Portable mini ITX build with external GFX card

[Jay Thm]

I want to build a small portable pc with just an SSD that I can use with just the onboard graphics for regular work but if I play games or do some 3D modeling I connect it with a PCIe riser cable to a graphics card in an external case. There will be some times when I travel without the graphics card so making it a more modular system makes a lot of sense. A laptop is not an option right now (even with external graphics cards via Thunderbolt).

My budget is about 1500 USD. What matters for me is that this build is truly portable. As I said I just want one SSD in there, if possible 16 GB ram and that's it. I also live in a hot country so good cooling is important.

I was thinking about getting a good 450W SFX PSU that it can power the graphics card as well.

1. What are the smallest, well ventilated and well built mini ITX cases that I could use for this build? I was looking at the Silverstone Raven but it is way too big. I look for something similar but smaller. It should be a quality case. I plan to stick to upgrading the mini ITX instead of buying new.

2. Any recommendations for the other components? The 1500 USD budget is without the graphics card. I still have an Radeon R9 280 here.

 

[13thmonkey]

village instruments... did something, it would be self powered, not sure what options they have in terms of connectivity to the PC though.

 

[robax91]

If you click my PC signature link http://pcpartpicker.com/b/qFRBD3 you'll see my LAN Box... Is this similar to what you are wanting? If so, I can give you a few tips to how I would improve it with all the new stuff that's come out since I built mine.

edit- Here is what I would do and I'll link what my PC looks like so you can see it's size.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/C3yWzy

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCKZT-1000 24.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($27.96 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Antec Formula 7 Nano Diamond 4g Thermal Paste ($10.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($156.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($148.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB ITX Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian-Li PC-TU100B Mini ITX Tower Case ($107.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($89.78 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A15 PWM 140mm Fan ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Other: External DVD Drive
Other: Windows OS if needed
Total: $1314.56

You'll want that big fan to blow in cool air. I advise adding holes to the bottom like I did, but adding a small fan isn't necessary. You also will want to apply the diamond paste to the CPU as well as the GPU. It's pretty easy to do. Also, the 1TB HDD will go in the top where the DVD drive normally would go. Just get an external DVD drive if you need one, I didn't bother because I never have to use one.

This thing should render stuff easily with the I7 and you can play modern games on high settings.

 

[tassietim]

silverstone makes great sfx power supplies and they are bringing out a new higher watt psu soon ,they have a 450 atm but a 500 and 650 are coming
as far as cases go
try http://www.streacom.com/ more media poc based but they are smaller types on there

 

[Jay Thm]

Thanks for the answers!

@13thmonkey
I saw their vidocks, that's interesting but right now I consider even building a custom case for graphics cards if I can't find any. It will be a bit ugly that the PCIe riser cable simply hangs out of the mini itx case but that's fine.

@Robax

I saw that case and really like it but its still too big. I really want to keep the GFX card external. I did this with my scrypt mining rigs as well with PCIe riser cables and it makes a lot of sense.

I did some more research and the ML05 case from Silverstone is pretty much what I look for.

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=411

I just have only 70mm for a cooler or similar for the cpu, is that bad?


@tassietim

Yes, I was thinking about the 450W SFX psu when I wrote. The streacom cases look awesome but I worry a bit about the lack of holes for ventilation.

 

[tassietim]

those streacom case ares designed to be big heat sinks , they sell cpu heatsinks that attach directly to the outer case frame

 

[robax91]

Good luck with the external card thing. If you want a semi-prebuilt solution for gaming, try these:

Brix i5 and GTX 760, ultra small, could almost fit in a pocket, mountable to back of TV.
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5096#ov

The Zbox EN760 hasn't been released yet.
http://www.zotac.com/news/press-releases/article/archive/2014/may/article/zotac-ushers-in-new-era-of-gaming-with-zbox-en760-mini-pcs.html

 

[Jay Thm]

Serious question: Why is everyone advising against the external GPU thing? Is it because of the power hazard? The look?

 

[13thmonkey]

signal path length by 'extending' the pci-e slot will grow and as pci-e isn't designed for that there will be shielding issues, and hence you may find it is unstable as you'll need at least 6inches perhaps? Thunderbolt is designed for it however, hence the VI dock.

 

[tassietim]

more of a case of why bother with an external graphics card in the first place , if you want a small case in the first place , having the external gpu in its own case as well just adds to the bulk . you could just sit it there with its own psu i guess but i wouldnt like that in case of drink spills or bump...floor... smash.
did you look at the EVGA Hadron Air or hydro for your case or are they to big for your needs ?

 

[13thmonkey]

with a separate card you could have a properly small case.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=m350+case&oq=m350+case&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1845j0j1&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8

 

[Jay Thm]

Thanks a lot guys. I went with the small case and external card. Will see how this goes.