Any better ITX than SG06? PC-Q07, Q27, Node 304, Coolcube?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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quest_for_silence
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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu Dec 26, 2013 3:56 pm

thierry. wrote:I am planning to run only one fan, from the CPU cooler.


Hmmm... in my previous experiences, any tentative to run a case without any fan directly bolted onto it ended up in a (more or less pronounced) heat build up: to be fair, I've used far bigger enclosures than your planned ones (Antec Solo and Antec NSK3480), so it might not apply to your case.

At any rate, I would advice to avoid the pictured TR fans: if they are the only kid in town, they are far from being unnoticeable (I own four, the red one turns out to be maybe better than the olive ones, but slightly).

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Thu Dec 26, 2013 11:34 pm

Thanks for your input.
In previous messages, 28 Nov., xan_user has a similar one with one fan or a vertical airflow. Small case also.
Maybe it's sufficient.
Do you have a bigger CPU than i3?
Mine would not generate much heat.

Maybe if it's not good, I can later add a case fan at 300rpm.


For the thermalright, did you have the HR-02?
It seems to be the best one with the Scythe Mugen 4. Recommended around here by several users.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:13 am

thierry. wrote:Thanks for your input.
In previous messages, 28 Nov., xan_user has a similar one with one fan or a vertical airflow. Small case also.
Maybe it's sufficient.
Do you have a bigger CPU than i3?
Mine would not generate much heat.


IMHO Ivy Bridge and Haswell are indeed low power CPUs but they are also not so efficient at heat dissipating (unless you delid them), while the original Sandy Bridge (I've a 2500K and a G530) is usually clearly better.
Said that, I can't help: you have just to try whether or not it's enough (at least, this is what I would do: trying, and see what happens).
thierry wrote:Maybe if it's not good, I can later add a case fan at 300rpm.


Usually in a low noise system a single exhaust should be preferred, but with reference to Lian-li Q27 and Cooltek/Rosewill enclosures I don't see where to put such a single large exhaust fan.
The original Lian-li Q07 looks like better to me, with reference to fan placement.

thierry wrote:For the thermalright, did you have the HR-02?
It seems to be the best one with the Scythe Mugen 4. Recommended around here by several users.


I was talking just about the TY fans: I've several TR coolers, from the original HR01 up to the Archon SB-E X2, but I've not the HR02.
In my opinion the HR02 is a very good cooler in a low airflow environment (like your one), but if you look at xan's setup, more probably that not the typical HR02 orientation may not be optimal (I don't know if you can change it, I guess so), at least with the Q27 and Cooltek/Rosewill enclosures; on the contrary the TR TY fans are - IME - not so bad but also a bit far from the best available (noise wise several Phanteks, Noctua, Scythe, Corsair, Antec, Bitfenix, beQuiet, Noiseblocker fans should be preferred over them, IMO/IME).
I want to add that the behavior of any fan can not be treated separately from that of the controller to which it is connected, so YMMV (and as a matter of fact my TR TYs sound better on my Sandy Bridge platforms than on my AMD ones).

Broadly speaking, IME/IMHO 140mm fans are not the best sounding ones around: usually you can't lower their speed enough to see their sound signature disappear, and while at 400rpm a good 120mm fan is often unnoticeable, any 140mm fan at the same speed (there aren't so many who can go that low) is not. Unless you place the box not so close to your head (like a mid tower under the desk).
Take also note that when placed horizontally, very often a fan is more noticeable than when it's vertically bolted.

In my opinion something like a Q07 with a pair of vertically placed good 120mm fans (one on the heatsink, one on the case), running at no more than 300-350rpm, should be the best tradeoff achievable, and it can be (any vibration issue set aside) extremely quiet (at night I can hear distinctly an ~11dB Seagate GoFlex idling over such a dual-fan setup, standing no more than a foot from my nose).
But as I said just above, give a try to your ideas: it's almost always the better option.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:37 pm

Thanks Luca for the additional info and ideas.
Usually in a low noise system a single exhaust should be preferred, but with reference to Lian-li Q27 and Cooltek/Rosewill enclosures I don't see where to put such a single large exhaust fan.
The original Lian-li Q07 looks like better to me, with reference to fan placement.
As i would use picoPSU, there would be some space on the back, to mount an exhaust fan. (if really needed)

I will certainly try first, with only the cpu cooler fan. In various positions.

