Node 202, z270 ,7700K, gtx1070

Hardware Build a PC
1

Hey guys,
Needs some inputs on my first ITX build. Especially for the GPU and cooling solutions.

The system will mainly be plug into my living room 4k tv, and the main intended uses are :
1 - Gaming at 1440p@60@high setting or 4k@60@low setting, whatever looks best on my tv
2 - 4k streaming from netflix,amazon tv and hulu
3 - an ubuntu vmware virtual machine (vmware) for a plex server, a vpn server and some torenting
4 - no overclocking.

Mainly, i would like the system be very silent when streaming 4k, and to no throttle while gaming. Budget is not really an issue (as long as i don't waste money on useless parts), i don't really have any preference in terms of retailers (i would prefer the parts to be easily available though). I tend to prefer asus but i am very open to any brand.

So far , i came up with :

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kHqvNN

(A bit of justification for my parts selection, i know a i5 k + 16 Gig should be enough for a gaming rig, but i went for the i7 + 32gig because i wanted hyper-threading which should help for the VM, as for z270 vs h270 even though i don't plan on overclocking the z270 cards seem to have better I/O (usb 3.1 and thunderbolt) so i went with a z270, and once i decided to go for z270 , i decided that for 30$ more an i7 k was a better value than an i7)

So now for the questions :

Q1 -- which GPU (blower with normal fans )

So the theory goes that blower are worst than normal fans, except in case of restricted air flow because the blower cards expels hot air outside of the case. I am planing on adding two fans on the node 202 in the GPU compartment, will this provide enough air flow to allow me to use a normal card ?

Q2 -- Assuming a configuration with two fan in the gpu chamber and a normal fan card, how should i configure the fans ? Right now i am think to have the CPU fan pulling cold air from the outside , and the extra GPU fans pushing hot air out.

Q3 -- any thoughts on the Palit Jetstream 1070 ? looks like a great card and perfect for my use case , but not that many reviews

Q4 -- is there anything better than the Thermalright AXP-100R 44.5 CFM CPU Cooler at 58 mm clearance or less ? Looked around the AXP-100R as a TDP of 180W which the highest i could find.

Q5 -- Are we expecting more miniITX z270 motherboards to hit the market soon (like a maximums z270 itx) ? I was a bit underwhelmed with the current selection, i went with the asrock because it's the only one with thunderbolt and 3.1 usb back connectors, but i would prefer something with a m.2 heatsink (the strix as one, and beter audio but no usb 3.1)

Q6 -- Memory selection , i went with the cheapest 2400 low profile i could find, any problem with this strategy ?

PS: also looking for a recommendation for a good gaming 4k 55 inch tv.

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PCPp shows an issue with your CPU cooler and case.

From Fractal's specs:

CPU coolers up to 56 mm in height

From Thermalright's specs:

Höhe 58 mm (m. Lüfter)

The cooler is a tiny bit too big. Don't know how tight Fractal's measurements are, how much clearance a 56mm cooler has.

According to PCPp those coolers should be compatible: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu-cooler/?compatible_with=XbKhP6

Another issue PCPp shows is that the m.2 will use one SATA port. With the m.2 installed you'll only have only 3 SATA ports for SATA drives left.

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Yes the CPU cooler is a tiny bit too high, i will need to remove the dust filter to have it fit on the cpu. I know someone who is running the same cooler in the same case.
We will be using different motherboard though, not sure if that makes a difference

I only using one sata port for a 2.5 hdd, so i guessing i am covered on that side too.

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I recommend a couple changes. Go for a true SFX powersupply and not a SFX-L unit. That'll make it more pheasable to keep the drive cage that you'll need for that HDD. Something like this:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Dv38TW/corsair-power-supply-cp9020104na

Also, you have the Node 202 that comes with a Fractal Design powersupply included in your parts list. I recommend buying the corsair above for its 80+ gold rating and more importantly, fully modular design. You'll want Fully Modular in a case this small, no need to have extra cables taking up space. Here's the 202 without the powersupply included:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GsZ2FT/fractal-design-case-fdcanode202bk

The safe plan would be to go blower but I have seen example builds with open-air 1070's that have worked, probably because of the 1070's 180 watt tdp. Example here:

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/PpyfrH

Listed 65c peak gpu temp, not too bad at all.

The popular strategy seems to keep both gpu chamber fans as intake to keep positive pressure in the case which will push out the hot air through the crevasses and holes in the case. I would think this smart, as using these fans as exhaust would case them to fight with the gpu cooler's intake fans.

I would look to something more like the G1 gaming, as I've seen it pulled off well in this case. Palit isn't really my favorite brand either.

