[Build Log] Mini-ITX PC - Middle School

[RazerZ]

I would not go mITX for a budget build. You can get a much cheaper and almost as small mATX build which will leave you more money for a better GPu.

He doesn't have a monitor at home which is why I suggested to go with a mITX build. The way his tv is set up is that he has a a book case which is close to a fireplace with the tv mounted above it.The PC would need to fit within a shelf of the book case, so it's likely a mATX case wouldn't fit (at least from what I can remember).

I'll have to check with him tomorrow on the length/ depth of the shelves.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Happy Halloween GRRRR!

We put power to the beast after school and the only sign of life is the power LED on the front panel. No CPU fan, No case fan, no sign of HDD activity, no PSU fan, so we have been stripping things off, riser and SDD, and discovered tht +4 of the 20+4 main power plug was loose. Had to practically dismantle the whole thing to get it on (even had to remove the RAM) but when it was connected, no improvement. Looks like I'll have to take the whole thing out of the case so I can go back and breadboard it.

At least it will keep the kids busy for quite a while.

 

[ImDaBaron]

Nothing from the PSU?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

No noise, no fan, a little heat and the power LED on the front does go, so power is coming in, going through the PSU, through motherboard, out the front panel header and down the wires to the LED.

The board has no header for a case speaker either, so I'm both blind and deaf.

 

[zeyuanfu]

I would RMA the PSU and maybe buy one from your local computer store.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

No SFX available locally. I need to get the PSU out first and have a look at it with my multi-meter.

 

[ImDaBaron]

What's the brand and model of the PSU again?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Silverstone Strider SFX 450W Modular, Gold

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-power-supply-st45sfg

I can get an Antec VP450 locally, for $40. I can probably sell it to one of the students and it will fit in that cute inexpensive Thermaltake Core mentioned above.

 

[zeyuanfu]

Can you take apart all the parts?
If yes, assemble the computer, but with the motherboard on the box it came with (assuming you still have it), get the VP-450 (they're pretty reliable, Tier 2B) and see if the build works.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Can you take apart all the parts?
If yes, assemble the computer, but with the motherboard on the box it came with (assuming you still have it), get the VP-450 (they're pretty reliable, Tier 2B) and see if the build works.

That was my plan when I said I would breadboard,

First rule of computers: Throw NOTHING away until it's worked for a couple of months. I have everything.

 

[ZandaThebigbluePanda]

Get a single 1tb SSD and then supplemental HDDs.

Get a 850w or 1000w PSU at most. Much cheaper and similar quality can be had form XFX.

Case is HUGE and ridiculous.

32gb RAM is pointless as is the CPU.

Honestly that looks like a build the trolls post up and ask if it will max minesweeper. If they are actually serious, the build needs to be trimmed alot. they are wasting over $1000 for no performance increase.

Case is't that ridiculous, my specs are in my sig. with all my parts in its only 13-14Kgs give or take.
and yea + 1 tiny.
Everything you said is true.

Also sorry for being late to the party my brand new Gigabyte motherboard failed on me, luckily the store gives a 2 year in store warranty

 

[zeyuanfu]

Get a single 1tb SSD and then supplemental HDDs.

Get a 850w or 1000w PSU at most. Much cheaper and similar quality can be had form XFX.

Case is HUGE and ridiculous.

32gb RAM is pointless as is the CPU.

Honestly that looks like a build the trolls post up and ask if it will max minesweeper. If they are actually serious, the build needs to be trimmed alot. they are wasting over $1000 for no performance increase.

Case is't that ridiculous, my specs are in my sig. with all my parts in its only 13-14Kgs give or take.
and yea + 1 tiny.
Everything you said is true.

Also sorry for being late to the party my brand new Gigabyte motherboard failed on me, luckily the store gives a 2 year in store warranty

About your specs, how can you have both a GTX 980 and a GTX 750 in the same computer? Just wondering, as most people who have 2-card setups use identical cards.

 

[Novuake]

About your specs, how can you have both a GTX 980 and a GTX 750 in the same computer?