I am still not decided between the Q27 (higher, with useless optical cage, but without holes on the side panel) and the Coolcube (smaller, but with holes)
I thought I could suspend my HDD on the top of Q27, but that's where the heat will build up. Not good idea...
coolcube.png
Coolcube
q27-01.png
Q27
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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by Rebellious » Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:05 pm

So what did you decide? Are we gonna see some pics?

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:37 am

Hi Rebellious,

It's nice that you bumped this topic, few weeks ago.
I am hunting again for my next config and came across my own topic when searching new mini-ITX cases in 2014.
Short answer: there is not many new things in 2014, for small mini-ITX!

In January 2014, I finally abandon my search for new PC. I realized that my laptop was sufficient and there was no need to build a new hackintosh. (remember, I sold my previous Temjin TJ-09E last December)

As I said, I am back on the "hunt", as my wife needs a new PC. (small, silent, simple)

Few things have changed for the config.:
- it will be i5-4430 (TDP max. 84W) instead of the i3 (54W).
- it will have 2 SSD and 1 HDD (now 3.5", later replaced by 2.5")
- I abandonned the idea of picoPSU, because I will need more power and I am not sure of what I buy on Amazon.at (I don't want to get a cheap quality). With a BeQuiet, I know what I get.
- it will be a Be Quiet 430W modular (because the Corsair has longer fixed cables. 60mm vs 45mm).
- I abandonned the SG06, because it needs the SFX PSU. It's costy and not modular. (and I said I don't want the picoPSU)
- I abandonned the Lian Li PC-Q07 because I don't need the top DVD space. I won't suspend my HDD there.
- still GA-Z8N-WIFI (, 8GB low profile RAM, SSD, 3.5" HDD.

I discovered a new small box, the Cooler Master Elite 110.
Small cube of 15 L. But it's wider than any other contenders in my list and quite deep.
I am not sure that it can handle the i5 without too much heating. Although there is a front fan.
Anybody can comment on this case?

I am considering again the Node 304. It's large and deep case, but it will be easier to build and can take a Kotestu.

Options for your last advices:

1.
Node 304 + Be Quiet 430W modular + Scythe Kotetsu = 554€
Larger box, but ultimate silent machine for my config. It has 3 case fans, more than sufficient.
It will be fixed under her desk table, so maybe the size doesnt matter anymore. (unless it's moved to the top in future)

2.
Coolcube + Be Quiet 430W modular + Big Shuriken 2 = 540€
Vertical, small footprint, I can fix it on her table-leg.
The PSU would need to be installed for sucking air inside-out. There is no case fan.

3.
Elite 110 + Be Quiet 430W modular + Big Shuriken 2 = 540€
It looks very small on pictures, but it's still a cube wider than Node 304.
I am afraid of the small space inside, heating too much. But it has a front 120mm fan.

I'm going to make some cardboard mockup. In the end, she will decide for the size (and the color !! ha ha, she will never want a white, so easy to get dirty. ^-^ )


Edit:
Nice, I discovered a new tower cooler, the Kotestu. Available here in Austria. Cheaper and better(?) than HR-02 Macho. It's on my list.
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quest_for_silence
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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Sep 15, 2014 4:37 am

thierry. wrote:1.
Node 304 + Be Quiet 430W modular + Scythe Kotetsu = 554€
Larger box, but ultimate silent machine for my config. It has 3 case fans, more than sufficient.
It will be fixed under her desk table, so maybe the size doesnt matter anymore. (unless it's moved to the top in future)

A 160mm modular PSU (like the L8 CM) will block the PCI-E slot (if you should ever want to use a discrete graphics).
With just the CPU load the Kotetsu could run fanless, with just the exhaust fan running nearby.

thierry. wrote:2.
Coolcube + Be Quiet 430W modular + Big Shuriken 2 = 540€
Vertical, small footprint, I can fix it on her table-leg.
The PSU would need to be installed for sucking air inside-out. There is no case fan.

Rather hot environment: I won't be surprised whether at least the PSU fan had to easily ramp up (and while the L8 is a quiet PSU, it isn't that quiet when internal temp increase).

