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So torn for SFF build on case....

MrGuvernment

MrGuvernment

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Aug 3, 2004
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i know pretty much everything else i want for my SFF build, the standard ASRock board, 16G of ram, SSD, vid card haven't decided on but when it comes to the case...


BitFenix Prodigy vs SG08

the prodigy is alot larger in all regards, but isnt huge.. i had a full tower before so either will be alot smaller than i had...

This leaves me room to put in my 3.5 Drives so i don't have to get a NAS or something or keep room in my HTPC.....

the SG08 is a nice size too, but room is limited, but i dont plan to add much to this box...

If i get the SG08 is it worth it to replace the PSU with it with the new ST45SF-G to save a bit of room? Is it that much better being 80 gold vs the 80 bronze of the 600w?

if i got the Prodigy i would get the ST45SF-G as a PSU for it...

I would love to use a all in one water cooler, or quietest possible air while getting an okay OC out of an i5 or i7 and being in costa rica, it can get warm here during the day...
 
Regarding PSUs, what CPU+GPU will you have in it?

How many HDDs and what capacities?

Have you considered some of the Lian Li cases? Some of them (Q08, Q25, TU200) support a LOT of HDDs. The Q11 supports 2x3.5 and 2x2.5 and is quite compact.
 
Well, i was going to go with the i7-3770k to keep this rig for a year, i game, do some work at home, VM's and such, dable in PS when my camera works and so on.

But thinking the i5k may suffice if i can get a decent OC out of it with out temps going to high.

As for GPU, i have the dell 24' 1920 x 1200 LCD and i had a 6850 before which did fine for me, so thinking in the area of a 7850 perhaps? something mid range to higher range.

I did want to add a 2nd 24' LCD with in the next 3-4 months.

i plan to have at least 1x 240 /256G SSD and i was thinking maybe a 1T 2.5 drive for storage and then put my 2 x 3T 3.5' drives in a 2 or 4 drive NAS box and then connect my TV direct to this computer for HTPC and get ride of my other HTPC, cause the TV is on the other side of the wall and i have a hole already with an HDMI cable going through.


It looks like i would be fine with the included 600w, johhnyG gives it a good review.


Now if i went with the Prodicy i could put all my drives in one system, but that now also means my main computer has to be on all day, versus my HTPC, but my HTPC is also in a full size case which i want to move to either a miniITX system or at least miro.

I had seen some of the Lian Li's, hadn't measured them out yet though, but will go over them today.

i guess i have options no matter what way i go.

I sold my main rig for $1100 USD so that is my ideal price range to stay with in if possible but i do have 2-300$ i could go over if necessary.
 
If I were you I'd go with a 2700k, IB was not worth the temps and lack of oc'ability.

Just my $0.02, also PCI-e 2.1 isn't even close to being utilized fully even with GTX 670 card I have I didn't notice any drops when I went back to Sandy Bridge.
 
Chiming in on this... There's a really good post that explains the relationship between PCIE revision and lane configuration with modern graphics cards right here.

I can't confirm the results will be identical for Sandy, but it should be pretty similar anyway.

Personally I would get an Ivy CPU if you're going to be buying a new processor anyway, but that's just my $0.02.
 
was my thought, if i am buying new, may as well buy the newest, wonder if Intel discontinuing SB, i can find a 2700k for cheap.... :) With me doing an SFF, temp will def be an issue...

i am still open for options right now really, i hope to get this rig built over the next week, well ordered at least!
 
The new Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced, Silverstone Sugo SG08, Fractal Design Node 304, Lian Li PC-Q08, Bitfenix Prodigy... Just throwing out some ideas, those are all killer cases.

The Q08 and Prodigy are a little big for an ITX imo...
 
Since no one mentions it I'll chime in on the SG08 and the 600w psu. To remove it and put in the 450w unit would be a waste. The 600w psu is a very good psu. More powerful than the 450w unit. Why would you want to remove it? It doesn't make much sense. If you are worried about inner case space then go with the Prodigy since it can hold more and has more room.
 
Check my sig for system specs. SG08 all day every day...love this little case and the 600 watt PSU is nothing to laugh at. Should be able to handle ANY video card/CPU combo. I know mine does!
 
VM? will you need VT-d? because K series don't support VT-d. You don't really miss much for getting a non K with the Asrock mobo as it supports non K overclocking where you can play with the multiplier up to 40x before turbo and there is some bclk play. IMO CPUs are more then fast enough for our needs to not need overclocking.

