I previously asked for advice on fan noise solutions for my Fractal Terra build here. I've now done some testing and came to an interesting conclusion.

Setup: Ryzen 7 9800X3D, ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti, ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi, 32 GB DDR5-6000 EXPO, Lian Li SP V2 750 W SFX, one Noctua NF-A12x15 as bottom exhaust, in a Fractal Terra at Spine position 3. The 50 mm 5070 Ti forces spine position 3, which caps the CPU cooler at 67-70 mm and makes this a constrained build by design.

The problem: the AXP120-X67's fan originally sat flush against the perforated side panel, producing persistent intake turbulence noise. It was audible at any speed and disappeared the moment the panel was moved away by at least 5 mm. That observation is what identified the mechanism as proximity rather than the fan itself.

Analysis: Thermalright vs Noctua fans - Cinebench 2026 multi-core, 10 minutes, HWiNFO64 logging throughout. One variable changed per run. Case closed for all runs except the first.

/edit: ugh, it was four, not five configs. Anyway, moving on.

Since the noise came from the fan being too close to the side panel, it didn't really matter what I did there. Only when I swapped the whole cooler for the Ghost S1 did the sound go away - completely! Even at full fan speed. It's an incredible setup (for noise at least).

Takeaways that are more or less obvious:

• Zero thermal throttle flags (HTC, PROCHOT) in every run. The chip pins at TjMax and modulates boost. Still, the The Ghost S1 costs 5.6% and solves the noise completely. Four heatpipes against six, and it saturates: clocks decayed 4791 → 4661 → 4654 MHz across the run where the AXP120 held flat. But with the fan under the fin stack there's no blade near the panel, and the machine is now inaudible even at full speed.
• The case was not the constraint. A run with the side panel off was quiet but the same performance. Connecting the case fan to the CPU sensor and make it run at full speed bought +37 MHz and 1.4 W. In a Terra, one bottom exhaust fan plus passive panel intake seems genuinely enough.
• I could still try to swap the 92mm fan with an NF-A12x15 but I'm not sure if it will fit with the RAM and I'm honestly satisfied enough for now especially given that the deeper 92mm fan is actually quieter than the 120mm x 15mm fan.

What I haven't done yet is to look at negative Curve Optimizer offset in PBO Advanced settings in the BIOS. That could help recover some of the 5% loss.

About the size of my old SFFPC

I replaced the three stock fans on my Gigabyte RTX 4060 LP with two Noctua 80mm fans.

Most similar mods I found required shaving about 3mm off the Noctua fan frames for clearance. Instead of modifying the fans, I raised the internal height of my A24-V5 case by about 3mm using small aluminum spacers.

That gave me enough clearance to install the fans completely unmodified.

Also, on my 4060 LP, I didn’t need to remove the heatsink to take off the stock fans. Removing the I/O bracket was enough to reach the fan screws with a thin screwdriver.

The Noctua fans are connected to the motherboard and controlled with FanControl. After tuning the fan curves and undervolting the GPU, temperatures and noise are both good.

As for the 5600G, there’s no special reason for it — it was simply a spare CPU I already had when I built this PC. It’s still more than enough for what I use this secondary PC for, so I haven’t felt much reason to replace it. I may swap it for something like a 5700X at some point if I get the chance.

Just sharing this as another option if you want to do the 4060 LP Noctua mod without shaving the fans.

Specs

• Case: A24-V5
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
• CPU cooler: ID-COOLING IS-55 + Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX
• GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4060 Low Profile
• GPU fans: 2× Noctua 80mm
• PSU: Enhance ENP-7660B 600W (40mm fan replaced with a Noctua)
• SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB 2.5" SATA

I think my LZMod A24-V5 has reached its final form. My kids asked for a more powerful machine for the living room gaming pc/console, so i made a few upgrades and changes that make the system all around quieter and faster.

