Small Form Factor for Travel - design help

[Eric904P]

So this is a follow-up to my thread about looking for a gaming laptop for my dad... (see here for original thread) after showing him his "ideal" laptop is a $6,000 workstation, he decided on wanting a gaming PC plus a weaker laptop.  However, he was worried about building an full ATX tower since that is too big and bulky to travel with him on extended trips in his 5th wheel trailer. So small form factor easily travel but 4k gaming is the requirements.

 

My solution to that is a badass small form factor PC.  Let me throw out the custom build I have designed so far, as well as some pre-built options that might be a good choice as well.

 

My build so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor	$309.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$89.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard	$178.64 @ Amazon
Memory	G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$274.00 @ Amazon
Storage	Western Digital - Black NVMe 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$129.89 @ OutletPC
Storage	Western Digital - Blue 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$149.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Zotac - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Mini Video Card	$704.98 @ Newegg
Case	Azza - Z Mini ITX Tower Case	$63.84 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx (2018) 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$89.99 @ Newegg
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit	Purchased For $0.00
Case Fan	Noctua - NF-A12x15 PWM 55.4 CFM 120mm Fan	$19.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua - NF-A12x15 PWM 55.4 CFM 120mm Fan	$19.95 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Noctua - NF-A12x15 PWM 55.4 CFM 120mm Fan	$19.95 @ Amazon
Keyboard	Corsair - Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard	$139.99 @ Amazon
Mouse	Logitech - MX MASTER 2S (Black) Wireless Laser Mouse	$72.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$2293.94
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$2263.94
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-28 22:39 EDT-0400

Im throwing in the 3x Noctual 120x15mm fans to help with space and noise, they are 10mm thinner than most but perform nearly as well.

 

So the big questions are these:

1- is there a case that is a small form factor that fits a 240mm radiator while allowing the other parts? Power supply could be changed, but really I wanna keep most the same. 

2- can I use some tubing and connectors to connect two 120mm AIO radiators to create a Frankenstein solution?

3- can i get better cooling using a small form factor Noctua cpu cooler instead? Other options: Noctua NH-L9x65 or NH-L12S

4- will just one 120mm rad be good enough for the 4k gaming he wants to do on this?

5- any other changes suggested to make this happen?

 

 

Pre-built options: 

http://a.co/d/0V9IRr6

https://www.asus.com/us/Tower-PCs/ROG-G20CB/

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856173144

http://a.co/d/agNpQNJ

http://a.co/d/4dvVLCY

http://a.co/d/6ERF3Ai

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA57X8582974

https://www.asrock.com/nettop/Intel/DeskMini GTXRX (Z370)/index.asp

[Kiyometa]

Fractal Design Define Nano, supports 240 rad.
Also, I've used the EVGA CLC 240, almost same price as your 120mm rad listed, and I've liked it overall.

[Cereal5]

In regards to cases, take a look at this

In regards to cooling, I would probably go with a 120mm rad, but since you won't be overclocking, it really doesn't matter. Both should be good enough (unless you can find a case that fits a 240mm). Speaking of, trying to put two 120mm AIOs together is way not worth your time. Unless it's specifically meant to be modular, any AIO is not meant for opening.

[Kiyometa]

Also, most of Corsairs good power supplies are just Seasonic PSUs that are rebranded, so if you can find one less expensive with Seasonic branding, go for it, since its the same thing (Seasonic is one of the best PSU makers out there)

[Kiyometa]

One last thought, if you DID go with Fractal Design Define Nano, would lower front fan as far down as you could to aid in getting fresh air to the GPU.

Unless you plan to do some major OC, the 850W may be more than you need if you want to bring that down a bit. Could get away with a 550W PSU, and since you showed the non K 8700, you probably don't need the 850W. Think https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151186 would do it. (Can't beat that 10 yr warranty)

[Eric904P]

Updated build then

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Eric904P/saved/xNvNQ7

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($309.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($178.64 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  ($274.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Black NVMe 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($129.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($56.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC Black Edition Video Card  ($794.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($63.06 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit  (Purchased For $0.00)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($21.75 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM  140mm Fan  ($21.75 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM  120mm Fan  ($29.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $2205.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-28 23:48 EDT-0400

 

I could even go with just a Hyper 212 EVO for cooling and be just fine, rather than spending double that on water cooling. Its a tight fight, but works.