[Build Log] The 'Shoebox': Silverstone SG05 - Xeon 1231v3 - R9 290

[byalexandr]

To keep people from having to scroll down to see any upgrades I made, I will post a current specs list here and try and keep it updated as much as possible.

Specs (as of 9/20/2015):

Intel Core i3 4170

A-Data Premier Pro 16GB DDR3-1600

AsRock B85M-ITX

Cooler Master Seidon 120V with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1750RPM Fan

XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Core Edition

Silverstone SUGO SG05BB-LITE

EVGA 400W

 

I'll also keep the most recent picture that highlights the build right here as well, again I will update it as often as I can:

 

Ever since I started building PCs the thought of an ITX system intrigued me. The fact that you can cram so much power if something smaller than a shoebox always amazed me. I started out with a crappy HP Slimline desktop, moved that into a custom chassis you all might know as 'Project All Out' which I unfortunately had to discontinue, moved that into my cool little Cooler Master N200 (that I haven't done a build log of), and now I'm at the point where I can finally say I have a well performing system, and it only gets better from here. I'll start out with a couple of outside shots, keep in mind the PC was already built by me before I started this build log:

 

 

 

The point of this PC was to make it easier for me to carry it around to wherever it might be: a friend's house, school, etc. My older PC in the N200 was still much easier to carry around than a full size ATX tower, but it has nothing on this. I'll continue by listing it's current specs:

 

Intel Core i3 4170

AsRock B85M-ITX

16GB AData DDR3-1600MHz (2x8GB)

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB (reference)

Samsung 840 PRO 512GB

Silverstone SUGO SG05BB-LITE

EVGA 400W Certified

 

There were a couple of challenges with this build, one being the power supply. I didn't want to pay a price premium to have an SFX PSU, plus the 400W PSU that I have already is doing me just fine. This wasn't really that big of an issue, as with three runs with a power dill and a slice with a Dremel, you can easily modify the chassis to fit an ATX PSU, just as I did:

 

 

Another issue was cable management. While Silverstone provides you with an adhesive cable mount, there isn't much room or a proper place to put all of the cables. That coupled with the fact that I was so excited that I finally got my hands on the case that I didn't even spend much time doing cable management because I wanted to get the damn thing up and running already.

 

 

 

This is probably the angle that cable management really stands out:

 

So what's to come?

 

Well first off, better cable management. I need to grab some zip ties and velcro straps at Wal Mart so I can fully utilize the cables. If you guys know me at all, I'm really big on cable management. Here a shot from my last PC with the N200:

 

Next, as I continue saving up in the coming month or so, I will be upgrading some core components. This includes the following:

 

1. The i3 4170 to a Xeon E3-1231 v3. This will dramatically help with my multitasking addiction and CAD work, plus it cheaper than an i7 and has all the same features.

2. The stock cooler to a Cooler Master Seidon 120V. Even though the Xeon won't be overclocked by much, if at all, I want to keep the CPU as cool as I can since it's stuck underneath all of that. Plus liquid cooling is ballin'.

3. The reference MSI GTX 760 to an EVGA GTX 970 ACX 2.0, probably the SSC or FTW. I need a lot more horsepower when it comes gaming, especially since I've become so spoiled with 144Hz on my ASUS VG248QE. The GTX 970 is still a great choice for bang for the buck gaming, and produces a lot less heat and draws a lot less power than an R9 390, something that is crucial for my PC. I figure with that card it will drive BF4 maxed out at 1080p well over 100FPS.

 

So, stay tuned! There probably won't be any real progress until I can get my hands on those components, but I figured I would show my PC since a lot of people ask about it.

 

Here is some eye candy of my current setup:

 

Merci!

 

And excuse the bad pictures please, my Nikon D40 is starting to show it's age and my Lumia 1020 isn't a DSLR by any means.

[JeffreyEagan]

ITS SO SMALL OH MY GOD ITS ADORABLE.

[byalexandr]

ITS SO SMALL OH MY GOD ITS ADORABLE.

I love it so much lol.

[byalexandr]

Updates!

 

-Cable management has become much easier the more I work on the case, I would say it's pretty nice as of right now but I can make it even better.

-The shoebox is now liquid cooled, with a Seidon 120V and a Scythe Gentle Typhoon, which I have to say is absolutely amazing.

-GPU was switched out from the MSI to my ASUS model. Much quieter and OC'd a shit ton better.

 

 

The beautifully quiet Gentle Typhoon. My only gripe is that's it not PWM and the cables aren't sleeved, but the fan itself is hella great, it's so heavy and well built.

