Tall & Sleek to Short & Dumpy

[OJ46]

This will only be a quick one guys as I've decided to scrap the DWS build in my signature as it's no longer needed, so will be moving to a quick and simple air cooled M-ITX build instead.

Back story: Originally when I did the W2W build in my signature the plan was to use the motherboard, CPU, RAM, PSU, M.2 and SSD out of DWS to keep build costs to a minimum but still end up with an epic looking PC, but unfortunately it didn't work out like that. As I was going to be using the new PC for work as well as gaming the gf argued that she'd no longer be able to use it, so I should keep DWS plugged into the TV and do a full new build for myself... As you can imagine I didn't really argue against this as it meant more shiny things delivered by DPD's very own Santa: Jeff!

Well since then things have gone a bit **** up and the (now ex) gf has moved out, so I've been left with a proper OTT water cooled rig which is only really used for the odd bit of streaming. Not a bad looking PC but as you can see it's far too big if it's only being used for media streaming etc

Now the most sensible idea would be to use the Xbox 360 PC you can see in the picture, but I don't do sensible, so here's the plan: The case below should be here today...

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Fractal Design Node 304 HTPC Chassis - White= £79.99

...Then I'll be using the CPU, M.2, SSD, 2 sticks of RAM and possibly the PSU in the new case, combined with a GTX 1060 (for occasional gaming sessions, maybe more if she comes back!), an Asus M-ITX board (not decided which one yet), an Alpenfohn Matterhorn cooler and a 2TB drive I have laying around for movies & tunes.

Evolv ATX case, watercooling gear, 980Ti, motherboard etc gets sold to fund new components, fountain between the wine racks goes in the bin, left wine rack gets shoved to the side, tiny PC plops itself between the alcohols and I'm (hopefully) left with a far neater looking setup.

More next week when shiny things start to arrive

 

[OJ46]

Just a small update: Shiny things have arrived!

Now I know what you're thinking... "Hang on, this was supposed to be white!" Well yes, it was. But as soon as I opened the white case I instantly hated it, it looked more like a mini fridge or microwave than a media PC. Soooo, back to OcUK it went and this was ordered instead

Honey I Shrunk The Motherboard

It's a bit weird working on something so small immediately after the mahoosive Parvum L1.0, but first impressions of the case are very good.

There is actually a fair amount of spare room around the cooler, so maybe should have gone bigger...

On hold again now until next week when I drain the old PC and remove all the bits I need, then it'll be a case of de-lidding the CPU, lobbing the reused components in here and ordering whichever GPU happens to take my fancy the morning I decide to order it. Laters

 

[OJ46]

Looking good mate, love that motherboard

Thanks, look forward to getting it finished and seeing how it performs compared to the VIII Hero

I've just moved my system into a Parvum X2.0 using that board. It's great, autooverclock has given me a 4.96Ghz @ 1.35v!

That's good to hear, I'll probably go more for silence than outright performance but it's always nice to know the potential is there if I do decide to crank it up a bit

 

[OJ46]

Only a tiny update again as I still haven't stripped the old one down for bits yet. And yes, I know I'm taking an age on a build that should take an afternoon, but life keeps putting obstacles in the way and seems to be doing everything it can to stop me working on this little fatty!

Anyway, the update: I've decided on a GPU! As this will be mainly used as a media PC with only an occasional bit of gaming there was no point going mad, so I settled for a 1060 6GB.

I really wish EVGA hadn't decided to ruin their new motherboards with chavtastic RGB lighting designs as I really like the more understated look of their current components... Guessing soon their GPU's will be joining the OTT 'make everything look like Blackpool' brigade

Anyway, a full length GPU would have fitted but as I only really need a 1060 I didn't see the point in using a full length one. This little beauty will kick out more than enough frames for my needs.

Plenty of room...

...And leaves a decent chunk of space for the PSU and some cable management

Will be using the old PC over the weekend but then I should HOPEFULLY get enough spare time to drain it and rip its guts out during the week. Over and out

 

[OJ46]

Finally made a bit of progress today and stole the bits I needed out of DWS, so sad to say DWS is dead but her heart lives on in Dumpy

Tear down begins...

...Progress...

...And skip to the CPU minus his head! Going from 2 large rads in a roomy case to air in a M-ITX case it's going to need all the help it can get, so goodbye crap Intel TIM

And hello liquid metal!

Head back on it's time to throw this thing together and check that it boots...

SUCCESS! Although as you can see I was wrong about "room for cable management". As soon as the beast of a PSU went in she was full, so now wishing I'd spent the extra on a smaller power supply.

Added a new 3TB HDD to go with the reused M.2 and SSD, so plenty of storage for movies and games. Now just need to crack on and get those cables tidy!

Couldn't resist a quick peek at how it was going to look though before doing all the boring stuff

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy with how much neater it all looks, but then decided to play with the lighting...

