My new Haswell ITX System

[Krauzi]

Hello guys,
atm im using this:
- Antec ISK 310-150
- AMD Athlon II X4 615e 2,50 GHz
- J&W-MINIX 890GX-USB3
- 4GB RAM DDR3 SO-DIMM (notebook RAM)
- AMD Radeon 7750

i want this:
- Silverstone SG06 USB3
- Intel Haswell with 35W (currently only a few available but all > 150€)
- Motherboard with Wifi + Bluetooth 4.0 and good Audio (very important since there is no slot for a Sound card like X-FI)
- 16 GB RAM (i want a RAM Disc for DayZ xDD)
- AMD Radeon 7750 (still sufficient for my purposes)

The reason for the new Case:
I had/have a huge temperature problem not with temperature of CPU and GPU but with harddisks and my bluray drive (due to the case they are directly above the PSU and when i have the case closed they get really warm if not even hot). I think this may reduce the lifetime of them (quite expensive ssd and slot in bluray drive).

The reason for the new CPU/Mobo:
Even though im really statisfied with the overall performance of the system the temperature problem jumped on the general system behavior. With the chasis closed i takes like 10 boots to get a non-blue-screen-boot and another 5 boots to finally run stable. (i think there either the RAM/Mobo/CPU defektive since i tested the GPU on other systems). SMART test states the HDD/SSD to be OK, but so does a RAM and CPU test. I could simply buy another AM3 ITX Mobo but nothing available in my area has the same features as the 890GX has.

What i will definitely buy is the new case but im not 100% sure wether i should buy a new and expensive Haswell CPU/Mobo build....

And some additional question regarding the PSU (SFX form factor for the new chasis):
The only SFX PSU which reviewers claim to be quiet are the BeQuiet SFX PSUs with either provide 300 or 350 Watt (i'd choose the 350W cause of a GPU upgrade in a year or two). The problem is that this PSU are NOT compatible with the new Haswell CPUs states regarding <0,05A on the 12V rail. The Silverstones SFX PSUs are haswell compatible and provide more wattage however they dont tend to be silent (i want a very silent PC when only surfing the web).

 

[TrailRunner]

Try testing with the Seagate SeaTools boot CD: http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/item/seatools-dos-master/
Works with all manufacturer's drives (not just Seagate) and I've had great results with it identifying failing drives

 

[Zap]

Don't worry about the "Haswell compatible PSU" thing. AFAIK that "problem" is overblown.

What temperatures are you actually running on your HDDs and ODD? IIRC most HDDs are rated up to around 60°C. Your body temperature is 37.5°C, so above that feels warm. How hot do you think a hottub is? The "ideal" temperature for soaking in air bubbles is 40°C.

If I were you, I would do the upgrade to Haswell, but still use the same case and other parts if possible. For the case, do you have the second fan spot populated? If not, do so when you swap motherboards.

For RAM, I would suggest the Crucial 1.35v ultra low profile stuff. That will keep temperatures down, and not take up much room.

For Haswell CPU, I wouldn't worry too much about the low wattage versions if you don't mind some fan noise under load. Intel's recent desktop CPUs usually all idle the same, so a 35W and 84W Haswell will probably use the same power and put out the same heat while doing simple tasks such as web surfing.

Do test your HDD using the manufacturer's recommended tools. Also, reinstall Windows when you get the new motherboard (including repartition). That should guarantee no HDD issues, whether the physical drive or something wrong with the data.