Whether even your wife had to like it, you might also consider the Cooltek W1: a cube-style relatively narrow and tall rather than wide and short, very well built, not extremely expensive, accept virtually any hardware inside, it could be another viable option.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 5:11 am

Thanks Quest_for_silence, the W1 is too big for my small config.

And I will never need a discrete card.
(If it happens, it means she will need more computing power for her bigger project with new budget to buy new bigger PC. :D for happy husband building a new one)

Running the Kotetsu fanless, it's a good idea.
But I thought we can't start a computer if there is nothing plugged on the CPU_FAN header?
(Or I have to put the CPU Fan to the back of the case?)

I have my cardboard "304-sized". It's big but it should fit under her desk.
It's quite wider than conventional ATX PC, like in my office, because the motherboard is on the bottom.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:12 am

thierry. wrote:But I thought we can't start a computer if there is nothing plugged on the CPU_FAN header?

Broadly speaking, it depends of the motherboard.

thierry. wrote:(Or I have to put the CPU Fan to the back of the case?)

That's basically the idea (but you should know it very well, shouldn't you? :wink: ), to tie the exhaust to the CPU temp: you may either use the Kotetsu's Glidestream, or use a 3rd party PWM 140mm fan, as the exhaust one (usually on higher end ASUS mobos you may even use the standard Fractal 3-pin case fan).

Anyway, my fault: I don't know why (as you posted the relevant image), but in my mind I mistook the Coolcube with its larger sibling Coolcube Maxi (which haven't a proper intake grille for the PSU on the side panel): so I guess the BQ L8 would work a tad cooler (and thus quieter) than I was expecting in that config.
Last edited by quest_for_silence on Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:34 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:52 am

You are right, I was already posting about it.
I had an un-necessary question mark on this sentence: (Or I have to put the CPU Fan to the back of the case)

In January, I was ruling out the Node 304, because thinking of i3 CPU and vertical setup with picoPSU.

With the small changes now, it's back to the top of the list.

I guess I will run all the 4 fans, at first and will see for the noise.
(You cannot imagine what she is currently using. Her old Dell laptop Workstation is sitting on this cooling pad, which drives me crazy.)
If I still hear her new PC, I can take of a fan, or move the CPU fan to the back, with ducting.

I doubt my "normal" GA-Z87 board will have fancy features like the top end ones. I will see when I have it.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:02 am

thierry. wrote:I doubt my "normal" GA-Z87 board will have fancy features like the top end ones. I will see when I have it.
Indeed (Gigabyte fan management was often sub-par): btw, only ASUS and ASRock have somehow centerd CPU sockets, so check whether a large heatsink will fit (whether it had to overhang on a side, it couldn't fit).

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by Abula » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:29 am

I like more the old style lian li cases like Q11, at least for my likes in terms of having a intake fan and can fit a monster coolers if you use an external psu like picoPSU. This is how my MiniMi evolved in 2014,

Image

With a motheboard like Asus mini itx line with more centered CPU socket, you could run it fanless, and forget the HR22 i just use it because i had it, a Kotetsu is fine probably would run fine being so close to the frontal fan, or you can decide to place it on the back of the kotetsu to act like as outake for the case.... or kind off.
Last edited by Abula on Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

thierry.
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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:30 am

quest_for_silence wrote: btw, only ASUS and ASRock have somehow centerd CPU sockets, so check whether a large heatsink will fit (whether it had to overhang on a side, it couldn't fit).
True. The Gigabyte is not centered.
Image
But I don't have much choice of motherboard. (I will have one SSD on Windows and one SSD on Mac.) It's the only easy-recommended board, in this size.

If the Kotetsu is not fitting, I'll send it back and get a smaller.

Edit: with a drawing, it seems to fit in Node 304.
Screenshot - 2014-09-15 , 17_28_49.jpg
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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by Abula » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:37 am

Btw why did you abandon the picoPSU idea? wihtout a dedicated GPU you wont need much power.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:47 am

Abula wrote:Btw why did you abandon the picoPSU idea? wihtout a dedicated GPU you wont need much power.
Yes, I abandoned the idea of picoPSU.
There are tons of different models on amazon.at and I can't know which one is good or not.
I don't want to take the risk of choosing a cheap model with bad quality. On the other hand, I don't want to take the most expensive model, because it's not always the best quality either...

