Help with Metis Skylake build

[f98pno]

Dear all,

I have been looking around this excellent webpage for ideas for a build that I hope I could use as my primary computer for many years to come. Any advice from you, very knowledgeable members of this forum, would therefor be extremely appreciated!

My priorities:
1) Small, clean case
2) Storage. One 3,5 HDD for storage + one SSD for programs
3) Long-lived. Hope this build could remain in action for 5+ years.
4) Quietness

Regarding inspiration, I have been looking a lot at edh’s excellent guide at:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=68832
and tried to follow it in many aspects, but made some changes to suit my needs. Any feedback on this would therefore be very appreciated:

Case: Raijintek Metis
The starting point of the build. Of all the smaller chassis I found, this is the one that I like the most visually. The fact that edh in his guide found components working well together made the selection easier. Really like the airflow idea through the Ninja cooler and out through the passive PSU

Motherboard: Asus Z170i Pro Gaming
I follow edh here and see great use for both the M2 and the DDR4 support. When reading the reviews I could not find anything obviously better

CPU cooler & Fan: Scythe Ninja 4 & Noctua NF-S12A PWM
I follow edh’s build here as well

CPU: Intel Core i7 6700 3,4GHz Socket 1151 Box
Quite expensive, but hope this investment pays of in the computer being usable longer. Would consider some less energy consuming option if needed

PSU: Seasonic X-400
I got the impression that the older gold rated version, despite marginally lower energy efficiency, had less problems with high frequency noise. Don’t have any clear preference except of the PSU to be passive for edh’s airflow principle to work

SSD: Samsung 850 EVO Series MZ-N5E500BW 500GB
I could not find a slot for a 2,5 SSD if using a 3,5 HDD and a graphic card in the chassi. Would have preferred a larger SSD otherwise

HDD: WD Red WD60EFRX 64MB 6TB
This monster should provide all the storage that I ever will need and more than that. Selected it for the good SPCR rating of the 3TB version

GPU: Asus GeForce GTX 960 Strix DirectCU II OC HDMI 3xDP 4GB
This is the second deviation from edh’s build. Since I want my HDD, I need to pay more attention to the cooler of the GPU. 2GB version of this card got an excellent review by SPCR and I got the impression that this was basically the same card with just a bit of extended memory for just a few bucks more

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4 PC24000/3000MHz CL15 2x8GB
Decent value for money and easy to upgrade later if ever needed

OS: Ubuntu LTS / Win10

My main concerns are:
1) Will everything fit into this small case?
2) Will my selected GPU work with its original cooling without being to noisy?

This would be the first quiet computer that I have ever built.

[CA_Steve]

What are your apps / use cases?
- CPU: Do you really need an i7? Do you have applications (video editing/transcoding/3D modeling..) that make use of the hyperthreading? Otherwise, I'd save the $'s.
- RAM: Intel's memory controller doesn't benefit from DDR4 3000's speed. Limited benefit above 2133, really. If you want to feel safe, go with 2400.
- GPU: Both the Asus Strix and MSI's Gaming cards are good choices for noise levels. I lean toward MSI. I didn't check for fit compatibility.

[Abula]

I would wait for edh to give you some comments about the build since you are trying to do something very similar.

But what gives me some doubts is the GPU, im not sure if it will fit, you do need to cross check it, if it doesn't fit there is also the alternative of the MINI versions,

ASUS Graphics Cards GTX960-MOC-2GD5
Gigabyte GTX 960 Mini ITX GV-N960IXOC-4GD

You could also check if you can do what edh did by adding an ARCTIC Accelero S3 (not sure if this version can fit with the backplate, the older one didn't use one) + adding a 120mm fan low rpms.

[edh]

Thanks for considering the same concept as me!

Where I would be concerned is the 3.5" HDD and the GTX 960 being in there together. You are not going to have that quiet a system I don't think. The GTX 960 might well be beyond what can be cooled in the Metis without modifications to the top of the case. If you were to drill some ventilation holes in the top of the case (there are a few mods out there where people have done this) then this will allow more cool air in through the top of the case and give a big reduction in graphics card temps. I am considering doing the same to reduce fan spin up under load on the graphics card.

The 3.5" drive will block out ventilation to the graphics card anyway which will interfere badly with the graphics card. You could get around this by mounting one or 2 2.5" HDD at the bottom of the case and using an M.2. Why do you need a 6TB HDD though? This is the major difference we have in our systems and if you were to go with 2x2TB 2.5" drives at the bottom of the case this might be better for noise (they are soft mounted) and cooling.

What I would suggest if you are going to use the i7 is to do the Ninja mounting mod I did to move the cooler right up against the rear fan and install an additional fan in front of the CPU cooler. Maybe get a set of matching fans to do this with. You will need to mod the mounting bracket to do this to create the 25mm gap needed at the front of the cooler.

You could also check if you can do what edh did by adding an ARCTIC Accelero S3 (not sure if this version can fit with the backplate, the older one didn't use one) + adding a 120mm fan low rpms.

You can't use the backplate. It's easy to install without it though, you just need some shorter screws.

A modified S3 and a 120mm fan on the GTX 960 will work but I would only do it in a metis with some ventilation in the top panel.

[f98pno]

Thanks for all the great input lads!

What are your apps / use cases?
- CPU: Do you really need an i7? Do you have applications (video editing/transcoding/3D modeling..) that make use of the hyperthreading? Otherwise, I'd save the $'s.

Some video editing from my GoPro camera, looking to upgrade when the Hero5 is released. Nothing too advanced though, the main reason for a high-end CPU is too extend the lifetime for the computer a bit, but should do some reseach then regarding changing to i5-6400 which seams like the logical alternative.