 

Shot from the front. The Typhoon is going to be exhausting air out the front of the case, not only cooling the CPU but the GPU as well (since the i3 and the future Xeon don't even produce much heat):

I removed the front filter since it would be pointless, so that went back into the SG05's box.

 

Sorta finished shots:

 

Cable management gave a lot of breathing room for the fan and radiator, most of the cables went under the power supply towards the back of the case. Shouldn't be a problem since the CPU heat is not where the cables are. The only cable you see there is the GPU power.

 

And it works well, silent as hell. Now it's awesome because it's tiny and it's liquid cooled!

 

What's next?

 

-Save up for an R9 380 Nitro from Sapphire. I figured this would be plenty of power since I'm only at 1080p, and the Nitro is perhaps the sexiest card I've laid eyes on.

-Swap out the i3 for a Xeon E3-1231 v3. This one might take a while as the i3 is still a lot of power for gaming, however school is starting tomorrow and I'm going to need the power soon.

-Swap out the PSU for a 650W P2 from EVGA. If I'm getting a new PSU, might as well be a nice one.

 

That's it for now, but stay tuned! More updates to come.

 

[byalexandr]

Back with some temperature and noise tests:

 

Before the card was reaching almost 100% fan speed at 72-73C. Now it's barely over idle speed at 65-66C. Much improved and very quiet.

CPU was hitting about 60C on the stock cooler, pretty loud. Now it won't go over 50C and the Gentle Typhoon and pump are basically silent, not even going over idle.

 

Even after running Heaven for an hour, nothing changed despite me now being able to feel the heat coming out, as it now exits the front of the case. I have to say, this cooler is hella awesome. Glad I got it for a second time now. Even the time it takes for the PC to cool off after running heavy loads was reduced by a few minutes, since it wasn't that hot to begin with.

 

Let me know what you think!

[mjmiller814]

 

Back with some temperature and noise tests:

 

Before the card was reaching almost 100% fan speed at 72-73C. Now it's barely over idle speed at 65-66C. Much improved and very quiet.

CPU was hitting about 60C on the stock cooler, pretty loud. Now it won't go over 50C and the Gentle Typhoon and pump are basically silent, not even going over idle.

 

Even after running Heaven for an hour, nothing changed despite me now being able to feel the heat coming out, as it now exits the front of the case. I have to say, this cooler is hella awesome. Glad I got it for a second time now. Even the time it takes for the PC to cool off after running heavy loads was reduced by a few minutes, since it wasn't that hot to begin with.

 

Let me know what you think!

 

I will be doing a complete system build in less than a month. Initially I was going to go 970s in SLI, but the majority of people think a single 980ti might be better, since some games are wonky with two GPUs. If I'm only running one card, I definitely want something very small form factor like you have here. I put this together:  http://pcpartpicker.com/user/mjmiller814/saved/PpCnTW

 

Please take a look and tell me what you think. My one concern is that the card might run too hot due to poor ventilation.

[byalexandr]

 

 

 

I will be doing a complete system build in less than a month. Initially I was going to go 970s in SLI, but the majority of people think a single 980ti might be better, since some games are wonky with two GPUs. If I'm only running one card, I definitely want something very small form factor like you have here. I put this together:  http://pcpartpicker.com/user/mjmiller814/saved/PpCnTW

 

Please take a look and tell me what you think. My one concern is that the card might run too hot due to poor ventilation.

 

Not bad! What I did to keep my GTX 760 running cool is install the radiator fan as an exhaust fan, that way it not only moves the CPU heat out of the case but the GPU heat as well. I would also recommend a bigger SSD.

[byalexandr]

Update time!

 

So at long last I had the money for a new GPU. I chose to go with an R9 290 as it performs almost as well as a GTX 970, and for the price I got mine it was an absolute steal ($170+$15 for shipping). Anyway, before that gets here this coming Saturday (or hopefully earlier) I had to make a couple mods to be able to accommodate this card. Being 10.8" long and almost as long as my entire case, I decided to go the route most people did and cut the hole in the front of the case. You can see how I went through the process here:

 

This is some initial cutting. I couldn't find any masking tape so I just used some electrical tape. It works.

 

Here it as after it's been cleaned, filed, etc.:

 

And here is how it looks with the system mostly back together:

 

So you may be asking where the SSD went. Well, that's what paid for the 290. That and $35 I borrowed from my friend. I am fine with my 500GB 2.5" HDD, but in the future I will definitely get another 500GB SSD or even a 1TB SSD. Another question you may be asking is how I'm going to power a card that draws 300W with a 400W PSU. Well I'm going to find that out too as soon as it gets here. What I will most likely end up doing is downclocking the card until I get a better PSU. Oh, and even with this mod I'm not sure I have enough clearance. What I will end up doing is shaving down the front panel until the card fits. My last resort will be making a spacer to move the front panel forward a bit, but hopefully this works.  Anyway, that's it for now. More updates to come!

