could passively cool with a PT-13, it would be amazing, and I think much cheaper than the H1.S

Also, with the H1.S, I'm not sure what power supply I'd need. I'd like to use it with the AS Rock motherboard, as it seems to be the best (faster m.2 2280 due to being fed by CPU?)

{edit} Larry has answered my questions!

If your typical load is around 40 to 60%, the cpu temp will be around 70c for i7 65w

But... isn't that too hot?

On Amazon someone replied

I just stress-tested my newer I7-6700 using Geekbench for 12min (all cores @ ~100%). the case temp got up to ~100F - really warm, but the case/fins were never too hot to touch. the company website notes that 65W is the top of the range for this case. my CPU is generally running @ <10% so the case works well. having a truly silent computer is pretty nice.

Although the fin temp doesn't really tell me much.

BTW, Kaby Lake prices are out. I'm wondering if an i5 Kaby Lake will be enough for me, and then I'd have less heat issues, yes?

 

[Therandomness]

Thanks! I'd love to get the PT13 because of size, and it looks cool. But is it loud under heavy loads? If I could passively cool with a PT-13, it would be amazing, and I think much cheaper than the H1.S

Also, with the H1.S, I'm not sure what power supply I'd need. I'd like to use it with the AS Rock motherboard, as it seems to be the best (faster m.2 2280 due to being fed by CPU?)

The issue with passive cooling with the PT13 would be that it's just a bent flat plate with no form of fins, therefore it's use as a heatsink would be quite limited and wouldn't be able to easily dissipate the thermal load of a 65W TDP CPU.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Thanks! I'd love to get the PT13 because of size, and it looks cool. But is it loud under heavy loads? If I could passively cool with a PT-13, it would be amazing, and I think much cheaper than the H1.S

Also, with the H1.S, I'm not sure what power supply I'd need. I'd like to use it with the AS Rock motherboard, as it seems to be the best (faster m.2 2280 due to being fed by CPU?)

The Zalman CNPS2x works pretty quietly in that chassis. Though they eventually switched to this because of supply issues and it also works fine.

 

[K888D]

The Zalman CNPS2x works pretty quietly in that chassis. Though they eventually switched to this because of supply issues and it also works fine.

How does that Silverstone cooler perform in terms of noise?

 

[Josh | NFC]

I don't have meaningful data on noise. It's not loud. Neither does the fan spin very fast...

 

[Phryq]

Ok, but if I'm getting a fan, I think I'd get a better performing system with the ASRock Desk Mini, because

1 - 7% faster m.2
2 - More room for fan (I think it has 5cm clearance, though there's nothing definitive on the internet) meaning I could get a quieter / taller fan.

The Silverstone looks so beautiful in that pic but... must... not... be... swayed by beauty...

On the other hand, I could put the ASRock STX motherboard into the PT13 case, and maybe a thin fan is as good as a thick? I saw someone has put an NH-L9I fan into the ASRock and it seemed to have just 1cm more clearance.

Ok, someone told me the stock fan is 47mm with an extra 5mm clearance in the case. Would there be a problem with using a 52mm, or 51mm fan?

 

[Josh | NFC]

Silverstone has a mini-stx version too. If you like the style. It's not brushed aluminum though but still looks nice.

I'm not trying to sell you on it or anything just making you aware...

 

[Phryq]

Silverstone has a mini-stx version too. If you like the style. It's not brushed aluminum though but still looks nice.

I'm not trying to sell you on it or anything just making you aware...

Right, I've been looking at that as well. The fanless case would be ideal - I think without a fan things will last longer, not get dusty, use less power, and of course be perfectly silent. The H1.S would still fit in a regular backpack with a laptop, right? I think I can throw the power supply into luggage without worrying. It's expensive, but I guess worth it. But... at a 50% workload, the cpu temp will be around 70c for i7 65w. Is that too hot? How does that compare to regular systems? Anything else I can do to keep it cooler?

Another crazy idea... fill the H1.S with mineral oil (would need to remove it during flights, and refill when I land). Would that make a huge cooling difference?

The issue with passive cooling with the PT13 would be that it's just a bent flat plate with no form of fins, therefore it's use as a heatsink would be quite limited and wouldn't be able to easily dissipate the thermal load of a 65W TDP CPU.

Right, I'm wondering if I could do anything though to make it cooler. At this point, I almost feel like building my own case out of pure copper.

Copper is almost twice as conductive as aluminum, <<that's a wiki link with different metals' heat conductivity.

Here's a link where people use copper coins to cool their laptop and desktop,

So I really think copper is key here.

I'm even thinking about putting the whole thing on top of something like this,

or this

 

[CC Ricers]

@Josh | NFC digging the custom paint job on the PT-13. You sure do a great job in making people want things they usually have little interest in buying lol.

 

[Phryq]

Ok, I realize I'm going a bit nuts with the copper, but now I'm wondering, will a case fan give better cooling / noise ratio than a CPU fan? I could fit a wider fan on the top of the case, and above the CPU just have a heat sink.

OR

Just have copper heatpipes / heatsink within the case, but put the entire case on top of a simple laptop coolingpad fan. Maybe the PT13 is best for this, because of the holes (could I put it upside down?)

I know that seems to defeat the purpose of small form factor, but I mostly just need it to be small while traveling. I can put a cheap cooling pad in my luggage, and if it's destroyed, my life doesn't go with it *dramatic music*

And I agree, everything you do Josh is beautiful. I'm really just tempted to pay you to build me something (do you do that?)

 

[Phryq]

Ok, sorry for the barrage of crazy ideas...

I'm really thinking the H1.S now. It's tiny, and entirely passive. My only worry is overheating with a 65w cpu. So I'm thinking, what about using a second set of heat pipes (I've been reading a lot about heat pipes; didn't realize, they use a tiny bit of water inside and move heat much better than pure copper). Here's my crude drawing. Maybe I would need a special roof/lid for this to work? A copper lid?

 

[3lfk1ng]

Nah, keep up the crazy, that's why we are all here!

Not all heatpipes used water, they could contain other liquids such as ammonia as well. although IRRC it's been a very long while since quality heatpipes have contained liquid (I stand corrected by EdZ, thanks!). Most modern heatpipes are sintered to be far more effective at dissipating heat.

Unfortunately, nearly all heatpipes have to be manufactured in a vaccuum so it's far easier to buy them elsewhere and find a local machinist to make you some form of custom block.

If you would like to play around with some heatpipes, here is good site to start:
https://www.enertron-inc.com/online-store/heatpipe.aspx

 

[EdZ]

IRRC it's been a very long while since quality heatpipes have contained liquid. Most modern heatpipes don't contain any liquid at all because a sintered heatpipe has proven to be far more effective at dissipating heat.

All heatpipes contain a working fluid, or they would not function. It is the evaporation and condensation of the working fluid that enables them to transfer heat. Sintered heatpipes contain a sintered metal foam as the wicking material to transport condensed working fluid back to the hot site, while non-sintered heatpipes use channels in the pipe wall as wicking paths.
There are also heatpipes that use completely seperate channels to form the loop (one gas path, one liquid return path) but we do not typically see those in PCs.

Unfortunately, all heatpipes have to be manufactured in a vaccuum so it's far easier to buy them elsewhere and find a local machinist to make you some form of custom block.

Heatpipes that use water need to be filled at low pressures to enable the water to evaporate at near room temperatures (rather than at 100°C at sea level atmoispheric pressure). If the working fluid already has a near room-temperature boiling point, then filling at low pressures is not required, but these fluids generally do not have as good thermal and mechancal (e.g. wetting, wicking) properties as water.