My Tiny ITX Gaming PC got SO MUCH BETTER !

The best ITX gaming PC build I ever did was last year inside a TINY 7L Dr. Zaber Sentry 2.0. Back then it was the fastest ITX gaming system I'd ever done but now its time to do some 3D printed mods to increase airflow and update some components to make it better able for gaming in 2022!
Download the bracket's 3D STL File - bit.ly/STLBRACKET
Buy items in this video from Amazon at the links below:
Noctua NF-A4x10 - geni.us/NFA4x10
Fan Splitters - geni.us/FANSPL...
Fan Extensions - geni.us/FANEXT...
i5-12600KF - geni.us/12600K...
12mm x 2mm Magnets - geni.us/12MAG
Buy Direct:
ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming ITX - bit.ly/Z690TB4
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 - go.corsair.com...
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - ITX Build Update!
1:31 - The Upgrade Components
4:29 - My 3D Printed COOLING Upgrade!
6:53 - TINY Fans & Challenges
8:17 - Let's BUILD!
8:36 - Its Done...but there's Some Problems
10:13 - Gaming Performance
10:48 - AMAZING Cooling Results!
12:42 - My ITX Gaming PC is DONE...for now.
GET MERCH ►hwcstore.com
SUBSCRIBE ►bit.ly/SubHWC
All upgrade items in this video were purchased personally. This video is sponsored by Thermaltake. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Gear list (Available on Amazon):
Main Camera (Dmitry) - geni.us/SONYA7III
Main Lens (Dmitry) - geni.us/Tamron...
Main Camera (Eber) - geni.us/CanonE...
Main Lens (Eber) - geni.us/dLL
Main 2nd Lens (Eber) - geni.us/Canon2...
Main Camera Mic (D & E) - geni.us/RODEMIC
Cheap 4K Camera (Panasonic G7) - geni.us/24nm
Awesome Slider - geni.us/1Hwt
Our Shotgun Mic - geni.us/Sennhe...
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#itxgamingpc #miniitxbuild #hardwarecanucks

[@HardwareCanucks]

Here's the link to the Bracket's STL File. Making this open to the community! ENJOY - bit.ly/STLBRACKET

[@tobiasthelen6979]

Close the space above the power adapters (were aren't fans) to create a vacuum to really suck out the hot air and have a bigger chimney effect in the case. 👌🏼

[@trowawayacc]

We need a sentry 3. What happened to dr saber?

[@Shingo2611]

Thanks for the great video, I am very interested in improving the thermals on my Zaber clone. I own the HZMod XQ69. I would like to know if I can use your file to make a compatible bracket so it can fit my case? Thank you!

[@SefirothVsCloud]

What material did you use to print it? Thanks

[@edberg091]

Do you have the original parametric file? I need to edit this since my printer is too small.

[@alexandermccomb6444]

I love the problems small builds like this create and the solutions and projects to make things work!

[@HardwareCanucks]

It was a fun one! But frustrating too!

[@agokulk]

For the fan wires cable management, one of the solution is desoldering the wires and resoldering into parallel single channel wires, also maybe with the use of tiny spot welding tool. Learnt from one of the videos from DIY Perks channel

[@HardwareCanucks]

Good tip!

[@Dcheck]

@@HardwareCanucks For the 2 bottom fans that didn't' fit because of the power cables, could you get a 180 degree adapter for the power cables from Amazon/Ebay, and run them on top of the gpu backplate? I did that with my previous build because it was pushing up against the side panel.

[@BruceWayne-vh6kh]

@@Dcheck hey I’m a couple months late, but could you send me a link to which adapters? I recently got my hands on this case and want to modify it the most I dan

[@BruceWayne-vh6kh]

*can

[@johnb2001jb]

Watching PC vids while prepping for my brothers PC to arrive for christmas so I can set it all up for him :D still wish I could afford to get him a better GPU (1660ti) but it should hold him well enough!

