Is this Skylake build OK please?

Montala

Montala

Montala

Soldato
Joined
8 Oct 2005
Posts
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Herefordshire (U.K.)
Hi,

I have decided to build a new mini-itx Skylake system to go inside the new Kolink Satellite Cube Case I have just purchased from OcUK. I will be keeping my existing Dell S2340L (1080p) monitor, plus a Cherry wireless keyboard & mouse.

Although not a heavy gamer I would like it to be able to handle The Witcher - Wild Hunt, and also to have the facility for a bit of CPU overclocking in the future. Some of the components I have already ordered, but most can be changed if necessary.

How does the following look?

Intel Core i5 6600K CPU
Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Intel Z170 mini-itx mobo
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) 2666 MHz DDR4 - 1.2v (CMK8GX4M2A2666)
Corsair Hydro H60 V2 CPU cooler (a bit of liquid cooling rather appeals to me!)
Silverstone 550W SST-ST55F-G Strider PSU + short cable set
Asus GeForce GTX 970 Mini 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Samsung 500GB 850 EVO SSD
Microsoft Windows 10 32/64-Bit - USB Pen Drive

As I mentioned above, this is a mini-itx build, but I reckon it should all fit into my Kolink cube case OK.

Some folk will probably say that I should have gone for 16 GB (2 X 8GB) sticks of RAM, and the PSU is possibly a bit on the 'tight' side, but hopefully I haven't made any silly errors, and that the above components will all work happily together?

If anything does look horribly wrong please do tell me though!

Thanks! :)
 
Quite similar to my build, and everything works just fine. More RAM is definitely better no doubt. That PSU will be okay also, i have a 550w superflower with my g1 970 and my cpu at 4.5ghz without issues.
 
The H60 might be an issue, as the radiator sticks out beyond the 120mm fan. You might find a certain rotation for its mounting that works. Just looks as if it'll be tight. Worth a go anyway.

How come mini-ITX and not micro-ATX motherboard? Are the Skylake micros slightly too large for the Kolink Satellite? Just curious as micro tends to be a better choice if it fits.
 
It should all fit nicely, especially as you are building a itx system inside a m-atx case so there should be loads of room. The only issue may be the H60 but it will depend on the board layout I guess. It will be interesting to see how well everything is cooled seeing as the case only has a single 120mm fan and most of the front vent will be taken up by the psu. Any chance of posting some pics when it's built as I haven't seen a build in that case yet?
 
Thanks for your replies guys, and I can see that I might have to consider a RAM upgrade already! Hopefully OcUK will do an exchange for me, as I haven't even opened the box yet!

Yes, I do agree that the H60 could possibly be an issue. As this particular case already comes with a fitted 120 mm fan, I had assumed that I would just remove that, and replace it with the one which is included with the H60... is that the best option, or should I possibly consider using another fan altogether?
 
Danny75 said:
The H60 might be an issue, as the radiator sticks out beyond the 120mm fan. You might find a certain rotation for its mounting that works. Just looks as if it'll be tight. Worth a go anyway.

How come mini-ITX and not micro-ATX motherboard? Are the Skylake micros slightly too large for the Kolink Satellite? Just curious as micro tends to be a better choice if it fits.
Click to expand...

Hi Danny,

I have just been reading your post again, and am not sure what you are getting at about the radiator sticking out beyond the fan?

I didn't think that space would be an issue in that particular area, but now that I have got the P60, and also the motherboard, I will try it out for size, as it were, in the morning.... the CPU is still in the hands of Royal Mail, somewhere or another!

Regarding the size of the motherboard, I am sure I read in a review somewhere that this particular case is actually more suited to a mini-itx board, and as there are only two slots at the back anyway, and I will only be using the one graphics card, I decided to go down that particular route.
 
pastymuncher said:
It should all fit nicely, especially as you are building a itx system inside a m-atx case so there should be loads of room. The only issue may be the H60 but it will depend on the board layout I guess. It will be interesting to see how well everything is cooled seeing as the case only has a single 120mm fan and most of the front vent will be taken up by the psu. Any chance of posting some pics when it's built as I haven't seen a build in that case yet?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the separate quotes, but all replies are definitely appreciated.

I had originally considered using a smaller SFX factor power supply, namely a Silverstone SFX-L 500W '80 Plus Gold', but decided to go for the slightly more powerful one as the case is designed to accommodate a standard ATX PSU anyway.

