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Small Form Factor Thread for the thin mini ITX builds

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by sonicgroove, 13 Jan 2018.

  1. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    I thought I'd open a thread for the current spate of microbuilds on here, after the ECS boards went silly cheap!

    Here's my proposed build :

    i5 4690s
    8gb DDR3L 1600MHz
    128gb small MSata on board (for windows/mac software maybe?)
    Wifi onboard
    either 1TB WD Scorpio Blue or 500GB Seagate Laptop Thin SSHD
    Silverstone PT13B case
    Silverstone heatpipe cooler SST AR04
    120w (or 90w if I can get away with it) brick

    I am, as yet, undecided whether to pair it with a Laptop touchscreen LCD in some kind of tablet type case to be mounted on a wall(I have access to a plethora of LCD screens at work for free)or just stick it on the back of a monitor. I have also considered mounting the lot in a chest of drawers and sticking Mame on it. Turbocharged arcade box anyone! :D

    What are you going to do with yours?

    Can you see any potential issues with the above build?
     
  2. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    Wasn't sure what you were talking about until I did a Google search.

    Bought one even though I didn't need one.

    Fwiw I run a Matx z77 + i5 t cpu, 16gb ram, quad nic and dual satas from a 120w pico psu.
     
  3. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    Good call, sonic. I'll post later what I did with that 'thin' HP H61 board that you sold me a while back...
    FWIW, I just bought an N40L Microserver on the MP here and it's running well with 5 HDDs on board from a 120W Pico and brick.
    Looking forward to seeing what the other H81 ECS boards end up doing!
     
    Last edited: 16 Jan 2018
  4. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    Well it has to be said. I am highly impressed with this build! It's the size of an optical drive and has a TON of power! Easily as fast as my main rig (i7 2600K). Completely silent, runs as cool as you like.(sat at 23degrees idle and never exceeds 50degrees) It was a cinch to build too. Being able to pick it all up with one hand and alter angles was a revelation! All in all, I have spent under £100 (CPU, SSD, SSHD and Ram were all freebies) and could probably sell it now for £300+

    I need to find a proper wireless solution though. It works but the connection is a bit slow. Maybe a hole punch/guerrilla antenna install will improve it, or even use a USB wifi dongle and dump the included card.
     
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  6. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    It looks like the case to be honest :) internally, it's a bit of a mess at the moment as I ran it open, so cable management hasn't been undertaken, and the ones that came with the motherboard, although very useful, are on the long/ugly side. I think I am going to tape them round the side of the case, where possible. The front usb cable has to stretch across the board, as the pin connector is back left and it only just managed to reach. Also I think I need to get me one of those keyboard/ trackpad units for convenience in the living room, where it is connected.
     
  7. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    [​IMG]

    Here's my 'Thinish' ITX rig in it current form...
    Living in a filing cabinet drawer in the office, dedicated to online banking duties only. It boots in 16 sec and works beautifully and silently (even on that Intel standard cooler...), running off an HP laptop brick.
    A case build will be starting soon, now I have the elusive material for the corner supports
     
  8. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    I need to locate a suitable brick, I'm sure one oif the zillion I have lying around here will be suitable.
     
  9. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    i benched mine last night with realbench. scored just shy of 50k which is a little lower than-i was expecting but considering the cost and size, not too shabby. More importantly it didnt go over 70 degrees at a sustained 100% load. very happy with that.
     
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  10. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    I am trying to find a use for it tbh and the only nice cases I have for ITX lying around are:

    Evolve ITX (too big)
    N Case (again too big)
    OSMI (feels like a waste)

    I was planning to re-encode my stuff from x264 to x265, so if I did invest in a little case like the silverstone, would be ideal for me to check in a bag and take to and fro the office for re-encode duties.
     
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  11. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    You have an OSMI? Wow!
    My Evolv ITX is in the attic awaiting surgery...I think the only way to make use of those outrageous 36L of space is to get the grinder out on the PSU shroud and mod it to take an ATX board.

    I could be persuaded to send you my SG13 in part exchange against your resting M1 :grin: :naughty:
     
  12. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    My main case is the Dan case, it could be suggested I'm a little obsessed with itx.
     
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  13. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    My contribution to the cause:

    [​IMG]

    Currently running a G3220T, which should more than suffice for what I have in mind for it. Although it's running from a spare spinning rust drive right now because muppet 'ere picked up an M.2 SATA SSD thinking it was an mSATA SSD... I can't even fit it in my laptop - which does have an M.2 SATA port - because this SSD is 2280 and my laptop only takes 2240 :wallbash:. Also there's no case because the cheapie no-name case I picked up on Amazon won't fit the cooler I have - I can't return the cooler since I've used the thermal goo that comes with it... (Plan to pick up a Silverstone PT13)

    Hey ho. At least it's running. Performance with the G3220T seems to be OK, but the rust spinner is killing me right now...
     
  14. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    Good stuff, I'm eyeing up the Dan Case C4. Hoping it is out this year, maybe even this summer.

    Fine looking rig, running on the obligatory piece of cardboard :D.
    I may be deluded, but am sure I saw M.2 to mSATA adaptors on ebay...
    If the aluminium turns up, I'll be case building next week for my flatty.
    Good luck with your tribulations
     
  15. Byron C

    Byron C Multimodder

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    Gotta be a bit of cardboard, got to watch out for them short circuits :thumb:

    Such adaptors do exist but because of the orientation of the mSATA slot, there isn't enough room between the IO shield and the mSATA port to fit a 2280 M.2 device.
     
  16. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    I saw it but honestly I need to stop, ITX and t state Intel cpus are turning into a real obsession.

    I also have a side rig z87i rig with a 4590t and a 1050ti in a antec isk 600. Don't ask me why though....

    The only thing I really "need" to do is custom psu cabling on the Dan case and I'm done!
     
  17. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    Maybe my 4670t would help feed your obsession Nimbu?
    I got a sata ssd enclosure for my 2280 that wouldn't fit in my laptop. It was less than a tenner and basically turns it into a regular 2.5'' hdd. Might be an option Byron?

    I think I need shorter sata cables for the pt13. It really is a tight fit at the moment
     
  18. Arboreal

    Arboreal Keeper of the Electric Currants

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    That's a pain, I have one of these adaptors which is smaller than a 2.5"SSD and plugs in like an SSD.
    Is that any use?

    Good to hear! So I do a bit of ITX, I can stop any time...:grin:
    I thought that my 3 SG5/6/13 cases were a worry, but I think it's just normal SFF acquisition Syndrome!
    That H61 board I posted had an i3 T (all bought from @sonicgroove) in it, which I sold and fitted a 'free' G620T that came with a cheap s1155 board. I like the idea of the one and only s1155 i5 T but it's not a proper quad, just a 2c/4t i3 with Turbo, and is expensive. My rig is for limited online use, so the G620 suits it fine.


    How about one of these SilverStone SST-CP11cables? I bought one for a fair bit less on Amazon, and so long as the cable outlet orientation is OK for your Mobo, they are amazing for SFF.

    The only other thin rig I fancy would be an Asrock H81T with i5 and a powered PCIe 4x to 16x adaptor and a second brick to power a GTX 1050Ti, all crammed into a small custom case.

    Lack of funds and my time eating PUBG habit won't let that see the light of day!
     
  19. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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    I did see it in the MP and was tempted, but I have some up coming changes to storage that I need to squirrel away for first
     
  20. nimbu

    nimbu Multimodder

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