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SFF build advice needed

Greetings!

Finished this computer a couple days ago but been too busy to log in.

A long shank #1 Phillips and a tiny dab of Blu-Tack on the screw heads make short work of installing a slim optical drive:

http://imgur.com/yUFdWHt

General assembly steps I followed in order were:
1. CPU, fan & memory onto mobo then into case
2. Attach all front panel wiring to mobo
3. Install GPU
4. Install PS & route/attach cables
5. Install HDD/SSD assembly using a couple extra right angle sata data cables.

While I assembled in this order, I read of another who installed the PS last, which I believe may have been a better option, but I'm not about to disassemble and try it again.

http://imgur.com/SdaleoZ
http://imgur.com/3BE8zZt
http://imgur.com/QRcxTCe
http://imgur.com/FENkZRA

Follow SATA data cable assignments on mobo; Sata 1 to SSD, Sata 2 to HDD, Sata 3 to ODD.

Notes:
- I was puzzled by the lack of thermal grease but learned that a heat transfer material was already applied to the back of the CPU fan.
-The SIlverstone SG05 Lite instructions do not clearly differentiate between the longer 4 silver screws which attach the mobo and the shorter 4 black screws which mount the SSD and I initially mixed them up.
- The real challenge came in cabling, just as I expected/feared. What I didn't expect was that the power supply cables came straight out of the center rear of the PS, butting directly against the SSD/HDD/OD brackets. This PS was obviously made for a SFF case, just not THIS case in my configuration. Bending the PS cable wires downward at an extreme 90 degree angle was required to fit the drive assembly. I learned about the Silverstone flat cable set after my build was completed.
- I had help loading Windows 7 and transferring data from my old HD to this as I was unsure of the procedure.

Final thoughts:
If I knew about the cabling issue before I began I may have chosen another case, but now that I have completed the build and am using it to type this, I can say that I'm pleased with the SG05 case in every way; fit, finish, size, etc. In my opinion it's physically very attractive, extremely small footprint, and very quiet. Yes, the blue light can be a tad annoying at night but haven't chased a solution yet other than setting a small box in front of it at night or just shutting down the computer.

Question:
While I haven't researched this a whole lot yet, the Blu-Ray drive (LG BT30N Blu-Ray) has not yet been able to play a Blu-Ray disk. I currently have it attached to the DVI port on a 23" IPS monitor and have VLC Media Player. Any suggestions?

Thank you:
Many, many thanks to Jeremy1080 who did all the heavy lifting in parts selection. He nailed the costs nearly down to the penny and I'm extremely pleased with the final result. Also many thanks to D4rkn3ss for his help in cable selection for the slim drive and patience for my beginners questions - we're all new at something every day. And thanks to the others who contributed thoughts on alternative cases, and cabling. Believe me, it ALL helped. I'll be happy to pop the case and take more photos if anyone wants.
 
Congrats on completing your build, looks like it all worked out well in the end. Pretty clean too. By the look of it, you set the PSU so that it intakes air from the top, is that correct?
 
cool! you have the mind of an engineer, and a great taste in computer cases :D

tip: do the cable management without the vga, put the vga last, after everything is done. :)
 
medeyer: Yes, that's how I installed it but not for any particular reason. Would flipping it work better for cooling?

D4rkn3ss: Mind of an engineer? Meh, but thank you anyway! Good taste in computer cases I'll take to the bank. I really do like this case. Cable management: I sorta did things as they came up however I did read somewhere not to do the PS first which was helpful. It was a bit of a wrestling match doing the drive cages last but I got there. I'll save your tip for next time!

I did finally choose to install the wi-fi ports and antennas only because if and when we do move this remotely I'll have long forgotten where I put the parts. The antennas would have fit fairly loose/floppy but a 4-pack of small washers from HD solved that issue.

I was really surprised so few tools were needed. I think I only used a #1 and #2 Phillips, plus a flashlight and Blu-Tack.

Ran into a wierd problem early on with the machine shutting down from sleep mode then displaying the warning for BSOD upon startup. After doing a couple things it stopped: 1) from the BIOS I went ADVANCED>USB COMPATABILITY PATCH>ENABLED, and then, 2) START>DEVICE MANAGER>expand NETWORK ADAPTERS>right click a network adapter and then click PROPERTIES>click POWER MANAGEMENT>make sure the box ALLOW THIS DEVICE TO WAKT THE COMPUTER IS NOT TICKED. Applied this to all network adapters. === The Qualcomm Atheros was the adapter that had the box ticked. I'm not sure which one of these did the trick but it seems to be working fine now. Anyway, I can shut down now as it starts so quickly with the SSD.

Last, I had another issue with some Samsung Magician Certification deal popping up upon cold start and when I Googled it I found the solution had been posted on Hard Forum. Bye-bye problem.

Got all my email and contacts moved over from the old drive (which wouldn't load the O/S) so that's a major relief.

Junior has downloaded his Minecraft mods and says both that and PVZ Garden Warfare look better than they ever have.

So for now it's all blue sky. Life is good when things work.

Thanks again.
 
Chas: Aw, geeze! Honest, I considered a NUC some months ago and started a folder on a few of them because I just like smaller/compact stuff but when my old computer died I needed to replace it fast and since I had just been looking at the sg-05 and became infatuated with it that's what popped into my mind first. I don't have the budget for anything more than I have at this time so any thoughts of building a NUC will have to be down the line somewhere but I really enjoyed assembling a computer & wish I could gain a little more experience, esp on the software side. But that's life. Time and money are the great levelers. You learn plumbing when the water heater goes out, you learn carpentry when . . . well, you get the idea.
 
If you flip the PSU, it acts as an exhaust, dumping all the hot air in the case out the back.
 
medeyer: Thanks for that. I may flip it once we get back from vac but I have another problem to lick first. My BSOD has returned. If I put the computer into the sleep mode, after about 15-20 minutes the blue light will glow steady for a few moments (instead of continuing to blink in the sleep mode), then the machine will shut off. The next time I start up I'm offered to restart in the safe mode or start normally. The cause; BSOD - shut down improperly. After performing a few things I found on the internet this stopped for a few days, but has now returned. What the hey?

Anyone run into this phenomenon? The computer shutting down from the sleep mode then reporting BSOD? ARGH!
 
Dropped $55 at a computer repair shop today because I couldn't figure out what was going on with my build. Here's what was corrected which has allowed the computer to run normally, at least since I brought it home today:

1. The metal tabs holding the CMOS battery were loose (they weren't making good contact and needed to be bent in) plus the battery itself was dead. Thanks ASRock.
2. The BIOS was updated (I was too new/gun shy to try this).
3. Turned off the Intel Smart Connect Technology which was causing the computer to wake from the sleep mode every 15 minutes.

Either one or a combination seems to have solved the BSOD event I was experiencing every 15 minutes after putting the computer to sleep.
 
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