[@birdwithgun9940]

Mate your cracked, what a good brother

[@johnb2001jb]

@@birdwithgun9940 no worries! He’s getting a little spoiled this Christmas 😁 his old laptop is really heading to the grave rapidly and he needs something before that happens! Here’s to hoping prices drop and he can upgrade in a couple years

[@grantbaxter3669]

The 1660 Ti is still an awesome card for 1080 and 1440 and the games themselves are just as much fun at those resolutions. He will be STOKED!

[@johnb2001jb]

@@grantbaxter3669 I’m excited to see! He’s been in that phase where he’s just trying to copy his older brother (me!) and he’s been SOOO invested in tinkering with computers and it’s about time he gets one of his own! And yes! The 1660ti should hold him well for a good while!

[@earnistse4899]

How much did that one cost

[@perdomot]

Mike has quickly become my fave HWC reviewer because of projects just like this. Most tech KZbinrs end up sounding like sales people for the tech companies showing off their latest stuff. Finding fun was too tweak your system and improve things is a real classic way of doing stuff and I hope we keep seeing more videos like this in the new year. Happy holidays guys!

[@HardwareCanucks]

Thanks so much! Really appreciate the kind comments. ♥️

[@markmitra6671]

Just a theory. the CPU temp lowered together with the GPU temp because the case now has negative air pressure since you are chucking a higher volume of air outside of the case, thus making the CPU fan somewhat a vacuum for the ambient air to flow into to try and balance the air pressure.

[@ra1nmaker001]

no, it was just undervolted

[@N0N0111]

"DIY Perks" is getting jealous guys 😁 These detailed projects are so cool.

[@fungalcoffee]

I always love to see ssf builds with clever mods, really makes things interesting

[@Owenzzz777]

Love the 3D printed brackets! One thing that’s been on my mind for a while is a radiator offset bracket from Lian Li O11 mini cases. Officially they don’t support radiator mounted on top if you have an ATX motherboard, but they do fit, just needs to be offset to the side of the case a little bit. I think a 3D printed bracket is perfect for that

[@hebie666]

Eh if you have 1 guess, Id just drill holes into strips of steel, say like 4 for a 240/280 that have holes that line up with old hole positions and new position and just cut the screws back to fit once theyre in, if youre just shifting it away from the mobo slightly this is way less complicated. Even a pair of sheers for cutting sheet metal and maybe a file and/or a couple bucks worth of sandpaper would suffice for making this. I own a 3d printer too btw and would still just use steel. EDIT: actually youd just make 3 strips because obviously middle one could be double width and do where the fans meet.

[@irradiatedbean2375]

Done it, it’s soo tight. Ram clearance is a real challenge

[@hebie666]

@@irradiatedbean2375 yeah if it's blocking the ram personally I'm not a big believer in that aesthetically speaking but in like a dual AIO build or some loops I can see why you'd want that.

[@Owenzzz777]

@@hebie666 I’ve thought about that actually. The problem with sheet metal is they’re too thin, and the offset is not that big, so the screws will go through the sheet metal and interfere with the radiator. A thicker metal strip will probably work, but I don’t have tools to make counter sink.

[@jonsenkiw]

Love the 3D printing approach to solve your problems. Low cost and fun. Go from design to tangible object in the same day.

[@beefwantko7269]

totally so low cost, just need the a 300 dollar 3d printer for a piece that large, and then 6 noctua 40m fans that cost 16 dollars a piece, plus the time and software to develop the model for the 3d mounting bracket.. lets say thats a 400 dollar upgrade minimum... kinda sad to see that he benchmarked it against a 3rd gen ryzen as well, instead of a 5600x which would have been a much more comparable test. I saw 60 fps jumps an was like holly shit, but then realized.. not trolling just saying... and I agree it is actaully really cool and im very jeleous of the entire build.

[@matasa7463]

@@beefwantko7269 You can use a public printer at your local library. Mine has one and you only need to pay for the filaments. Noctua fans will be expensive but you're paying for that performance and low noise edge. It's pretty incredible that he got a lower peak noise after the mod, than what was the constant noise level from pre-mod!

