ASRock AM1H-ITX

[crashdown287]

Hey I have a question

 

On the ASRock AM1H-ITX there is a DC power connector that can be used instead of a conventional power supply. I am wondering if the DC power jack would be able to supply enough power for a GTX 750ti or similar graphics card.

[ForsakenLive]

The manual doesn't actually specify a max wattage on the PCIe slot, but it says using discrete GPUs is not recommended with DC power. If you get a DC power adapter with enough watts it should work.

 

This guy made a build using the Asrock AM1H-ITX and added a GTX 750ti to it, and then overclocked it. He stated that with a 120W DC external PSU (power adapter) the 750ti was working properly and the system was stable, but the mosfets where a bit too hot, so he added a couple of aftermarket heatsinks to them.

 

links:

 

http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/asrock-am1h-itx-discrete-video-dc-power/

http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/mini-itx-am1-system-gaming-system-dc/

[crashdown287]

The manual doesn't actually specify a max wattage on the PCIe slot, but it says using discrete GPUs is not recommended with DC power. If you get a DC power adapter with enough watts it should work.

 

This guy made a build using the Asrock AM1H-ITX and added a GTX 750ti to it, and then overclocked it. He stated that with a 120W DC external PSU (power adapter) the 750ti was working properly and the system was stable, but the mosfets where a bit too hot, so he added a couple of aftermarket heatsinks to them.

 

links:

 

http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/asrock-am1h-itx-discrete-video-dc-power/

http://www.jdhodges.com/blog/mini-itx-am1-system-gaming-system-dc/

 

Awesome man thanks a bunch.

 

I wasn't able to tell from the pictures, do you know what the aftermarket heatsinks were? It looks like he only put an extra fan in

[ForsakenLive]

Awesome man thanks a bunch.

 

I wasn't able to tell from the pictures, do you know what the aftermarket heatsinks were? It looks like he only put an extra fan in

His case had vents, so he ghetto mounted a small fan in there, the heatsinks are from Zalman http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-VGA-Ram-Heatsinks-ZM-RHS1/dp/B000790D0G

But any aftermarket low profile heatsink should work, they are attached by thermal adhesive that comes with them.

[crashdown287]

Thanks for the help man, exactly what I was looking for

[sizzlinbeef]

Yes, I used Zalman VGA RAM heatsinks, I only needed 4 to cover everything.  If you have a hacksaw and a clamp you can pretty easily cut them in half, and at that shape they bridge the mosfet pairs nicely.

 

Pretty much everything in the case is ghetto mounted.  Travla (case manufacturer) wanted something ridiculous for the optical drive mount, so I just cut up some existing pieces of steel with screw holes and used them as makeshift brackets to hold the drive in place.  The case is old and designed for Pentium M motherboards with AC'97 audio, so I had to ghetto-fab the HDA connector for the side-panel audio. There are actually two case fans, one is visible in the pictures and is held in place using a motherboard offset mount that is friction screwed into one of the mosfet heatsinks.  The other is in a factory fan mounting spot under the optical drive.  Both are SilenX 40mm quiet fans. 

 

The graphics card is a GTX 750.  I read the Ti uses a bit more power for little actual performance gain (especially with the 5350), so when I saw an EVGA GTX 750 2GB on sale, I figured that was the best card to try as a low-power solution.  The case had really crappy vent 'slots' where a HDD would have normally been mounted under a single-height PCI card, so I marked a circle in sharpie where the GTX fan intake would be and took a drill bit to it....repeatedly.  The back of the case also had to be cut with a dremel to allow the double-height GTX bracket to slide through.  The bottom slot was only supposed to be used for serial ports, and thus didn't have a cutout for the elbow of the bracket.

 

Honestly, a Ti probably would have worked too. Any card without the 6-pin power connector.  That warning in the motherboard manual is just standard CYA stuff. Just make sure you spec the graphics card to your power supply.  I figure the 750 draws about 45 watts max, the rest of the components in the system maybe 40 watts, so a 90 watt power supply may also work.  I will have to try that the next time I feel ballsy. 

 

Also, the latest AM1H-ITX bios apparently allows CPU overclocking, so I'll have to give that a try.

[crashdown287]

Yes, I used Zalman VGA RAM heatsinks, I only needed 4 to cover everything.  If you have a hacksaw and a clamp you can pretty easily cut them in half, and at that shape they bridge the mosfet pairs nicely.

