Looking for input on case selection for first SFF build

[aburgesser]

I am designing my next build (current box needs to be put to pasture). I chose a SFF build so that I can transport the PC when I fly. A lot of my flights are on smaller craft (Bombardier Q400), so it needs to be pretty compact. This build will become my primary PC and game rig (1080p primarily, but I want to have VR as an option).

I have selected most of my components except for GPU and case (since I can't post links, please see PCPartPicker unique ID: sqQTwP). The GPU will be either GTX 1070 or 1080 (unless AMD reveals something amazing in TDP efficiency at month's end).

The choice of case has me conflicted. I could either go with an Ncase M1 case or the Silverstone FTZ01. The Silverstone is cheaper and more likely to be easily stow-able in the limited carry-on space a small plane has, but another concern I have with this build is thermal management. I have no desire to have the processors clamp, hard drives die, or end up running games on a jet engine. Can anyone here offer insights into which case would offer better air cooling thermal mitigation?

If you see any issues with the rest of component selection feel free to voice them. The processor selection is locked as is the brand of RAM and SSD. I am not willing to give up a 3.5" HDD either. The Slim ODD can be dropped, but I'd rather get a 5.5" bay. At risk of stating the obvious: flying with this means it must be air cooled.

 

[Boil]

Depending on your size restraints; and keeping in mind this chassis JUST meets the maximum size to still be (technically) considered aSFF chassis…

Check out the new CaseLabs BH2 mITX chassis, not really that compact at all, but supposed to be built like a tank & has dual top-mount handles available, making it more knock proof & easier to wrangle using the handles…

 

[aburgesser]

Elaboration: reasonable dimension requirements are set by the height of the overhead bin. An airline rep claimed entrance height is 7", but I am sceptical that it is quite that small. Still close, so 7" on the smallest side is a good limit.

The M1 and slim Silverstone cases seem to be the best options to achieve 7-" wide , 3.5" support, and full size GPU support. I want to know which of those two options would handler the thermal load better and why. Also any physical support issues would be nice to know since this will travel assembled.

 

[iFreilicht]

If you want a case that can offer very good thermal performance and be transported in a plane like luggage, you should probably go for the M1 and buy a Pelican case to put it in. Phuncz is an expert on aircooling in the M1, which you should choose over water for stabilities sake. Take a look at his posts in the M1 thread, that should give you an idea of how well a GPU can be cooled in that case.

The Silverstone cases are fine, but you won't be able to use as big heatsinks in them, so noise will inevitably be higher, except you're planning to use a 45W TDP CPU or something along those lines.

 

[shinjinian]

The Ncase m1 will net you the best cooling performance. It accepts a much larger cooler height which is key to air cooling and could fit 2 240mm rads for liquid cooling. Get a slim hard case for it and you should be fine. Pelicans are nice cases but they're typically much thicker than an aluminum hard case.

 

[shinjinian]

Btw are you going with an i5 or i7? If you're going with an i5 the tdp is low enough that you don't need any major cooling and in that case I'd recommend the silverstone or the node 202. An l9i or Cryorig C7 will be fine for cooling am i5, they're surprisingly good coolers for the size.

 

[aburgesser]

I see a lot of people ignoring the constraints I'm under. I know there was no link, but my current partlist plan was provided.

I'm using a i7-6700 (already bought). I chose it over the i7-6700k for TDP considerations.

Liquid cooling is right out. When I fly I must deal with the Totally Senseless Agency checkpoints.

Regional Jets; "Largest TSA allowed" is too large to keep it in my hands.

I am going to use a low profile CPU cooler regardless of case selection to minimize torque applied to the mobo in transit. Thus, room for a larger cooler is a non-consideration. The CNPS8900QUIET seems to be the best balance of weight, height, performance, and noise for my needs. Both cases have a mount over the CPU So I plan an additional case fan over the selected cooler.

That leaves GPU. Which is better for the build: partial isolation of the Silverstone or allowing it to dump heat on CPU and PSU in the M1? Blower coolers sound like the better option in either scenario.

 

[iFreilicht]

I wouldn't say that you can't use a larger cooler still. In theory, you could mode the side-bracket of the M1 to have holes exactly where the mounting holes for the CPU coolers fan are. That way the stress on the motherboard would be solely translational to its base plane, which it can deal best with.

 

[Findecanor]

You could probably do the same thing in the Silverstone FTZ01.

I have seen least one NCASE M1 build in one of the threads with a Noctua cooler without its top fan. Instead, air was provided with two 120 mm fans in the side bracket. They did not line up perfectly, but apparently it was good enough.

 

[aburgesser]

Given the lack of strong arguments in either direction, I am leaning towards the FTZ01.

I stumbled into a fan thread for it and the AXP-100 R seems to be a favored cooler. I have indirect access to a 3d printer that could fabricate a mountable case fan to CPU fan shroud (though I could do the same with the M1).

Positive pressure in the GPU bay should be enough for air circulation even sans blower.

The lower price and better space margins are pure bonus. Given how similar component support is between these cases, the only thing that would convince me to choose the M1 is if it was significantly better at dissipating heat or if the FTZ01 had some significant structural or electrical problem (like the riser not supporting PCIe 3.0).

PS: I also have this unholy desire to make some use of that 3rd expansion bracket on the M1. Not sure that's healthy.

 

[iFreilicht]

Positive pressure in the GPU bay should be enough for air circulation even sans blower.

Yes, this was actually confirmed by quite a few people. There's close to no performance difference between blower and open-air coolers in these cases from Silverstone.

 

[aburgesser]

Yes, this was actually confirmed by quite a few people. There's close to no performance difference between blower and open-air coolers in these cases from Silverstone.

That is what my research suggests as well. Non-blowers are likely better on whole because the extra turbulence will help displace air on the opposite side.

Without the funds to test both myself, I have to conclude that the FTZ01 is best for my needs. The M1 while pretty, just loses too much cooling potential if you exclude liquid cooling. Too much intake to outtake area without finding coolers that allow you to reverse either CPU or GPU fans.

 

[dwd999]

I've used the ML07 version of the Silverstone case which is the same internals with slightly different side and front plastic. I've used 4770S and 4790S cpus but with H87 and H97 itx motherboards, so my thermal load wasn't that high. I used a Prolimatech Samuel 17 cooler with those so that I could use any standard 120mm stock fan. But I didn't use any extra fan mounted in the top vent of the case and I just used the standard Intel graphics and didn't bother with an extra video card. Both the case and cooler performed well for higher loads including video format conversions which ran the cpus at close to their maximum. Since you're using a graphics card I would recommend filling both the fan mounts in the bottom of the case. But I'm giving up on these cases because of the difficulty in obtaining slot load blu ray optical drives at reasonable prices. I'm shifting to the Silverstone Grandia 09 cases since they provide more room with a standard drive bay. Its too bad the dimensions of that case are a little larger than what you want.