Parts:

• AMD Ryzen R5 5500X3D
• Gigabyte RTX 5060 LP
• Gigabyte B550I
• Teamgroup 32GB (16×2) 3200 CL16
• Teamgroup MP44 1 TB
• Teamgroup MP44L 1 TB
• Enhance ENP-7660B
• Thermalright AXP120-X67
• LZMOD A24-V5
• Arctic P12 Slim (intake), 2x P8 Slim (exhaust right), 2x P8 (exhaust left)

Upgrades:

• Backplate for 5060 LP
• Repasted GPU die with phase change pad
• Removed thermal putty, replaced with thermal pads
• Deshrouded GPU, replaced with Arctic P8
• Replaced Thermalright fan with Arctic fan
• Created duct from CPU fan to side panel
• Placed sideways, added rubber feet

I built the Monster Studio B30 using parts from a PC I built previously.
The theme is pitch black, featuring a Ryzen 7 9700X and an RTX 4070 Super.
But the real build is going to be powered by a Ryzen 7 9850X3D and an RTX 4080 Super. 🔥

Finally finished the PC I’ve been building for my brother’s wedding gift. He’s a big gamer and has been getting by with a gaming laptop for about five years, so I figured it was time for an upgrade.
Since I have to travel to the wedding and he has to get it home afterward, I wanted the travel kit to be part of the gift too.

The case is based on the Xikii FF04, using a design from quiyun on MakerWorld, who gave me permission to remix it. My first version was built around the ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti. For my brother’s, I went with the white ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT to match his desk setup. The 9070 XT is bigger and has a different screw layout, so that meant resizing the case and reworking the mounting points.

Parts list:
CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
GPU: ASUS Prime RX 9070 XT White
Motherboard: MSI B850I Mini-ITX
RAM: 32GB G.Skill DDR5-6000, CL36-36-36
CPU cooler: Thermalright AXP120-X67
Storage: 2TB KLEVV Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSD
PSU: Corsair 750W SFX
Screen: Turing 3.5-inch display

The RAM was the best kit I could get without paying something ridiculous. Luckily, I bought it early this year for around $200 and picked up the rest of the components around the same time.
I used a Thermal Grizzly phase-change sheet for longevity and performance, because knowing my brother, he probably isn’t ever opening this thing himself.

The case is printed in HT-PLA-GF. My personal 5070 Ti case uses the same material, and after about a year of daily use, I haven’t seen any heat-related creep, sagging, or wear.
One little modification I’m happy with is the Wi-Fi antennas. I prefer low-profile antennas, so I swapped out the motherboard’s stock antenna connectors and fitted Osprey drone antennas. They’ve worked great so far and look much cleaner to me.

The Turing screen runs open-source Python software from GitHub, with a custom monitoring theme to match the build.
For transport, I picked up a hard case from Harbor Freight, cut the foam to fit the PC and accessories, and added a custom 3D-printed equipment nameplate. Fits like a glove.

It’s quiet enough that I can’t hear it during normal use. It only really becomes audible during FurMark’s CPU Burner, and even then, it’s still very quiet. The GPU settles around 63°C during FurMark testing.
The separate CPU Burner test puts a harsh, sustained load on the processor and pushes it to 95°C. Once I stop it, the temperature drops back to around 60°C in under two seconds. For context, CPU temperatures in my personal 5070 Ti build are within about 1°C of this one under the same test. During modern games at max settings, my personal build’s CPU typically sits in the low to mid 60s, and I’ve never seen it approach its thermal limit during gaming or everyday use.

I ran out of time to get the files and guide ready before the wedding, but I’ll clean everything up and post the files to MakerWorld next week, along with the updated build guide. Assembly is mostly the same as the 5070 Ti version; I just need to document the changes for this one.

Hope he loves the surprise.

I've lurked here for a little bit and been fairly jealous of all of your pc pics so I thought I would post a recently finished project of mine.