[@SirChocula]

3D Printing - oh man, this could literally breath new life into soooo many older cases with a solid front panel by replacing it with a plastic mesh for higher airflow. My Phanteks Evolv surely would love a 3d printed mesh front panel replacement!!!

[@nktslp3650]

"Huge fan", 300 hours. You gotta pump those numbers up bro ! Nicely done !

[@kcramthun6]

I want the Sentry so bad. Such a lovely case. Console cases got so much bigger lately.

[@bradley3549]

There is a decent knockoff available from China. Still not cheap, but at least you can buy it.

[@blairlohnes8103]

I've used those 40mm fans on so many projects, they are great!

[@PhilipChou]

Love the 3d print tinkering and optimization of the fan speeds. Real PCMR stuff right here.

[@TheGameBench]

It's definitely helping the CPU because it's basically a convection oven in there. Not enough airflow, so it's just circulating hot air with not much finding it's way out of the case. The Node 202 could definitely use something like this.

[@bradley3549]

Absolutely. I'm more surprised that this is at all surprising than I am that it happened.

[@l3xx000]

This was awesome, thanks for walking through your thought process, and I like the challenges you have overcome with 3D printing and the tiny build aspects too!

[@davideloi9176]

You are great. Period. I like the passion when you talk about your ideas and projects. Great ideas, very clean work, very refined and precise. You are an artisan in 2021.

[@ericwright8592]

I had a 1080ti in my Zaber Sentry for a while. I had 4x 40mm nocutas on the side as well. Additionally, I put thin rubber weatherstripping foam around the perimeter of the face of the GPU to seal the gpu fans to the case panel. Your GPU fans become high pressure case fans at that point, and it guarantees your gpu can only draw in fresh outside air. Give it a try. Its the same idea behind the Noctua foam stack

[@prince3121]

These projects are so cool. It shows what can be achieved on a budget. Merry Christmas to you and the Hardware Canucks Team and a Happy New Year!

[@seyahtan24]

This is similar to my setup. I have this case and a 5600x. At stock it runs really HOT due to the case airflow, size and cooler limitations. I bought a noctua fan duct kit and I did an undervolt - 0.10 offset and curve optimizer all cores - 30. Runs absolutely cooler now for the same performance. Idle temp was 50C to 60C, now it's 40C mostly. Gaming was at 75C to 90C, now it's 60C mostly. Also gonna try the same thing from the video but with 2 fans only. I need it to remove any trapped hot air inside the case.

[@MohamedGhaiti]

Hi did you try combining the noctua fan duct and the mod from this video? Any feedback ?

[@mnap1595]

Having built in a Fractal Design Node 202 (nearly identical to the case you show) and worked VERY hard to get temps under control, I can tell you that there were two improvements that had a far more significant impact than a series of 40mm fans (I tried this). First, and most importantly, add ventilation to the GPU "chamber" portion of the case adjacent to the backplate of the GPU as well as to the front of the case (I drilled holes into the case, but there are other options, depending on tools and ability). That done, I removed the GPU fan shroud and mounted two 120mm fans (15mm or 25mm thick, depending) as intake into the GPU chamber. Second, a proper CPU heatsink with the fan able to pull in fresh air only (i.e. non-recirculating). Since both of these portions of the PC exist on the same side of the case, I just modified the panel on that side. This was far cheaper, quieter, cable-less, and cooler than the 40mm Noctua option, with no need to undervolt or throttle anywhere. End of day, these cases are poorly designed for systems that generate any measurable heat. It's why other cases came into existence and other forms remain more dominant. For example, I abandoned that build for a XTIA XProto and would never look back.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Yeah....the Node is a very different beast, that's for sure!

[@mnap1595]

@@HardwareCanucks Apologies if my comment felt trollish, that was not my intention. Ultimately, the case design is flawed if one wants to put a reasonable gaming rig inside. From my own testing, while a series of 40mm Noctuas do improve performance a little, those other two changes I mentioned have a significantly more measurable improvement. If you have the tools and ability to do so, I'd encourage you to give it a try!

