Pico PSU Requirements for an SFF build

osl said:
And it is thin :)
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I wish more manufactures would adopt thin itx. Probably in the future they will, though :p
Though This is the only thin itx I have seen with a 24pin connection on it :x
So, I take everything is running fine with standard drivers for the mobo, right?
 
Sure, standard H61 drivers.
This thin itx board is special because it has a PCI-E x16.
I hope it supports Intel Xeon e3-1220LV2
 
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The slim H61 motherboard does work with the Intel Xeon e3-1220LV2 (when using a graphics card) :D
That means only 17w for the CPU (allowing all the rest for the graphics card)
 
osl said:
What is the max operating temp for e3-1220LV2 ?
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Core temp max is something like 105C. It'll shut itself down when it gets too hot.

According to specs, TCase for that chip is 76C, as measured by a thermistor directly below the socket in the centre of the chip. But that's an often misunderstood number and not really relevant for end-users.
 
Anyone else get any hissing from their Pico PSU? Mine hisses whenever there is graphical and/or ssd activity (i.e. scrolling in web sites, gaming, etc). I removed my gpu but the hissing is still there...put my ear right up to it.

(Come to think of it, I also got some hissing from my last build, which was with a corsair unit...)
 
I've noticed that with one of my ASUS motherboards, but not with a PicoPSU. It can be a little annoying sometimes, but not horrible. Have a Gigabyte motherboard and PicoPSU that thankfully doesn't make any noise. I don't think the brand matters. A coworker has a newer ASUS motherboard and PicoPSU 160 and doesn't make any noise. Can you confirm that it's the PicoPSU and not the motherboard (maybe with an ATX PSU perhaps)?
 
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Yep, I have an ASUS H97I-Plus. It also occurred when I owned a Corsair AX760 and an AsRock motherboard.

Unfortunately, I do not have an ATX PSU with which to further investigate.
 
Here is actual system measurements with the Intel Xeon e3-1220Lv2 and the KFA2 GTX 750 ti:
Idle : 25W - 2,1A
CPU Burn: 44W - 3,7A
GPU Burn (Furmark): 111W - 9,3A

Extrapolated for GTX 960 - GPU Burn (Furmark): 170W - 14,2A

The big question is, will the picoPSU-160-XT and 192W power supply be able to handle the GTX 960 (and if so, how much cooling will it require) ?
 
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For the 960 setup you just added an extra 60w to the GPU Burn test?
The setup will be on its limit, hope it works, it's gonna be awesome! :)
 
The mainproblem is not the watt value of the psu, but rather the poor ampere value on the 12V rail of it. So you will need a HDPlex 250W Powerboard to have enough ampere on the 12V rail.
 
osl said:
Here is actual system measurements with the Intel Xeon e3-1220Lv2 and the KFA2 GTX 750 ti:
Idle : 25W - 2,1A
CPU Burn: 44W - 3,7A
GPU Burn (Furmark): 111W - 9,3A

Extrapolated for GTX 960 - GPU Burn (Furmark): 170W - 14,2A

The big question is, will the picoPSU-160-XT and 192W power supply be able to handle the GTX 960 (and if so, how much cooling will it require) ?
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The picoPSU 160 + 192W power supply should be able to handle it.

If you look back earlier in this thread, you'll see that rawrr posted some info based on conversations with mini-box engineers who were able to stress the picoPSU 160 up to 265W just fine.

For my own build, I was also concerned about the amperage on the 12V rail, given an 85W Haswell CPU and 60W GTX 645. While the manual for the PicoPSU states that you'll get 8A @ 12V, you can go beyond this. It seems that the picoPSU acts like a "pass through" for the 12V.

Anyways, I've been stressing mine with 145W on the 12V rail and it's been completely fine. I'll trust rawrr's source saying that you can take this thing beyond 96W on the 12V!


EDIT: I see that you're saying 170W total, when it's rated for 160W... I'm not sure if this is ideal, but according to rawrr's source 265W is theoretically possible.
 
jb1, have you been able to measure the wattage from the wall when you stress your system?
 
Should work, but will get hot. Most bricks are designed to handle 80-90% load max. If you push it, the thing gets damn hot. But if you add a small 60mm fan, you can squeeze out the 110% you need without problems.
 
osl said:
Here is actual system measurements with the Intel Xeon e3-1220Lv2 and the KFA2 GTX 750 ti:
Idle : 25W - 2,1A
CPU Burn: 44W - 3,7A
GPU Burn (Furmark): 111W - 9,3A

Extrapolated for GTX 960 - GPU Burn (Furmark): 170W - 14,2A

The big question is, will the picoPSU-160-XT and 192W power supply be able to handle the GTX 960 (and if so, how much cooling will it require) ?
Click to expand...

I'm sure you'll be able to. However, it may be interesting to compare the pico to HDplex's square 160W board, which (iirc) can take a 19V input.
 
I think you are right. The 12v 192w brick was also starting to become my main concern. If it becomes unstable at such a high load it could fry everything :eek:

I think I will try the picoPSU-160-XT with a Dell 12V 18A (216W) power supply instead (will require 78% efficiency)

Waiting for the Dell brick (ADP-22AB B) to arrive. Also have to figure out how to connect it ?
 
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I am planning to connect the e3-1220Lv2 and GTX960 to the picoPSU-160-XT like this.
Does it make sense ?

15znvd5.jpg
 
It works. Heavy load 16A, but short spikes of 20A makes me uneasy. Have to rethink the concept ....
 
Awesome. How frequent are the spikes though?

Another route as I mentioned before is HDPlex's square 160W power board, which is similar in size to the Pico. It takes a 19V input, so higher wattage power bricks will be useful. All that's left to be found out is if the actual power board is as tough as the Pico...
 
OSL, are those 20A spikes on the 192W brick or the dell 216W brick?
 
The 216W Dell PSU. The spikes are only detected by the electronic 20A fuse of the multimeter - that safely shuts down the connection. Without the meter it works ok - but I have no control.
The spikes occured in the Skydiver benchmark of 3Dmark and in Furmark.

Should I wait for the GTX 950 (90W) ?
 
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