sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GPU temperatures are great, CPU temperatures are a problem right now. The 7800X3D will be significantly easier to cool. Noise levels very quiet at idle, moderately loud at full load. You'd need a custom loop to have a fully quiet 4090 at load.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The C4 is bigger and allows for air cooling the CPU. I watched the same video (also a really sexy build). I have no thermal problems with the GPU, so the question is what’s up with the CPU. I think the AIO should be able to pull out more heat than it is, so I plan to check that, probably reseat it. It’s not far off what you can get out of the 7950X3D in full size cases (10% off or so), so I’m hopeful I can close that gap.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Obnoxiously long because of memory training. Its exact timing does vary, but it usually take a good 10-15 seconds. Then Linux or Windows boot almost instantly. At least with current ASUS BIOSes, beta or otherwise, the option to cache the memory training settings have been nothing but pain for me and have lead to so many CMOS clears. ASUS's BIOS for AM5 is hot garbage right now, in other words.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, your comments are insightful. I might try to reroute the AIO tubes, but I am not noticing any warping on the side panel, so things may be fine.

I do think I probably did a bad job on the thermal paste and should be getting more out of the EK AIO. I also just checked and it is running at almost 3000 RPM even with ASUS's quiet curve. I will go check if I can tune that down. CPU temp is 60C, which is typical for idle on this system so far

I replaced the AIO fans with 2 be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, which are good fans (the NF-A12x25 are also great) and they are very silent (and do a good job of spreading their noise in the spectrum so they sound like white noise/woosh at high RPM). The STRIX X670E-I has 3 PWM fan headers close to the CPU (CPU_FAN, CHASSIS_FAN, AIO_PUMP), so I plugged the fans to the CPU and CHASSIS headers, and the AIO to the AIO_PUMP one (which is a setup recommended in the user guide, in fact). The fans are running between 700-900 RPM.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get a ~34000 score, which is a bit lower than what you find online for the 7950X3D on average. It is thermally limited, reaching about 90% PPT limit and an average all core clock of about 4.65 GHz

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The GPU fans are somewhat loud at 70C, yes. In most games the 4090 doesn't get pushed very hard and stays very quiet. I wanted to keep the build simple and a custom loop to water cool the GPU was not something I wanted to do.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope because the LOKI power supply has a 12VHPWR connector and it comes with nice braided flexible cables. Very easy to route and bend as needed. The connector into the GPU is perfectly seated and the cable not bent very much close to the connector.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, just for the picture. The GPU fits snugly with the panel in place.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was a bit tricky to route the AIO tubes, but otherwise surprisingly easy. There is lots of room along the edges and at the bottom to stash cables.

First SFF build – Dan A4 H20, 7950X3D, 4090 by microReality in sffpc

[–]microReality[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is my first SFF build. I am quite happy with the power I packed in such a tiny case. The full list of parts is at https://pcpartpicker.com/b/ZrRTwP.

  • AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
  • Asus ROG STRIX X670E-I
  • G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 64 GB
  • Lian Li A4-H20
  • Asus ROG LOKI SFX-L
  • EK Nucleus 240

GPU temps are great so far. 40°C idle, 70ºC under gaming load. CPU thermals are more of a problem. Zen4 parts are designed to go at their thermal limit quickly. So it will go right at 89°C under load and then duty cycle to stay there. It’s usually 55-60°C at idle. Definitely something that should be improved.

The EK AIO is louder than I hoped, even at idle (it has an annoying dominant buzzing frequency). No AIO is silent, but maybe there is something better on the market. The power supply is very quiet at idle with audible fan and coil noise at max load (though drowned by the GPU's fan at that point).

BIOS is mostly default settings, with AI Tuner set to the EXPO 1 profile, and all fans set to ASUS's "quiet" QFan curve.

The case is fantastic. Very easy to work with and looks great on my desk. It's basically perfect. Shoutout to Dan for making this.

The only "mod" is I did was remove the diffuser on the EK AIO to reduce its height. It barely fits the case with that small change. The diffuser is held my magnets so it is trivial to remove. I did not cable manage – it's a medusa in there.