 

Pretty much everything in the case is ghetto mounted.  Travla (case manufacturer) wanted something ridiculous for the optical drive mount, so I just cut up some existing pieces of steel with screw holes and used them as makeshift brackets to hold the drive in place.  The case is old and designed for Pentium M motherboards with AC'97 audio, so I had to ghetto-fab the HDA connector for the side-panel audio. There are actually two case fans, one is visible in the pictures and is held in place using a motherboard offset mount that is friction screwed into one of the mosfet heatsinks.  The other is in a factory fan mounting spot under the optical drive.  Both are SilenX 40mm quiet fans. 

 

The graphics card is a GTX 750.  I read the Ti uses a bit more power for little actual performance gain (especially with the 5350), so when I saw an EVGA GTX 750 2GB on sale, I figured that was the best card to try as a low-power solution.  The case had really crappy vent 'slots' where a HDD would have normally been mounted under a single-height PCI card, so I marked a circle in sharpie where the GTX fan intake would be and took a drill bit to it....repeatedly.  The back of the case also had to be cut with a dremel to allow the double-height GTX bracket to slide through.  The bottom slot was only supposed to be used for serial ports, and thus didn't have a cutout for the elbow of the bracket.

 

Honestly, a Ti probably would have worked too. Any card without the 6-pin power connector.  That warning in the motherboard manual is just standard CYA stuff. Just make sure you spec the graphics card to your power supply.  I figure the 750 draws about 45 watts max, the rest of the components in the system maybe 40 watts, so a 90 watt power supply may also work.  I will have to try that the next time I feel ballsy. 

 

Also, the latest AM1H-ITX bios apparently allows CPU overclocking, so I'll have to give that a try.

 

Really nice build man, its awesome to see some original stuff like that

I have been procrastinating but eventually I want to do a build very similar to yours, although I am thinking of going with a pico psu instead

[crashprime]

On 10/29/2014 at 9:00 AM, sizzlinbeef said:

Yes, I used Zalman VGA RAM heatsinks, I only needed 4 to cover everything.  If you have a hacksaw and a clamp you can pretty easily cut them in half, and at that shape they bridge the mosfet pairs nicely.

 

Pretty much everything in the case is ghetto mounted.  Travla (case manufacturer) wanted something ridiculous for the optical drive mount, so I just cut up some existing pieces of steel with screw holes and used them as makeshift brackets to hold the drive in place.  The case is old and designed for Pentium M motherboards with AC'97 audio, so I had to ghetto-fab the HDA connector for the side-panel audio. There are actually two case fans, one is visible in the pictures and is held in place using a motherboard offset mount that is friction screwed into one of the mosfet heatsinks.  The other is in a factory fan mounting spot under the optical drive.  Both are SilenX 40mm quiet fans. 

 

The graphics card is a GTX 750.  I read the Ti uses a bit more power for little actual performance gain (especially with the 5350), so when I saw an EVGA GTX 750 2GB on sale, I figured that was the best card to try as a low-power solution.  The case had really crappy vent 'slots' where a HDD would have normally been mounted under a single-height PCI card, so I marked a circle in sharpie where the GTX fan intake would be and took a drill bit to it....repeatedly.  The back of the case also had to be cut with a dremel to allow the double-height GTX bracket to slide through.  The bottom slot was only supposed to be used for serial ports, and thus didn't have a cutout for the elbow of the bracket.

 

Honestly, a Ti probably would have worked too. Any card without the 6-pin power connector.  That warning in the motherboard manual is just standard CYA stuff. Just make sure you spec the graphics card to your power supply.  I figure the 750 draws about 45 watts max, the rest of the components in the system maybe 40 watts, so a 90 watt power supply may also work.  I will have to try that the next time I feel ballsy. 

 

Also, the latest AM1H-ITX bios apparently allows CPU overclocking, so I'll have to give that a try.

I hope everything goes well. I saw your success and I am aiming for 5350 + AM1H + 120w 19v Toshiba adapter.

 

I couldn't find VGA heatsinks so I am planning on not messing with the passive cooling on the mobo altho if i could find those zalmans on amazon they'd be in the mail. Do higher wattage 19v adapters increase heat from the mosfets? 

 

The case I picked was the SilverStone RVZ02 which (if you look it up) has a PCI-E riser that separates the card from the system and offers up a nice cool home for it.

 

This is mostly fun, but if it works, it should be similar to a $450 alienware steam box for $100 less, and have the ability to upgrade storage, reuse parts, and generally be more DIY friendly.