I was going to bring it to Scotland but I couldn't find my Packed Pixels mini-display before we were due to leave. I did play WoWs and The Long Dark on it just fine.
Aye, that’s pretty disappointing, if entirely unsurprising. A 16GB card - or even 12GB, FFS - in an LP dual slot configuration would most definitely pique my interest. Are you listening, AMD board partners? An LP dual slot 16GB 9060 XT would make for a great “Under The Telly” Steam PC. We know it’ll be toasty, don’t you worry about that, SFF weirdos expect it.
The LP 5060 doesn't look too badly priced compared to the 4060. @BeauchN - tell me about your Skyreach S4 Tiny, I see your were threatening to rebuild it. You said it's currently brick powered. I keep looking at the HDPlex 250HiFi + brick combo that Mojo is selling and wondering what smallening I could do with it. Unless I hack up my newest Metalfish T40 that was specifically bought for SFX compatibility, I'd have to look elsewhere for sub 7.5L I still don't like external bricks compared to being able to plug in a mains lead, but it has its place I guess. I have an Asrock Deskmini that was pretty good when new for 2L + brick, but the latest Mini PCs with super capable AMD laptop APUs blow it out of the water. Maybe the 4.5L Flex ATX case might work with the HDPlex, depends how long it is, it seems to be 150x50x25mm plus input cable
Doesn't look too terrible. No complex geometry really, only a couple of areas that would need support material. That's all 10 parts with 5 perimeters (for better strength). Hell of a lot quicker and a hell of a lot less material than the NAS case I finished printing not long ago! But... it is also a hell of a lot smaller than the NAS case I finished printing not long ago... Let's call it £25 per kg for a decent brand of ABS filament (Polymaker) - based on Orcaslicer's estimate there, you're looking at about £9.74 in filament cost. That is, if you printed it yourself on your own 3D printer, or had a kind friend do it for you on their 3D printer, and had zero failed prints. You'll pay a lot more for the convenience of a commercial service like JLC3DP.
PETG can start to soften and deform at anywhere from around 60C to 80C, depending on the specific filament/formulation, whereas that point for ABS starts at around 100C. It’s possible that some parts of the printed material might be in contact with components that get that hot. It certainly didn’t look that way from the STL files, but I haven’t watched the video yet so I’m not sure if he covers material choice. TBH… I’d probably print it in PETG myself, that’s what I did the NAS case in. It’s cheaper, it’s easier to print, and it’s a lot nicer to be in the same room when it’s being printed. EDIT: I did try setting the slicer to PETG and it actually increased print time and material usage! Overall print time went up by about 2h and it estimated about 100g more filament. But it’s still generally cheaper - I’ve bought decent PETG at £16 per kg, which would make this case cost about £7.84.
TBF, the HDPlex GaN PSUs do get a bit toasty. I mean, not 80 degrees toasty but sustained heat might deform it.
It’s still just sat there waiting for a decent APU to come along at a price I’m willing to pay. I was tempted to pick up one of the Framework desktop ITX boards with the Strix Halo processors, but they are pretty penny. I’ve currently got a HDPlex 400w AC-DC converter and a 250w DC-ATX unit in the Tiny. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but not unreasonable. I’m definitely thinking of swapping to the 250w GaN unit like I’ve got in my Lazer3D case. Or I might just swap that one over at some point, that rig will be in use for about another year as is, so hopefully give time for Strix Halo boards to drop in price. Then I can swap my 7800X3D and 4060LP for an APU and go down to 5L
Thanks @BeauchN, is the Lazer3D case, the HTPC one? I am still waiting for a powerful enough APU to allow me to have a really small PC to take to LAN nights. It's older stuff at 1080P, but I'd like some headroom with graphics power. My current R5 3600 / 4060LP combo works well in the 7.5L T40, but the fact that the LP card allows for a smaller build is making me itch! I'd like a design with a direct PCIe connection, no risers. The NFC 4TF looks good, but probably more expensive than a shop bought S4T at the end of the day...
Aye, the Cygnus X1 rabbit hole is calling... Diminishing returns hit hard very quickly under 10L. The 2nd tier T40 is pretty good for being smol and taking up to an SFX-L PSU to be fair. I'll be modding it at some point, but don't hold your breath
I think there's a whole load of little strix halo boxes about to drop with these they are costly because of the unified ram I guess, lpddr5 8000 RAM think its about £1400 though for a 64Gb unit looks a reasonable unit https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/al-eu-726f4d26-7fdb/8e59380a-a070-4705-8e77-33ff896426fe.mp4
It’s the HT5 (https://lazer3d.com/product/ht5/) which I quite like aesthetically, but isn’t optimal in terms of airflow. That could be fixed with a bit of modding to the top panel and some ducting. But it’s also a bit bigger than I’d like - the build log is in this thread somewhere. Yes, the 4TF looks nice, especially with the wood front, I remember when the video went up on YouTube. Again, for me, it’s the lack of 3D printer and minor concern about temperature that are an issue. The HDPlex 250 GaN does get a bit toasty, particularly when pushing it relatively close to the limit. Yeah, large amounts of unified RAM are a killer cost-wise. But at least you can get the top end speed with them which is great for the APUs.
Thanks @BeauchN, I had looked at the HT5 a couple of times but was never convinced that it would be well suited to LAN duty. I had a 17L prototype Parvum ITX case a while back which I did use for LAN nights. It was a bit lumpy and hard edged and was replaced by an SG13 with a webbing carrying harness.
I’ve slung it in a rucksack a couple of times now to fly with it, and it’s been fine, though I was a little worried the first time. I think my main issue is it’s just got a fair bit of wasted space in it. That’s sort of why I like the idea of Optimum’s case, it’s based around exactly the same kit in it, but with a smaller volume. Looking at the Framework desktop main board I think it’s too tall to fit in the S4Tiny, the website seems to suggest it’s 55mm tall, which is a shame. I’ll probably wait and see if minisforum do an ITX board with one of the AI Max APUs
OK, so the rabbit hole has opened up into a yawning chasm! As a regular on SFFN, there are all sorts of case solutions and this one popped up into my search... The Kases 3.22L riserless RTX 4060 LP case That's it on Reddit, the maker is on SFFN and says he has some of the metal shells available. The rest is 3D printed
Now I’ve watched the full video, and he does indeed talk about materials. But only in as much as he assumed that PLA would be OK, realised his error when it started to warp, and went straight for ABS. Didn’t mention PETG at all. Yeah, I’d print it in PETG, definitely. If any component did ever did get hot enough to start warping PETG, I’ve always got the option to buy a roll of ABS and re-print individual parts. But if you don’t have easy/free access to a 3D printer and you’re buying from a commercial service like JLC3DP, definitely go for the more robust ABS right off the bat. The price difference between ABS and PETG isn’t likely to be significant, so just don’t bother taking the risk in the first place. That’s a neat little design. Would be nice if they could redesign it to be entirely 3D printed, but metal is obviously a lot stronger gram-for-gram. You can potentially achieve a lot of size reduction using metal panels instead of plastic for critical structures.