- RAM: Intel's memory controller doesn't benefit from DDR4 3000's speed. Limited benefit above 2133, really. If you want to feel safe, go with 2400.

Thanks, checked the prices for:
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4 PC17000/2133MHz CL13 2x8GB
but where just about the same, so then I just as well could stick to the original choice.

- GPU: Both the Asus Strix and MSI's Gaming cards are good choices for noise levels. I lean toward MSI. I didn't check for fit compatibility.

Thanks, I found cards of the same sizes of my original card, but the one's Adhula recommended where only 17cm long... feels safer to get those into the chassi.

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

But what gives me some doubts is the GPU, im not sure if it will fit, you do need to cross check it, if it doesn't fit there is also the alternative of the MINI versions,
ASUS Graphics Cards GTX960-MOC-2GD5
Gigabyte GTX 960 Mini ITX GV-N960IXOC-4GD

Thanks Abdula - I checked the dimensions and the cards you suggest are saving 4cm of space, so I change to one of those.
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Overcloc ... 0167OW8M0/
gets the nod largely because of the 4GB. Could not find data regarding power consumption easily for either card.

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You could get around this by mounting one or 2 2.5" HDD at the bottom of the case and using an M.2. Why do you need a 6TB HDD though? This is the major difference we have in our systems and if you were to go with 2x2TB 2.5" drives at the bottom of the case this might be better for noise (they are soft mounted) and cooling.

Wow, could I squeeze in two 2,5 HDD's at the bottom? That would make sense, particularly considering your comment regarding the metal-to-metal noise of the 3,5 HDD in the other thread. Any particular 2,5 HDD that in reliable and quiet?

A modified S3 and a 120mm fan on the GTX 960 will work but I would only do it in a metis with some ventilation in the top panel.

Don't currently have the tools for making the cut clean, but do you think I could get a similar effect by buying the chassi with the window and leave that open if I drill some holes in the back plane?

Is the difference in power consumption between GTX 960 and GTX 950 so big that using the ARCTIC Accelero S3 without some additional modding would not be enough to keep the GPU fan quiet?

Would in general try to follow your build as much as possible edh!

[edh]

the main reason for a high-end CPU is too extend the lifetime for the computer a bit

Buy for now. Futureproofing never works out as intended and in a couple of years time you'll be able to buy something faster with the money that you save now. We've all gone through futureproofing at some point and come back from it realising that we wasted our money.

I found cards of the same sizes of my original card, but the one's Adhula recommended where only 17cm long.

170mm is your limit with a 160mm PSU. If you have a 150mm PSU you can have a longer card but with 160mm PSU the card lines up close to the top of the PSU. A longer cooler can be used but you have to be careful of the PSU cables, hence my cutting/bending of fins on the S3.

Wow, could I squeeze in two 2,5 HDD's at the bottom?

That's what the antivibration mounts are laid out for. You will have a bit more cable tangle associated with this so some rear of motherboard cable tidying would be preferable. I'm not especially familiar with 2.5" HDDs but they are in general quieter than 3.5" anyway.

Don't currently have the tools for making the cut clean, but do you think I could get a similar effect by buying the chassi with the window and leave that open if I drill some holes in the back plane?

Don't think that would help. The window is on the side so won't help the graphics card. A 112mm bimetal holesaw won't cost you a lot in the big scheme of things for such a build and the Metis is so cheap that if you mess it up it won't matter too much. It's a cheap case to mod.

Is the difference in power consumption between GTX 960 and GTX 950 so big that using the ARCTIC Accelero S3 without some additional modding would not be enough to keep the GPU fan quiet?

Might be a bit of a bother, not that the fan will spin up but that the hot air won't have anywhere to go. It's something I notice. Without additional ventilation the fan will just spin around a load of hot air.

[f98pno]

Is the difference in power consumption between GTX 960 and GTX 950 so big that using the ARCTIC Accelero S3 without some additional modding would not be enough to keep the GPU fan quiet?

Might be a bit of a bother, not that the fan will spin up but that the hot air won't have anywhere to go. It's something I notice. Without additional ventilation the fan will just spin around a load of hot air.

How well does it work with your Zotac GTX 950 graphics card? Do you plan to drill some holes for improved airflow on your chassi?

[edh]

How well does it work with your Zotac GTX 950 graphics card? Do you plan to drill some holes for improved airflow on your chassi?

I'm thinking of drilling some holes in the top panel. Either do it as one big hole and then cover it with a grill or many small holes to match the pattern on the side of the case. This has been carried out by others with the Metis to varying degrees of success.

[mikeb]

This is almost exactly the same build I am currently considering.

Would you consider a slightly larger case? I was looking at the Raijintek STYX rather than the Metis. Sure it's a bit larger, but has roof ventilation and more space for drives and future expansion. Here's a good review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-UgibdV03U with a comparison to the Metis.

On the topic of going for i7 over i5, the benchmarks I see show around 25% more perf and also hyper-threading, so the ~$100 more seems a decent investment for workloads that can make use of it.

Looking forward to hear more about your build!

[f98pno]

Thanks once again for all the help in this tread.

I have now ordered and received the chassi. It does indeed look as nice as I had expected, but there are three things that i underestimated when ordering it:
1) The wood-like painting makes it hard to drill holes and then paint them black.
2) It was a bit harder to work inside it than I had expected, at least compared with the impression i got of the M1.
3) The quality felt quite average. Obviously expected for a cheap chassi, but considering the time and other costs starting off with a more high quality chassi would be worth it.

I red a bit more about both chassis and finally decided to opt for the M1 despite the lead time of the chassi. Realizing now how much I will appreciate those ready-made ventilation holes at the top.