 

Stay tuned!

[PCBuilderVR]

Looks cute love the compactness but I still like atx

[byalexandr]

Update!

 

My 'new' 290 finally got here, after being delayed by USPS. Upon first inspection I noticed the card is HELLA heavy. It's like they stuffed a block of aluminum inside the card or something. Card fit in first time, no issues, besides the fact that I misjudged the length and it is too long, more on that in a bit. Powered up fine, installed drivers, ran BF4 fine on stock clocks and my system didn't shut down since my PSU is only 400W. Another thing I noticed is an awful coil whine, not even a whine but more of a buzz. I thought it was the fan but it seems it happens when the card is on like 80-100% load, or at least that's when it's the loudest. I have to figure out a way to fix that, not sure if I can. It actually wasn't very loud, in fact I was curious how loud it could get so I pumped up the speed to 100% in Afterburner, and it literally startled me. I was not expecting it to get that loud. You literally have to yell to talk to someone. But, I don't care, because I added a future plan to this rig:

 

A custom liquid cooling loop.

 

Yeah, it's gonna be hard, but I'll have the parts and stuff once I get some more money, hopefully all goes well. And about the card being too long: I knew it was going to be quite long, I thought I would have to shave off a 1/16" from the front panel to make the card fit right (well, make the front panel fit right), but I misjudged the length and this card completely clears the entire length of my case, almost by a 1/4". What I will do is draw up a spacer for the front panel and have it CNC milled at school. For now I will have no front panel, which means I have to turn on the PC with a screwdriver and stuff. But hey, that's what I get lol. Anyway, a long block of text and no pictures? Here, I took a couple shots:

 

 

Here you can see what I mean by 'it clears the entire case':

 

But at least my cutting mod worked well. I put electrical tape on the radiator to prevent a short, but the screws on the card keep it propped away from that edge you see:

 

So what's next?

 

-Get a new PSU. I need a 600W PSU to handle this card, and I will be going back to SFX like the case was meant for so there is more room for water cooling tubing and stuff.

-Upgrade the i3 to a Xeon. This one can wait, the i3 is still pretty beastly for my needs, but the upgrade will come.

-Get an SSD again. Probably a Samsung 850 EVO 1TB.

-And of course, the custom loop. This one's going to take a while as well, as it's expensive.

 

Stay tuned!

 

Oh, and I wouldn't mind a few suggestions about that coil 'buzz'. I mean, it's louder than the fan, and that's saying something. That and what material and how I should make the spacer for the front panel.

[byalexandr]

Second update for today!

 

So as I mentioned before the card completely cleared the case in terms of length. I sure as hell don't want to cut the front panel and I am certainly not cutting down the card shroud, so I decided to make a spacer. I found a nice polypropylene cutting board, since it has high heat resistance and is a very tough plastic, as it's used for cutting boards. It's easier to put pictures than it is to explain how it works, but it's coming along very nicely so far. I will finish it tomorrow, I need to make a quick run to Home Depot for the rest of it.

 

Here is the spacer by itself, it looks a little unfinished but I went over it with an Exacto knife and cleaned it up.

 

Here it is on the front panel:

 

And here it is with how it will kind of look on the case. The front panel attaches to the spacer in the same way it would to the case, and the spacer will be sharing the screws holding the radiator on. I will use some metal brackets and what not, you'll see that in the update coming tomorrow. As you can see it now clears the card:

 

So tomorrow I will get it cleaned up and painted black, and get it mounted to the case. I think it looks pretty clean, and I don't think anyone has ever done this mod to an SG05. Let me know what you think!

 

Oh, and should I paint it like an AMD red or something? Or just leave it black to sort of hide those front panel tabs?

 

Stay tuned! More to come.

 

[byalexandr]

Loving the 290 by the way, beastly card.

[byalexandr]

Okay, second update this weekend!

 

I will keep it short, I am pretty tired from being at the shooting range all day, so bear with me. I finished the front panel spacer today and I have to say, it came out pretty nice. I still need to give it a coat of black paint, but I want to see what you guys think I should do.

 

As you can see the R9 290 now snugly fits into the SG05, a pretty impressive feat considering that this mod has never been done before.

 

So since this build log doesn't get much attention, I will probably paint the extension black to match the rest of the case, but if I do get some suggestions I might paint it a red or something, or even just leave it white. Let me know what you think I should do!

 

Stay tuned, more to come!

