The "Geri" Haswell 65W build
Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 12:43 pm
Here's my Haswell build still in process, I'm waiting for the CPU to arrive in the next days.
The specs:
-Fractal Design Define Mini
-i5-4570S 65W
-Thermalright Macho120
-Gigabyte H87M-D3H
-16GB Crucial Ballistix VLP (very low profile and interestingly low voltage too, stock at 1,35v)
-no external GPU for now
-modded FSP Aurum 600W with a Magma fan
-Samsung 830 128GB & Samsung F1 750GB (soon to be replaced by a 1TB WD Green EARX or EZRX)
The impressions: (updating...)
The case
My previous case was a Cooler Master ATC201. 10 year old, full alluminium, super light and super noisy. The Fractal Design Define Mini for me is literally a jump into the present, or maybe the future. I like the build, it's a concrete and intelligent solution but still with a decent pricetag. Just some minor cons: the black ano screws discolor easily; the hole on the tray for access to backplate may be just as sufficient for some mobo, like mine; I didn't turned the thing on yet, but the slot covers and the fan doors may be prone to some rattling noise; build quality of the fan controller is a bit flimsy.
But as I said I like this case a lot, and I didn't find anything better in this price/silent/size segment.
Coming from a lightweight case I definitely feel the huge difference in weight, even if my ATC was full ATX. I choose a mATX because I'm not planning to fill it with lot of drives and boards, which is basically everyone does bit apparently still buy full ATX.
i5
It's a midrange 65W part of the Haswell family. I wanted to build a silent machine and 65W seems a good spot, it's the same TDP of my old E6600 Conroe before I sold it for a Q6600 (~100W) mounted on the same platform I bought in the mid 2000s (Asus P5K-E).
Macho120
Terrible, just TERRIBLE instruction manual. But excellent build quality and good price.
Gigabyte
Minimalistic board with H87. The only accessory was a pair of good SATA cable. I choosed this board over the stock Intel and Asus, a brand I used literally for ages.
Frankly I find stupid writing the features on the PCB board itself, not to mention the ULTRA DURABLE writing on the power heatsinks. Also, the heatsinks are more like CNC'd block of alluminum with no optimal surface distribution. Seems like they preferred a good shape instead for going for good cooling capability.
Ballistix VLP
Not much to say, it's just RAM, but I liked the below-spec-voltage @ 1,35v and the very low profile, which is basically not taller than the DIMM retention.
FSP Aurum 600W
This PSU is not silent and I had to switch the fan with a quieter Magma. I know, it's overpowered for my system, but it's gold rated and super efficient even at low loads.
Cons: vent pattern is useless; exagonal hole and grill: why?; pointless golden plastic accent (removed).
The specs:
-Fractal Design Define Mini
-i5-4570S 65W
-Thermalright Macho120
-Gigabyte H87M-D3H
-16GB Crucial Ballistix VLP (very low profile and interestingly low voltage too, stock at 1,35v)
-no external GPU for now
-modded FSP Aurum 600W with a Magma fan
-Samsung 830 128GB & Samsung F1 750GB (soon to be replaced by a 1TB WD Green EARX or EZRX)
The impressions: (updating...)
The case
My previous case was a Cooler Master ATC201. 10 year old, full alluminium, super light and super noisy. The Fractal Design Define Mini for me is literally a jump into the present, or maybe the future. I like the build, it's a concrete and intelligent solution but still with a decent pricetag. Just some minor cons: the black ano screws discolor easily; the hole on the tray for access to backplate may be just as sufficient for some mobo, like mine; I didn't turned the thing on yet, but the slot covers and the fan doors may be prone to some rattling noise; build quality of the fan controller is a bit flimsy.
But as I said I like this case a lot, and I didn't find anything better in this price/silent/size segment.
Coming from a lightweight case I definitely feel the huge difference in weight, even if my ATC was full ATX. I choose a mATX because I'm not planning to fill it with lot of drives and boards, which is basically everyone does bit apparently still buy full ATX.
i5
It's a midrange 65W part of the Haswell family. I wanted to build a silent machine and 65W seems a good spot, it's the same TDP of my old E6600 Conroe before I sold it for a Q6600 (~100W) mounted on the same platform I bought in the mid 2000s (Asus P5K-E).
Macho120
Terrible, just TERRIBLE instruction manual. But excellent build quality and good price.
Gigabyte
Minimalistic board with H87. The only accessory was a pair of good SATA cable. I choosed this board over the stock Intel and Asus, a brand I used literally for ages.
Frankly I find stupid writing the features on the PCB board itself, not to mention the ULTRA DURABLE writing on the power heatsinks. Also, the heatsinks are more like CNC'd block of alluminum with no optimal surface distribution. Seems like they preferred a good shape instead for going for good cooling capability.
Ballistix VLP
Not much to say, it's just RAM, but I liked the below-spec-voltage @ 1,35v and the very low profile, which is basically not taller than the DIMM retention.
FSP Aurum 600W
This PSU is not silent and I had to switch the fan with a quieter Magma. I know, it's overpowered for my system, but it's gold rated and super efficient even at low loads.
Cons: vent pattern is useless; exagonal hole and grill: why?; pointless golden plastic accent (removed).