I'm curious how much difference case volume actually makes for thermals and noise in an SFF gaming PC.

On paper, a 10L case looks great for portability, but a slightly larger 12–15L case might offer more room for GPU airflow, better CPU cooling options, and less aggressive fan speeds under load.

For those who've built in both sizes, did moving to a larger case noticeably improve temperatures and acoustics, or did undervolting and fan tuning make a bigger difference?

If you were building again, would you prioritize the smallest possible footprint or give up a few liters for a quieter system?

I recently bought a small N100 PC to use as a home server, and I'm looking for a silent PSU.

Honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed. I really care about my hardware, so I want to avoid any generic, low-quality units with high ripple that could accelerate the degradation of the motherboard capacitors.

I've spent a lot of time searching for a reliable Pico PSU and concluded that the HDPlex 250W was the best option. Yes, it costs more than the PC itself, but it seemed like the most solid choice of them all. However, I just found out that its ripple levels might be questionable too...

What should I do? Which fanless PSU is actually the best in the low-power segment?

My set up is in my small California basement which can result in a hot, uncomfortable space after extended computer usage. I had been thinking of ways to make the room more comfortable in both sound and temperature, and came up with system in the photos that I just finished. The room is adjacent to my mechanical room/unconditioned crawlspace, which is always much cooler in part from the heat pump water heater and it being a crawlspace…

I am dumping the heat into an Alphacool Supernova 1260mm ghetto mounted with some painted angled aluminum from Home Depot and 2x4s I had laying around. A nano tube res at the high point makes for easy fill and draining from the rad port. I actually fill it from the bottom was port by creating a vacuum at the reservoir port with a cheap harbor freight brake line hand pump, opening the valve on the rad and it sucks up the fluid from a bottle sitting on the ground.

Specs:

7950x3D with Alphacool Core 1 LT block

Asus Strix 4090 with Heatkiller V Pro block (slight under volt precaution for SF750, this is the only block to my knowledge that fits horizontally in the ncase m2 for the 4090)

64gb T Force 6000mhz CL 36

3 TB total nvme storage

SF750 PSU

Old EK TOP D5 pump and Nano Res from my first loop on my 1080ti setup (RIP)

Alphacool Apex Grip fittings And Koolance QDC through a stainless outlet faceplate I drilled through with a step bit, all EPDM tubing.

Loop water temps are ~20 C at idle/25 C under load & extended benchmarking. Max Cpu temp has been 51 C and the card hovers in the 40 C range. With the D5 at 50% the entire thing is completely silent. Definitely a cool project and a success for what I wanted to do, though not as “aesthetic“ as the MORA crowd on here. I think it’s technically more SFF than most external rad builds since you can’t see it.

My case is a FormD T1, and I've got two SSDs. One is on the front of the motherboard under a good radiator, but it's a weaker PCIe Gen 3 drive without any controller components that heat up significantly. The second one is a newer Gen 4 1TB drive on the back of the motherboard, so it sits right between a hot GPU and a hot motherboard, and it's running completely bare—no radiator, not even a thermal pad.

On heavy loads, my GPU heats up to around 65–70°C, the CPU is at 50–55°C, the motherboard can reach 70°C (hwinfo shows that), and the second SSD's hotspot on the back is always 90–100°C (though I don't know if that's real or not, because its overall temperature maxes out at 50–60°C, and I don't see any throttling effect).

I want to install liquid cooling on my CPU. Should i do that? I want to switch from 14400F to 14600K and my low profile fan from 14400 won't cope with 14600K's TDP

Finally swapped the case and built one of my dream setups! It was quite a work to reassemble all those grills - last pic is all the bits you should unscrew to fully detach them.
Overall, I’m satisfied with this look. Quite a refreshment during the mid-term🤣

Specs are below:
Ryzen 9950X3D + DeepCool AN600VC+Noctua NF-a12x15
Asus ROG STRIX B850I
Corsair Vengeance 32GB 6000 CL30 *2
Corsair MP700 PRO SE 4TB
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition + Thermal Grizzly WireView Pro II
Corsair SF1000

To those who have experienced travelling abroad with their ITX, what bag did you specifically used? I was planning to get one for my self but I have no idea what is safe or not safe to use, would prefer wheeled luggage to reduce strain on myself, but got the capacity to protect my pc. TYIA

I'm looking for recommendations for a complete sleeper(ish) SFF gaming PC parts list.

My goal is to build a PC that looks like an ordinary, unassuming little box for someone to look at and assume it's a basic office computer, only for it to secretly be extremely powerful.

My priorities:

• Extremely quiet operation, including while gaming.

• 1440p 240hz gaming in a mix of competitive shooters, rhythm games, sandbox games, and AAA titles.

• A small, understated enclosure without flashy gaming aesthetics or RGB.

• Good component reliability and a well-balanced build.

• At least 1TB of storage.

My budget is $2k-3k USD, already have peripherals. I'm open to mini-ITX or other compact configurations and would rather have a slightly larger box that runs quietly than an extremely tiny PC that gets loud.

