Probably. The CPU doesn't even crack 100W, the mobo and drives and assorted other things probably use 20-30W, which leaves a bit over 250W of headroom for the GPU, which should be just about fine with a GTX 1080. No real headroom for overclocking, but otherwise should be fine.
You can overclock a lot of processors a fair bit before you have to increase voltage enough to cause a substantial difference in power draw. Silicon lottery as always.
"It is noteworthy that the PC has an automated exhaust system that opens up exhaust flippers at the top of the computer when it needs to cool down the components."
I suspect it has more to do with the noise. 2x 90mm fans responsible for circulating all the heat from 271 watts of TDP means those fans are going to be spinning fast. They keep the top covered as much as possible because the noise is going to be terrible with them open.
I can't imagine that the "automated" part is anything more than "opens when the air pressure below it pushes it open" -- i.e., when the fans are running fast enough to generate the air pressure (which would not need to be much at all).
I have a 1080 with a 4770K running and a lot of other stuff (multiple SSDs, capture card, etc). Depends on the quality of the PSU. I have an old Seasonic X-400 Gold, and it does not have any issue. Also didn't have an issue with a 290X.
yea seasonic PSU's are known to be able to run comfortably over their stated max watts. That seasonic can most likely run 500-550 watts without breaking a sweat. And it's still not a smart idea to stress the PSU like that even if it works. And overclocking is a no go. PSU's are most efficient between 40-50%. So if your system uses 300 watts total while in use best to match it up with a 550 watt psu so you can hit the psu's highest efficiency rating which can be like 94% efficient at the halfway mark reducing heat made by the psu thereby allowing the psu fan to rotate very slow making no noise.
hobby computer builders oversize their PSUs by A LOT because they don't want any doubt, but if you assemble a computer in series you're only going to put what is truly necessary in it.
400 watt is cutting it close the tdp is 91 watts for the cpu but it draws more like 120 watts of actual power when maxed out at 100%. When the GPU is maxed out at 100% it uses a bit over 200 watts of actual power. That leaves 80 watts for the motherboard including the ram, PCH and fans as well as the storage devices. That leaves no breathing room for overclocking and you may not be able to use really high end 250-300 watt tdp gpu's. If flex atx is about the same size as the sfx psu's you could easily replace it with a 650 watt sfx psu and give yourself enough room to overclock and use beefier gpu's.
The problem with this PC is there will most definitely be a price premium for the compactness and engineering that went into making this. Also due to the size the noise level is going to be higher than a standard build in a nice sound absorbing fractal define r5. Upgrading it will be more difficult and time consuming. Is it worth it to pay extra money for a louder, hotter running and harder to upgrade pc just so you can have a smaller pc? I would say N + O.
Now if they can offer this for a price that is within 100-200 dollars of building a standard mid ATX tower. It could be interesting then but i doubt it. I expect at least a 500-750 dollar premium vs building the same thing in a mid ATX case and you get better overall performance in speed noise and heat with a mid ATX build, that combined with a 500+ savings makes me think not many will want this.
That is your complaint? The Killer NIC will be just fine. The bigger issue is the 1:1 802.11AC. I don't get it, fill it up with premium hardware and top it off with bargain basement wifi! Granted, not everyone will use the wifi but holy crap at least spring for a 2:2 card.
I agree, I think a more balanced configuration would be with a 2x2 AC card, 16Gb RAM and a choice of 1060 up to 1080. I'd be leery of a 1080 in that confined space TBH
Anand did a review of the Killer NIC like within a year ago. They were so impressed with it they made a strong recommendation for it compared to others.
This design and configuration looks pretty good overall. I would prefer a higher wattage power supply, maybe 650 watts.
I suspect the 240 GB SSD is weak. And why even bother with a HDD? I would prefer something like a Samsung 960 Evo M.2 NVMe paired with a Samsung 850 Evo SATA drive.
Well, as expensive as this unit is going to be I think they are to try to at least keep it somewhat reasonable. Just about all ssds these days so 540/500 just fine which is ample for most scenarios. I do agree with others that a 500 watt PSU would be better, but that appears to be an 80 Plus Gold rated PSU so 400 watts should be fine.
The HDD is probably a cost/storage capacity tradeoff. 256+1tb is about the same price as just a 512gb SSD in m.2, and about $100 cheaper than a 1tb SSD. For a gaming system 500gigs is a somewhat marginal capacity, good enough for today but questionable over the next 2 or 3 years. OTOH for anyone able to do manual disk management 256+1tb, will mean you can still keep your main AAA of the month on flash even when they bloat over 100GB each.
That said, I hope this is just a single model on the platform and that higher end variants with pure flash storage are available.
