SFF gaming system

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 10:47 pm

Currently:

Silverstone Sugo SG05
Zotac H55ITX-A-E MINI-ITXLGA1156 H55 DDR3 PCI-E16 SATA WiFi
OCZ OCZ3G1333LV4GK 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1333 9-9-9-20
Intel Core i3 530
Sony Optiarc Slim 8X DVD Writer Black SATA OEM
WD Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5IN 7200RPM SATA Notebook HD

I've been debating on the video card. As much as I want to put a 5750/5770 in there, I have a hard time justifying the price when a 1 GB GTS 250 from EVGA can be found for $125 CDN *before* a 30 dollar MIR. Only the 512mb Powercolor 5750s show up in that price bracket, and no one seems to have reviewed them.

However, the pages for the GTS 250 claim a minimum of a 450W PSU is needed even though only a single 6-pin connector is used. I know the SPCR review used a GTS 250 as well - will heat or power draw be a problem for the PSU included with the case?

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 10:48 pm

Here's the card I'm looking at:
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=49525
price matched to directcanada

faugusztin · Post by **faugusztin** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:37 pm

Forget the 450W thing. Those numbers count with the fact that you have shitty 450W PSU - read 450W peak, 350W real, but with so bad voltage/current distribution (for example 2x12V/13A), that you can compare them to 250-300W good PSU's. My i5+HD5870 setup has a 350W peak power usage, i don't see how could you manage that high load with a GTS250.

Btw, i3 930 ? Not i3 530?

Btw, looking at card - the cooler looks like AC L2 Pro - but that is a 2,5 slot cooler, which can be problematic with SG05.

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:03 am

faugusztin wrote:Forget the 450W thing. Those numbers count with the fact that you have shitty 450W PSU - read 450W peak, 350W real, but with so bad voltage/current distribution (for example 2x12V/13A), that you can compare them to 250-300W good PSU's. My i5+HD5870 setup has a 350W peak power usage, i don't see how could you manage that high load with a GTS250.

Btw, i3 930 ? Not i3 530?

Btw, looking at card - the cooler looks like AC L2 Pro - but that is a 2,5 slot cooler, which can be problematic with SG05.

You are correct, changed the OP to 530. I must have been distracted reading about someone's i7...

What do you mean by 2,5 slot? I notice that the SPCR test system fits the Asus Dark Knight GTS250 in there.

I'm mostly contemplating the 250 because it's currently a fair bit cheaper than the 5750. If the price comes down to within 20 dollars or so, I would probably go for a 1GB 5750, but right now the asking price seems a bit high. Some of the cheaper 5770s look to be decent values though.

Edit: Saw your location, forgot that Euros swap the period and comma usage for numbers. Hmmm. I wonder how tight the clearance is for a two and half slot cooler.

faugusztin · Post by **faugusztin** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 2:12 am

The major point is establishing if it is a L2 Pro in it's original form and not some cut down version.

Just for comparison, this is a GTS250 with a L2 Pro, notice how the fan overhangs over the 2 slots :

But considering this photo it seems like it's the old L2, not the new L2 Pro :
http://img.ncix.com/images/49525_3.jpg

http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/p ... 45&mID=262

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:56 pm

Picked up the ASUS 5770 that just went on sale at NCIX :biggrin:

Thanks for the help, though

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Sat Aug 14, 2010 11:50 pm

Hey, does anyone know where to find a molex or SATA to slimline SATA power adapter?

The Sony drive requires a 6-pin SATA power connector, and neither it, nor the case came with one or an adaptor. I see only a couple on NCIX, and both include a data cable as well. Are there any purely power adapters out there?

faugusztin · Post by **faugusztin** » Sun Aug 15, 2010 12:53 am

AFAIK no.

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:17 pm

Got it running, but I noticed the CPU doesn't seem to be getting enough air. With a 5770 and i3 530, running Prim95 drives my cores up to 80/75 (when I stopped gaping long enough to shut down Prime95)

I've replaced the original fan with a Yate Loon, and it clearly wasn't anywhere this hot with the cover off.

The PSU is oriented to intake air from inside the case and exhaust out the back. Could this be markedly improved with better cable bundling, or is this just a side effect of a hot summer night in Vancouver?

psyopper · Post by **psyopper** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:50 am

What cooler are you using on the i3?

chanman · Post by **chanman** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:21 pm

psyopper wrote:What cooler are you using on the i3?

stock cooler. There isn't much clearance, and the mobo cables criss-cross the area.

I've found the problem though. It's the physical presence of the video card.

The board layout is nearly identical to this http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1064-page2.html, and the GPU butts up right against the heatsink.

The top-blower ends up having warm air flowing back. Prime95 without the video card turns in temps about 15 degrees cooler.