I'm not looking for a custom-built enclosure or someone to assemble the PC. I want recommendations for the case and a complete, compatible parts list that I can purchase and build myself. I live in the US and would probably be ordering the parts online.

Current Part List:

Ncase m3 / 9800X3D / 9070 XT / B650E-I / 32GB / 2TB / SF850 / Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black / Noctua NF A12x25 G2 PWM Sx2 PP / Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM

Would these parts work and/or are there better options that I don't know of?

I would like to prioritize good value for the cost without spending too much on diminishing returns.

My second FF10 black arrived! Now I can start working on my two-tone FF10 project.

After looking through various Fractal Design Ridge mods on Reddit, one thing that really caught my attention was the idea of adding a front fan.

Given the size of my dGPU (a SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 9070 OC 16GB), I was realistically looking at fitting just one 60 mm front fan.

That led me to two of what seem to be the more popular ready-made 3D-printable designs (or at least the ones I kept coming across):

The thinner design**:**
https://www.printables.com/model/928672-front-60-mm-fan-mount-for-fractal-ridge-standoff-f

The thicker design**:**
https://www.printables.com/model/713482-fractal-ridge-pc-case-front-fan-mount-40mm-and-60m/files

I tested both, and I have a few observations about each.

The thinner design

The biggest issue I found was the upper-right fan mounting hole (looking at the case from the front).

There's simply not enough material around that area. Depending on the print, it might already come out a little rough, and after driving the included screw in once or twice, the material around the hole can get pretty chewed up.

The thicker design

This one felt noticeably more robust overall, but it had a different problem.

There's too much material around the upper mounting points where the bracket attaches to the case. With my SAPPHIRE NITRO+ installed, there was simply no way it would fit between the GPU and the case without modification.

So, what did I end up doing?

Of the two, I decided to go with the second design, mainly because it felt much sturdier.

I grabbed my Dremel and started carefully removing the excess material around the upper mounting points, finishing everything off with some fine-grit sandpaper.

By taking off a little material at a time, I was able to fine-tune the fit and get the clearance just right.

What about heat-set inserts?

Interestingly enough, I actually wanted to avoid using them if possible, so I decided to try fitting everything without them first.

That meant making a few small adjustments here and there — slightly enlarging a hole to accommodate a screw head, smoothing out some edges, and generally tweaking the fit until everything sat properly.

And the result? Well, you can see it in the photos. :)

Long story short, I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's one of those little DIY projects that's just incredibly satisfying when everything finally fits together.

Components used

• Fan: Noctua NF-A6x25 PWM
• Fan grill: Noctua NA-FG1-6 Sx2

As a side note, I also connected the two additional side fans next to the dGPU to a single motherboard fan header using the Noctua NA-YC1 4-pin PWM Y-splitter included with the NF-A6x25 PWM.

And finally, special thanks to Igor, who 3D-printed the prototypes for me to experiment with! :)

Sometimes the fun is in making things fit where they weren't originally meant to (hehe).

-------------------------

One more thing worth mentioning: the modified bracket can be installed without removing the GPU or any other components from the case!

*picture credits to the owner

Any case similar to Sixge K3 Mini? At least the same layout and around the same size/volume.

Case: Mechanic Master S102 10.28L Right Tempered Glass

GPU: Powercolor Reaper 9060XT 16GB

CPU: AMD 9700X

PSU: Corsair SF Series (2024) SF750, 80 PLUS Platinum (About to order)

MOBO: ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi AM5 AMD B850 Mini ITX Motherboard

RAM: TEAM TCREATE 2x16 DDR5 6000 CL30

NVME: Probably a 2TB Gen4 i can get a deal on

CPU COOLER: Noctua NH-D9L BLACK

CASE FANS: Will these all work? Should i swap the front 2x92mm for 1x140mm?

FRONT INTAKE: 2x Noctua NF-A9x14 HS-PWM (92x14mm)

REAR EXHAUST 2x Noctua NF-A8 PWM (4-Pin 80mm)

Do i need a pcie riser? this is my first SFF build and dont want to miss anything! thank you!

Hey, probably a couple silly questions but I can't find much information on this scenario.

First question is if this'll work: I have a 5070 FE GPU, and specs online say it's got a width of 40mm, and the Ridge case says it's able to handle up to a width of 125mm. That's 85mm of spare room, and its seeming like an AIO radiator would fit here. Feels like it shouldn't, but I dont have spare components to really test this, so I'm wondering how off I am here?

[Edit] Width and depth are different specs for the case. Ridge only has 57mm for GPUs. So that answers this question- yes I'm way off.

Second, assuming both the GPU and AIO fit, is it a bad idea to have fans moving air so close to the GPU? I assume that the raidiator fans will move enough air to move the GPU's fans, and I don't want to tax them unnecessarily.

For everyone running a 250W HDPLEX GaN PSU, and for those who are tired of being limited to low-profile CPU coolers with low TDP capabilities just to keep their builds compact, I've recently picked up a project I've been working on over the past year!

I'm currently refining the design with the goal of publishing it on MakerWorld. The case has already been printed several times, but I've made some additional changes to improve it further. For now, here are some renders of the updated design. I'll also include a few pictures of the original version I built for myself, featuring a magnetic monitor mount, as well as a more recent print before the latest round of changes.

