Motherboard Thin ITX Discussion Thread

[Windfall]

Welcome to the #thinpcmasterrace*

Since there are quite a few interested parties, I figured it was time to make a dedicated thin ITX thread to consolidate the couple seperate threads (like this one and this one).

So here we can:

• Make wishes in hopes that manufacturers see it
• Toss around design Ideas based around thin ITX
• power solutions
• and show off thin ITX stuff we have

I guess I'll get the discussion started.

Currently running an 8700T in a IMB1213 with a WX4100, drawing less than 110W from the wall under load.

I runs great. Looking forward to housing it in one of @CC Ricers' excellent thin-x cases, but with a little twist!

Some stuff will go here:
List of current thin-itx boards/risers etc
and other stuff? coolers that meet spec?

*Thanks to @Goatee!

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

My new home !

My build spec below:

• ASUS Q87T
• Intel core i7-4785T
• Zotac GT1030 - low profile single slot
• 16GB DDR3L
• 500GB mSATA SSD
• Thermaltake engine 27
• Dell 90W AC-DC PSU

I'm looking toward an i7-8700T and WX4100 too .... Or the yet to be officialised i9-9900T.

 

[gshamshurin]

Maybe a consumer thin mini-itx with 35W power limit on PCI-E and z390 chipset for downclocking/downvolting? To make a 9900T from 9900K.
Most thinITX has PCI-E x4 with 25W PL.
Although, i3-4130T + GA-H87TN + GT1030() works fine in my fanless system since 2017.
So, my staff was https://habr.com/ru/post/391699/ (it's in Russian. Click on spoilers to see more images )
In that case i did not make a cutout for GPU, so now it's re-assembled in Fractal Design Define Nano S

By the way - i wish a passive/semipassive WX2100 or something similar.

 

[Goatee]

About time! #thinpcmasterrace

 

[Goatee]

I should post my build, I have learnt loads while building: Build Log

Consists of:

• GIGABYTE MDQ17AI Intel Q170
• Intel I7-7700T
• KFA2 GTX 1070 8GB KATANA with waterblock
• Hynix 16GB ddr4 2666mhz sodimm
• Samsung 1TB SM961 M.2 PCIe NVMe

Powered PCIE cable: Linky

Pump/block from a Kelvin S36

Stuff I have learnt!

• Thin ITX boards rock. I now hate 28 pin ATX power connectors
• And also at least for me (UK), sodimm RAM is much cheaper
• Isolating the 12V lanes on a powered riser is a good idea.
• There is only a small impact of using the x4 rather than a x16 PCIE lane: Linky
• You can switch a power supply on when a board powers up by connecting the 12V fan output to a mosfet, that bridges the PS_On / Neutral of the power supply to be switch on with the board. Linky
• You can use the Mini-Fit Jr. on a thin itx board as an output to power a daughter PSU (hdplex or other) with the board powered via a barrel connector

 

[Windfall]

My new home !

My build spec below:

• ASUS Q87T
• Intel core i7-4785T
• Zotac GT1030 - low profile single slot
• 16GB DDR3L
• 500GB mSATA SSD
• Thermaltake engine 27
• Dell 90W AC-DC PSU

I'm looking toward an i7-8700T and WX4100 too .... Or the yet to be officialised i9-9900T.

Hype for that 9900t, hopefully someone (@ASRock System *clears throat*) will make a good board that meets all my dreams!

About time! #thinpcmasterrace

^exactly. main thread updated

I should post my build, I have learnt loads while building: Build Log

Consists of:

• GIGABYTE MDQ17AI Intel Q170
• Intel I7-7700T
• KFA2 GTX 1070 8GB KATANA with waterblock
• Hynix 16GB ddr4 2666mhz sodimm
• Samsung 1TB SM961 M.2 PCIe NVMe

Powered PCIE cable: Linky

Pump/block from a Kelvin S36

Stuff I have learnt!