[@carson5757]

Getting some 180 degree power connectors would fix your clearance issue.

[@HardwareCanucks]

sadly I couldn't find any that would solve it.

[@nottommythao]

Extremely niche upgrade... But also very entertaining. Great build!

[@wololo10]

The meshlicious with the top 90mm fan and back 2x60mm fans with 3D printed supports is awesome in thermals

[@aetikkorpo6233]

Man i love Small Form Builds. Amazing work!

[@jackofa11traits29]

so cute. such tiny fans...i am intrigue to build one...dang...

[@oldmanian]

Another great video with Mike. Loved it and the bracket. Enjoy the holidays!!

[@paolopandas2103]

Would like to see more mods and tweaks to PC cases. Love your channel.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Thanks! Stay tuned.

[@amirmukhsin]

8:37 The front right leg of the case is so close to the edge of the table had me holding my breath the whole time.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Fun fact. The build is almost 16lbs and that weight on the rubber feet means it isn't moving anywhere!

[@ewancook]

1:02 Those are rookie numbers!

[@HardwareCanucks]

You didn't see my original Warhammer time played. ;)

[@AshySenpai]

Dude. I copied this exact build and it has been amazing! I travel for work and it’s been the perfect workstation for the software we use and the gaming performance is insane! The portability is life changing.This is exactly what I always wanted in a PC for my deployments, finally getting rid of my work laptop!

[@johnking7162]

I want to build one. When you play games, is it noisy?

[@AshySenpai]

@@johnking7162 a little. Dealing with some thermal throttling at the moment but that's because I play warzone at 4k 144hz

[@ArturoTabera]

My name is Mike and 6 Noctua fans+bracket are a fortune for me. Lol!

[@bigfil1981]

Such a cool little build ❤️

[@saxoferm]

I love itx builds....my first was on z390 in a cm elite 130 with a 2080ti...right now I'm building an emulation pc using an apu on a b450 in a Chopin case.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Chopin is a pretty sweet little guy.

[@shaunhall6834]

I understand about supporting your local business, but when it comes to PC's and electronics. I do things a little differently and shop at Microcenter and have my local PC/IT repair shop build my rig. This way I get the best of both worlds and shop at a company I like doing business with.

[@suit1337]

Just a quick note on the Decibel scale- it is logarithmic with different bases for loudness, sound pressure and intensity - 4 dB is indeed a lot for every 10 dB the loudness doubles, 4 dB is roughly 1,3 times louder for every 6 dB the sound pressure doubles - 4 dB is 1,5 times more sound pressure for every 3 dB the intensity doubles - 4 dB is 2,5 times more intense

[@fmulleady]

What an awesome customisation and build!

[@ole7736]

Well done!

[@Aerobrake]

I am going to build a 3080Ti FE and a 13700K powered by a V1100 SFX and will be put inside a fractal design ridge! similar journey but mine has started December 29 2022. I just have (in order) the 13700K, Fractal Design Ridge (Black), V1100 SFX Platinum left to get. I can't wait to start building!

[@michaelthompson9798]

Killer setup you have Mike 🥰🤩🤯👍. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas 🎄🎄🎄🎅🤶. I personally have 3x ITX pc builds. 1x in a Skyreach mini S4 case, a N-Case M1 & Cooler Master NR200 (original case). I love all of them ❤🥰. I would love to get a Dr Zaber case to add to my collection 🥳🥰👍🤩

[@gamehawk55]

Tech tip for those type of "ribboned" power supply cables....Peel each wire apart so they're all separate and then bundle them back together with some zip ties or velcro tape. Makes them infinitely easier to work with and you can get much cleaner looking runs.

[@kiwimonster3647]

These fans look cute

[@HardwareCanucks]

They're quiet too. :)

[@rossmpostpro]

DDR5 maturing? Eh, what? Love the content as always Mike.

