Considering Building A Fanless Mini PC

[New Goer]

Hi all.

I have some basic knowledge and have done repair tasks on my notebook computer in the past.

I'm considering building a desktop, because I can't find it at the price I expect.

I want it to be mini, fanless, and powerful enough for occasional video editing.

So I figured the CPU X i5-8400T Ryzen 5 2400G is probably the proper one.

Any help is appreciated.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Personal daily use and occasional video editing.

2. What YOUR budget is.
Seeing the prices of available PCs (from China), I expect it to cost me around $400.
Example: Partaker B16 Fanless Mini PC

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
I buy online, so mostly China.

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
I can buy from the US or China. For China, AliExpress.com (or eBay) is what I use to buy from any vendor.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.
Linux compatible components.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
No.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Default.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1080.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
ASAP.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No.

 

[New Goer]

Here's what I've found so far:

FC8 ALPHA FANLESS CHASSIS

H310M-ITX/ac Motherboard

i5-8400T CPU

I compared images, and it appears that the CPU is within the reach of the heatpipes, and no components will interfere with the path of the heatpipes.

Will these function well together?

Is it easy to build such a PC?

 

[whm1974]

Here's what I've found so far:

FC8 ALPHA FANLESS CHASSIS

H310M-ITX/ac Motherboard

i5-8400T CPU

I compared images, and it appears that the CPU is within the reach of the heatpipes, and no components will interfere with the path of the heatpipes.

Will these function well together?

Is it easy to build such a PC?

From watching videos of putting together systems in small cases, it will take some work on your part to fit everything. How much memory are you planning on putting in this rig?

 

[New Goer]

From watching videos of putting together systems in small cases, it will take some work on your part to fit everything. How much memory are you planning on putting in this rig?

My current one is 4GB. So I believe 8 will be adequate.

 

[whm1974]

My current one is 4GB. So I believe 8 will be adequate.

Since it is a MiniITX build and only has two DIMM slots, I would go for 16GB. You will thank me later.

 

[New Goer]

Since it is a MiniITX build and only has two DIMM slots, I would go for 16GB. You will thank me later.

I already bought 2 x 4GB, as they were on sale.

It's plenty for my use. No graphics or multitasking.

 

[New Goer]

This page, which sells the chassis, says:

"because of the close proximity of the CPU socket to the side of the motherboard, we also have to use the Streacom ST-MH1 Short Heatpipes as those supplied with the case are too long."​

On the other hand, they say that the Short Heatpipes are too short.

Why would they make it too long for almost all compatible boards, and sell the shorter one separately? It should be the opposite.

I hope there's an alternative out there.

 

[New Goer]

How about Euler MX?
It seems compatible with i5-8400T CPU, as its CPU list includes i5-7600T.

How do we find compatible mobos?
What makes GA-B250N Phoenix-WIFI compatible?

 

[whm1974]

How about Euler MX?
It seems compatible with i5-8400T CPU, as its CPU list includes i5-7600T.

How do we find compatible mobos?
What makes GA-B250N Phoenix-WIFI compatible?

If it fits? That company should do more testing of newer boards.

 

[New Goer]

I like Euler S. It doesn't have unneeded bays or openings.

 

[New Goer]

If it fits? That company should do more testing of newer boards.

Can we know if a board fits by comparing its image with the image of a compatible one, or with the image of the case interior?

 

[PeterScott]

You may be interested in this mini-review of 3 Passive cases, including temps with a 7700T prime95 run:

Euler MX
HDPlex - H1
Streacom FC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wISzSbvkVw

 

[whm1974]

Can we know if a board fits by comparing its image with the image of a compatible one, or with the image of the case interior?

You could I suppose. But I would take a close look at where the CPU socket is located.

 

[New Goer]

You may be interested in this mini-review of 3 Passive cases, including temps with a 7700T prime95 run:
Euler MX
HDPlex - H1
Streacom FC8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wISzSbvkVw

Thank you Peter.

 

[New Goer]

You could I suppose. But I would take a close look at where the CPU socket is located.

Anything else other than the location of the 4 holes for the cooler?

 

[New Goer]

There's no thin ITX board in market for the 8th gen.
Heck even the processor is not in stock.

 

[New Goer]

I found an example!
A Mini PC for sale has
Euler-T
Motherboard ASUS H310T Thin Mini-ITX
CPU i5-8400T

So I can do this with an Euler-S.

Should I wait for more options?
I've already bought the RAM and the SSD.

 

[New Goer]

Who sells the Euler cases at low prices?

 

[whm1974]

Who sells the Euler cases at low prices?

No one would be my guess. These kind of cases and their PSUs are on the expensive side.

 

[New Goer]

No one would be my guess. These kind of cases and their PSUs are on the expensive side.

That's unexpected for a small simple case from a company in Taiwan.

I'll rephrase the question:
Who sells the Euler cases at the lowest prices?

 

[whm1974]

That's unexpected for a small simple case from a company in Taiwan.

I'll rephrase the question:
Who sells the Euler cases at the lowest prices?

Check Newegg or Amazon.

 

[New Goer]

I now realize that my initial cost estimate of $400 was unrealistic.

How can the Chinese vendors offer a complete PC with a costlier CPU and express delivery for $489?

 

[PeterScott]

I now realize that my initial cost estimate of $400 was unrealistic.

How can the Chinese vendors offer a complete PC with a costlier CPU and express delivery for $489?

I have no idea, which is why I expressed skepticism earlier.

I prefer to buy my stuff through local shops, even if it costs a bit more, so I can just drop in if there is a problem.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I bought a Chinese mini-PC, one with a "real" ITX-esque mobo, Gold metal case, Haswell Celeron, SATA 2.5" SSD, etc.

It was nice while it worked, but it died after a month. I had removed the Win10, and installed Win7, for a relative, and it seems possibly that the CPU fan stopped, and we never noticed, and it cooked itself. (Maybe due to ACPI issues with the fan-control and buggy / incomplete BIOS that wasn't designed to work with Win7?)

 

[whm1974]

I bought a Chinese mini-PC, one with a "real" ITX-esque mobo, Gold metal case, Haswell Celeron, SATA 2.5" SSD, etc.

It was nice while it worked, but it died after a month. I had removed the Win10, and installed Win7, for a relative, and it seems possibly that the CPU fan stopped, and we never noticed, and it cooked itself. (Maybe due to ACPI issues with the fan-control and buggy / incomplete BIOS that wasn't designed to work with Win7?)

Which is why I rather buy from known companies with known products. If something sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.