Full ATX to Mini ITX [H440->Manta] build log

MrRockliffe

MrRockliffe

MrRockliffe

Soldato
Joined
14 Apr 2014
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Location
Hampshire
Main reason for the upgrade is because I'm tired of dragging my H440 around with me. But damn I love that case. The red and black just did it for me. So now I've had to compromise and go with a red and black manta

Specs are as follows:

  • 6700K
  • GTX 1070
  • 16GB DDR4
  • Z270i strix
  • H100i (I was going to get an S24, but after giving OCUK a ring, they weren't 100% sure when they'd get them in, so I opted to save a bit of case and get a H100i.
  • 500GB Samsung 850 Evo
  • 120GB HyperX
  • 1TB Barracuda
  • NZXT Manta


The equipment:


Damn this case is pretty!


Thanks NZXT for the great QC!


Thankfully, I was able to get hold of their online manual


This is going to really, really annoy me...


Clearly it isn't my night...


I managed to get some replacement stand-offs


With cable management, my strategy is "shove it in and hope for the best" (not indicative of other areas of my life)


Side note - this resulted in me breaking my sata splitter cable. I spent a good half an hour trying to work out why the SSDs weren't showing in the BIOS

GPU is in


Before (minus my 970)


After! (with successful first time post! - apart from my SSDs not working)


And yes, the motherboard is RGB! It wasn't intentional...

(actually wasn't)

Things to take note of:

  • Hard drive installation is really tricky, and if you have a 90 degree angled sata power cable - good luck.
  • I recommend routing cables and installing radiator first - it's very difficult to do after you've installed the motherboard.
  • This case, while big for an ITX, is much more compact than my H440, and definitely recommended if you don't need more than 32GB RAM and a single GPU, as well as a couple of HDDs (could always use a NAS).
  • The setup is silent at idle. Much MUCH quieter than my previous build.
  • Integrated fan controller on the case supports fan speed controlling - the H440 didn't.
  • The motherboard DOESN'T have a USB2 connector, so you'll need a separate cable to setup your H100i (or other cooler).
  • The motherboard has an integrated AIO pump header, which while fantastic, doesn't support the H100i, as without a CPU fan plugged into its own header, it won't boot. With a fan splitter and controlling them through the motherboard, it'd be quite effective.
  • You'll definitely want a short PSU like my CS550 - you'll struggle hiding cables otherwise (especially with an HDD installed).
 
Nice build, looking good :) Have just done fairly similar myself using a Fractal Nano S. Not the smallest of ITX cases by any means but it's a great solution to having a small system with nearly no compromises (for my spec anyway).
 
That was the idea behind the manta for me. In an ideal world, the Ncase M1 would have been perfect, but I'd have had to have bought a new PSU too, and I'm not sure if the 1070 would have fit. Plus, it's more than twice as much when you factor in import costs. The Manta has all the things you want, like an integrated fan hub etc. It was the shroud that ultimately sold it for me over the fractal.
 
Looks good, I've got 2 Manta's (White and black, red and black) and I really like them.

The board you have does have RGB, its an option in the BIOS, I should know I'm looking at mine now!

Here was a pic of mine when I did it:

New_Pc.jpg
 
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