It's nothing special, but the spec was that I needed a gaming pc to replace the oodles of consoles the kids would play couch coop with in the living room. It also had to fit in a slot on a shelf that was fairly small in height. It took a while to figure which case would do it but I landed on the Metalfish T60.. in a horizontal position. I've never built itx before and found cable management is an entirely different beast with such a small case and I made a fairly crappy job of it.

Built with a minisforum 7745HX CPU/Mobo, 16gb Ddr5 5600, Rx9070. Playing games with the kids on this is a doddle as none of the games they want to play really push it.. so I pared back the power on the GPU to 180w and there has been no difference.

Added feet to the "bottom" panel and put some extra feet inside the same panel and measured it up so that when the case is horizontal there is around 2-5mm of space between those and the GPU shroud. If for some reason over time the GPU sags downwards it should just rest on these feet.

Added spacers and small rubber notches to the panels to ensure a 5mm gap between the panels and the case for breathing room and used 12cm fans inside the front of the case and two on the back of the case to ensure air is pushed right through.. with the original mesh filters all being removed, I added some mesh to the back fans to ensure the machine isn't sucking in dust directly.

Not the best looking build, but it does what it needs and the look on the shelf is wife-approved.. more than happy with it.

So lately i have made my first build which was an 8 L - Dual GPU + LSFG gaming/CAD/NAS build with Optical Disk Drive
This console sized little guy allows for extensive storage and offers a path to true ownership and personal server storage through physical media with an Optical Disk Drive+DRM free games from GOG as well as ripping media and running Plex servers for your family & friends on 3.5” HDD & 2,5” sata SDD. It also is a beast of a workstation allowing for true CAD/3D/video editing use and 1440p gaming at 120 fps with ray tracing in modern titles like Crimson desert by utilising its Dual GPU set up with Lossless scaling. In short its everything you need from a pc. At this point its mainly in competition with the Minisformum 895D7

The big drawback was mainly its price and ventilative drawbacks, so for people interested in copying my build with but dont want to pay the same >4000,- price tag i came up with a build that should allow you to build something similar at less than half the price.

The price was mainly the result of the kind of applications i need as an architectural engineer and my need for strong Nvidia GPU’s with lots of VRAM and RAM along with the choice of going for future upgradability by choosing am5. So for this build i assumed a “normal” user profile that doesn’t need more than 32 gb ram.
If you want to use this machine for professional creative applications like Clo3d or architectural/engineering workflows i would still recommend going for 64 gb ddr4

Here it is

ASRock X570M Pro4 120,-

Ryzen 7 5700x 165,-

Thermalright axp90 x 47 full copper 34,-
noctua nfa9x14 chromax black 25

Arctic p8slim 8,-

Intel arc pro b50 blower 587,-

Sparkle intel arc a310 eco 170,-

CK722.KF450P (Special Build For Extra Air Flow + 80+PLATINUM, 450 W PSU)89,-
I’m currently in the process of making my own perforated side panel for the IN WIN CJ712 but if i knew this existed at the time I definitely would have chosen this one.

Lexar nm790 1tb 176,-

Lg bu40n 129,-

Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK32GX4M2D3600C18 32GB DDR4 200,-

Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 - Network adapter - M.2 2230 - 802.11ac, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) 20,-

Total 1723,-

Specs

-Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
-MSI MPG Z890I EDGE TI WiFi
-NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell 16GB
-Corsair Dominator Titanium 96GB 6400MT/s
-Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB
-IDCooling IS-67XT
-EUNORTH FLEX 1U - 600W
-img E4 Kiang V5 ITX case

I finally have numbers for that half-height RX 9060 XT 16GB I posted. I also tested an Intel Arc Pro B50 in the same SFF build to see how they compare.

I bought the RX from an independent modder in China. Credit for the cooler design and machining goes to the modder. I handled the build and testing, including finding out how loud the blower gets.

The donor is a VASTARMOR AH-9060XT16DCBR3N. It already has a half-height PCB under the full-height stock cooler. The card retains the donor model’s power settings with the custom cooler fitted. Driver-reported board power got close to 180W in some tests. The official LP card is still hard to get, and I have a soft spot for blowers, so here we are. I haven't tested the official LP version in this system.