The exhaust flippers make most locations I would put an SFF PC inconvenient at best. Plus, I don't want more systems that can fail in my PC, I want less.
If that is the case then just remove them completely. I believe they are opened by the air pressure of the cooling fans so not really anything additional to fail except for them getting stuck.
I have a Zalman case that opens vents at the top when it hits a temperature threshold. There's a motor that runs it. Air pressure wouldn't be enough. I quite like it. It helps with the dust. and cuts the noise down when not gaming.
Cool product with some nifty ideas, but I have the feeling they will want some serious compensation for their time spent. For the posted configuration i figure $2500 which is probably $1000 too high. I understand the need for profit but I don't know that the high end sff PCs have been flying off the shelves.
Looks cool but no way would I even want it. No multiple gpu's and power supply needs to increase up to 700 or so. Heat would be the biggest issue. I would want it water cooled for gpu oc and cpu. For a gaming rig. It going to be 90C - 100C in there. Too hot. They went all the way except the most important thing. Water cooling would make that rig a powerhouse. At least it can be upgraded to a 6 core or 8 core i7 series but power must go up. 5ghz would be easy with water
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baal80 - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Is 400W PSU really going to be enough for this monstrosity?SodaAnt - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Probably. The CPU doesn't even crack 100W, the mobo and drives and assorted other things probably use 20-30W, which leaves a bit over 250W of headroom for the GPU, which should be just about fine with a GTX 1080. No real headroom for overclocking, but otherwise should be fine.ImSpartacus - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
A 1080's tdp is only 180W, right?Even if the actual power limit is a little higher (I know Nvidia has done that I the past), it seems like everything is good.
You might not want to cram a 250W-class card in there like a hypothetical 1080 Ti.
Laststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
Say goodbye to any overclocking as wellLaststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
They are wasting your money putting a K series CPU in there that has no wattage left for OCingEletriarnation - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
You can overclock a lot of processors a fair bit before you have to increase voltage enough to cause a substantial difference in power draw. Silicon lottery as always.Byte - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
So do I need to open those top flaps when I game!?!?!SleepyCatChris - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
"It is noteworthy that the PC has an automated exhaust system that opens up exhaust flippers at the top of the computer when it needs to cool down the components."peterfares - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Why wouldn't they just put a grille up therecolinisation - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
Dust settlement I imagine - if there is not a constant airflow to prevent it.Murloc - Sunday, January 1, 2017 - link
it's also cool and gives you spaceship or race car with flaps feelings. So hardcore.Laststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
I suspect it has more to do with the noise. 2x 90mm fans responsible for circulating all the heat from 271 watts of TDP means those fans are going to be spinning fast. They keep the top covered as much as possible because the noise is going to be terrible with them open.ciparis - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
I can't imagine that the "automated" part is anything more than "opens when the air pressure below it pushes it open" -- i.e., when the fans are running fast enough to generate the air pressure (which would not need to be much at all).nagi603 - Sunday, January 1, 2017 - link
I have a 1080 with a 4770K running and a lot of other stuff (multiple SSDs, capture card, etc). Depends on the quality of the PSU. I have an old Seasonic X-400 Gold, and it does not have any issue. Also didn't have an issue with a 290X.Laststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
yea seasonic PSU's are known to be able to run comfortably over their stated max watts. That seasonic can most likely run 500-550 watts without breaking a sweat. And it's still not a smart idea to stress the PSU like that even if it works. And overclocking is a no go. PSU's are most efficient between 40-50%. So if your system uses 300 watts total while in use best to match it up with a 550 watt psu so you can hit the psu's highest efficiency rating which can be like 94% efficient at the halfway mark reducing heat made by the psu thereby allowing the psu fan to rotate very slow making no noise.Murloc - Sunday, January 1, 2017 - link
hobby computer builders oversize their PSUs by A LOT because they don't want any doubt, but if you assemble a computer in series you're only going to put what is truly necessary in it.Laststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
400 watt is cutting it close the tdp is 91 watts for the cpu but it draws more like 120 watts of actual power when maxed out at 100%. When the GPU is maxed out at 100% it uses a bit over 200 watts of actual power. That leaves 80 watts for the motherboard including the ram, PCH and fans as well as the storage devices. That leaves no breathing room for overclocking and you may not be able to use really high end 250-300 watt tdp gpu's. If flex atx is about the same size as the sfx psu's you could easily replace it with a 650 watt sfx psu and give yourself enough room to overclock and use beefier gpu's.The problem with this PC is there will most definitely be a price premium for the compactness and engineering that went into making this. Also due to the size the noise level is going to be higher than a standard build in a nice sound absorbing fractal define r5. Upgrading it will be more difficult and time consuming. Is it worth it to pay extra money for a louder, hotter running and harder to upgrade pc just so you can have a smaller pc? I would say N + O.