As for ivy vs sandy, does it really matter? Right now the prices are about the same with +-$10 difference that you may as well get ivy as sandy is being phased out and who knows what you might miss.

If you decide on the quietest setup then you probably want the quietest graphics card too and IMO that is the Asus CU2 series but the heatpipes will get in the way of the 180mm fan of the SG08 so you will need to replace it with a 140/120mm fan

Good air cooling is quieter then AIO watercooling. I somewhat managed to fit a NH-U9b in my SG08
 
I use the SG08. I recommend a DirectCU II 660/660Ti/670 with a Thermalright TY-140 as the top case fan for quiet operation.

I just moved from a 2700K to a 3770K and am definitely noticing the higher core temperatures in RealTemp.

For reference my 2700K hit about 85'C at 1.27v and 4.4GHz (HT On) in this setup in IBT. My 3770K hits 90'C just at a quick 1.2v/4.0GHz OC (could do with less voltage but I'm using offset mode and I want to wait for my TY-140s to arrive for thermals before I go all out) in IBT. The low-profile coolers aren't great at dissipating large thermal loads (e.g. IBT, Prime95) but are more than sufficient for gaming and day-to-day workstation loads (65'C tops with GTA4 and BF3).

It's quite quiet but I'd say the TY-140s are a must.
 
friend'scatdied said:
I use the SG08. I recommend a DirectCU II 660/660Ti/670 with a Thermalright TY-140 as the top case fan for quiet operation.

I just moved from a 2700K to a 3770K and am definitely noticing the higher core temperatures in RealTemp.

For reference my 2700K hit about 85'C at 1.27v and 4.4GHz (HT On) in this setup in IBT. My 3770K hits 90'C just at a quick 1.2v/4.0GHz OC (could do with less voltage but I'm using offset mode and I want to wait for my TY-140s to arrive for thermals before I go all out) in IBT. The low-profile coolers aren't great at dissipating large thermal loads (e.g. IBT, Prime95) but are more than sufficient for gaming and day-to-day workstation loads (65'C tops with GTA4 and BF3).

It's quite quiet but I'd say the TY-140s are a must.
Click to expand...

I opted for the Noctua 140mm ones over Thermalright probably because its more available and its a Noctua. I haven't bothered trying some real overclock yet as I'm using a 3770 non K. I think that the Scythe Samurai ZZ would be adequate for some mild overclocks but just because I bought a Noctua U9B and wanted to know if it fits so I replaced my ZZ with a U9B instead.
 
akromatic said:
I opted for the Noctua 140mm ones over Thermalright probably because its more available and its a Noctua. I haven't bothered trying some real overclock yet as I'm using a 3770 non K. I think that the Scythe Samurai ZZ would be adequate for some mild overclocks but just because I bought a Noctua U9B and wanted to know if it fits so I replaced my ZZ with a U9B instead.
Click to expand...

I use two NF-P14s right now but they are honestly too expensive and the lack of PWM is a killer since they are noisy at 1200RPM and don't perform at 700-900RPM.

Not sure how you managed to fit the NH-U9B with a 140mm.. must be unbelievably tight.
 
friend'scatdied said:
I use two NF-P14s right now but they are honestly too expensive and the lack of PWM is a killer since they are noisy at 1200RPM and don't perform at 700-900RPM.

Not sure how you managed to fit the NH-U9B with a 140mm.. must be unbelievably tight.
Click to expand...

I managed to fit it precisely because i use a 140mm. The stock 180mm is 30mm thick while the 140mm is standard 25mm thick. Silverstone maximum recommended CPU cooler height is 117mm (rounded to 120mm) taking account of the 30mm thick fan. So without the top fan you can have a max of 150mm tall heatsinks. Take 25mm off that and you have 125mm to play with which is just enough as specified by Noctua. So its tight but not too tight.

e9bd6cc5_IMG_20121002_001727.jpeg
 
Skott said:
Since no one mentions it I'll chime in on the SG08 and the 600w psu. To remove it and put in the 450w unit would be a waste. The 600w psu is a very good psu. More powerful than the 450w unit. Why would you want to remove it? It doesn't make much sense. If you are worried about inner case space then go with the Prodigy since it can hold more and has more room.
Click to expand...

