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HTPC Case
Just curious if anyone knows of any small form-factor cases that have a good daughterboard or riser setup for the GPU? An example of what I'm talking about is like how the Alienware X51 stores the GPU card. I've seen a few others that do it as well, like Falcon Northwests Tiki uses it as well.
I just can't seem to find any cases that are built for that.
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Hmm... Actually this seems to be more or less what I'm looking for
Anyone have experience with it, by chance?
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I don't know a lot about specs needed for HTPCs, but I would think you could use integrated graphics instead of buying a GPU if all you're displaying is video to one TV. The AMD A-core CPUs have a pretty good integrated GPU for their power consumption. The Intel CPUs might be good enough too.
Here is a case I was looking at for a SFF build. Maybe it will work for you.
http://www.mini-box.com/M350-universal-mini-itx-enclosure
I'll be putting a GTX 760 in it. It's actually not even going to be used with a TV. I just want something with a small form factor that can sit neatly with my desk without taking up much room. From my bit of research, I've determined that the main restriction with the setup is actually the PSU, since it uses SFX units which top out at about 450W and 37A on the 12V. Still enough for top-end GPU's, despite the official "requirement" of 600W+ and 42A on the 12V.
I think this is what I've settled on, for the most part. At least to start with.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3gtuH
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While I can certainly vouch for SIlverstone's 450 watt 80 plus gold SFX as more than enough to power the hardware you are looking at if you want that extra assurance and don't mind waiting they are going to release a 600 watt version later this year.
http://www.gamersnexus.net/news/1357-silverstone-600w-80-plus-gold-sfx-psu
I ended up getting most of the stuff on that list, except that I decided to go for a GTX 780, instead of the 760. Power was the main concern, but after looking at the system draw, and researching what the card actually uses, I think the PSU can handle it just fine. No overclocking or anything, but that's not something I really care about.
I'll post pictures if anyone is interested in how it comes together. I'll also post pictures if the GPU blows up or something equally spectacular. I'm also kind of curious about how loud it will be. The GTX 780 in my main computer is actually really quiet, but I'm thinking the small form-factor will cramp airflow a bit, forcing it to spin up more. Anyway, we'll see.
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I've had the new PC up and running for a few days now, and things are beautiful. The Silverstone 450W handles the GTX 780 without a problem. I know a lot of the recommended PSU wattages are listed as things like 600+ but those are a bit inflated to cover potentially crappy power supplies out there. The Silverstone works well because its 12V rail is 37A, giving a very solid 444 Watts to be split between the GPU and CPU. With the CPU only taking up about 40, and the GPU topping out at about 300 (extreme gaming), that still leaves plenty of breathing room.
This is also the first positive airflow setup I've used, so I was a bit concerned about keeping the GPU cool, but it's been doing just fine. It's also very quiet, with fans never really spinning up past about 60% during extended gaming. I did initially flip the fans around for a negative airflow setup, just out of curiosity, and the difference was night and day. Positive is definitely the way to go with this case. It's also a good idea to move the top case fan to the bottom, so you have two fans pushing air right into the GPU. Having only one in place there gave a noticeable temp difference between the two half's of the card.
Having said all of that, I can't overstate enough just how difficult cable management is with this form-factor. It's not impossible, but it definitely takes a lot more planning than other setups. I personally feel like it's worth the extra effort, however.
Here's the exact parts list I used for my setup:
Silverstone RVZ01B Case
ASUS z87i-Deluxe Motherboard
Intel Core i5-4570 Haswell 3.2GHz
Silverstone 450 W SFC 12V 80+ Gold Certified PSU
Corsair 16GB DDR3 1866 RAM
Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD
EVGA GeForce GTX 780
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What are temps like under normal gaming conditions?
There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.
-- Herman Melville
Just took this after about 30 minutes of TESO at max settings.
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It's not meant to just watch movies. Meant to be a small profile game machine that can fit in with other stuff near a TV, or simply take up less space at a normal desk. The latter was the more important thing for me when I started the project.
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Dam in a small case like that? My GTX 770 get's hotter than that in a full size case which has good air flow. I've read that the model which I have the coolers are not properly secured sometimes. People pulled them reapplied the thermal paste and all was sorted. I might need to do that. . I don't know what temps I'd be running in TESO but in other things it's not uncommon for it to be in the 60's even hitting 70's. I actually down clock it sometimes just to keep temps low. No negative effects really but still.
Edit: Before people yell at me about price. I got it when it was stupidly low in dec.
I just ran a high-end benchmark test, out of curiosity, and the GPU temps stayed in the 60's. If you dig around those results, you can probably find the exact details.
Anyway, yeah it's actually a pretty good setup. And quiet, as well. Even during the benchmark, the fans never really spun up super fast or anything. Also, the temps dropped from about 67c to 40c within about 15 seconds of the benchmark finishing, so the airflow is definitely working.
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As for your 770, I notice that's one of the EVGA's with ACX Coolers. I love that brand, and those coolers do a great job, but it's worth mentioning that they push air out the top and bottom sides of the card, which in a standard case usually means either again the side wall or, preferably, into a side panel fan. If you have a side panel fan, the airflow should be outward rather than inward on that one. My main desktop had an issue with that and it turned out to be a stupid fix when I finally sat down to look at the fan directions.
I think my basic setup an intake fan at the front and side, with an outtake fan on the back and at the top (PSU was bottom mounted). It made sense to me at the time, but I eventually realized that I had basically created a neutral air pressure system where the GPU heat was just sort of getting blown back into the case. Changing the side fan direction to outward meant the overall airflow changed to a negative pressure system, not to mention the side fan was now helping push out the hot GPU air.
Anyway, it's something to consider.
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