[@majoriteten]

11:30 about the noise. 3dB is double the energy. not to mention, fans create higher notes when rpm increases and higher pitch noise is more audiable than lower pitch.

[@just.jules.973]

Great job mate 👍

[@joethomson8491]

Merry Xmas guys and all the best when it comes 🥂🎉😜👍🏻😂

[@zefrogi]

You too!

[@HardwareCanucks]

Same to you!

[@poeticsilence047]

I like these videos. I feel like it shows a little more of your personality and frame of thinking, instead of promoting another product, though that is how you guys work.

[@matasa7463]

This is so interesting! More brilliant little mods please!

[@FAB1150]

Oh, that case looks like a portal sentry turret!

[@David-ym2vk]

Having a 3D printer is a game changer for people that are tech savvy and like to tinker.

[@markguzmics]

1:05 You gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers...

[@gonzoguy2424]

Lol I literally came here to say that.

[@HardwareCanucks]

LOL. Running the channel, doing on-cams, a kid on the way and renovations means that's A LOT of gameplay....in my life. ;) - Mike

[@gonzoguy2424]

@@HardwareCanucks i get it. I respect the grind dude and love the channel!

[@usmanshah8395]

Brilliant build and love the mod. HNY

[@archief1]

Those noctuas are hilarious

[@AdrianLi123]

Awesome video man! I have the almost identical case and configs. Try getting the official Silverstone ITX cable set which is a bit softer and shorter. I also shortened them even more myself. Also consider getting a 5cm PCI-E Gen4 riser cable too.

[@JohanH1990]

Well made, compliments and thanks for sharing!

[@Dseated]

A larger hole on the side and an external fan mount. Also block up the remaining 2 fan spaces.

[@michaelthompson9798]

8:10 is that the “intro music” from “Hoosier Hardware” in the background hmmm 🤔

[@bongkem2723]

this is a sick build !!! all thoses tiny fans inside a tiny case =)))

[@eaaeeeea]

The results look great!

[@VIVlt]

such a nice build. never seen fans so small :D

[@traaaaan]

I got one of these little fans and zip tied it over my asrock x570 pro4's vrms. I'm running a 5900x and it's been rock solid.

[@perdomot]

I got the 590 version of this mobo earlier on this year and love it. Good choice.

[@TheHeavik]

This case reminds me Portal turrets with that red led on the power button

[@hyp36rmax]

This is great thank you for the STL file.

[@HardwareCanucks]

You're welcome!

[@eclipse9304]

If the fans are creating a direction for hot air to flow out of the case, it makes sense that they would reduce the heat bleeding into the CPU area.

[@Apollo-Computers]

I've not seen that case before, I like it. I have always wanted to build a teeny tiny water cooled pc with the highest end parts you can buy. Maybe put in quick disconnects in the desk with giant rads hidden under the desk. Also want to do a build where you can't see any tubing at all.

[@bear532]

I 3D printed a cpu cooler fan duct for my cougar ITX build and it dropped temps by 5-6 degrees while also completely stabilizing them. CPU maxes at 79C under a 1 hour full load running at 115W.

[@biobreaker5009]

You managed to cool a 3090 in an itx form factor. You, sir, are a monster

[@huguberhart]

Super cool management of a great ITX build. To help routing the cables, maybe you could go the way of solid core wires? I would imagine that wires placed and folded still in a tight case would make it easier? Creating them would be a humonguos challenge tho?

[@HasanBabasi]

Yeah! magnets!

[@Deletistjerk]

I would undervolt GPU as well. I shaved off 10 degrees. It’s much less noise.

[@skilatchitheking]

Try mounting the little fans on the external side. They should all fit.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Yeah...but so ugly! And the fan mounts don't align with the holes!

[@caml1720]

Nice! I bought a 3d printed bracket for 2 60mm noctuas to help exhaust one side of the GPU in my meshlicious, and I was also surprised by how noisy they are at full speed. Still tinkering with the fan curve now

[@DavidMateos56]

Cool (pun intended) update! Maybe you can get your hands on some ultra low profile pcie power cables and clear enough space to install the other 2 fans.