I wasnt sure if the 450 was that much better or not, then i did read up and the 600 included is actually rated to 800w once taken apart, so will stick with the 600, saves me $100 anyways!

it looks like i will get the SG08!! just looks so sleek and sexy , the other does remind of a mini mac, with the curved handles.

Good to know about the cooling, i was iffy on air cooling as i wasn't sure what you could really cram into a small space and keep cool enough with out blasting fans on high, i don't mind too much as i use headphones when i game anyways so it wont bea huge issue, but the office is close to the bedroom and with renovations there is no door, so fans can be heard.

I just plan to run vmware workstation 8 at most, more just for random curiosity.
 
k,, good to know, since it is such a tight fit!

People saying the sapphire is a good one to get...
 
Think i am going to bite!
  • SG08
  • 7950 - but which../.
  • i5 Ivy k..... but considering i7 as i like to do VM work, game and do some photoshop work...
  • 16G of ram for sure, not sure what sticks specifically..
  • ASRock Z77E-ITX

i already have my 2 x 240G Corsair 3 SSD's....

I am having an issue finding the vid card with power connectors on the side and not the back...
 
Question on the PSU, looks like some long cables... any one recommend a kit to get to resleeve the cables as i would like to try to keep them as short as needed basically where neccesary.
 
MrGuvernment said:
I am having an issue finding the vid card with power connectors on the side and not the back...
Click to expand...

The reference 7950 has connectors on top, so I don't understand you can't find something. In any case the TwinFrozr and XFX models do have connectors on top.

MrGuvernment said:
Question on the PSU, looks like some long cables... any one recommend a kit to get to resleeve the cables as i would like to try to keep them as short as needed basically where neccesary.
Click to expand...

It's not a modular PSU, so you'd have to shorten the wires individually. That means either recrimp new pins on the ends, or cut each wire in half and resolder together. Depends what you are comfortable with and how much you want to spend. I recommend watching Lutro0's video's on youtube for great guides on sleeving. Then you can see if you really want to do it.
 
Good to know, i was going by pics, which none seemed to show a clear pic of where the power connectors are, thank you sir!

Will check out those video's, i have no issues cutting and re soldering if needed
 
Waiting to see what the wife got me from my wish list and then decide on where this build is going!
 
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I am leaning now towards the i7-3930K .. but a little worried about cooling a monster like that... in a small case, not too worried about overclocking, but would like too!
 
Personally, for what you want to do with your rig, I think a 3930k would be extreme overkill - obviously do what you want but seems like a lot when a 3570k is a chip most people can't max out even gaming.
 
MrGuvernment said:
I am leaning now towards the i7-3930K
Click to expand...

That CPU is socket 2011. AFAIK there are no ITX boards (and never will be) for that socket.

You've been talking about building this for over 3 months. You ever going to? :confused:
 
ya, stupid me, had a brain fart yesterday!

just ordered a 3930k rig for work and was thinking, mmmm 6 core at home!

The main issue was first to sell my main rig, which i did, then that money went towards other things, then I wanted to get the CC down to 0 for me and the wife so i put money towards that, i just $800 spare cash so now ican start getting some parts together and get this sucker rolling!

i need to get the vid card first as i am using an 8800GT from a friend and he needs it back for his old system that wasnt working well, so i figure case and vid card, i have an i3 right now on 8G of ram, YAY! and 2 x 240G corsair force 3's
 
okay, so planning to buy my case tonight, i am still leaning to the SG08 unless any last minute suggestions come on in!
 
Zap said:
That CPU is socket 2011. AFAIK there are no ITX boards (and never will be) for that socket.

You've been talking about building this for over 3 months. You ever going to? :confused:
Click to expand...

There is always the Shuttle SX79R5 (it is an extended DTX-esque mobo)

board1q.jpg


(image pulled from this awesome build in the case projects sub-forum)
 
The Sugo08 is a very nice case.

I've had mine for about a year now(actually I have two). I was to impatient to wait for IvyBridge and the 680, so I have it setup with 2500k and a 7950. The second machine its my wifes, it currently lacks a discrete graphics card and SSD.

I am probably going to upgrade mine in ~August, only because I am going to pass the 7950 and small SSD down to my wifes pc, and then shove the rest into a new case and have a home server(overkill for a server I know).
 