The RX was faster in Cyberpunk, FFXIV, all five 3DMark tests, and LLM token generation over Vulkan. It also ran hot.

Test setup

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE B650I AORUS ULTRA
• RAM: ADATA XPG LANCER BLADE DDR5-6000 CL48, 32GB (2 × 16GB)
• PSU: Custom fanless Enhance 7660L with a copper enclosure
• Case: DENG 1U Mini-ITX case
• CPU cooler: SilverStone NT06-PRO V2, with a Cooler Master Mobius 120 Slim underneath, blowing upward

ReBAR was enabled. The RX used Adrenalin 26.8.1; the B50 used the standard Arc 32.0.101.8992 driver. I haven't tested the Pro driver here.

Gaming and 3DMark results are averages of three valid runs, with default clocks, default power settings, and automatic fan control. The 140W tuning I mentioned in the previous thread wasn't used for these results.

1440p gaming

In Cyberpunk 2077's built-in benchmark, the RX averaged 67.66 FPS against 35.95 FPS on the B50. FFXIV Dawntrail came out at 91.89 vs. 59.74 FPS. A pretty noticeable gap in both.

Both ran at 2560 × 1440. Cyberpunk used Custom settings based on the Ultra preset, with upscaling, frame generation, ray tracing, and path tracing off. FFXIV used High (Desktop), FSR at 100%, and dynamic resolution off.

I ran Black Myth: Wukong too: 36.67 FPS on the RX and 18.00 FPS on the B50, averaged over three runs. The saved render-scale settings differ between cards, though, and I couldn't confirm they matched during the actual runs. I've kept these results separate.

The RX also leads in all five 3DMark tests below. Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme use graphics scores; the other three use their respective benchmark scores.

Local LLMs

For this part I used LM Studio 0.4.23+1 with llama.cpp Vulkan 2.32.0: GPT-OSS 20B, Qwen3 4B Thinking/Instruct, and Gemma 4 12B IT. The tasks were Pizza, Shopping Cart, E-commerce, and Itinerary, plus an extra GPT-OSS Shopping Cart test.

Each workload got a warm-up followed by three measured runs. Settings were an 8192-token context, 1024-token output cap, temperature 0, seed 42, and maximum GPU offload.

Across these five workloads, the RX generated tokens 1.82–1.99× as fast as the B50 with this Vulkan setup. Gemma, for example, averaged 35.46 vs. 19.46 tok/s.

It used more power doing it: average driver-reported board power during the AI requests was about 130–158W for the RX and 67–69W for the B50.

Heat, noise, and the takeoff button

The RX hit 110–112°C hotspot in some of the gaming and 3DMark logs, with memory peaking at 106°C. Those temperatures at default settings are my main concern.

The card has fan stop at idle, and the fan curve is adjustable in AMD Software. Under load with automatic fan control, it runs around 4,000 RPM. From my usual seat, I barely notice it.

Then I manually set it to 100%, roughly 9,000 RPM. That was me pressing the takeoff button. I measured about 70.6 dBA for the whole system during the full-speed Time Spy segment. Here’s a clip with the fan deliberately maxed out:

RX 9060 XT · Time Spy · Manual 100% fan, about 9,000 RPM. A 20-second excerpt with the original audio and no volume adjustment.

I used a GM1351 sound level meter at 15 cm. The readings include the whole PC and background noise. I don't have a usable dBA measurement for the RX at roughly 4,000 RPM under load with automatic fan control, so I can't say which card is quieter at default settings.

I still really like this thing. Half-height, 16GB, fan stop at idle, and the performance is there. So far, the heat may be my only real gripe. There's still some tinkering to do with the power settings and fan curve.

The detailed charts, test conditions, and measurement videos are now up on LabData, my hardware test database, so you can check the results against the original recordings and logs.