 

(I really wish more people liked this build, it's a lot harder than it looks  )

[byalexandr]

Well I know a lot of you guys think that this setup is great for a barbecue but not a PC, but you'd be surprised.

 

The CPU obviously stays well under 60C on load, and never goes over idle speed. The GPU, well, the GPU is the main noise maker as of right now, but that's okay because despite what I've seen the card only reaches 80C under full load, which coupled with the fact that it's in a cramped case like this makes it more impressive.

 

So I really feel like I'm talking to myself with this build log, I'm not exactly sure why it's not getting as much attention as other build logs, as I've only had 3 replies other than myself. I will keep posting updates as I continue the rig, but it;s kinda discouraging, usually this forum is a really responsive one.

[iHardware Shelden]

I love how you got that R9 290 in there Great system and YES do the AMD color scheme because why not

[byalexandr]

I love how you got that R9 290 in there Great system and YES do the AMD color scheme because why not

Haha thanks! Took some work and some thinking but it came out to be a pretty elegant solution. I could paint the spacer like an AMD red, I think that would look cool. I will post an update once I get it painted and all!

[itsmyjobtoknow]

Well I know a lot of you guys think that this setup is great for a barbecue but not a PC, but you'd be surprised.

 

The CPU obviously stays well under 60C on load, and never goes over idle speed. The GPU, well, the GPU is the main noise maker as of right now, but that's okay because despite what I've seen the card only reaches 80C under full load, which coupled with the fact that it's in a cramped case like this makes it more impressive.

 

So I really feel like I'm talking to myself with this build log, I'm not exactly sure why it's not getting as much attention as other build logs, as I've only had 3 replies other than myself. I will keep posting updates as I continue the rig, but it;s kinda discouraging, usually this forum is a really responsive one.

 

Now you know how I feel in my build log...I am basically talking to myself but yet have at least 100 - 200 new views every time I make an update to it...

[Dr_Curry_MONSTER]

Well, it wouldn't help if we all commented "great work!", "can't wait to see whats next!!" and etc..

[byalexandr]

Now you know how I feel in my build log...I am basically talking to myself but yet have at least 100 - 200 new views every time I make an update to it...

Haha, yeah. I didn't even notice the view count, I just thought people were looking at it and immediately went to something else because it was boring or something. 

 

Well, it wouldn't help if we all commented "great work!", "can't wait to see whats next!!" and etc..

Well... Isn't it nice to get congratulated on a good test score or for people to comment on a piece of art you drew up or something?

[itsmyjobtoknow]

Haha, yeah. I didn't even notice the view count, I just thought people were looking at it and immediately went to something else because it was boring or something. 

 

Well... Isn't it nice to get congratulated on a good test score or for people to comment on a piece of art you drew up or something?

 

Well...if this build log is considered boring, then what is considered interesting...because quite frankly I find this build interesting especially since you are planning to water-cool in this tiny machine.

 

Sidenote, how is that front panel being attached to the chassis since there is an extra plastic piece there..

[byalexandr]

Well...if this build log is considered boring, then what is considered interesting...because quite frankly I find this build interesting especially since you are planning to water-cool in this tiny machine.

 

Sidenote, how is that front panel being attached to the chassis since there is an extra plastic piece there..

Great question, I actually had to think of a way to make this all removable, so I can get the card out or whatever it may be. The front panel attaches to the plastic spacer with the tabs clipping on to it, the same it would attach to the case itself. But the spacer on the other hand, that has metal tabs (I can take pictures when I get home later) that come down from the inside ledge of the spacer and share screws with the radiator, effectively bolting it to the chassis. I actually had to buy longer 6-32 screws as the ones that were on the radiator weren't long enough to thread into the radiator with the metal tabs included. Again, I will take some pictures later today since I will be painting it then.

[EldarNi]

Nice build. Thinking myself building micro-atx pc (cose of video+sound card) and get rid off full tower atx.

And yes, do AMD dark red theme.

[byalexandr]

Nice build. Thinking myself building micro-atx pc (cose of video+sound card) and get rid off full tower atx.

And yes, do AMD dark red theme.

Painting it right now, hopefully it will be dry enough in a couple hours for me to take some photos.

[mtbdude641]

this case and all that you have done to it is completely awesome. really liking the look of it, and that front panel mod to get the 290 to fit in there is really great looks. following this topic for any updates!

[byalexandr]

this case and all that you have done to it is completely awesome. really liking the look of it, and that front panel mod to get the 290 to fit in there is really great looks. following this topic for any updates!

Thanks! I am about to post an update with the painted spacer, and a look as to how it attaches to the front panel. I will also post an update tomorrow when the paint is dry and the spacer is back on the case.