Mac Mini replacement

[MercW211]

Hello!

I'm thinking of building a new "Mac Mini" because my ASRock board on my current build has died after a bit over 6 years (keeps reseting as soon as there is load on the cpu, cpu and psu are fine) However, I'm not to sure about some parts. This is what I would like to buy and my reasoning behind the parts:

CPU: Intel i7-8700 --> I don't want to overclock and I think the CPU is powerful enough with 3,20 GHz considering I'm currently on a Mac Mini Late 2012 and a i7-3770. So it would be a nice upgrade and I would get two cores more.
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370M DS3H --> Yes I know that it's a Z Board but it only costs 2 € (yes, 2 €) more compared to the H370M.
RAM: Trident Z 16GB, 3200, CL14-14-14-34 (F4-3200C14D-16GTZSK) --> Not to sure about the RAM. From what I've read the RAM is very good but I'm not sure If I will feel a difference to say 2666 MHz CL 16 RAM. My wallet on the other hand will as the Trident Z is around 90 € more.
Drive: 860 Evo with 500 GB --> Don't need NVMe and Samsung is the leader in SSDs imho. I have the same drive in my pc rig with 1 TB and it works fine.
PSU: Seasonic Focus Gold 450W --> Yeah a bit overkill considering there will be no GPU except the iGPU but I've been using Seasonic for the last ~10 years, they are just rock solid and have a 10 year warranty. And who knows maybe I will go with a 1050 (Ti) later on for the occasional game if the iGPU is not powerful enough.
Cooler: Noctua xyz --> Not sure on this yet since I'm still looking for a case. I'm not into AiO watercooling as I think they have to many downsides (loud, expensive, hard to mount) compared to a high end air cooler. I've narrowed it down to NH-C14S, NH-D15S or NH-D15.

Case: So this is where I need a little help. The BitFenix Phenom M looks ok but I'm not to sure about the internal layout of it as it's a bit weird. Now I don't want a huge case considering I'm building a µATX system. Currently I have a Bitfenix Prodigy but that is only Mini-ITX and I don't want to compromise with that form factor anymore. I've looked at the "Fractal Design Define Mini C". I've never had a Fractal Design case are they any good? The good thing about the Mini C would be that I could fit the NH-D15 with no problem.

Would love to hear your feedback about the build

 

[lxhxxnxxx]

- From what I heard, if you're using iGPU, than ram speed does matter. 90€ is way too much for the difference though.
- Why not just go with the stock cooler first? Maybe it's just me. But I only use non-K CPUs, and with the stock coolers. I do love the aftermarket coolers' look but that's about it.
- And Fractal Design does make high quality cases.

 

[pastrychef]

Sticking with Z370 is a good idea because H370 seems to be a bit more problematic when hackintoshing.

Can't go wrong with Seasonic.

I use a Noctua NH-D15S and I love it. I've only used Noctua coolers in my builds and can't think of any reason to use anything else. If you are going to use an mATX motherboard, make sure the Noctua cooler you choose doesn't block the first PCI-e slot or the RAM. That means going with the NH-D15S over the NH-D15.

I've never used a Fractal Design case, but I've only read/heard good things. Bitfenix does make a Prodigy M for mATX. I personally use a Silverstone KL06. It's very compact and fits all my components without issues. I chose it because if felt the internal layout and cooling resembled my old MacPro5,1. I can tell you that this case keeps everything extremely cool. I use Noctua fans throughout.

 

[aussiepilot]

Hello!

I'm thinking of building a new "Mac Mini" because my ASRock board on my current build has died after a bit over 6 years (keeps reseting as soon as there is load on the cpu, cpu and psu are fine) However, I'm not to sure about some parts. This is what I would like to buy and my reasoning behind the parts:

CPU: Intel i7-8700 --> I don't want to overclock and I think the CPU is powerful enough with 3,20 GHz considering I'm currently on a Mac Mini Late 2012 and a i7-3770. So it would be a nice upgrade and I would get two cores more.
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370M DS3H --> Yes I know that it's a Z Board but it only costs 2 € (yes, 2 €) more compared to the H370M.
RAM: Trident Z 16GB, 3200, CL14-14-14-34 (F4-3200C14D-16GTZSK) --> Not to sure about the RAM. From what I've read the RAM is very good but I'm not sure If I will feel a difference to say 2666 MHz CL 16 RAM. My wallet on the other hand will as the Trident Z is around 90 € more.
Drive: 860 Evo with 500 GB --> Don't need NVMe and Samsung is the leader in SSDs imho. I have the same drive in my pc rig with 1 TB and it works fine.
PSU: Seasonic Focus Gold 450W --> Yeah a bit overkill considering there will be no GPU except the iGPU but I've been using Seasonic for the last ~10 years, they are just rock solid and have a 10 year warranty. And who knows maybe I will go with a 1050 (Ti) later on for the occasional game if the iGPU is not powerful enough.
Cooler: Noctua xyz --> Not sure on this yet since I'm still looking for a case. I'm not into AiO watercooling as I think they have to many downsides (loud, expensive, hard to mount) compared to a high end air cooler. I've narrowed it down to NH-C14S, NH-D15S or NH-D15.

Case: So this is where I need a little help. The BitFenix Phenom M looks ok but I'm not to sure about the internal layout of it as it's a bit weird. Now I don't want a huge case considering I'm building a µATX system. Currently I have a Bitfenix Prodigy but that is only Mini-ITX and I don't want to compromise with that form factor anymore. I've looked at the "Fractal Design Define Mini C". I've never had a Fractal Design case are they any good? The good thing about the Mini C would be that I could fit the NH-D15 with no problem.

Would love to hear your feedback about the build

The Phenom M is a great case, but not as standard. The mods are simple, and with one exception are well documented (google them).

I'm using the NH-U14S CPU cooler with a 2nd fan, which is just about identical in performance to the D15, but gives a bit more clearance.

For the setup you're thinking of, the 2 case fans it comes with are probably fine, and, if you use the U14, you won't need the 2nd fan. Without the GPU, you can even keep normal case airflow. Keep the heat shield on the bottom, then have one fan blow n from the back and the other blow out from the top. Have the CPU cooler fan blow from back to front. These fans are almost as quiet as the Noctua ones, but are not PWM.

It makes life much simpler if you swap the side panels over so the one with the USB ports, drive bays and power switch is on the other side. The buttons, etc can be turned round so they still look right. This then means you can get at the insides without having to worry about cables, etc.

You may have a fiddle with the SeaSonic PSU as with mine (650W), the mains connector is close to the edge, which makes connecting it tough - the moulded plug means the cable has to be forced to get the plug in - it's fine once connected though.

I'd remove the 5 inch internal drive bay. It's a waste of space and just gets in the way.

This still leaves you with room for 2 SSDs in the side panel with the power switch - use these first as they are not affected if you need to get inside the case. You then have room for another 3 SSDs on the mounting bracket that fits inside the other side. You will not have room for the HDDs it takes as the CPU coolers you are looking at will get in the way.

There is also room for 2 HDD in the bottom of the case (if you don't need a fan there as I do).

Finally, there is room for a slim (20mm) HDD between the trim and the chassis at the front, which I've not seen documented anywhere. A normal thickness drive won't fit without modifying the front trim panel.

The only other advice would be to attach all cables to the MB before trying to mount it unless you have a handy 10 year old or very small hands.

Some photos are attached.

My build is based on @pastrychef see - https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-wi-fi-ac-build-w-i7-8700k-amd-vega-56.239969

My 8700K is overclocked to 5Ghz, and temps peak at 80 C without having de-lidded. I have fitted all the fans I can, but that's partly because my ambients can be high.

View attachment 361211

Front of the case with the trim removed. Shows inline with the top towards the left.

 

[MercW211]

Hey, thanks for all the useful infos

I'm going to wait and see what Apple will anounce tommorow and depending on what it is I might go for a Mac Mini Late 2018. However if everything is soldered, like the MacBook Pros, I'll go with this:

• Gigabyte Z370M DS3H
• Intel Core i7-8700
• Corsair Vengeance LPX, 16GB, DDR4-2666, CL16-18-18-35
• Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB
• 1x Noctua NF-A14 PWM (Rear, out)
• 1x Noctua NF-P12 PWM (Top, in)
• 1x Noctua NF-A20 PWM (Bottom, in)
• NH-D15S
• BitFenix Phenom M (The Fractal's footprint is just a bit to big)
  
• Seasonic Focus Gold 450W

I'm going with 2 fans that will blow air in so I have a positive pressure and reduce dust build up. The included fans might be ok but I love a silent system and Noctua fans are just the way to go for that.

The whole rig will come in at around ~940 €. A very good price for the performance boost I'll be getting.

What would the best post-install Multibeast profile be? Mac Mini 2012 or something else?