Riser Board and PSU Questions

[GrogStache]

Hi all,

 

I'm trying to design a new build and I have a few questions outside my wheelhouse:

 

Do 90 degree riser boards like this one come with the same issues as riser cables? Are there any limitations to these that would make using one for a GTX 1080 impractical?

 

Also, I'm planning on using this server-style PSU for the build. Are there any issues regarding using server-style PSUs for a gaming rig? Are there better options in a flatter-than-SFF PSU form factor that I haven't thought of?

 

It also looks like my PSU will have to sit very close to the RAM side of my Motherboard to fit everything into the DIY case I'm planning. Is that gonna cause any issues?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Stefan Payne]

I don't know much about the PCIe Extender. But you don't need external Power for those, that's done by the Board...

5 hours ago, GrogStache said:

Also, I'm planning on using this server-style PSU for the build. Are there any issues regarding using server-style PSUs for a gaming rig? Are there better options in a flatter-than-SFF PSU form factor that I haven't thought of?

Yes, there are issues. Mainly the Noise of the units as they are made to be used without a human nearby, they aren't optimized at all for quietish operation and tend to be really really loud. You don't want to be near that, if you don't have to....

 

As for the PSU Size: No, SFX is the best we have in decent and even those are pretty shit compared to cheaper ATX Units.

For example compare some SFX (or SFX-L) unit with similar units for example Bitfenix Formula or something like that...

 

So no, I don't recommend using that PSU in a rig you are close to...

 

 

[GrogStache]

18 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

I don't know much about the PCIe Extender. But you don't need external Power for those, that's done by the Board...

Yes, there are issues. Mainly the Noise of the units as they are made to be used without a human nearby, they aren't optimized at all for quietish operation and tend to be really really loud. You don't want to be near that, if you don't have to....

 

As for the PSU Size: No, SFX is the best we have in decent and even those are pretty shit compared to cheaper ATX Units.

For example compare some SFX (or SFX-L) unit with similar units for example Bitfenix Formula or something like that...

 

So no, I don't recommend using that PSU in a rig you are close to...

 

 

That's really good info, thanks Stefan. It looks like the 400ish watt version of the same psu is classified as an mITX PSU by the retailer, and has a couple reviews touting how quiet it is. Is this a class of PSU that I'm not aware of, or do you think it's just quiet for a server-style PSU?

 

I guess the alternatives would be a Pico PSU or an external power supply in my build, if mITX PSUs aren't a thing in the same sense as SFX or ATX PSUs.

 

If I'm going to go the Pico PSU route, I'm gonna need to learn a lot. Does anyone know of a good starting point?

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by GrogStache
spelling

[Stefan Payne]

13 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

That's really good info, thanks Stefan. It looks like the 400ish watt version of the same psu is classified as an mITX PSU by the retailer, and has a couple reviews touting how quiet it is. Is this a class of PSU that I'm not aware of, or do you think it's just quiet for a server-style PSU?

I don't know.

I never had one of those and I don't trust other people without reference talking about PSU.

 

But If I had to guess, I'd say quiet for this type of PSU, wich might mean rather loud compared to the ATX PSU we have. Some are insanely quiet, even at higher loads.

Even cheap stuff like the Xilence Performance X (at least lower loads)...

13 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

I guess the alternatives would be a Pico PSU or an external power supply in my build, if mITX PSUs aren't a thing in the same sense as SFX or ATX PSUs.

 

If I'm going to go the Pico PSU route, I'm gonna need to learn a lot. Does anyone know of a good starting point?

 

I'm totally not a fan of Pico PSU because they are just too small to be good. You need space to make something good. And that's why reputable manufacturers (like ANtec) use open Frame DC-DC moduless, for example in the ISK110 that I also own (and forgot the Heatsink restrictions of that Case)...

 

Because of the Size, many don't come with protection and only rely on the external Brick. In short: They are pretty shit. So I strongly recommend not using one of those.

 

But why don't you use an SFX PSU? They are available in good quality and not that bad. The hight isn't really an Issue IMO as you need space for the Heatsink anyway. And using them vertically to save space, as you need the hight anyway for a decent Heatsink, I don't see a problem with that Solution.

There are also other Alternatives that are more meh (TFX) and mostly are Group Regulated.

Other alternatives are Flex ATX; but most of them aren#t that quiet. There was a fanless FSP once but I don't know if its available...

 

Buttom Line:
IF you want it as small as possible, get an Antec ISK110 and go from there. CPU Heatsink is restricted to 40mm height (well, technically a bit more), wich limits it pretty much to a Noctua NH-L9i and maybe the LGA1151 Boxed might also work...

[GrogStache]

3 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

But why don't you use an SFX PSU? They are available in good quality and not that bad. The hight isn't really an Issue IMO as you need space for the Heatsink anyway. And using them vertically to save space, as you need the hight anyway for a decent Heatsink, I don't see a problem with that Solution.

I do actually have height concerns about the SFX PSUs. They might work height-wise, but the width is also a concern at 100mm (+ cable connections). Without giving too much away, I'm planning a build in a non-standard enclosure based on a kids playset. The interior is oval-shaped, so I have to try and fit square pegs into a round hole, so to speak.

