InWin Chopin GPU 1050 ti Mod - Pluto

[CroyAlore]

 

Hello all, I’m making a short worklog for a small mobile build I'll be working on. This originally was going to be a quick build but I got a couple ideas when I found the InWin Chopin case. I noticed that it had room on the bottom of the case for a long PSU but I figured it may be possible to replace it with a low-profile GPU and just use a HDPLEX instead of the included PSU. Other than that I want to try to make the build as cool and silent as possible, through the use of Noctua fans.

 

Hardware:
[CPU]: Intel i5 – 8400
[GPU]: Zotac GeoForce GTX 1050 Ti Low Pofile
[MOBO]: Asus Strix Z370-I
[RAM]: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 2×8 16GB - 3000
[NVMe]: Samsung 970 Evo 250GB
[SSD NVMe]: Samsung 860 Evo 1TB
[PSU]: HDPLEX 160W DC-ATX
[CASE]: InWin Chopin
[COOLER]: Noctua NH-L9i

 

Other:
[GPU FANS]: NF-A4x10 FLX x3
[CASE FAN]: NF-A4x10 FLX
[PSU FAN]: SoundOriginal Blower Fan
[RISER]: Fractal Design Flex VRC-25 PCIE x16

 

The theme for this build is going to coincidence with another build I am currently doing, COSMOS. I found that the colors of the Noctua fan strongly resemble that of Pluto, and also due to the builds size I decided to name it so and continue on with the cosmos based theme.

There won't be too many mods to the build and hopefully I should be able to get the GPU mounted in the case without increasing the size of the chassis.

I hope you guys enjoy the build, this shouldn't require too much time so it should be completeled quickly.

Thanks all.

 

Updates

 

 

 

[CroyAlore]

I made sure to keep the clutter in the case to a minimum so I chose to use a NVMe with no other HDDs, and the result is this compact motherboard.





As you can see here the cooler pretty much uses as much room as it can get.





Now with the main components out of the way I can start working on the GPU.





I started by making the cuts needed to fit the GPU below the motherboard tray, as well as a cut at the back for the IO and two cuts at the bottom of the case to allow for additional airflow.





It fits pretty snug in there and there is plenty of room in between the motherboard tray and the card to fit the riser.

















The riser takes up some additional room at the back but by using different riser and modifying the other side of the case I should be able to get it to fit. Also the cases' rear panel has a protruding shroud to give a small bit of room for the riser as well.

The next thing to do from here is change the fans on the GPU, as the current fans sound like a small turbine, and to mount the GPU in the case. Thanks all.

[Jurrunio]

hmm so the chopin wasnt designed with PCIe expansion cards in mind at all?

[AskTJ]

This build looks so beautiful! Amazing work! Could I ask what PSU you plan on using?

 

Followed.

[CroyAlore]

6 hours ago, AskTJ said:

This build looks so beautiful! Amazing work! Could I ask what PSU you plan on using?

 

Followed.

I'm using the HDPLEX 160W, its ussaly direct plug but because of the ram there inst any room to fit it, So I mounted it to the back and using a extension cable to connect it. 

 

Does anyone with knowledge of the HDPLEX know if its fine to use a extension cable with it?

[CroyAlore]

 

On the left is the PSU the Chopin came with. On the right is the HDPLEX 160W direct plugin. By using this with a external brick I'll be able to save a large amount of room inside of the case.

 

 

The only issue is that because of the G.Skill ram it cant fit. But thats fine, I can try just adding a extension cable and placing the HDPLEX somewhere else.

 

 

 

First I'll have to make an addition cut for the 24 Pin cable.

 

 

 

Here is the build so far with all the additional cuts and mods. You'll see later in this update that I increased the side of the bottom right hole to allow more air intake for the GPU.

 

 

Before painting.

 

 

The paints I use. But i decided against putting on a clear coat at the end.

 

 

After Primer.

 

 

After painting it black.

 

 

Now that the case is spray painted I put in the 24 pin extension cable. However its pretty messy, but I can just use a cable comb to hold them in place.

 

 

It holds pretty tight and you can actually see the comb at the top of the cable.

