Hey guys, I'm going to build my first ever SFF pc and wondered if there is anything I need to know or am I forgetting in my build. This will be my main PC so it will get heavy use, mainly gaming (1080p) but other than just University work, no video editing etc hence the choice of the i5. I want it SFF so when I go back home from Uni I can take just the SFF box with me and plug it into my monitor at home and away I go. Who needs to see family and friends when I have dota to play? haha Case & PSU: Silverstone Sugo S08 MINI ITX + 600W PSU CPU: (would like to overclock it to 4.4 - 4.6 depending if I can get the cooler on it) Intel i5 4690k CPU Cooler: (this one I'm not sure on... not sure I can make it fit with everything... worth a go) Corsair h80i Mobo: (again not sure on this one, are there any cheaper alternatives? Since I only want 1600 mhz ram etc) Msi z97i Ram: (not sure If I'll need more than 8gb, what are your thoughts?) Corsair DDR 1600mhz CAS 9 Graphics Card: GTX 970 SSD: Samsung 850 Evo 250gb Storage: (I want a really reliable storage drive hence this one... but will it work with no issues? Since it'll be on its own and not in NAS / raid etc? HGST 3TB Deskstar DVD Drive: (slot loading, just to make it look nice... still debating if I actually need a DVD drive at all... can't remember last time I used it on my desktop) LG Slim slot Loading So yeah, anyone got any experience with the Silverstone Sugo S08? Good to build from etc? Or if anyone has any component advice that'd be great. Particularly about any alternatives for mother board storage HDD / cooler/ 8 or16gb of ram? Cheers guys!
8GB is fine really, but I'd definitely get 1866Mhz rather than 1600Mhz as Haswell's sweet spot has shifted upwards from Sandy/Ivy Bridge. The motherboard is about as cheap as it gets - personally I'd actually spend a few pounds extra and get the Gigabyte Z97N-WIFI (£105.56), but that's due to personal bad experiences with MSI. The H80i should fit. For the HD, I'd avoid using a NAS drive like that. There's a 3TB Seagate for £94.31, or my personal favourite Western Digital Black for £128.76.
I'm confused about the whole NAS drive? Why should I avoid using a NAS drive like that? I just presumed its just a normal HDD just one that has been made with extra reliability for 24/7 use? So again, presuming... I thought that it would make just an evening computer possibly more reliable.
I've built a nice little HTPC with some grunt during the last month in a Sugo S08. Bloody annoying and frustrating - and the most fun I've had building a PC in ages! First off, don't bother with getting the built-in 600W PSU. Get the barebones case and pick up a Silverstone Strider Essential SST-ST70F-ESG 700W - it's the smallest ATX PSU available and you WILL need the extra room. I do have an H80i fitted, but there is only room for one fan which has to be mounted below the cooler in a pull configuration. Screw the cooler to the top fan mount plate - be careful not to strip threads, which I annoyingly did with one. I have a 4790K installed which I managed to get to 4.5GHz on a nice 1.15V but it still hit temperatures of 80C when doing IBT. Note that the fan mount plate has to be screwed down before attaching the cooler otherwise it won't fit. Also, think about and prepare the orientation of the cooler otherwise you will end up kinking the hoses. SSD wise, try and find a mobo which supports an M.2 SSD. They are brilliant! I have a Plextor 256GB thing and damn it boots fast! I wish I had one on my main rig - I will probably do this when Windows 10 is released and I have to bother with a reinstall. RAM wise, don't mess about - fit in the 16GB NOW. Once you've got it together, you won't want to dismantle it. Additional bits wise, you'll need a mini SATA to SATA converter for the Blu ray drive (if you decide to have one - I would). Also look into getting right-angled SATA connectors for the 3.5" and any 2.5" drives you intend to install. Finally, expect to spend much more time than usual building it. The instructions are straightforward but everything has to go in in order. The GPU is the second to last thing to be fitted and it can be nerve wracking as you have to coax it forcefully into position.
Thanks Pete for the reply! What about modular vs non modular PSU? I mean wouldnt a modular make more sense to get? Or would its plug ins get in the way of things... looking at it... I wonder if a modular would get in the way of graphics card
Bingo - the PSU has to be non modular otherwise you won't be able to fit a full size card in. You can either cram all the wires into the case (as I have done) or snip a few and cap them.
Oh great, I really appreciate this help! So you can't fit any sort of extra fans? I mean from the sounds of things it's going to be a very busy build..... I mean I've got full length 970 going in there... the h80.... a dvd drive (cant afford blu ray ). What gfx card did you end up using? I'm wondering because I wonder what your temps are at? I mean intel burn test @ 80 does not sound bad for CPU, but wondering about GPU... HDD's etc, because that's my only worry... I mean I'll be gaming at 1080p regularly, so if its run too hot and crashes well there's no point me building it... ughr stressful pre build stage where I'm worried about everything before I order it! hahaha
Can I just come in here and throw a curveball? Are you really set on the SG08? Because honestly, I didn't like the case at all. It was a pain to build in, fairly loud, with poor sound dampening for HDDs and fans, and only looks 'ok' (subjective).
No not particularly. Also been looking at CM 130 Elite and FD Node 304 (downside of node is no optical drive) Personally I really like the Corsair 250D but its just a bit too big... I want something smaller.
I agree with the points above about not being easy to work with but I find it great over all. The graphics card is somewhat isolated to the left and I use a windforce 3x card but a reference blower would probably be quieter and overall cooler. The 18cm fan keeps the main section of the chassis cool and I just have the stock Intel HSF on the CPU. I'll probably upgrade to skylake once that hits market (from my h55 + i7 870). I feel like I'll stick with this case as long as is practical to be honest, I really rate it. (sorry Parge!)
The 130 is very similar but with inferior cooling. The node is a good shout. Do you definitely need an internal optical drive in 2015? Also what about something like the FT03B Mini? Or a Parvum like mine? RV01? Cooltek W1?
Yeah I'm not sure I need an optical drive either... I put everything on USB... and download everything. But still its good to have that option... I may just buy an external DVD RW if the need ever arose. I've never heard of Paravum? Scan neither... can you link me? I didnt like the FT03B. It's just too big.
I have a reference GTX 780 installed at the moment, which is very quiet - it does pick up when playing more intense games but the sound of the game will override it. At some point I intend to upgrade it to a 980 or 980TI (whenever that comes out) with a three fan cooler (I'm going to need HDMI 2.0), but for the moment, a 780 destroys any game at 1080p and even can tolerate upscaling to UltraHD (through DSR) for less demanding games. The CPU 80C is an absolute worse case scenario - idling or low use it sits in the mid to high 20s, maybe reaching 55-60C during relatively intensive tasks. Temperatures are absolutely fine - the GPU is isolated (as Ataraxia says) and effectively draws air straight from the outside (you may want to look into some magnetic fan filters) and although the CPU cooler will be blowing warm air into the case, mine survived a 12 hour Prime95 stress test without any problems! Yes, the case is a pain but it's the smallest you can get without resorting to making your own! Well, okay, there are cases with the SFX PSUs but when you want to have a miniaturised uber-rig they're not going to hack it. I found the damping fine - there are shock absorbers in there after all and there are no fans apart from the CPU and PSU fans. I had a friend and my brother have a look at it during Easter and both commented on how quiet it was - they now both intend to get one. As for looks, I love it! A small, subtle looking black box only a little larger than a shoebox (actually, I've named the PC 'SHOEBOX') that is actually more powerful than most gaming rigs out there and has a shedload of storage space.