Choosing a Be Quiet or Corsair, I have reliability (and 3 years warranty). (and hopefully, it won't burn my motherboard.)

Maybe it's a bit too much precaution...

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:50 am

Abula wrote:I like more the old style lian li cases like Q11, at least for my likes in terms of having a intake fan and can fit a monster coolers if you use an external psu like picoPSU. This is how my MiniMi evolved in 2014,
The PC-Q11 is 80€ here in Austria + about 80-100€ for the picoPSU and some extra for a silent front fan. That's extra budget for me, because I'm not running a big i7 + discrete graphics

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by xan_user » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:54 am

thierry. wrote:
Abula wrote:Btw why did you abandon the picoPSU idea? wihtout a dedicated GPU you wont need much power.
Yes, I abandoned the idea of picoPSU.
There are tons of different models on amazon.at and I can't know which one is good or not.
I don't want to take the risk of choosing a cheap model with bad quality. On the other hand, I don't want to take the most expensive model, because it's not always the best quality either...

Choosing a Be Quiet or Corsair, I have reliability (and 3 years warranty). (and hopefully, it won't burn my motherboard.)

Maybe it's a bit too much precaution...
http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/.f they sell direct from thier website, or via amazon, as long as its sold "von Mini-Box.com" you can trust its the real thing.
http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=bl_sr_comput ... ch-type=ss

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by Abula » Mon Sep 15, 2014 8:23 am

thierry. wrote:
Abula wrote:I like more the old style lian li cases like Q11, at least for my likes in terms of having a intake fan and can fit a monster coolers if you use an external psu like picoPSU. This is how my MiniMi evolved in 2014,
The PC-Q11 is 80€ here in Austria + about 80-100€ for the picoPSU and some extra for a silent front fan. That's extra budget for me, because I'm not running a big i7 + discrete graphics
Well then Node304 gets the vote, i would still go with Asus though, you will be able to control all the case fans with it, ASUS H97I-PLUS has 1 true PWM fan header for the Kotetsu glidestream PWM fan, and two CHA_FAN (1 n 2), use one for the back Fractal 140mm fan, and the second use a splitter like Silverstone Tek Sleeved PWM Fan Splitter Cable (CPF01), and connect both frontal Fractal 92mm fans to it. Now install AI Suite and run FanXpert2+, run the tunning and control the fans how you like. For PSU, not sure what you have available, but since you not going with dedicated GPU, you can go with whatever PSU you want, maybe Corsair RM450?

Another case that you might wanna consider since you were planning a small setup, could be something like Antec Mini-ITX Case ISK110-VESA, it already comes with 90W brick/PSU that should be enough for your i3, the case can still house 2x 2.5hdds at the bottom of the it, so you could still have an SSD + Mechanical 2.5, there are big storage now a days on 2.5, like Samsung Seagate Momentus SpinPoint ST2000LM003 2TB 2.5" SATA Notebook Hard Drive 9.5MM, all of this would end up more efficient than the above with 450W PSU, in a very small factor. I would probably consider changing the CPU cooler for something like Scythe Kozuti Low Profile CPU Heatsink or Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile CPU Cooler.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:41 am

quest_for_silence wrote:so I guess the BQ L8 would work a tad cooler (and thus quieter) than I was expecting in that config.
Well, I've asked to Cooltek, and they said no, the side inlet is so much restrictive that the PSU won't work cooler/quieter.
Obviously you can mod it, but I don't think you would care of.

Said that, I too would suggest reconsidering Pico-esque PSUs (as average power draw would be maybe around 40W), you can order good quality ones on Logic Supply (for instance).
Among relatively cheap and quiet ATX PSU, give also a look to the Corsair CS-450M, as it might run cooler and quieter than the BQ L8 CM in hot environments.

thierry. wrote:There are tons of different models on amazon.at and I can't know which one is good or not.

As far as I know amazon.at is amazon.de, isn't it?
In case, there's full of ASUS mITX mobo there.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:32 pm

+1 for looking at H97/Z97 mobos. Enough incremental updates to mobo firmware UI and mobo s/w as well as some chipset updates to make it worthwhile over the '87.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:38 pm

xan_user wrote: http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/.f they sell direct from thier website, or via amazon, as long as its sold "von Mini-Box.com" you can trust its the real thing.
http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=bl_sr_comput ... ch-type=ss
Thanks xsan_user.
Mini Box is a well known seller?
I can find them on amazon.at
PicoPSU 160XT + brick 190W: Kurzlink: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00JS5N8SO
Would it be enough for my i5 + 2 SSD + 1HDD? (no discret graphics)

Quest_for_Silence is saying I would only draw 40W.

