When I first previewed the Intel DH67CF, it was quickly noted that the Intel mini-ITX board only officially supported 65w TDP Core i3 and Core i5 processors. Users quickly wrote in questioning this detail. Together, we found other reviews that showed that i7 processors functioned properly along with 95w i5 models. It was adrian who uncovered what we missed in the fine print of the Intel DH67CF product brief:
Using the Intel® Desktop Board DH67CF with a 95W TDP Core and the supplied standard Intel thermal solution may not meet thermal requirements if used in a mini-ITX chassis. For specific processor compatibility, please visit http://processormatch.intel.com.
Basically, the DH67CF can handle the full range of Sandy Bridge processors, but they might get a bit too warm in the confines of a mini-ITX chassis. While this may be an issue in a traditional mini-ITX case, I doubt that heat from a 95w CPU will be a problem in a mini-ITX case built for gaming systems. The Lian Li PC-Q08 has plenty of ventilation and large case fans for airflow so I fired up Prime95 and 3DMark on the 95w Core i5 2500k processor and took its temperature.
Prime95:
I ran Prime95 using the small FFTs for the maximum FPU stress and let it run for a full 30 minutes. I had Real Temp running and grabbed the maximum temperature of the cores at the end of the 30 minutes. The temperatures across the four cores varied slightly, but 74 degrees was the highest I got. As you can see from the graphic,one of the cores did not even break 70 degrees. Certainly acceptable temperatures for this setup.
I then ran the system through a 3DMark06 benchmark to heat up the onboard graphics core and see how that affected the tempuature of the CPU. As we can tell from the figures below, the i5 2500k did not even hit 60 degrees.
And in case you were wondering, the i5′s onboard Intel HD graphics core managed 4173 3DMark06 points. Only 200 points less than we got with a 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600GT.
According to RealTemp, the maximum operating temperature for this particular CPU is 98 degrees. That’s a fair amount of room to play with should if you get the urge to try overclocking.
Given these preliminary numbers, and considering the airflow of the PC-Q08 case, I would have no problems running any of the Sandy Bridge processors in this setup. I would keep in mind though that using a 95w CPU in the DH67CF will most likely be grounds for voiding your warranty. I’m still waiting to get official confirmation on that, but if warranty is important to you, play it safe.
I had ordered a Radeon 6850 for this build but it turned up defective and I had to exchange it. The Q08 provides great ventilation for a discrete graphics card. I don’t expect that it will heat up the case too much. When the replacement arrives I will rerun the benchmarks and see if adding a large video card has any effect on the cooling of the CPU.
Be good to get some comparisons to ATX boards so we can see if there is much lost with the reduced board footprint efficiency wise.
how about a silverstone sg05 case? its a similar case but abit smaller.
How high does the temperature have to get to become worrying?
Maximum temperature varies with CPU model. According to both Real Temp and Core Temp, the maximum temperature (TJ Max) for my i5 2500k is 98 degrees, at which point the CPU will throttle itself to reduce load and temperatures. If your CPU heats up much past the TJ Max, it should trigger a system reboot.
At 70 degrees, my i5 is running well within acceptable temps.
Thanks for the review. Note that if your using pci-e card that the Q08 case doesn't have filters on the bottom so dust could be a problem.
Does the Scythe Shuriken cooler fit?
That's true. Any dust under the case will have an easy path into your GPU. I mention this in the writeup I am doing for the case. Might not be the best case for environments prone to dust or for those who don't regularly clean the interior of their machines.
I'll get back to you on the Shruiken. My local computer shop didn't have any left, so the UPS man is bringing me one. Should be here later in the week and I'll do a comparison. Assuming it fits!
any word on the shuriken?
Excited about the LGA1155 mini-ITX boards. I'd love to know how it fairs in a SG05 and if the Scythe Shuriken SCSK-1100 fits with a graphics card installed. Not sure why they put the socket so close to the PCI-E slot – now I'll have to get rid of or mod my Big Shuriken if I want to use it!
I'm aiming to have an SG05 on hand next week. I'll let you know how it works out.
thx for this, i love your short but informative articles!
was it possible to undervolt (not to overclock) the i5-2500 (K), or is it necessary to have an P67 for this?
The BIOS on the DH67CF will not allow voltage adjustments of the CPU. I do not know if this is a limitation of the H67 or just specific to this board.
Im hoping to fit the Xigmatek Cobra to these itx boards. Would you be able to try one of those out too.
Is the integrated graphics powerful enough to decode fullHD movie?
It sure is.
Has Intel replied to you regarding the use of 95W processors? (Will it be officially supported in the future? or will it void warranty? )
Would they even know if you have used a 95W processor on it?
I have not yet received a reply from Intel.
I own a Lian Li PC-T7 (open air bench case) and i'm wondering if there would be heating problems if using the 2600k on this intel board.
I doubt it. I can’t get a 95w 2500k to go over 75 degrees in an enclosed chassis. Unlikely you will get your 2600k to heat up in open air that much seeing as you can’t overclock it on the DH67CF.
If you go for it, post back and let us know what temps you do hit with it.
I wonder if someone could help. I'm after a little bit of advice regarding this motherboard and potential setup of mine.
I'm looking to get this motherboard with the i7 2600, which is a 95W CPU which Intel do not recommend, but has obviously been shown to be possible which is fine.
However, my setup involves a 1U Rack Chassis. Therefore, the stock Heatsink & Fan will not fit. Could anyone point me in the right direction for a suitable replacement that would fit in a 1U case and would keep the 2600 at safe temperatures?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Dan,
I don't have much experience with rackmount chassis and don't have any suggestions for you. I have posted your problem over in our forums and hopefully we'll get some suggestions from our other readers.
http://forums.itxgamer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&…
I believe there is a slight error in your review : the DH67CF board has 5 SATA ports, 4 internal an one external.
None of the internal port is shared with the eSATA connector. You may have been mistaken by the fact that one of the internal SATA port conforms to the eSATA specification, that is mostly an extended voltage range that allows longer sata cables.
But you can definitely use 5 sata drives with this board.