I would look toward this noctua solution:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xxphP6/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhl9i

Noctua does a really good job and in this form factor, it's somewhat of a go-to. I would however go to the lower tdp 6700 or 7700 both non-k, as the difference between these and the k part is minimal in comparison to how much less heat it'll put off. Makes it easier to cool in such a small case.

There will probably be a maximus impact board eventually, no idea when for sure.

Yes, memory isn't of concern.

No this is incorrect. The M.2 will only use one sata if its a M.2 B+M, and the M.2 is a M only. B is for Sata.

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I see. So PCPp didn't take the kind of m.2 SSD into account and just showed that there potentially CAN be an issue.

From Asrock's spec page:

1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)

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The port on the motherboard is capable of B+M but the 960 evo is a M only drive, hence why it will not interfere with the sata ports.

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The node 202 is specifically designed to compartmentalize the heat producing components of a system, the gpu gets its own compartment with a wide open opening encouraging the use of a "normal" card rather than a blower style that expels all heat out the back. In short, with this case the airflow for the gpu isn't restricted much if at all.

This case, to me, seems designed for passive exhaust... especially for the gpu compartment, why would you have 2 fans blowing opposite directions here? (diagram: outside <- F <> F -> GPU [F=fan, <=air flow]). This doesn't make sense from a thermal dissipation standpoint imo.

As for the rest of your questions, I have no clue... I'm not looking at kaby lake because there's not much reason for it imo. Also 10 series Nvidia cards... just a mess at launch and not much good since then (again imo) nice performers though I guess. Low profile cpu coolers Idk... never had a need/want to look at them myself.

RAM is RAM, pick your capacity and price point, then get the fastest at that capacity and price point. Capacity is the most important factor, nothing else matters all that much for most uses.

Also... Y U no wait for Ryzen/Vega?

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To name a couple reasons, there are no AM4 itx boards announced so that's still a question mark. Vega is probably going to be greater than 180 watt tdp which could be problematic in this case.

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This, i exepct AMD to be agressive on price point,even maybe on performance. But in term of termal, i don't think they will have anything better than the 1070 yet.

Also, how do i quote only part of a post ?

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I always though that the air flow direction was configurable on the gpu fans , isnt it ?

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Select it like you were going to copy it, you should see a Quote button.

Nope, they're either designed to blow down or suck through the heatsink.

Ehhh the old Fury X still matches the 1070 in terms of performance in most cases, so performance for Vega will at bare minimum far surpass that. But TDP, I expect 250-300 range if the core count is an approximate double of rx 480.

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So from what i read, the noctua is really good in term of acoustics, the thermal performance are somewhat better than the stock cooler. It seems that the ranking is AXP-100P > Scythe Shuriken Rev. B > cryorig C7 > noctua for thermal performances.

On K vs non-K, it was explained to me that both lines of CPU (K and non-K) have the same temperature/dissipation curve. The K version as just binned and allowed to go higher in Power/temp. Meaning that if i downclock my i7k to the same frequency as a non-k, it should dissipate the same amount of heat, so worst case, i am just wasting 30 $.
I hope that's true :)

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There is also a chance they are binning chips that require less voltage for use in 6700 and 7700 non k to keep them in that 65 watt tdp. Frequency would probably take priority over lower voltage for the k versions. Probably margin or error difference in resultant temperature at the same clock speed, but I would personally go for the lower tdp and save some $30. Not like the performance difference is really that big tbh

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if you are willing to mount fans externally, you can fit a 120mm water cooler.

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Do you mind giving more details or a link/picture on how does that looks like ?

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You might be right, it seems that even at same frequencey an i7S uses less power than a regular i7. So i think it's same to assume that the same is true between an i7 and an i7k.
Think i need to rethink a bit my current build.

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somthing like this, althou i would use a led fan. also sometimes it is possible to run the 4 pin through the gril. if not you can drill one of the fan holes slightlly bigger and not have a cable on the outside looking messy. i would put it under the fan so it would not be visible , and use rubber washers on the radiator side to give the fan cable enough space to squeeze around it and to reduce noise from the radiator vibrating against the case.

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In case of the MSI motherboard that has one (ATX but same thing) Gamer Nexus found that those don't really help with temps.

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I have one of these on my Plextor M8Pe, definitely dropped temps in my case. They're well made and keep the temps from rising nearly as fast as they did when the drive was bare.

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The problem with the MSI one seems to be that it doesn't transfer the heat from the SSD to the metal plate and just traps the heat under it. It didn't look like there was any kind of thermal pads on there.