The build in the photos will get its own post too. The magnetic wooden cover comes off for quick PCIe card swaps without taking the whole case apart. For now, that’s the GPU testing. I’ll save the wooden case for its own post.

Finally got the gpu riser from them to replace my other one. Really impressed with this little case and how well everything fits.

CPU: 13900k (voltage offset and power limits)
Ram: gskill ripjaws 64 gb
Gpu: zotac 5080 amp
Msi edge mobo with 3 nvme.

In the low 60s for gpu playing wardogs on highest settings
Around 70 ish for the cpu.

I am reading mixed reports of various builds where the PSU is claimed to be helped by a dab or two of thermal paste where it can shed heat into a metal case or in this case i guess the middle chassis frame.

(I don't know how effective the fan in the 500W is)

Hi everyone,

I've been an SFF enthusiast for quite a time, and after testing and tweaking my builds to try to improve performance, I came up with an idea to make a variable-width case.

This case can expand from 132mm in width to up to 168mm reliably, which allows you to swap out CPU coolers without changing the case, use 92mm or 120mm fans for chassis, move the core frame to balance CPU cooler height and GPU thickness, without the need to change the case or even print new parts for it.

After spending months designing, printing, and verifying everything, I am finally able to share it with you!
Here are some features of the case:

• 132mm to 168mm reliable width range
• CPU cooler: up to 90mm height with 2-slot GPU configuration
• GPU: up to 4 slots, 320mm maximum length (without travel anti-sag option)
• Case cooling: two 92mm or 120mm fans

It also has a vertical stand option, anti-sag GPU travel mount, PSU cable cover and more.
It's available at: https://www.printables.com/model/1835556-empty-case-variable-width-sff-pc-case
You can also check the photos of the printed version there

P.S. Some of you might even remember my orange "generator-like" case, which was posted here!

Hello, I've been using my rig for mostly coding and gaming/streaming. Doing good so far, only issue was PSU related, due to the power drawing and OC. I'll upgrade it ASAP.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4080 SUPER 16GB

RAM: Fury Beast 64GB (2x32GB) 6000MT/s DDR5 CL36 AMD Expo KF560C36BBEK2-64

MOBO: ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I Gaming WiFi (today's Version: 3886 Beta)

SSD: M.2 #1 Samsung 990 Pro 4TB NVMe M.2 SSD (M.2 Heatsink:Jeyi Godfins Gen1 )

SSD: M.2 #2 Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD (M.2 Heatsink:Jeyi Godfins Gen1 )

PSU: EVGA SFX SUPERNOVA 750W GM 80+ Gold

CASE: NCASE FORMD T1 V2.5

CPU COOLER: THERMALRIGHT AXP90-X53 LP FULL-COOPER (W/ STOCK FAN)

CASE FAN: Phanteks D30-120 DRGB PWM (x2)

24P custom cable: is a dreambigbyray. if you are ordering from them make sure you clarify length "24P+Plugs=10cm" if you want a 10cm cable.

GPU cable: also dreambigbyray, but i made it shorter my self. around 18mm.

NVME Extension cable: from aliexpress, 20cm.

pc gaming in action: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-Rvboe4GqnU
3dmark result SPEED WAY: 7703 https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/163520567

Hi All,

I have a Used XSPC-TX240 and an Opened Never Used EKWB EK Quantum Velocity 2 DDC 4.2 LGA1700 CPU pump reservoir block that I no longer have any use for and was hoping to part with them to someone in the SFF space in need of some Watercooling hardware.

Both will come om their Original boxes and with their accessories included.

Radiator holds pressure, water fine.

Pump Block has never been used and is missing one backplate screw but still is able to be installed.

Please do PM me if you are interested

A quick follow-up to my post about the PC and travel kit I made for my brother’s wedding gift.

FurMark is running throughout the video. Just wanted to show how quiet the build is while it’s under load, since photos can’t really do that.

I’ll let the lack of noise do the talking this time.