• Thin ITX boards rock. I now hate 28 pin ATX power connectors
• And also at least for me (UK), sodimm RAM is much cheaper
• Isolating the 12V lanes on a powered riser is a good idea.
• There is only a small impact of using the x4 rather than a x16 PCIE lane: Linky
• You can switch a power supply on when a board powers up by connecting the 12V fan output to a mosfet, that bridges the PS_On / Neutral of the power supply to be switch on with the board. Linky
• You can use the Mini-Fit Jr. on a thin itx board as an output to power a daughter PSU (hdplex or other) with the board powered via a barrel connector

Very nice build!

 

[CC Ricers]

@Windfall , thanks for the mention, and great thread.

Hopefully I can get a new iteration of Thin-X made before the end of Friday, even if it isn't to its final spec. I used to have a WX4100 with a Gigabyte GA-H110TN-GSM, but have sold almost all my parts of the build. It was in a previous version of the Thin-X case.

Let's not forget that AMD has skin in the game too. Onda B320 looks to be a great board for APUs (and it is also cheaper than the mainstream ITX Raven Ridge boards). Here's a build in one with a sleek case.

With a A320 chipset that supports Raven Ridge out of the box, and Intel LGA 115x cooler support, it is a real frankenboard.

There is no PCIe slot here, which makes its intention more towards iGPUs but it has a m.2 slot so you can probably connect a GPU that way.

 

[Windfall]

@Windfall , thanks for the mention, and great thread.

Hopefully I can get a new iteration of Thin-X made before the end of Friday, even if it isn't to its final spec. I used to have a WX4100 with a Gigabyte GA-H110TN-GSM, but have sold almost all my parts of the build. It was in a previous version of the Thin-X case.

Let's not forget that AMD has skin in the game too. Onda B320 looks to be a great board for APUs (and it is also cheaper than the mainstream ITX Raven Ridge boards). Here's a build in one with a sleek case.

With a A320 chipset that supports Raven Ridge out of the box, and Intel LGA 115x cooler support, it is a real frankenboard.

There is no PCIe slot here, which makes its intention more towards iGPUs but it has a m.2 slot so you can probably connect a GPU that way.

I had seen that. I would hate to sacrifice the M.2 slot though.

Btw, you going to take a look at the F360 project?

 

[Arboreal]

Good call @Windfall, a dedicated home for thin ITX discussions.

I'm looking at a brick powered project next, and am torn between Thin ITX and Mini STX at the moment. I'm also unsure what I want it to do, adding a low profile GTX 1050Ti is something I'd like to try, but the thought of messing an M2 breakout on Mini STX and powered risers is a little unnerving...
I wouldn't mind bypassing the brick, and integrating an internal AC-DC unit to feed the 19V to the input socket.
Lots of ideas, and matching confusion!

There are quite a few well priced Thin ITX boards on UK Ebay at the moment, many of them being Gigabyte models with PCIe 4x slots.

I currently have a spare 90W brick that would fit the standard Thin ITX socket - would that power a basic system with a 65W (max) CPU and mSATA drive? Gigabyte seem to recommend a 150W brick for 65W CPUs and 180W for 84W models.

 

[CC Ricers]

90W can be fine if you don't overclock anything. For other setups 150W is usually the limit. I didn't think that Gigabyte boards could support up to 180W of DC power going in the socket.

I'm trying to make a case design that can go brickless with a low profile 1050 or Quadro P1000. Either of these will require a ultra low profile PSU and may have to sacrifice a 2.5" hard drive slot to do so.

 

[Arboreal]

Loving your design work @CC Ricers. Good to know that there is extreme experimentation out there.
Other than the financial pain, I'm looking forward to M.2 all the way - fewer cables and more breathing room .
As mentioned elsewhere, if I had the funds, I'd jump over to an Asus Strix 'i' Gaming board with dual M.2 slots in search of shrunken storage.
My 17L mATX rig is 'diskless' as it (unusually) has 2 M.2 slots on the top of the board, making it more manageable on the cable and space fronts.

