Minimalistic Mini iTX System

Info & chat about quiet prebuilt, small form factor and barebones systems, people's experiences with vendors thereof, etc.

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Cov
Posts: 396
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:37 am
Location: London
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Minimalistic Mini iTX System

Post by Cov » Sun May 10, 2009 7:28 pm

Hi, I wanna build a Minimalistic Mini iTX System.


CPU _ Intel Q8400 or Q9550S

Mainboard _ Zotac GeForce 9300 iTX

RAM _ G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK

HDD _ WD5000BEVT and / or OCZ Vertex (60GB)

PSU _ Pico PSU 150W and 220V > 12V Transformer

PC case _ M350 ... 192 (w) x 210 (d) x 62 mm (h)


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The 2.5" WD Scorpio Blue 500GB SATA3 cost the same like the 3.5" WD10EADS.
But the 3.5" HDD has double the capacity of the 2.5" one.
I guess it has to be either the 2.5" HDD or the SSD, hmmm ...


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The case M350 is the actual reason for why I have started this thread.
Being fairly confident in the other components I have chosen, I'm not sure how to prevent thermal problems within this case.

Any ideas please ?


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This CPU cooler seems to fit but there is not a single onlin shop in Europe where I could order this from.
Have not found any online shop in the USA who ships internationally and accepts PayPal.

Life's a bitch !!!

JamieG
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by JamieG » Sun May 10, 2009 11:31 pm

One alternative that I can think of would involve a passive heatsink, preferably copper, intended for mounting in a 1U server rack but that is compatible with a socket 775 and then a Scythe Kaze Jyu Slim 100mm Fan 1000rpm fan mounted above it as either an exhaust or intake depending on what works better. (FYI, link is to an Australian site, but you should be able to find the fan internationally).

If you get a low enough profile passive copper CPU cooler, you may be able to fit a standard 80mm or 92mm fan (25mm thick) in there.

Some low-profile CPU coolers are listed here. Some of these may fit as well and be available in your area. The Arctic Cooling one could be promising if it fits.

Cov
Posts: 396
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:37 am
Location: London
Contact:

Post by Cov » Mon May 11, 2009 12:51 pm

Hey Jamie, that is so kewl ... THANK YOU !!!

Never really thought about that ... a passive heatsink and a slim 100 mm fan like the Scythe Kaze Jyu.
Getting a low profile passive heatsink is so much easier than getting a conventional low profile CPU cooler.

I could also imagine to fix one or two small fans next to the CPU socket instead of above.
Any kind of airflow will be so much better than a passive solution only.

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Heatsink dimension: 83.8 x 83.8 x 27mm
Heatsink material: pure copper


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TTIC - SF775-2
100 x 100 x 55 mm

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JamieG
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by JamieG » Mon May 11, 2009 4:57 pm

Cov wrote:Hey Jamie, that is so kewl ... THANK YOU !!!

*snip*

I could also imagine to fix one or two small fans next to the CPU socket instead of above.

Any kind of airflow will be so much better than a passive solution only.
No worries mate. Glad to be of help.

I think Scythe make some small 40mm fans (Mini Kaze?) that could be reasonably quiet if undervolted, so you might want to look into those for mounting near the passive CPU cooler as well.

I'm now trying really hard to resist the temptation to build a similar small system in that case with a picoPSU! :lol: (I already have enough computers... :oops:)

Cov
Posts: 396
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 2:37 am
Location: London
Contact:

Post by Cov » Thu May 14, 2009 3:57 pm

I'm gonna order the following Pico PSU: >>> 150W 12V 24-Pin <<<

DC plug female : 2.5 mm x 5.5 mm x 10 mm (not recommendet for current higher than 8A)

But it is not easy to find a good transormer I have to say. Now I have found the following one as my life saver possibly: >>> 150W 12V 12.5A <<<

Input: 100-240V AC
Output: 12V DC
Max.:12,5A
Connector: 5,5 outside (-) and 2,1 inside (+)
Length of cable: 280 cm


I wrote an email to the seller on eBay and she replied now, pointing out that the PSU can't handle more than 8A while her transformer goes up to 12.5A

So, what am I gonna do now ? Getting this 110W transformer or should I risk it with the 150W transformer ?

What is the worst that can happen when the number of amperes differ ?

treker
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:18 am
Location: Tucson Arizona

Morex 350 and Zotac ION

Post by treker » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:58 am

I tried a Zotac 9300 mini-ITX board in a much larger case Apex M100 case with Q6600 95w quad processor and the stock Intel cooler. I could not keep it cool AND quiet. Ran around 40C with a fair amount of noise. Not objectionable but not good for a quiet htpc. I doubt if you could ever get even a 65w E8400 cool enough in the much smaller Morex 350 case. It is a very compact case!

Then I saw new Zotac ION DualCore Atom with integrated power and wifi. I put this in Morex 350 case. Now I got a pretty quiet htpc with cpu at 30C. Hopefully even quieter with some fan speed controller. 18watts idling and 24watts fully workoaded.

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