[@TheJAMF]

With so little room, you might want to create a 3D shroud outsiders the case and use 4 or 5 80mm fans, as (with the B-roll flip-flop ping top and bottom) it is apparently possible to have the GPU on top. Might be a cool experiment and you probably have easy access to those fans.

[@wolfgangchristl9978]

nice little build. Asrock always did good ITX motherboards, I should look into building one.

[@itsdeonlol]

Happy holidays Mike to you & your family!

[@HardwareCanucks]

You too!

[@knightsljx]

12:25 exhausting the hot GPU air directly is probably preventing the hot air from recirculating inside the case

[@Dawg99999]

the zaber is still my favourite SFF case....

[@nates9105]

Yes, reducing the total heat inside the case from either CPU or GPU will significantly reduce overall temps of both. It's why I like water cooled GPUs with air cooled CPUs. Air cooling is consistent but GPUs put a lot of heat in immediate surroundings. So water cooled GPU with radiator enables heat to be transported away from surrounding area, therefore creating cooler temps.

[@rocketracer111]

I did this too. I can approve this.

[@mikeymaiku]

@@rocketracer111 just do the tri-stellar approach. 3 seperate chambers in a massive footpront for itx builds

[@nates9105]

@@mikeymaiku Oh wow! Thanks for introducing me to a very interesting case design! Might consider that for a future build! .... oh wait it's discontinued :(

[@duke_jw]

KZbin closed captions: "Hey guys, Mike here with horror Canucks."

[@itxaddict7503]

Moar fans is always the answer.

[@letsrocknet]

Hehe... Have you looked at the Subtitles? "Hey guys Mike here with horror canucks..." 🤣

[@deijlite]

Could you not add 180 degree PCIE power adaptors to the 3090 and be able to fit the additional 2 Noctua fans in the bracket?

[@HardwareCanucks]

Nope. I dimensioned it and I'd still be missing 2mm unless there's 90 degree adapters that are slimmer than the ones I was able to find.

[@deijlite]

@@HardwareCanucks Those damn mm's!!! Thanks for the reply.

[@vladikostek]

@@deijlite Aren't their comparable fans that aren't as thick? I remember reading that these noctua's are a few mm thicker than most of that size. Could buy you those extra 2mm...

[@dookiemane]

love it. love the case and mod although i cant bring myself to pay that much for that case. ive wanted it for years. great vid

[@djvidual8288]

Hey, great video Mike!

[@thepunisher3160]

Great video

[@84Actionjack]

Nice mod!

[@alexsiniov]

I advise to use xflow alphacool radiators, they are superb quality and solve a lot of piping problems in tiny cases. also they don't restrict waterflow as U type radiators do

[@UltimateNox]

nice work

[@ufsteropolstero6014]

Why don't you DIY custom length cables?

[@nelsonr.9450]

Thx for this video, I had an idea like that, I'm trying to make my own sff case, one thing I want to do is to make all the fans from the components facing all the same side (bringing air from under the case, maybe with a hole under it, to bring a lot of air and less dust!

[@mordecaiepsilon]

The temperature difference for the GPU looks insignificant, but the heat removal is probably substantial if your clock speeds are higher

[@isaacfernandez637]

I love mods!

[@blaskotron]

There are 90degree pci power adapters which I use, very cheap on Amazon.

[@2355marc]

Also a theory, not sure if you can rotate the cpu heatsink but give that a try if possible, the air channels are blocked off on the left and right side so it's possible the air just isn't moving through the heatsink properly.

[@jaylanmcmurtry5317]

Lil noctua

[@HardwareCanucks]

TINY NOCTUA!

[@soren777]

Was just looking through all your old videos and yall didn't do a 2021 best case of the year video, how come ?

[@chungushimself3712]

BRO THOSE CUTE WITTLE ASS FANSS OOMMMGGGGGG