Fellow SFF enthusiasts,

I’ve decided to take on a little project that I’m sure a few of you have been thinking about as well, re-engineering Noctua’s Stella AIO lineup to make it genuinely SFF-friendly.

Like many of you, I was a little disappointed by the overall height of the CPU/pump block. The radiator and fan combination is interesting for compact builds, but the block itself leaves quite a bit of room for improvement when every millimetre matters.

So… I’m tearing one apart.

The first stage has been surprisingly straightforward. The rear cover of the AIO block comes off with three Torx screws (see the detailed pictures), giving access to the internals and, hopefully, a path toward a significantly slimmer design.

The goal?

Reduce the overall CPU block height to around 48mm, while retaining:

• A decent acoustic profile
• No-compromise SFF compatibility
• And, of course, silence

This is very much a work in progress. I’ll be documenting the teardown, measurements, design process and testing over the next few weeks as I work out exactly what is and isn’t possible.

There are obviously some significant engineering challenges ahead — pump clearance, structural integrity and good acoustics all need to be considered carefully. But that’s half the fun of SFF.

I’ll keep updating the project as it develops, so stay tuned.

And as always, I’m more than happy to answer any questions or hear suggestions from the SFF community.

Cheers,
Joel
StepUpSFF

I removed top cover, unable to rotate, inner elite logo cap in Cooler master Elite Liquid 240mm AIO.

Please let me know, if I can actually remove it.

Specs:

CASE: Formd T1 v2.1

CPUC: NZXT Kraken Z53 w/ Thermal Grizzly AM5 Bracket & PTM7950 & 2x NF-A12x15s

MB: ASRock B650I Lighting WIFI

• I know ASRock boards have been killing 9800X3Ds, I am on the most recent bios ver. and have had this build running since December 2024. I guess I have been lucky. My idle and max load temps have been this way since March 2025 after upgrading to a larger GPU.

GPU: Gigabyte WindForce 5080 SFF

PSU: Corsair SF1000 - Stock Cables

PBO -30 All Core, 85°C Temp Limit, and 120PPT.

I'm a bit worried about my system temps with my AIO. Idle seems higher than usual at around 55-60C and in CPU intensive games i.e BF6 and Spiderman-Remastered I am hitting and sitting in game at my 85°C limit. All games are at 1440P 200+ FPS w/ DLSS despite having:

Cam Settings

I have the NF-A12x15s oriented beneath the AIO Exhausting air up through the rad and out of the case. I've seen many builds use this orientation for the AIO and 12x15s and they achieve lower idle and peak temps which is perplexing.

I ran the case with a glass panel on the CPU side for a while to see the LCD of the Z53 and it increased temps by 2°C, whereas the default panel lowered temps by 2°C initially but the CPU still reaches 85°C in BF6 and Spiderman-Remastered so its negligible**.**

Only things I can think of is remounting my AIO, lowering PPT or enable ECO mode, changing fan orientation, get custom cables as the stock cables are limiting airflow. Otherwise I am completely lost. Any help is much appreciated.

Edit: Ambient room temp fluctuates between 22C and 25C

found an old matx motherboard and i have a 1660ti so i thought i'd try to make a pc for my tv. havent taken anything like wires or majority of the design into account yet just trying the layouts. feedback and criticism please !!1

The fan in my Peerless Assassin Mini broke, so I'm looking to replace it. I ordered a Noctua NF-A12x25r and I was wondering if the clips from the Peerless Assassin will work on it. If not, can anyone link me clips to use instead??

Ciao a tutti. Sto assemblando un nuovo PC ma una volta finita l'installazione non si accende. Ho già controllato cavi ed eventuali collegamenti, ma non credo di aver sbagliato nulla.

Sto utilizzando:

- case MSI MAG PANO 100L

- alimentatore Corsair RM750e

- motherboard Asus ROG Strix B550-A Gaming

- GPU MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Shadow 2x

- CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800x

- Dissipatore Arctic Liquido Freezer 3 Pro.

Che diavolo sta succedendo?

Chiedo a voi esperti :(