3 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

IF you want it as small as possible, get an Antec ISK110 and go from there. CPU Heatsink is restricted to 40mm height (well, technically a bit more), wich limits it pretty much to a Noctua NH-L9i and maybe the LGA1151 Boxed might also work...

For the heat sink, I believe I will have height for a Cryorig C7, but nothing taller. I may ultimately have to opt for the Noctua L9i anyway though, if the motherboard gets pushed to the side too much. Either way, I believe that I have around 50mm or less in height for the PSU. That does leave the door open for a Flex ATX PSU, which might be a good option. I'm swapping one of these into the parts list for now.

 

Here's my PCPartPicker list for reference: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pCqqw6

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 GAMING-ITX/AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2933 Memory
Storage: Crucial - MX500 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive   
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Mini ITX Video Card  
Power Supply: FSP Group - 500W 80+ Gold Certified Flex ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit   
Case Fan: Evercool - EC4020SH12BP 40mm Fan (x2)

 

The listed wattage is 320 or so. Not sure if a 500w PSU will give me the headroom I would need to do some light overclocking, but that's kinda the idea... if I can get temps that are low enough at stock. (even saying this, it feels like I won't really be able to do it)

 

I'll definitely look into how the Antec ISK110 is put together. That's a really good starting point. Thanks!

[Stefan Payne]

42 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

I do actually have height concerns about the SFX PSUs. They might work height-wise, but the width is also a concern at 100mm (+ cable connections). Without giving too much away, I'm planning a build in a non-standard enclosure based on a kids playset. The interior is oval-shaped, so I have to try and fit square pegs into a round hole, so to speak.

That sux...

Here the measurements of a standard SFX unit:

125x63.5x100mm

42 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

For the heat sink, I believe I will have height for a Cryorig C7, but nothing taller. I may ultimately have to opt for the Noctua L9i anyway though, if the motherboard gets pushed to the side too much. Either way, I believe that I have around 50mm or less in height for the PSU. That does leave the door open for a Flex ATX PSU, which might be a good option. I'm swapping one of these into the parts list for now.

NH-L9i comes with screwes for 25mm fans, that is also an option to consider, if you have the space. Use the 25mm fan, that will improve Cooling Performance and noise...

42 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

Here's my PCPartPicker list for reference: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pCqqw6

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 GAMING-ITX/AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2933 Memory
Storage: Crucial - MX500 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive   
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Mini ITX Video Card  
Power Supply: FSP Group - 500W 80+ Gold Certified Flex ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit   
Case Fan: Evercool - EC4020SH12BP 40mm Fan (x2)

Yeah, there is no real alternative to that FSP unit, even if it gets loud...

Though I don't know how it is build and that it might be not that good. Its entirely possible that it is a group regulated thing with not great voltage regulation. I don't know, there is no information about that.

 

BUT: Have you considered a consoly thing?

This thing to be precise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0KSJg2sqJM

 

 

42 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

The listed wattage is 320 or so. Not sure if a 500w PSU will give me the headroom I would need to do some light overclocking, but that's kinda the idea... if I can get temps that are low enough at stock. (even saying this, it feels like I won't really be able to do it)

You should forget about overclocking. And also I'd rather not get an X Processor.

I don't know if the 1080 is a good idea in that close enviroment, you might reconsider it as well...

 

Do you have a GPU lying around for testing purposes??

 

42 minutes ago, GrogStache said:

I'll definitely look into how the Antec ISK110 is put together. That's a really good starting point. Thanks!

Yeah, but that won't work with that setup. If we were talking about a 2400G without GPU, it might be an option but in this case it is not as its only an 80W PSU.

 

Here you get some Images:

 

[GrogStache]

23 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

Here the measurements of a standard SFX unit:

125x63.5x100mm

I've made a cardboard "model" of a lot of parts already. I'll make one of these too and see if there's any configuration in my Case that would allow one. I'm not hopeful about it though, unfortunately.

 

23 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

NH-L9i comes with screws for 25mm fans

That is a good idea. Do you know what impact that has on the benchmarks for the cooler?

 

23 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

Have you considered a consoly thing?

 

I would consider that a good backup plan. I really want this to have the upgradability of a "real" PC. I've been on laptops for a long time now and I'd really like a system of my own that I can adapt over time.

 

23 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

You should forget about overclocking. And also I'd rather not get an X Processor.

I don't know if the 1080 is a good idea in that close enviroment, you might reconsider it as well...

I thing airflow will be ok for the Case, but I could be wrong. I did hear that the 1080 had no idle fan speed early on. Has that been addressed? I'd like to keep the 1080 in the build, but I suppose a 1070 would be ok. It doesn't save me any physical space, which has been my chief concern until this stage of planning.

 

I'm ok without overclocking honestly, but in that eventuality I think I would like to opt for the X Processor, unless you are saying that the cooling solution would not be able to keep up even at stock, resulting in throttling or other temp related issues.

 

On 9/16/2018 at 5:05 PM, Stefan Payne said:

Do you have a GPU lying around for testing purposes??

Sadly, since I have been working and playing from laptops for the last decade, I just don't have anything lying around anymore. My last tower was actually stolen as I moved out of my old place. It wasn't an amazing machine or anything, but it does limit my inventory.

 

Also, thank you so much for the pictures of the PSU. I wish something like that was an option for the build I'm planning. It would just be a different machine altogether if I went that route though.