Silverstone SST-FT03-Mini (Mini-Itx)

Well I may just go with a 680 then. What is the issue I hear about the ST45SF-G with the Hard Drives and all? Can I still fit two 2.5 inch drives along with a optical drive? Including jamming in a 680 and a Corsair H60?

Yes, 2.5" drives are fine, it's the 3.5" cage that is in the way of the modular cables coming out of the ST45SF-G

The reference design is 10.5 inches, but nvidia allowed them to design their own boards, and most have done that w/ their cheaper coolers. A look on newegg shows most of the twin cooler 770's listed as 10 inches.

For the FT03-mini though, twin coolers are going to run hot. The EVGA GTX 680 with reference cooler was already relatively hot in this case. EVGA and PNY are the only ones showing a closed-shroud cooling design for the 770, but they both use the reference PCB so they are too long.

I'm not sure what the market share is of SG05/SG06/FT03-mini owners -- perhaps it's inconsequential for GPU OEMs. Seems anyway like they are not concerned about the difference between 10" and 10.5".
 
Sorry to pull it away from the stimulating discussion sparked by Samb's truly amazing build, but can someone link me to the exact replacement fan they used for the ST45SF. Also, is it actually silent after the conversion? Does the replacement fan move the same, more, or less air than the stock one.

What if I just take the fan and associated casing completely off the PSU and leave it at that? I have a CM Blademaster 120mm fan in a 'pull' config on the CPU heatsink. It only spins at 600-800RPM most of the time, but it does move a bit of air at those speeds. It fees as if the stock PSU fan moves more air at idle, but it also has to fight the PSU casing...

Advise/recommendations greatly appreciated here. I hate that stupid fan. After I'm done playing a game, the damn thing spends another 10min spinning up even through the air coming out of the PSU is relatively cool.
 
This may not be the appropriate place for this, so if it needs to be moved i apologize; i just felt like i'd get the most relevant eyeballs in this thread.

I've got a Ft03b-mini based linux box. I'm using the Kuhler 620 for cooling and have noticed that my temps are WAY too high. i5 2550k stock is idling at around 75C and doing something like encoding immediately redlines at 100C. This is the first time i've used an all in one cooler in a mini-itx case but the case instructions seemed pretty clear on installation. I've noticed that the pump is scalding hot on the kuhler unit while the radiator is sitting around ambient... makes me think the pump may not be working?

I just wanted to get some eyeballs on this from people that have probably got similar setups and see if there's any advice / ideas on getting things properly cooled. As configs with this case go i'm actually very vanilla... no video card, no stack of drives...seems like it shouldn't be hard to keep things cool.
 
Obvious thing is forgetting to remove the plastic protector on the CPU block.
Where have you plugged the pump power into? Can you hear anything from it?
 
Obvious thing is forgetting to remove the plastic protector on the CPU block.
Where have you plugged the pump power into? Can you hear anything from it?

removed the plastic protector. Pump power plugs into the motherboard (asus). I also made sure the fan profile was set in bios to 100% duty cycle at all times, and it is pulling air in at quite brisk rate. I don't hear anything from the pump, although to be fair i can't get super close either and its a low profile pump, i wouldn't really expect it to make much noise.

.
 
Can you check the RPM of the pump? Also try plugging it to a 4 pin molex plug with an adapter.

Last but not least check to make sure the block is level. If necessary, remove the block and inspect the imprint in the thermal compound.
 
Basically what vipz said, it's easier if you've got a molex handy to just plug the pump directly into the molex for power, this will leave no question to whether or not the pump is getting sufficient power.

Also, did you run the pump in a horizontal position first? I had a Antec 620 that I mounted onto a video card but it wouldn't run right at all until it was run in a horizontal position first to get the air bubbles out of the pump from the factory - I believe Antec even states something regarding this in the manual.

Good luck - FYI if you've got the ASUS P8Z77 ITX mobo it won't control your fans on your Antec 620 unless they're PWM - the stock fans on the Antec 620 however are only 3 pin, you'll want to upgrade fans or use a hardware fan controller.
 
Can you check the RPM of the pump? Also try plugging it to a 4 pin molex plug with an adapter.

Last but not least check to make sure the block is level. If necessary, remove the block and inspect the imprint in the thermal compound.

The RPM on the pump is reported through the bios as cpu fan rpm... i think it was fluctuating between 1800 ~ 2400 rpm. I did check the block and removed it, reapplied thermal grease and reseated. The imprint on the original compound looked good, nothing obvious to my eye anyway.

When i first installed the pump I did run it horizontally for about a half hour before mounting it. Also, i'm not using the fan that came with the antec, i'm using the larger 140cm (i think?) fan that came with the silverstone case. I haven't tried hooking it up directly to molex, i'll do that once i get home.