Laststop311 - Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - link
Now if they can offer this for a price that is within 100-200 dollars of building a standard mid ATX tower. It could be interesting then but i doubt it. I expect at least a 500-750 dollar premium vs building the same thing in a mid ATX case and you get better overall performance in speed noise and heat with a mid ATX build, that combined with a 500+ savings makes me think not many will want this.wolrah - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Argh why the stupid Killer NIC? Give me Intel or nothing. Killer is nothing but a marketing department run amok.DigitalFreak - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Agreed, but you have to remember these systems aren't marketed to most people who read this site. To them, Killer sounds cooler than Intel.Einy0 - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
That is your complaint? The Killer NIC will be just fine. The bigger issue is the 1:1 802.11AC. I don't get it, fill it up with premium hardware and top it off with bargain basement wifi! Granted, not everyone will use the wifi but holy crap at least spring for a 2:2 card.wintermute000 - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
I agree, I think a more balanced configuration would be with a 2x2 AC card, 16Gb RAM and a choice of 1060 up to 1080. I'd be leery of a 1080 in that confined space TBHChaser - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
Anand did a review of the Killer NIC like within a year ago. They were so impressed with it they made a strong recommendation for it compared to others.Fratman - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
This design and configuration looks pretty good overall. I would prefer a higher wattage power supply, maybe 650 watts.I suspect the 240 GB SSD is weak. And why even bother with a HDD? I would prefer something like a Samsung 960 Evo M.2 NVMe paired with a Samsung 850 Evo SATA drive.
Teizo - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Well, as expensive as this unit is going to be I think they are to try to at least keep it somewhat reasonable. Just about all ssds these days so 540/500 just fine which is ample for most scenarios. I do agree with others that a 500 watt PSU would be better, but that appears to be an 80 Plus Gold rated PSU so 400 watts should be fine.DanNeely - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
The HDD is probably a cost/storage capacity tradeoff. 256+1tb is about the same price as just a 512gb SSD in m.2, and about $100 cheaper than a 1tb SSD. For a gaming system 500gigs is a somewhat marginal capacity, good enough for today but questionable over the next 2 or 3 years. OTOH for anyone able to do manual disk management 256+1tb, will mean you can still keep your main AAA of the month on flash even when they bloat over 100GB each.That said, I hope this is just a single model on the platform and that higher end variants with pure flash storage are available.
ChefJeff789 - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
The exhaust flippers make most locations I would put an SFF PC inconvenient at best. Plus, I don't want more systems that can fail in my PC, I want less.DroidTomTom - Sunday, January 1, 2017 - link
If that is the case then just remove them completely. I believe they are opened by the air pressure of the cooling fans so not really anything additional to fail except for them getting stuck.lazarpandar - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
What makes you believe this? Cooling fans produce a surprisingly low amount of air pressure.Manch - Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - link
I have a Zalman case that opens vents at the top when it hits a temperature threshold. There's a motor that runs it. Air pressure wouldn't be enough. I quite like it. It helps with the dust. and cuts the noise down when not gaming.fanofanand - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Cool product with some nifty ideas, but I have the feeling they will want some serious compensation for their time spent. For the posted configuration i figure $2500 which is probably $1000 too high. I understand the need for profit but I don't know that the high end sff PCs have been flying off the shelves.alkarnur - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
This has a volume of 13.6L which is almost double the 7.2L of the DAN Cases A4-SFX. It's even significantly bigger than the 10L Node 202.You can tell by the oval shape, as opposed to rectangular shape, that they weren't concerned with optimizing compactness.
jwcalla - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
There is no market for PC gaming consoles.chipped - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
What a bad design... The Mac Pro can accomodate two CPU's and two GPU's and looks great, and only uses one fan, and it's easily upgradeable.Just goes to show the difference in their engineering capabilities are like heaven and earth.
DestruyaUR - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
...how is it that you can, in this day and age, make a 'PC console' without an accessible (or present) M.2 port?Mystification - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
It looks like a bin...Mikuni - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link
Wow, they couldn't make it uglier even if they tried.milkod2001 - Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - link
looking forward to read late late review here about this product.Amiga5 - Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - link
Looks cool but no way would I even want it. No multiple gpu's and power supply needs to increase up to 700 or so. Heat would be the biggest issue. I would want it water cooled for gpu oc and cpu. For a gaming rig. It going to be 90C - 100C in there. Too hot. They went all the way except the most important thing. Water cooling would make that rig a powerhouse. At least it can be upgraded to a 6 core or 8 core i7 series but power must go up. 5ghz would be easy with water