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I've used SG07 AND SG08 for quite a long time, but recently switched to Prodigy. The main difference in cooling abilities. If you plan to install a high end video card and play games, never get SG08! With SG08 you will have a hard times to install a proper CPU cooler to fit, a proper video card to fit (to install DirectCU II GTX670 you'll need to remove PSU first, some GPUs might not fit), a PSU to fit, etc.
Get Prodigy and feel the freedom of choosing cooling solutions and PC parts!
Although, SG08 can be cool without a dedicated GPU (iGPU only). Overclocked 3770K + overclocked GTX670 DirectCU II OC with SG08 will look like an aerogrill - Hotter, even in open stand scenario (top cover removed), not gaming PC. In addition, Prodigy is easy to handle/transport thing!
 
encode said:
I've used SG07 AND SG08 for quite a long time, but recently switched to Prodigy. The main difference in cooling abilities. If you plan to install a high end video card and play games, never get SG08! With SG08 you will have a hard times to install a proper CPU cooler to fit, a proper video card to fit (to install DirectCU II GTX670 you'll need to remove PSU first, some GPUs might not fit), a PSU to fit, etc.
Get Prodigy and feel the freedom of choosing cooling solutions and PC parts!
Although, SG08 can be cool without a dedicated GPU (iGPU only). Overclocked 3770K + overclocked GTX670 DirectCU II OC with SG08 will look like an aerogrill - Hotter, even in open stand scenario (top cover removed), not gaming PC. In addition, Prodigy is easy to handle/transport thing!
Click to expand...

I dont know what you mean by proper CPU cooler.
I dont know what you mean by high end video card.

My AXP 140 fits just fine, its not the best cooler but it is huge. My 7950 fits just fine.

And of course a substaintally bigger(almost twice the litres) case allows for more room. If you want a larger mITX case, why not just go matx? The Prodigy is pretty much the size of a matx case. At the very least its alot closer to the size of a matx case than it is to the size of a sugo08 and most traditional mitx cases.

If you want a full feature pc, and have it as small as possible the Sugo 08 is a good case. If you dont care about size I'd personally just skip mitx and stick with matx. You have much greater flexibility with matx.
 
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encode said:
The main difference in cooling abilities. If you plan to install a high end video card and play games, never get SG08! With SG08 you will have a hard times to install a proper CPU cooler to fit, a proper video card to fit (to install DirectCU II GTX670 you'll need to remove PSU first, some GPUs might not fit), a PSU to fit, etc.
Click to expand...

SG08 with i5-2500K @ 4.5GHz + GTX 690 @ 1015/1600MHz

75C at load, air cooled

http://www.flickr.com//photos/81754286@N02/sets/72157631538996864/show/
 
I had checked the Prodigy out but wanted to stay with mITX and go as small as i could, once i get the case i will worry about what cooling, for now stock with the i7 and no overclocking will be fine for now.

Once i play with it and sleeve the PSU to make some more room then i can decide how i want to do the cooling, stay with air, AIW WC, or a proper WC if i can get the cash for it.

Seeing your picks gets me excited, i want my case now dammit!
 
wreckem said:
I dont know what you mean by proper CPU cooler.
Click to expand...
Well, Noctua NH-C14 will fit, but will block PCIe slot, NH-C12P will fit with low profile memory sticks only, etc. (P8Z77-I) Corsair H60/H80 is okay, but, H80 will bend that plastic top fan mount, after some period if time.
Take into account that GPU will block left side completely, front side is blobked by PSU, rear side is blocked by the chassis (no rear exhaust vent), and the right side might be blocked by VRM daughter board (P8Z77-I) = hot air in trap.
wreckem said:
I dont know what you mean by high end video card.
Click to expand...
As example, ASUS GTX670 Direct CU II barely fits inside SG08, and with that top fan removed. Before installing GPU, you will be forced to remove PSU, or else you will unable to install it. Etc.

So, concluding, you will have hard times to find a high end cooling solution, RAM sticks and GPU.
Just sharing my own experience - I tried bunch of coolers with SG07/SG08, including all mentioned ones. As to size, mATX chassis with such size/volume will never provide such cooling abilities as Prodigy does. Troublesome upgrading - each time you must think - will that RAM fit? New video card - will it fit?
Do whatever you want, just take into account these warnings! Hope this helps! :)
 
Okay, check out my pics!

It's how Corsair H80 will bend plastic mount:
attachment.php


Noctua NH-C14 with Thermalright TY-143:
attachment.php


Noctua NH-C12P SE14 with Thermalright TY-143 + ASUS GTX670 OC DirectCU II:
attachment.php

attachment.php


And a new Prodigy (re)build:
attachment.php
 
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