Usually have a very subtle glow in the evening so I can leave the lights off, like this but with brightness turned down a fair chunk more:

But with RGB I'm more than prepared for the next election

Or next Hulk movie

Will try and get things finished up ASAP and hopefully have finished pics up in the next few days

 

[OJ46]

Lovely Area , the Color Blend & The Wine Racks ...Ect ,
I got a "Asus ROG Strix Z270I Gaming Intel Z270 (Socket 1151) DDR4 Mini ITX Motherboard"
On its way for my Itx Project , The RGBs should light my case up nice

Yes, never mind the case, tell me about those wine racks you have!

Cheers guys, stumbled across those wine racks on eBay and they're great for hiding cables, but an expensive hobby to keep filled

One on the right with the main cables behind it is also hiding a 5 port Ethernet switch and a switch to flick the Sky cables between 2 boxes... As an OCD sufferer who absolutely hates cables they were a great addition!

It's a great looking little board Darren, not had a chance to update BIOS and clock it yet but from what others have said it shouldn't disappoint

 

[OJ46]

Haha thanks, nothing beats a couple of cheap LED strips for brightening up the dark area of nothingness behind a TV

Was tempted by a case with a window but thought with the lighting I've already got it was probably best to keep the case as subtle as possible... It's absolutely nothing to do with spending hours tidying the cables inside the case honest lol

Very nice case, always liked those open air cases but I do wonder how bad the are for dust build up. On the other hand I guess they're also very easy to blow the dust back out of... Certainly look the part though, especially when watercooled

 

[OJ46]

I completely get where you're coming from mate and I was tempted to go for a flashy, stand out case design but in the end I decided that it just wouldn't look right in the room. It's only a small space and something too 'shouty' would stand out too much I think, although as you say it is a shame to lock such a nice motherboard away in a fully enclosed case. Maybe in the future when I can afford somewhere bigger I'll re-house the internals into something a bit flashier

I do have the fully bonkers W2W Parvum build from my signature in my home office though, so can always wander into there for a bit of PC porn!

Very true on the dust issues, always thought the Evolv ATX was bad but the Parvum is like a magnet for it, clean the window and 2 days later it seems to have dusted the house for me again! Guess not having fan filters wasn't the best idea but hey, it was built for looks not for practicality, even if it is my work PC... Might leave the window panel out next time so it's easier to clean inside

That's a sweet looking rig mate, look forward to seeing what you do with a Core P1, Strix and all the fancy new lighting tech. They've certainly made life easier for us these last couple of years haven't they!

 

[OJ46]

One quick word of warning to anyone buying this motherboard: Don't. Having massive trouble getting the RAM to work properly, seems a common fault where any RAM 3000MHz or over won't POST when set to XMP profile... Got a spare hour or 2 later so will have another go and let you know how to fix it

 

[OJ46]

Right, I've fixed it! Seems to get the RAM to work using the XMP profile you also need to go into 'DRAM Timing Control' and set the DRAM Command Rate to 2N. Hope this helps anyone else having the same issues

 

[OJ46]

love the lighting there, how did u go about that if u dont mind me asking

Thanks

No problem, I just bought a couple of cheap LED strips off eBay, with one stuck to the back of the TV along the top edge and the other across the middle of the shelf.

The small white box you can see in top pic and again by the plug in the bottom one is the control box, so luckily with them that far apart the remote will work perfectly from the sofa with it only adjusting the one you point it at

 

[OJ46]

Right, I've fixed it! Seems to get the RAM to work using the XMP profile you also need to go into 'DRAM Timing Control' and set the DRAM Command Rate to 2N. Hope this helps anyone else having the same issues

Scrap that, still getting major issues. New BIOS update just been released but a quick search online indicates they've made it even worse... When I get some spare time I'll give it a quick test and see what happens.

 

[OJ46]

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Fractal Design Node 304 HTPC Chassis - White= £79.99

Hey OJ46
That is Nice "Fractal Design Node 304 White ITX Case" ,Takes long GPUs & Tall CPU Towers ,
Recommend you close Photobucket Account & do a Quick Sign up with " imgur"
If you got a Google Account ,you can use that to sign in for quickness .

It is indeed a very nice case, and cooling is a lot better than I expected tbh especially now I've delidded the CPU & used liquid metal instead of the awful Intel TIM. The black version I went with is extremely understated in looks, but a very well thought out design with plenty of room inside. With a short GTX 1060 it leaves a lot more room for the cables, so I would definitely recommend one of the shorter GPU's even though it will take a full length.

Very annoying that Photobucket have decided to remove all hotlinked images, fair enough to stop it from working for new images but to ruin forums by removing all existing pictures is ridiculous. I'll set up a imgur account when I get a few minutes and redo some of the better photos on here and Window To Wales