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Silverstone mini-itx build - concern about psu 450w

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  • Silverstone
  • Build
  • Systems
  • ASrock
Last response: in Systems
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September 2, 2014 6:39:07 PM

hi guys,
im building a mini itx with the silverstone ft03B mini tower.

setup im thinking is
i5-4670k
corsair h60 cooler
ASRock z97E-itx OR ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX MBoard
Gainward GTX760
silverstone gold 450w psu

I am concerned about the lack of power considering the gtx760 needs 500w min.
if there's an issue, what better gpu would you recommend for longer lasting performance?
keeping in mind the 10inch restriction and end vents.
OR is there a better PSU that would fit into this case?

thanks

More about : silverstone mini itx build concern psu 450w

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September 2, 2014 7:05:06 PM

450W is sufficient for your needs, especially if you aren't overclocking. PSU recommendations are widely exaggerated to allow for the range of components people use and the amount of poor quality/misleadingly labelled PSUs on the market. How much power you use depends on your CPU overclocking (or not) but it's unlikely you'll crack 300W at load.
Most sub-500W PSUs come with less PCIe power cables which can make connecting high end cards a problem, but this particular model comes with enough to connect most mainstream cards.

Silverstone do have a 600W version of their SFX PSU, but it's not really needed.

If you are going with the FT03 mini then make sure to get a reference cooler model (you don't specify which GTX760 you are getting) as it'll work better in this case due to the lack of venting around the card.

Also if you do go with the H87 board then it's worth dropping the K-series CPU and the H60 as both are a big waste of money.
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September 2, 2014 7:07:40 PM

That Silverstone PSU is literally the only and best SFX psu out there. In my opinion it should run the GTX 760 ok -- that 500w number is for novices with crappy power supplies. Since the Silverstone is a good unit it should be fine.

That said, keep it well ventilated, and I'm not sure I would push it with the overclock on the 450w.
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September 2, 2014 7:09:04 PM

Rammy said:
450W is sufficient for your needs, especially if you aren't overclocking. PSU recommendations are widely exaggerated to allow for the range of components people use and the amount of poor quality/misleadingly labelled PSUs on the market. How much power you use depends on your CPU overclocking (or not) but it's unlikely you'll crack 300W at load.
Most sub-500W PSUs come with less PCIe power cables which can make connecting high end cards a problem, but this particular model comes with enough to connect most mainstream cards.

Silverstone do have a 600W version of their SFX PSU, but it's not really needed.

If you are going with the FT03 mini then make sure to get a reference cooler model (you don't specify which GTX760 you are getting) as it'll work better in this case due to the lack of venting around the card.

Also if you do go with the H87 board then it's worth dropping the K-series CPU and the H60 as both are a big waste of money.


Woa! is that 600w new? I had not seen that before ... hmm.. might need to get it.
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September 2, 2014 7:12:17 PM

There are people running R9 290Xs on the same PSU due to the limitations of SFX (until recently), so there's a surprising amount of headroom in there. I've seen a build with an overclocked i7 and a GTXTitan too. It wasn't a great overclock, 4.2Ghz or something, but I suspect a lot of that is due to the case/cooler limitations too.

The 600W is very new - it's not got great availability just yet.
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September 2, 2014 7:50:02 PM

thanks guys,

ok ill drop the K series and H60 cooler.
not sure what you mean by reference cooler but Ive got the gainward gtx760 2gb 2slot cooler model?
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September 2, 2014 7:59:27 PM

Gainward does the reference cooler, which is the stock Nvidia cooler design (single centrifugal fan at the rear of the card) with their logo slapped on. Big black box is the simple explanation. The self-exhausting nature makes them really good in some situations (like yours) otherwise they are generally weaker in most aspects.

They also do a more custom design, the Phantom which as it's a bit over the dual slot design probably isn't the one you have. These types of designs are fine for most cases (assuming they fit) but their nature makes them awkward in a tight space with poor ventilation as they have a tendency to recirculate hot air.

You don't need to drop the K-series but due to the fact that case is never going to be amazing for overclocking, and given you were also looking at "H" series boards - which suggests you might not overclock at all - there's money to be saved. I'd suggest either going Z97, 4690K and looking at the best cooling solutions you can fit or going for the simpler option of H97 (you get some nice extra features over H87 like M.2 support) and a 4430/4440/4460. I'd avoid more expensive i5s as out of the box they all perform very similarly.
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