There is also this one Kurzlink: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004BUBDZ6
PicoPSU 150XT + 120W brick = 75€
Last edited by thierry. on Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:46 pm

Dear Abula,
Thanks for the suggestions. I moved to i5 since the start of the topic. (I updated the list, this morning)
I won't fit the i5, 2 SSD and 1 HDD in the ISK110.
I'm feeling already quite tight in the Elite 110 (It must be hard to evacuate the heat)

Do you recommend the Kozuti over the Big Shuriken 2?

Dear Abula, Steve and Quest,
I am trying to keep the GA-Z87N-WIFI, because it will be dual OS. (Windows + Mac OSX).
I have no doubt that Asus boards are giving more possibilities. But I am limited, in terms of choices to run Mac OSX on this computer.
I will search a bit on hackintosh forum, if these boards are supported without too much of a hassle. (many more are supported, but then you have to patch lots of drivers)

Thanks Quest, I will look at this LogicSupply.
The Mini-Box.com will charge 120USD for shipping to Europe. :)
Also thanks about the CS450M. I only knew about CX models in Corsair. It seems reasonable price for what it gives. And you are right, it looks better than the BQ L8 modular.
quest_for_silence wrote: Said that, I too would suggest reconsidering Pico-esque PSUs (as average power draw would be maybe around 40W), you can order good quality ones on Logic Supply (for instance).
Do you really think I would only draw 40W with the i5-4430, 2 SSD and one 3.5" HDD?
I remember it was bit higher with my old rig, i3-3225 + SSD + 2 HDD.

If so small, then the 120W picoPSU is sufficient.

Edit with the info from Steve, on other thread with i5 and 3HDDs. I am only planning 1 HDD, so it will be less for me.
CA_Steve wrote: PSU: Your power needs are small. Stress load of 84W CPU, ~30W for mobo and fans, 60W if all HDDs spin up at the same time -> 175W. More likely scenario of 140W or less at start up. A 150W Pico PSU might cut it. 500W class is overkill.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:12 pm

thierry. wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote:Said that, I too would suggest reconsidering Pico-esque PSUs (as average power draw would be maybe around 40W), you can order good quality ones on Logic Supply (for instance).
Do you really think I would only draw 40W with the i5-4430, 2 SSD and one 3.5" HDD?
I remember it was bit higher with my old rig, i3-3225 + SSD + 2 HDD.

If so small, then the 120W picoPSU is sufficient.


AFAIK the typical power consumption of a 4430/4460 (AFAIK measured at wall) should vary from something around 30-35W at idle, up to 70-80W at heavy load: the added SSD+HDD do not affect that much (probably 2-3W at idle, maybe 10-12W if you run extensive benchmarks on both the drives WHEN you are heavily loading the entire system), so that even a 90W Pico would suffice, IMHO.

Here to you some data from Hardware Info I am referring to: idle and load; I guess they may not fit exactly your needs, but as a gross estimate they'd look like quite precise.

So, summarizing, from what you said about your wife usage (about nothing), I would expect an average power draw around the forties (43W? 49W? I don't know, but not so far from): anyway, if you want to better describe her works, I would be glad to try to revise my guess.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by Abula » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:50 pm

thierry. wrote:Mini Box is a well known seller?
To what i know they are the retailers, like the original ones.
thierry. wrote:PicoPSU 160XT + brick 190W: Kurzlink: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00JS5N8SO
Would it be enough for my i5 + 2 SSD + 1HDD? (no discret graphics)
It should be, if you check my signature for the CamMI build, you will see a picoPSU 150XT + 150W brck drive an i7 4770K with an SSD + Mechanical 3.5 4tb + 3fans, and only under prime95 i reach close to 150W, this PC never idles though, most of the time is around 65W as its analizing and controlling the cameras, but i also posted idle figures when i was building, its around 23W with the same hardware. And your choice of cpu will for sure consume less than mine, so for sure what posted should drive your setup fine. Careful about some 120W bricks, some have small fans on them, not all but i avoided them.
thierry. wrote:Do you recommend the Kozuti over the Big Shuriken 2?
No, the Shuriken is more capable, but goes also according to its mass/size. The recommendation was just for the Antec 110 as the shuriken shouldn't fit. But for the node304 go with the Kotetsu, and if you still want to persue the gigabyte for stablity issues with your hackintosh, go aheaed, just use the fan controller built on the None304, and set it to low or mid, wont be dynamic, but will be ok.

