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Small form factor build - advice needed

Joined
Mar 27, 2013
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I'm planning to do a mini-ITX gaming build in the near future.

The parts I want to use are as follows. I already have some on these on hand.

CPU - i5 4670K (I have this already)
Cooler - Gelid Black Edition (I have this already)
RAM - Team Elite 8GB 1600MHz (I have this already. Will add more if needed)
Storage - WD 1TB 3.5" WD10EZEX (I have this already. SSD to be added in the future)
MOBO - ASRock Z97E-ITX/AC
GPU - R9 280X (haven't chosen a specific one yet)
PSU - Seasonic M12II 620 or Cooler Master V550
Case - Fractal Node 304


I chose the ASRock board because the CPU socket is away from the PCIe slot unlike some other ITX boards.
However, I am not sure if the cooler will be compatible with it.
I am a bit worried that it might go over the PCIE slot.
Anyone got an ITX board with the similar layout and used a similar sized or larger air cooler? Does it fit just fine?

Also, will a 550W supply suffice? I do not plan to do any overclock and if I would, it would be just a mild OC.
I am leaning more towards the CM V550 because it is shorter and will fit the Node 304 better.
 
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Location
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System Name Daedalus
Processor AMD FX 6300
Motherboard ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
Cooling Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis (2x4GB)
Video Card(s) MSI R9 270X Gaming 2GB
Storage 1TB Seagate Barracuda
Display(s) LG Flatron E2442 (main - 24in 1080p)
Case NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal Edition)
Power Supply XFX Pro 650W
Mouse Steelseries Siberia [RAW]
Also, will a 550W supply suffice? I do not plan to do any overclock and if I would, it would be just a mild OC.
I am leaning more towards the CM V550 because it is shorter and will fit the Node 304 better.

Yes, 550W should be completely fine as long as its a single GPU build (I've never seen a dual-GPU mini-ITX build before). The CM V550 is a very good PSU, as is the Seasonic, but AFAIK the CM V550 has 80+ Gold whereas the Seasonic does not. The CM gets my vote.

I chose the ASRock board because the CPU socket is away from the PCIe slot unlike some other ITX boards.
However, I am not sure if the cooler will be compatible with it.
I am a bit worried that it might go over the PCIE slot.
Anyone got an ITX board with the similar layout and used a similar sized or larger air cooler? Does it fit just fine?

I think the cooler will block one of the RAM slots, so would limit your RAM to just one stick. The cooler however is within the Node 304's height range, so should fit in the case. The fans could be rearranged to prevent the RAM slots being obstructed, but this could be obstructed by the back panel I/O. It could work.

Layton
 
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The seasonic has better headroom and is 80+ Bronze but the fixed cables tick me off. It has the 24 pin connector and both 4+4 pin and 8 pin EPS. That is stupid.

The ram should fit because it has no heatspreader and I can move the fan upwards a bit. I can also place it on the back but I might have to remove the case exhaust fan. Will it clear the GPU?
 
Joined
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Messages
519 (0.14/day)
Location
UK
System Name Daedalus
Processor AMD FX 6300
Motherboard ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
Cooling Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis (2x4GB)
Video Card(s) MSI R9 270X Gaming 2GB
Storage 1TB Seagate Barracuda
Display(s) LG Flatron E2442 (main - 24in 1080p)
Case NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal Edition)
Power Supply XFX Pro 650W
Mouse Steelseries Siberia [RAW]
The seasonic has better headroom and is 80+ Bronze but the fixed cables tick me off. It has the 24 pin connector and both 4+4 pin and 8 pin EPS. That is stupid.

More headroom for what? I reckon with no overclocking, you could run a GTX Titan off a 550W PSU. Also, the 80+ Gold will provide a small saving on electricity bills, which is a nice extra. Technically they are both Seasonic units so build quality of either would be high quality.

The ram should fit because it has no heatspreader and I can move the fan upwards a bit. I can also place it on the back but I might have to remove the case exhaust fan. Will it clear the GPU?



It will probably be very tight - that fan clip looks like its quite a bit in the way. Granted this isn't a mini-ITX board, but it may still obstruct the RAM slots. Having both fans pulling sounds like a good backup option. But I think it would be clear of the GPU, as it seems to not sit too far over the side of the width of the RAM slots, and the PCIe slot is definitely clear of the width of the RAM. Also, the position of the CPU slot means the cooler would be further towards the top of the motherboard anyway.

Layton
 
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Thanks for the help! I also did a bit of searching and found out that the cooler is about as wide as the RAM slot so it should clear the GPU.

I might just have to remove the rear exhaust fan and have both fans pulling air.
 
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I'g going to ask for reassurance again. Will a 550W PSU (CM V550)be adequate for this build?

I'll include the parts list here again for quick reference:
CPU - i5 4670K (no OC)
RAM - 1 stick Team Elite 8GB 1600MHz
Storage - WD 1TB 3.5" WD10EZEX
MOBO - ASRock Z97E-ITX/AC
GPU - Gigabyte R9 280X Windforce (OC version)

The possible upgrades in the future will only be another stick of RAM and an SSD.
 
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System Name Bandito | Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Processor Intel i7 10700 undervolted| i7 12700H
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme | NUC barebone Kit
Cooling Noctua C14S | stock
Memory Crucial Ballistics 64GB(4x16GB) 3000MTs | Crucial Ballistics 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MTs
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 6700XT 12GB Nitro Plus | Arc A770M 16GB
Storage too many ssd's and an 3TB hard drive
Display(s) Asus 34 " Proart, LG 34 inch ultrawide, HP 27 inch and LG 32inch UHD
Case White Lian-li Lancool 3 | NUC barebone kit
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster Z |Focusrite 2i2
Power Supply Coolermaster 850w Gold | included 320w
Mouse Logitech G703
Keyboard Logitech G615
Software MS Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
yeah it's plenty, also extra ram and ssd should be no trouble they don't draw that much power at all.
 
Joined
May 3, 2014
Messages
519 (0.14/day)
Location
UK
System Name Daedalus
Processor AMD FX 6300
Motherboard ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0
Cooling Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX Genesis (2x4GB)
Video Card(s) MSI R9 270X Gaming 2GB
Storage 1TB Seagate Barracuda
Display(s) LG Flatron E2442 (main - 24in 1080p)
Case NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal Edition)
Power Supply XFX Pro 650W
Mouse Steelseries Siberia [RAW]
I'g going to ask for reassurance again. Will a 550W PSU (CM V550)be adequate for this build?

I'll include the parts list here again for quick reference:
CPU - i5 4670K (no OC)
RAM - 1 stick Team Elite 8GB 1600MHz
Storage - WD 1TB 3.5" WD10EZEX
MOBO - ASRock Z97E-ITX/AC
GPU - Gigabyte R9 280X Windforce (OC version)

The possible upgrades in the future will only be another stick of RAM and an SSD.

The only time you'd need more wattage in a power supply is if you wanted to do a multi-GPU setup (pretty hard in a mini-ITX build though), or some insane overclocking of the CPU and GPU (which may require LN2, which once again is unlikely in a mini-ITX build). The PSU should last a long time, and perhaps multiple builds.

Layton
 
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