Copied from the Gigabyte H85TN spec page:
"Wide Range Voltage Input
Offering additional flexibility for system DC voltage input, GIGABYTE Thin Mini-ITX motherboards offer a broad voltage range of 12v to 19v, eliminating compatibility issues with many traditional IPC designs.
* GIGABYTE recommends 180W power adapters for processors above 84W TDP. Processors with a TDP lower than 84W, may use 150W power adapters.
* Power adapters connector dimension: 7.4 x 5.1mm, 180W = 19V / 9.47A , 150W = 19V / 7.89A."

 

[Windfall]

Okay, so I have located some GA-IMB310TN (300 series thin itx) boards, four of them, to be exact. I'm getting one.

One of them can only ship to the UK, the other from "TINKERprime" is willing to ship to the US. I talked to them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-IMB310TN-Socket-Express-Mini-ITX/dp/B07HNQHY5Y

 

[Goatee]

These guys also have them: https://www.ginger6.com/new-gigabyte-imb310tn-socket-1151-h310-express-ddr4-s-ata-600-mini-itx.html

Not used them before but a lot cheaper.

 

[Windfall]

These guys also have them: https://www.ginger6.com/new-gigabyte-imb310tn-socket-1151-h310-express-ddr4-s-ata-600-mini-itx.html

Not used them before but a lot cheaper.

Thanks, that's great! Thank you for saving me 50 bucks!

 

[Goatee]

Or if your feeling more flush and fancy some PCIE x16 goodness.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asr...m-sata3-dual-m2-2x-gbe-4x-com-usb31-g1-a-thin

 

[Windfall]

Or if your feeling more flush and fancy some PCIE x16 goodness.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asr...m-sata3-dual-m2-2x-gbe-4x-com-usb31-g1-a-thin

Yeah, I knew about that one, but it's not in stock, and it accepts 19V only.

 

[Goatee]

If you not after a PCIE x4 or could make do with an M.2 adaptor then there is always this:

https://www.ebuyer.com/857834-asus-...MItaHPkujN4AIVBkPTCh17wARPEAkYBCABEgIrxfD_BwE

Even cheaper!

 

[Windfall]

If you not after a PCIE x4 or could make do with an M.2 adaptor then there is always this:

https://www.ebuyer.com/857834-asus-...MItaHPkujN4AIVBkPTCh17wARPEAkYBCABEgIrxfD_BwE

Even cheaper!

I knew about that one. But I'm not fine with an M.2 riser, I in fact need it for a drive!

Thanks, though!

EDIT: This is certainly an interesting board!

https://www.ebay.com/p/MSI-Server-W...50-for-Intel-Xeon-E3-1200v3-Series/1965474296

 

[Arboreal]

I've just bought a used Thin ITX board and accessories on ebay after a lot of searching and indecision on what platform to choose.
Best spec/price was a Gigabyte B85TN, but I have no spare Haswell CPUs and 2x 1GB DDR3 SODIMMs in the drawer. B75 was a similar price, and I could have used a G630 from stock.
In the end I went with a Gigabyte H110TN-M which looked expensive, (spotted it late at night....), until I realised that it included a 90W power brick, 4GB DDR$ SODIMM and an Intel 7260 WIFi card!
I have a Pentium G4500 + cooler that I can take out of my dormant mATX Dev PC and I'm up and running .
Once it's all set up, I'll go looking for an i5 'T' CPU, probably a 6500T or 6600T to give it some more horsepower.
After that, I would be interested in going brickless and adding an LP 1050Ti for lightweight gaming.
Watch this space...

 

[Windfall]

Hello again!

So I have some Ideas for a thin itx S4M style case. It would use a custom ac-dc unit (probably from gury if it ever happens).

Single slot full height GPU (WX5100 because WS cards are cool).

Thoughts?