Btw why 2 ssds?

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by xan_user » Mon Sep 15, 2014 5:55 pm

my understanding is mini-box, or its parent CO. Ituner Networks Corp, is the creator/patent holder of the original pico.

http://www.mini-box.com/site/company.html
Mini-box.com™, a subsidiary of Ituner Networks Corp., is a design and manufacturing company specialized in embedded computers and peripherals. Founded in 1996, Ituner Networks is a privately owned Corporation located in Silicon Valley.......

.....Since then, Mini-box. com has led the market by designing, developing and manufacturing a wide range of of Patent Pending, high efficiency plug-in small PC power supplies modules with a variety of power outputs, footprints and input voltage ranges.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:36 pm

quest_for_silence wrote: So, summarizing, from what you said about your wife usage (about nothing), I would expect an average power draw around the forties (43W? 49W? I don't know, but not so far from): anyway, if you want to better describe her works, I would be glad to try to revise my guess.
She's dealing with big amount of seismic raw data, for some processing and mapping. It's not very CPU demanding. (It's currently running on an old Dell Precision M4300 Mobile Workstation, with a warm Core2Duo. Now with SSD, but it's time to move on.)
I'm not sure she is pushing it to max load, she won't on the i5 either.

Abula wrote: Careful about some 120W bricks, some have small fans on them, not all but i avoided them.

Btw why 2 ssds?
Thanks, I remember this recommendation about this bricks with tiny fan which are not silent anymore.

I need 2 SSDs for the dual OS. When building a hackintosh, it's easier to run each OS on separate drives. Easier to install, easier to boot, easier to maintain. (I think there is something due to the boot record)



Thanks All, about the Mini-Box.
I will find them in Amazon.at
Last edited by thierry. on Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:55 am

thierry. wrote:She's dealing with big amount of seismic raw data, for some processing and mapping. It's not very CPU demanding. (It's currently running on an old Dell Precision M4300 Mobile Workstation, with a warm Core2Duo. Now with SSD, but it's time to move on.)
I'm not sure she is pushing it to max load, she won't on the i5 either.


To the best of my knowledge, I see no compelling reasons to promptly revise my guess: I don't expect an average power consumption in excess of the quoted forties, and whether you will use a Pico, an idle draw higher than Abula's one (23W: whether you will go for an ATX PSU, you should waste 7-10W more on heat).

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:17 am

Thanks Luca for the confirmation.


I hope I won't cause too many heart attack between the SPCR readers with the below picture. :D

That's the current wind turbine (and noise generator), sitting under her laptop.
I can't wait to get rid of it! :twisted:

Image

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Sep 16, 2014 2:37 am

thierry. wrote:Thanks Luca for the confirmation.

You're welcome: it would be nice if you can either correct or confirm such a guess in the future, with something like a Brennenstuhl PM231E power meter.

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Re: Any better ITX than SG06? Maybe PC-Q07 or Node 304 or PC

Post by thierry. » Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:25 am

I have a plug-watt-meter at home.
I will surely post all my readings, when it's running with picoPSU.


I'm removing (again!?) from my list the Node 304 for the second time. Hopefully, it's the last time and I stop bothering with my endless questions. :D

It will be the Cooltek Coolcube, picoPSU 90W and the Kotetsu (fan mounted on the back plate if I can)

I just need the final "wife's approval" for the purchase order.
(Don't tell her, I'm so happy her old Dell is crashing more and more.)


edit:
I found a really good info on Abula's picture
He's putting all the adapter cable for picoPSU, inside the case. So it can't be unplugged by accident.
I thought I would fix the connector on the back plate, and was afraid of accidents.
This seems a good idea. (hopefully, nobody is going to pull enough on the cable, to go all along with the full computer. :D)
Image
Last edited by thierry. on Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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