Description
This build was put together to test a custom case I have made. The LZ7 is a sub 7 litre case with excellent thermal performance for its size.
The focus of this build was firstly to be as small as possible, and secondly was to be quiet whilst gaming. Usually these 2 things don't mix well and you have to compromise somewhere. So I decided to design my own case that that didn't have to compromise on size or thermal performance.
The Gigabyte GTX 1070 is the most powerful ITX card currently available, making it the best choice to test out the case design. An Intel i5-6500 was selected for plenty of gaming performance at a low TDP. The 140mm Prolimatech Vortex intake fan supplies the Noctua NH-L9i with plenty of cool air resulting in a low temperatures and low fan rpm's.
The GPU side of the ase is designed with 360 GPU exhaust ventilation, this in combination with the positive pressure of the case fan means all the warm GPU air is exhausted directly out the case preventing re circulation and heat build up. Initial testing has shown the Gigabyte GTX 1070 exceeds its full boost (1800+ Mhz) during heavy gaming for sustained periods of time. This boost speed was maintained with the GPU fan profile set to silent, this resulted in a fan speed of around 1550rpm and a GPU temp of around 80C. At this fan speed the Gigabyte card is very quiet, it can be heard as a faint hum across my living room.
An issue encountered with this build was that the Gigabyte card is slightly too tall for the case by a couple of mm. The next prototype will be slightly taller to comfortably fit this card.
Overall I am very pleased with the performance I am getting from this build, it runs very quiet whilst gaming without any throttling. The GTX 1070 is an amazing card, the Witcher 3 runs buttery smooth and the graphics look incredible.
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