Folk keep asking me for pictures of my build, so I can see that I may well have to consider starting a 'build log' for this one! :)
 
Montala said:
Hi Danny,

I have just been reading your post again, and am not sure what you are getting at about the radiator sticking out beyond the fan?
Click to expand...

Just that the rad is of a larger area than the (120mm) fan. But like I said, it's worth a go. Looks like it might fit horizontally (i.e. with hose connectors on the left or the right) but definitely not vertically.
 
Danny75 said:
Just that the rad is of a larger area than the (120mm) fan. But like I said, it's worth a go. Looks like it might fit horizontally (i.e. with hose connectors on the left or the right) but definitely not vertically.
Click to expand...

Thanks... I was hoping to have a chance to check things out earlier today, but looks like it will have to wait until tomorrow now. :(

It does look as if things could be a bit tight around the rear fan though, with the GPU on one side, and the side of the case on the other. As you say though it does look as if the connections do increase the size of the radiators slightly, so I will have to check which will be the best orientation... presumably it can be mounted any way round, just so long as there is enough clearance for the connections etc.
 
Bad News I'm afraid... well for me anyway! :(

You were right Danny... There is absolutely no way that an H60 will fit into my Kolink Satellite Cube Case. The graphics card is in the way one side, and the power lead to the PSU obstructs the other one. At the top it is is too close to the roof of the case and at the bottom the rear sockets on the motherboard are in the way, so it's a definite no go!

It looks like RMA time for that one unfortunately, as I don't think there is another suitable liquid CPU cooler where the connectors are all 'inside' the frame of the 120mm fan.

I hadn't actually realised how large the H60 set up is either, and funnily enough Coorsairr has just announced the H5 SF Low Profile AIO Hydro/Liquid CPU Cooler, specifically aimed at SFF systems, but that is no good here as it would interfere with the rear mounted fan.

It is looking more and more like it is back to air cooling on this one, (it is only a mini-itx system after all!) and although I do rather fancy a Zalman CNPS2X, I will probably end up with something like a Noctua NH-L9i, or if I go for a vertical fan, a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, or even possibly a Prolimatech Basic 81.

Any other thoughts, or suggestions are welcome! :)
 
Unlucky, Montala.

DSR instead of RMA? Not sure exactly how it works though, have only ever RMA'd.

Because there is no front fan to assist air towards the rear, I'd go with a vertical cooler (165mm max). A horizontal one would make it harder to expel air from the case in this situation. I've had a look at your motherboard's CPU socket positioning/type of RAM and clearance shouldn't be an issue for the vast majority of air coolers, as long as you don't go juggernaut wide as it may clash with the rear I/O sockets.

Something like the 212 EVO you mentioned or slightly dearer/better Phanteks PH-TC14S or Alpenfohn Matterhorn.
 
Thanks for your comments Danny, and yes, I did actually intend to return the H60 under the DSR, but have now been advised by OcUk that these were replaced with the CCR (Consumer Contract Regulations) early last year.

(http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations)

Anyway, I did check out your suggestions, and spend this morning comparing dimensions, and after reading reviews on an assortment of CPU coolers which would be compatible with my system, I finally decided on the Noctua NH-U9S, although OcUK unfortunately don't have any of these in stock at the moment.

Bearing in mind I am using a mini-itx motherboard, this particular model seemed to fit in well with the rest of my spec. and should I hope provide adequate cooling for my 6600K CPU, with a 'front to back' airflow.

I have also ordered a Cooler Master 212 EVO, just for comparison purposes really, but am hoping that the Noctua will be OK.... Fingers crossed :)
 
I would say get a higher power PSU, now before you tell me to shut up... Its because in future you might want to add another GPU or you might rebuild again. Nudging up to the 700-800w mark is quite a minimal amount of extra cash over the 550 (maybe as little as £20 if you shop around).

I would say its worth it rather than decide to upgrade further down the line and have to buy a new PSU again. That said its more than enough for the build above so up to you.

Edit: seems like you already stuck it together... Oh well ;)
 
Thanks for your suggestion Smiffy, and no, I haven't actually stuck it all together yet as the Noctua CPU cooler only arrived at 18:15 this evening... couriers work late these days!

I gave up trying to plan for what I might or might not do in the future a long time ago now, as I seem to find that most of the systems I build seem to end up by being passed along intact to either my wife, my son or are sold on to a friend.

I am still not 100% sure that everything will fit OK, so think I will stick with the above PSU, but I might just have a quick 'dry run' tomorrow, as I have even got a replacement Corsair case fan coming from OcUK! :)
 
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