 

 

 

Now to just heat-shrink the Front I/O cables.

 

 

I think all togather it looks much cleaner than what it would look like if I had directly plugged in the HDPLEX.

 

 

The front of the case so far.

 

 

And the back.

 

 

 

I mount the HDPLEX on the back with some spacers to allow the heatsink some room to breathe. I am looking into adding a squirrel fan to keep it cool if I can find a quiet enough one.

 

 

And here it is with the cable connected. I do not know much about the HDPLEX's so if anyone knows if using a extension cable or having the heat-sink turned towards the case has any problems I would greatly appreciate some tips.

 

 

Now for the GPU. When I orrignally tested this 1050ti the cooler sounded like a turbine compared to the Noctua Fan so I'll be trying to build my own cooler for it.

 

 

 

These fans are incredibly quiet, especially for their size. I tested them at full load and they didn't produce much noise at all compared to the stock fans at idle.

 

 

The shroud for the GPU.

 

 

 

Here is the near complete custom cooler.

 

 

And a rough picture to show how the fans intake air. The bottom of the Chopin unibody has openings on the front and back of the case for the two non-center fans to breathe. I'll be cutting a hole for the center fan to intake air as well, but I'll have to wait for the next update to do that as I'm waiting for the new unibody to be delivered.

 

I'm fairly new to these new mods, specifically the HDPLEX and Custom Cooler, and I'd love feedback on what to do or If I'm doing anything incorrectly or if I can be doing either of these two better.

[CroyAlore]

 

So this is what the system looked like with the original cut I did. To begin with I was hoping the middle fan would breathe through the new hole and the other two fans would breathe through the small gaps that the legs create but the thermals where barley decent this way. So I decided to cut the bottom as big as all three fans and lift the case up with new legs.

 

 

Here is the new cut with a slit left in the middle to allow the unibody to fix its self to the internal frame as well as the GPU.

 

 

The new legs are very easy to add and give the case a miniature look so they ended up working great

 

 

 

With the GPU bracket put in place and all three pieces fixed together.

 

 

You can see all the new room for the GPU to breathe now with the new mods.

 

 

Now with the GPU and Cooler mounter you can see how much more exposed the fans are now.

 

 

All the colors end up working great and I have one more "Case Fan" added to the front of the case to remove the hot air from the GPU. Never though I would use a 40mm fan as a case fan

 

 

Now theres much more room between the table and the bottom of the case to breathe.

 

 

 

Now for some last minute modifications to the internal frame. The PSU still runs hot so I wanted to put a cut behind the heat sink and add a blower fan to the bottom to allow it to cool. I still have some more tests with this however because I want to see how it heats the surrounding area and see if there is too much heat there for the motherboard.

 

 

I also added another cut to the bottom of the mother board tray to allow the NVMe to be switchable later without difficulty, something I added once I had to switch the NVMe to the back to add a SDD NVMe to the front.

 

 

 

Here is the path of the PSU extension cable and how the cables are managed with the PCI Riser.

 

I'll be posting some thermals later today once I organize all the benchmark tests, Thanks all!

[CroyAlore]

Here are the final pictures for the project along with some comparisons to show the size of the build. I hope you guys enjoyed the build as much as I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CroyAlore]

Here are the Thermals: I tested the system in two configurations, either standing on its feet or laying on the front panel for maximum air flow.

 

First Configuration - Standing on Feet With 100% GPU Fan Speed:

 

 

Furmark at 1080p with 0xAA

 

 

3DMark Skydiver Stress Test

 

 

(with Markers)

 

 

Adia 64

 

 

Second Configuration - Laying on the Front Panel With 100% GPU Fan Speed:

 

 

Furmark at 1080p with 0xAA

 

 

Furmark at 1080p with 0xAA plus Adia64

 

[georgeyhere]

Do you think it would be possible to use a 400W HDPLEX and fit a mini 1060 in there? I'm not sure if there would be room to run the 8 pin power to the card but maybe with a 90 degree adapter it could fit. Also how do you power the HDPLEX? I don't see any ports running out the back. Love the mod!

[Enter Plasma]

Such a nice, clean SFF system. The blower fan is a great touch of pro work.