Second card is probably being used as a dedicated PhysX card.

 

[zeyuanfu]

About your specs, how can you have both a GTX 980 and a GTX 750 in the same computer?

Second card is probably being used as a dedicated PhysX card.

That clears up one of my questions.
My second one would be that why not a stronger card?

 

[Novuake]

About your specs, how can you have both a GTX 980 and a GTX 750 in the same computer?

Second card is probably being used as a dedicated PhysX card.

That clears up one of my questions.
My second one would be that why not a stronger card?

Because its not necessary...

 

[DonkeyOatie]

I went to the local (nameless) store today. I may need to recalibrate my thinking about posters who choose scummy PSUs.

I wanted to buy an Antec VP450.

The assistant told me it was no good, it had no rating (I know that; it's a good Bronze supply)
The assistant told me it lacked PFC an important safety feature (know that too, that's why it is not rated, and I do not think PFC to be an important safety feature)
The assistant told me I needed 750 - 850 W to run modern GPUs, so the Antec would not work. (It will!!!)
The assistant showed me 'much better' PSUs (big boxes, good advertizing, tier 5 or names I do not know and over $100) (I don't want to spend that much, even for a great PSU)
The assistant said he was reluctant to allow me to make such a bad choice.
No XFX, Seasonic, or Antecs, but some Corsair Builders.

Unfortunately for me, the back of the Antec PSU box looked like it had been run over by a truck and the cables had been crushed. I could buy it for $5 off (as is) or not. It was the only one, so I said I wold look around.

The second assistant pointed me to a cheap Thermaltake PurePower 430W for about $20. Tier 3, but it will do, and I can use it in a Minecraft build or something light.

On Monday, I can use it as a test supply.

 

[zeyuanfu]

If the VP-450 works all right, even with the crushed cables, that would be the better choice of the two. If the PSU itself is damaged in any way, I wouldn't take a chance, though.

 

[Novuake]

Its sad how miss-informed people are about power supplies.
Bad units failing under their RATED wattage has made people think that they need more wattage instead of just simply blaming it on bad quality.

 

[tiny voices]

There is no reason to RMA the PSU or buy a new one.

You have ALOT of testing to before you can even decide this is PSU related.

Have you done the PSU paperclip test? NO WAY would I buy another unit yet. The unit that came with your case is a very good unit. Same quality as the Antec. I highly doubt it is at fault here.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

@Tiny voices. I'm neither going to RMA the old PSU or replace it, yet. As you say, I have a lot of testing to do. The cheap PSU I bought is primarily to replace the PSU in the dead tower we are taking apart at school. The PSU of it is dead and there may be other problems. I just pushed my schedule ahead in this case. Having a second supply I know is working will help the debugging immensely. On Monday, I;ll also have my tools and meters.

@zeyuanfu Buy 'as is' with no RMA is a choice I was not prepared to make. The case was slightly distorted too.

@RazerZ. They had built a Cooler Master Elite 130 with a GTX780ti in it, and used it to demonstrate 4k content.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Here's a couple of pictures to show how big/small the case is.

BTW, the hair is the remains of my Halloween costume as Dilbert's pointy-haired boss.

 

[tiny voices]

Case looks great!

I bet you pulled off Dilbert's boss well!

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Yes, I have a nice old $1,000 tailored grey, double-breasted silk/wool blend suit from back in the day. Haven't worn it on nearly 20 years, but it still fitted well; a little loose if anything.


They had a Corsair 900D at the shop too. It's almost as big as a Japanese Airport compact hotel room!

 

[tiny voices]

Those cases are crazy! I would never see the need for that. I'm much more of a "just big enough for the parts and nothing more" kind of guy.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

As I go through this build, I'm more and more convinced that mini-ITX is perfect for learning. You have to think! You cannot just buy a bunch of bits and toss them in the case. Thermal, power, and cable management are all very important.

For me, it's a bit like rally-driving. It's hard. It teaches you much more than track, with all the unknowns, and surprises. After that, learning how to hit marks is easier.