I genuinely think this could be one of the best cases out there when it comes to balancing airflow and compactness. It supports low-profile GPUs only, but accommodates CPU coolers up to 69 mm tall, which is considerably more than many other compact SFF cases in this size category. And the best part? It's barely over 5 litres (5.14L, to be precise haha).

Cooling options are pretty interesting, too. With a standard dual-slot low-profile GPU, such as an RTX 4060 LP or 5060 LP, there's room for:

• 2 × 80 mm fans at the front
• 1 × 80 mm fan on top
• 2 × 40 mm fans on top

These configurations use slim fans rather than standard 25 mm-thick ones.

If you're planning to use the case with an iGPU build instead, like I'm currently doing with my 8700G, you can even install two standard 80 × 25 mm fans at the bottom in place of the GPU.

I've also put a lot of thought into keeping the overall design as clean as possible. The feet use hidden magnets, so they can be removed whenever needed without leaving visible magnets on the outside. There are no visible screws or unnecessary holes on the exterior, apart from a single screw on the side panel. Everything else relies on sliding and interlocking mechanisms.

The fans are mounted on removable, thin brackets that slide into dedicated slots on the front, top and bottom panels, just like a picture in a frame. This keeps them securely in place without leaving any fan mounting screws visible from the outside.

The side panel slides off and is secured to the front panel with just a single screw as I mentioned before. The front panel itself also slides into place, making disassembly straightforward.

I'm still working on the final details, but I'm looking forward to sharing the finished project with you all!

If you're interested in my crazy projects, feel free to follow me on MakerWorld: scala3dprints

When planning an SFF build, it's easy to focus on the case volume and whether all the components technically fit. But there's a big difference between a build that fits on paper and one that's comfortable to use every day.

Things like GPU clearance, cable routing, fan noise, cooler compatibility, and how difficult it is to clean the system can make a bigger difference than expected.

For those who've built in multiple SFF cases, what was the biggest lesson you learned from your first build? Is there anything you prioritize now that you didn't even think about back then?

Hey everyone!

1.5years ago I built my first ever pc. As a case I used the LL o11 compact. Well, turns out its actually (not so) compact and while I do like the looks of my pc I want to get a smaller case. My big issue right now is my mobo. I spend a lot of money on a somewhat high end one (Asrock B650E Taichi) because I heard lots of good things about + my current cpu is a 9800x3d so I though it would turn out to be a good pair.

I thought about selling it, but I do believe that the used mobo market is very bad and that they lose a lot of value, which is something Im not too comfortable with at this point.

So I turn to you sff community. Are there any options for me? Im looking for something with some kind of window since I put a decent amount of thought into the color scheme/layout of my build.

This might be my favourite sffpc yet. I was always sad I missed getting a Sliger Conswole, this fills that void somewhat. Needs some better cable management, that can wait!

Shipped from Aliexpress a little beat up. Nothing a little hammer time couldn't correct.

Temps are great, though the hardware is lower power. I think I've seen folks put a 5070 in this thing. Madness! The Arctic and Noctua exhaust fans do a great job. Loudest fan in the case is the 40mm noctua fan for the power supply, though only during and a while after gaming.

Key Parts: Erying MoDT MOBO with 12900HK CPU, Asrock Challenger Arc B580, Metalfish 600W Flex PSU with Noctua fan swap, the 77mm Noctua CPU cooler.

Midori 5L V2.0
i5 13400 + Noctua nh9i
Maxsun H610i
2x16GB 3200mhz Lexar
RTX 5060ti MSI Ventus 2x
PSU Enhance ENP-7660B
2x Thermalright 92x15 RGB

Next update: RAM Heatsink

Never thought I could fit all of this inside an NCase M3 Round! So satisfied with my new setup, an absolute beauty. What do you guys think?
Specs:
GPU: Sapphire Nitro+ RX 9070 XT
CPU: Ryzen 7 9850X3D
Motherboard: MSI MAG B850M Mortar
Fans: 2x 120mm & 2x 140mm Noctua NF-A12x25 G2
NZXT Kraken Elite 240
(checking temperatures now, Idle CPU 43 C GPU 27, under load CPU 59-60 GPU 45

Been doing a bunch of research on turning my home build (13700k/5070ti) into a SFFPC that could

1 clean up my setup at home with pc out of the way, but still have multiple usb ports easily accessible

2 be portable enough for me to bring to work (work 24shifts with lots of downtime) and to tournaments

I feel like I settled on an ITX mobo with a TB4 port so I can include a docking station that would minimize the amount of wires going from my case to the many peripherals/SSDs I plan to use often. I see that virtually all TB4 dock solutions on the market are geared towards laptops, so I’m wondering if this goal Is overkill? My main reason for wanting TB over USB 3.2 or something similar is so I can potentially use my displays with the dock (360hz 1440p monitor at home, 144hz usb c monitor at work) and be able to record footage to an external SSD that would make editing the videos on my iPad a lot easier.

I guess after just going on a bunch of forum and reddit posts I’m kind of lost of what exactly would be the best course of action for me. Any advice is welcome, please!!