mini-ITX build, insufficient PSU wattage?

Temoojin · Jul 20, 2014

Hi guys,

This is my proposed build as of now:

Case: Silverstone Raven RVZ01
PSU: Silverstone 450w SFX
Mobo: Asrock H97M-ITX-AC
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 760 OC Edition
CPU: Intel i7 4790
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile Intel CPU Cooler
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO Basic 250GB
RAM: Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Low Profile Vengeance module

How is this build?
I have been told 450w is more than enough with an i5 4690 (stated by intel site that it uses same power as above cpu) as the PSU has a 80 Gold rating. Will I run into any complications later on?

Thanks

Rammy · Jul 20, 2014

The 80Plus Gold rating is basically irrelevant in this case, it's just a measure of efficiency. This can have a knock-on effect on the quality of internal components, but not all 80Plus Gold PSUs are equal, and it shouldn't technically have any influence on the capacity either (there are instances though where good quality PSUs are known to commonly exceed their stated wattage).

Also, the CPU is more or less a secondary concern when it comes to PSU capacity as a graphics card can often use more than double the wattage, and are far more variable. CPUs, especially Intel, are reasonably similar in power consumption unless you start look at K, S or T versions.

For a standard ATX (or even mATX) build conventional wisdom dictates if you are going mid-high range with your graphics card then you get a 500-550W PSU as it'll come with the right connectors to power most (almost all) graphics cards. Gigabyte themselves suggest a 500W PSU for the GTX760 OC, though this is usually a conservative estimate.
At ITX however, the boards are smaller and draw less power, and they have generally less options to add extra items (fans, drives etc) which will gradually drive up demands. This means that you can comfortably power the majority of cards on PSUs like the 450W SFX PSU - there is actually a company that sells a pre-made PC with a GTX Titan running on a 450W PSU, along with a mildly overclocked K-series i5. A GTX760 shouldn't present any problems.

As for your build overall, it's fairly solid. I'm not entirely sure what it is for specifically though. If it's for gaming, then I'd personally consider saving money on the SSD and the i7, and pushing more money into graphics.
The one potential snag is the cooler. Noctua are perhaps being a little over-cautious here, but there compatibility lists are exceptional, and they seem like a great company so I have little reason to doubt them. Officially speaking, the NH-L9i only supports up to 65W CPUs, and the 4790 is 84W. This is their advice.

Temoojin · Jul 20, 2014

Rammy :

The 80Plus Gold rating is basically irrelevant in this case, it's just a measure of efficiency. This can have a knock-on effect on the quality of internal components, but not all 80Plus Gold PSUs are equal, and it shouldn't technically have any influence on the capacity either (there are instances though where good quality PSUs are known to commonly exceed their stated wattage).

Also, the CPU is more or less a secondary concern when it comes to PSU capacity as a graphics card can often use more than double the wattage, and are far more variable. CPUs, especially Intel, are reasonably similar in power consumption unless you start look at K, S or T versions.

For a standard ATX (or even mATX) build conventional wisdom dictates if you are going mid-high range with your graphics card then you get a 500-550W PSU as it'll come with the right connectors to power most (almost all) graphics cards. Gigabyte themselves suggest a 500W PSU for the GTX760 OC, though this is usually a conservative estimate.
At ITX however, the boards are smaller and draw less power, and they have generally less options to add extra items (fans, drives etc) which will gradually drive up demands. This means that you can comfortably power the majority of cards on PSUs like the 450W SFX PSU - there is actually a company that sells a pre-made PC with a GTX Titan running on a 450W PSU, along with a mildly overclocked K-series i5. A GTX760 shouldn't present any problems.

As for your build overall, it's fairly solid. I'm not entirely sure what it is for specifically though. If it's for gaming, then I'd personally consider saving money on the SSD and the i7, and pushing more money into graphics.
The one potential snag is the cooler. Noctua are perhaps being a little over-cautious here, but there compatibility lists are exceptional, and they seem like a great company so I have little reason to doubt them. Officially speaking, the NH-L9i only supports up to 65W CPUs, and the 4790 is 84W. This is their advice.

Thank you so much for your reply!!!

What CPU cooler would you recommend in place of this one? Keeping the same SFF case.

Are there even any other options in regards to the PSU? >450w?

Rammy · Jul 20, 2014

If you want to stick with Noctua, they do have a cooler which should work. The NH-L12 comes with two fans, but if you remove the top one it is short enough to fit into the case. Your motherboard is listed as compatible, as is your CPU TDP, but the reason I emphasise the "should" is because occasionally ITX builds can throw up a design quirk which isn't accounted for.
The main issue here is that Noctua coolers aren't cheap, and getting one and immediately removing one of it's fans does reduce your value-for-money quite a bit.
Silverstone has a similar cooler called the NT06-PRO which should come in a bit cheaper.

Your other options include keeping the stock cooler, opting for something fairly similar to the L9i (there's loads of them, more or less every manufacturer makes something reasonably similar), or having a look at closed loop water coolers. If you aren't overclocking, this is likely to be pretty poor value for money again, and personally I don't' like the idea of fitting my radiator to a removable panel as it's likely to make installation and maintenance really frustrating.
If you just want something that's better than the stock cooler and reasonably well priced, the Scythe Shuriken might be worth a look, though it is a down-blower (like the stock cooler and L9i) unlike the L12/NT06 which blow up and are basically self-exhausting.

Silverstone are making a 600W SFX PSU, but it isn't available yet so if you go with that case (or any SFX PSU only case) then 450W is as high as you can go. There are other companies making "SFX" PSUs at greater wattages, but they are either very dubious in quality, or don't actually conform to SFX specs (they are longer) meaning they won't fit in a lot of SFX enclosures.

Temoojin · Jul 20, 2014

Rammy :

If you want to stick with Noctua, they do have a cooler which should work. The NH-L12 comes with two fans, but if you remove the top one it is short enough to fit into the case. Your motherboard is listed as compatible, as is your CPU TDP, but the reason I emphasise the "should" is because occasionally ITX builds can throw up a design quirk which isn't accounted for.
The main issue here is that Noctua coolers aren't cheap, and getting one and immediately removing one of it's fans does reduce your value-for-money quite a bit.
Silverstone has a similar cooler called the NT06-PRO which should come in a bit cheaper.

Your other options include keeping the stock cooler, opting for something fairly similar to the L9i (there's loads of them, more or less every manufacturer makes something reasonably similar), or having a look at closed loop water coolers. If you aren't overclocking, this is likely to be pretty poor value for money again, and personally I don't' like the idea of fitting my radiator to a removable panel as it's likely to make installation and maintenance really frustrating.
If you just want something that's better than the stock cooler and reasonably well priced, the Scythe Shuriken might be worth a look, though it is a down-blower (like the stock cooler and L9i) unlike the L12/NT06 which blow up and are basically self-exhausting.

Silverstone are making a 600W SFX PSU, but it isn't available yet so if you go with that case (or any SFX PSU only case) then 450W is as high as you can go. There are other companies making "SFX" PSUs at greater wattages, but they are either very dubious in quality, or don't actually conform to SFX specs (they are longer) meaning they won't fit in a lot of SFX enclosures.

Any idea when the 600w is coming out?

Rammy · Jul 20, 2014

Don't think there is an official date, but they've paraded it around the trade shows (google will show you a load of news articles about it) so it's presumably arriving this year. I wouldn't be holding out for it though.

Temoojin · Jul 20, 2014

Rammy :

Now I think about it I think I can do with a Micro-ATX case.

I'm putting together another build, thank you for your replies~!

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