Thanks for the input.
 
I thought about trying to push some sleeve and shrink up there and then just aim the heatgun and hope it does its work and doesn't melt anything. But then I got a bad feeling about it :)

Thats what I did! Did the shrinking with short bursts of a lighter and didn't go too close to the switches because it is concealed by the plastic case anyway. It was pretty sketchy with the lighter though.

How far off completion is Lori WiSK?
 
She's been taken apart at the moment. I delidded my i7 and haven't had time this week to put it all back together. Also there was some sort of copper deposits in my loop. No flaking or anything, but wiping a q-tip on the inside of the tubes showed some blue colour. Not sure what caused it, so I won't take chances and I ordered some EK premix clear coolant with corrosion inhibitor.
 
I'm running the EK Clear Coolant. Didn't want to take any risks with the nickel plated block, Great so far and my tubing is staying nice clear (Primochill Advanced LRT).
 
WISK: What fan(s) are you running? Also, when you get the loop back together, could you post your temps (and CPU/GPU OC) under game load with the fans at round 700RPM?.

I'll be de-lidding my 3570K when I move to an FT03 Mini and I'm quite curious how low I can get the fans to spin while keeping everything within the stock-air sort of temperature range.
 
Samb, yes I bought some Primochill Advance too when I saw it in EK shop :)

Daedalus, I'm using Noiseblocker PK-PS on the bottom, and eLoop B12P on the top. I can't do 700rpm I'm afraid, don't think the fans go that low. Also I'm using an AX120 rad which is pretty much the highest restriction rad you can get (maybe Swiftech XP is more). So I'm seeing very bad temps until both fans get over 1100rpm. Best balance of noise and temps were at 1350rpm, 1450rpm respectively. Temps at full load with 4.2GHz @ 1.11V were 62-68C on CPU, 47-49C on GPU and under 50C motherboard temp.

But I'm hoping with the delid to get same temps with 200rpm less, and the o/c up to 4.5GHz. I think that would be about the limit for my single 120 rad.
 
Cool, thanks very much for the info. I'm not 100% sure If I'm just going to use my existing UT30 (30mm 120 rad) or go more for what Samb has going and fit the biggest rad I can in there (though I'm leaning towards the latter).

Good luck with the delidding/rebuild!
 
I think Samb had a good idea because his UT60 works well with low fan speeds. Having seen this, I do regret my choice of AX120 a little :)
 
Well, if I end up going the UT60, my ST30 (full copper Alphacool equivalent to yours) will be up for grabs. I'm sure we could work something out. :p
 
Yes, 2.5" drives are fine, it's the 3.5" cage that is in the way of the modular cables coming out of the ST45SF-G



For the FT03-mini though, twin coolers are going to run hot. The EVGA GTX 680 with reference cooler was already relatively hot in this case. EVGA and PNY are the only ones showing a closed-shroud cooling design for the 770, but they both use the reference PCB so they are too long.

I'm not sure what the market share is of SG05/SG06/FT03-mini owners -- perhaps it's inconsequential for GPU OEMs. Seems anyway like they are not concerned about the difference between 10" and 10.5".

PNY's 770 looks fine, same PCB as 680, and tech spec in official site showed 10inch
If you like double fans design, GALAXY's would work as well
 
PNY's 770 looks fine, same PCB as 680, and tech spec in official site showed 10inch
If you like double fans design, GALAXY's would work as well

PNY's own website doesn't show the length of the card, nor does any of the product data sent by their distributors. TechPowerUP GPU database says it's a reference board, so 10.5 inches / ~279mm. It's too long.

Galaxy card also too long. It has reference PCB and a bit of the frame even hangs over the edge of that. Moreover its shroud is wide open and would just be eating its own hot air in this case.
 
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PNY's own website doesn't show the length of the card, nor does any of the product data sent by their distributors. TechPowerUP GPU database says it's a reference board, so 10.5 inches / ~279mm. It's too long.

Galaxy card also too long. It has reference PCB and a bit of the frame even hangs over the edge of that. Moreover its shroud is wide open and would just be eating its own hot air in this case.
http://www.galaxytechus.com/usa/productview.aspx?id=215
254 mm ~ 10 inches

Newegg showed PNY's was 10 inches, and of course newegg has many errors in tech specs
 
I would email them for confirmation about that. And regardless personally never put an open shroud card in the FT03-mini anyway :)
I emailed PNY and got an answer told me that the card is 11.2 inches! And it seems they notified Newegg to change the tech spec as well.

"The 11.2 inches is the length of the Fan housing, Since the fan housing, goes beyond the PCB this is the official length of the card."

It is so weird, if it is that long, then the picture in their site is just wrong.
 
11.2"!!? Absolutely absurd. I wish I knew more about electronics to know why video cards just keep getting bigger. The CPU is so tiny! Are they just doing this because they feel it makes the card more macho?

Not to mention the new Apple Pro case puts all cases to shame. I've thought of a single unified sink with only one total fan design a few times, but never had the means of fabricating it. I don't really favor Apple, but I gotta hand it to them, they designed an absolutely beautiful case/setup with two pro video cards as well. Unfortunately they left everyone but the pro hanging. Interesting that the entire motherboard is the same size as just one video card...makes me wonder why ITX boards aren't smaller.
 
It's kind off depressing how the current generation GPU options for the FT03 are so low if you want something that packs a punch...
 
It's kind off depressing how the current generation GPU options for the FT03 are so low if you want something that packs a punch...

Nothing so far from the GTX 700 series fits the FT03-mini at all, if that's what you mean.

But a EVGA 680 Superclocked does easily fit in the case, runs quiet and gets respectable performance at full settings on most games.

Not sure what you're playing that needs more graphical power, but you can always step up to the mATX version of the FT03 and install two Titans? :)
 
Nothing so far from the GTX 700 series fits the FT03-mini at all, if that's what you mean.
That's exactly what I mean. No 700 series fits or works in the 03 Mini.

But a EVGA 680 Superclocked does easily fit in the case, runs quiet and gets respectable performance at full settings on most games.
I like to get the latest cards for power and noise efficiency but I might have to fall back on a GTX 680 indeed.

Not sure what you're playing that needs more graphical power, but you can always step up to the mATX version of the FT03 and install two Titans? :)
Because I play on a 120Hz monitor. I'm afraid I'm OCD in regards to using ITX and this time building a system in a FT03 Mini — it has everything I want in terms of size/footprint, the vertical build and more importantly I'm hooked on the fact that there is only one fan and dust filter to manage. I like it when things stay minimal. I've also heard details about the mATX version that I'm not enthusiastic about (side panels being not always well fitted, easily falling off ect.)
 
actually, most 680 cost more than 770 but runs slower, not to mention the stock may drain as time goes by...
Maybe 760, but there are rumors that 760 is slower than 670.
I do not wanna give up my FT03 mini or build a new system, FT03 mini still has the minimal footprint among all ITX cases.
 
actually, most 680 cost more than 770 but runs slower, not to mention the stock may drain as time goes by...
They most certainly will. EVGA is already limting sales of 680s at four per household if that's anything to go by.
 
I do not wanna give up my FT03 mini or build a new system, FT03 mini still has the minimal footprint among all ITX cases.

There are definitely smaller cases:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112372
That last one fits a full ATX PSU by default and is almost in the same size level as the new Mac Pro.

The 700 series is marginally more powerful but much more efficient. The 680 fits no problem in this case. My 670 runs every game I throw at it at max settings and I'm running 1440p (no AA though). I very rarely see slow down in very extreme points (oh and on Laura Croft's hair).
 
There are definitely smaller cases:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112372
That last one fits a full ATX PSU by default and is almost in the same size level as the new Mac Pro.

The 700 series is marginally more powerful but much more efficient. The 680 fits no problem in this case. My 670 runs every game I throw at it at max settings and I'm running 1440p (no AA though). I very rarely see slow down in very extreme points (oh and on Laura Croft's hair).
Lianli's TU200 is much longer than FT03mini, and Q27 / Q03 could not hold dual slot video card.
Lianli's new release Q28 seem attractive, enogh space for a TITAN, multiple 3.5 HDDs, standard PSU and even enough space for a closed loop liquid cooling radiator.
 
The issue is that card (which is MSI, not Gigabyte by the way) uses axial, open shroud cooling which isn't really recommended for the FT03 Mini.
 
I was watching a Mini ITX build video on Anandtech which features JJ from Asus. For the build they used a GTX 670 Mini and JJ mentioned that Asus was looking into developing similar GPUs in the future. So maybe there is some hope in seeing a 700 series Mini card.
 
Hi guys!
Just started building my own FT03 Mini with Haswell and GTX780.
I got a question. Has anyone considered putting PSU at the bottom om the case?
I am pretty sure that you could fit a 140 mm long PSU there.
Then you have a lot more coolers to choose between...
 
Hi guys!
Just started building my own FT03 Mini with Haswell and GTX780.
I got a question. Has anyone considered putting PSU at the bottom om the case?
I am pretty sure that you could fit a 140 mm long PSU there.
Then you have a lot more coolers to choose between...

How does the case fan work then, with an ATX PSU in the way?

GTX780 is too long btw, you'd need to cut the case and then the fan filter won't have anywhere to clip.
 
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