Setup and Installation
Setup: All-in-One
Our setup for the Xikii FF10 makes no compromises. If it means investing in a custom external water cooling system, let’s not hold back.
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
- GPU: RTX 5090 Founders Edition
- Motherboard: MSI MPG B860i Edge Ti Wi-Fi
- RAM: Patriot Viper DDR5 8000 MT/s CL36 with Alphacool heat spreaders
- SSD: Biwin Black Opal X570H Pro Gen 5
- Power Supply: ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L 1000W
- Cables: Custom-made, cable by cable by Cablester
Xikii FF10: A Simple Build
Relatively speaking. This is an SFF chassis model, so it’s best to take your time during assembly and follow the component installation order shown in the dedicated video.
That said, the installation presents no major difficulties. Key points:
- Preparing the motherboard outside the case
- Connecting the riser cable before positioning the motherboard
- Mounting the power supply on its bracket outside the case
- Connecting all cables before locking the power supply bracket in place
Our choices for water cooling
For the CPU water block, we’re going with the Alphacool Core 1. It’s a proven performer and offers one of the best value-for-money options on the market today. We also appreciate its subtle RGB lighting visible through the FF10’s grille. For fittings, we’re turning to the Thermal Grizzly lineup, which is perfectly suited to this type of setup. Their versatility and minimal footprint are major advantages. Furthermore, the flat mounting surface of the rigid fittings makes installation in this tight space very easy.
The internal/external connection is made using Koolance QD3 quick-disconnect fittings.
On the outside, we’re installing a 420 mm Watercool Airplex Radical radiator, paired with a Singularity Computers Protium reservoir and cooled by Thermaltake Thoughfan EX14 PRO fans. The pump is an Alphacool VPP Apex. This setup, capable of cooling our Core Ultra 9 without straining it, will be powered by a dedicated external power supply. However, there’s nothing stopping you from connecting it to the Xikii FF10 via the provided cable routing. To manage fan speeds, we’re using the Noctua NA-FC1 controller. The entire setup is mounted on the Kompcase Ally stand (this is a prototype).
What about the RAM?
The initial plan called for RAM water cooling. Several reviewers, including Eigatech—which itself created an air-cooled build in the FF10—warned us about DDR5 overheating in certain SFF configurations. Our FF10 with external water cooling—which lacks any active cooling in the main chamber—is cause for concern.
Unfortunately, even with low-profile fittings, it’s impossible to install the RAM water cooling. The chamber’s depth simply won’t allow it. We tried several configurations and water blocks. Impossible. We’re just a few millimeters short. The issue could therefore be resolved with a slightly thinner, custom-made water block. But we’ll see that the real problem lies elsewhere.
The Cables That Make the Difference
Unlike many of its competitors, the Xikii FF10 is quite forgiving when it comes to cables. So, you can make do with the stock cables that come with the ASUS ROG Loki power supply. You’ll have to put in some effort to organize them, and closing the case will be a bit of a hassle. But it’s doable.
However, with this type of premium build, we think it’s a shame to ruin the design and assembly efforts with an unsightly tangle of cables. Furthermore, custom cables will allow the components to “breathe” and facilitate natural airflow. We turned to Cablester, a company specializing in custom-made SFF cables. They offer only kits with lengths perfectly suited for a specific power supply, motherboard, GPU, and case. Each cable with a connector (24-pin, for example) is measured individually, taking into account the bend radius inside the case. Here, we’re using unsleeved silver Teflon models. The results are impressive, particularly for the 12V-2×6 cable, which was tested with the Thermaltake Dr Power III.
Xikii FF10: Temperatures
Once the assembly is complete and the water-cooling loop is filled, we move on to testing. We run the standard tests: OCCT, Cinebench, 3DMark benchmarks (Port Royal, Time Spy, Extreme), and UnigineValley. The RTX 5090 FE is left at stock settings. The Apex VPP pump is set to 60%, and the fans to a comfortable 50%. We were only concerned about RAM temperatures, and possibly VRM temperatures… but things didn’t go quite as planned.
The Best Case for the RTX 5090 FE
The graphics card is installed in a dedicated chamber and benefits from virtually infinite airflow. In a word : perfect. Temperatures are excellent in every situation and nearly identical to those we saw with this same graphics card in our Fractal North Momentum. We recorded 35°C at idle, a maximum of 51°C while gaming (Cyberpunk 2077, Subnautica, Valorant), and a peak of 71°C on Time Spy Extreme. We’ve never achieved better results with our FE.
CPU : No Issue
With its dedicated, oversized custom water-cooling loop, the CPU barely flinches under various workloads. The maximum temperature of 59°C is also reached on Time Spy Extreme (during the CPU test). In-game, temperatures never exceed 50°C. That’s the whole point of external SFF systems. Of course, they take up more floor space, but the benefit is real. In fact, a well-sized external cooling system combined with a case like this results in a smaller overall footprint than some large towers designed specifically for water cooling. Add to that some interesting modularity and scalability. Finally, the handle included with the Kompcase Ally stand makes transport a breeze.
Memory and VRM : Everything’s Fine
Contrary to expectations, the DDR5 doesn’t get particularly hot in our build. Located near the perforated side panel of the chassis and equipped with Alphacool heatsinks (even without a water loop), it reaches a maximum of 37°C during gameplay. OCCT memory tests don’t cause any concern either. The same goes for the VRMs—no overheating in sight, even after several hours of use.
But the SSD…
SSD : It’s heating up
Our Biwin X570H Pro gen5 model achieves impressive transfer speeds (up to 14,000 MB/s read, 13,000 MB/s write), but at what cost. Although it comes equipped with a high-quality (stock) heatsink, the poor thing quickly reaches 65°C during storage benchmarks on OCCT or 3DMark. And it doesn’t cool down. During other benchmarks, it generally stabilizes between 35 and 40°C. When gaming, it climbs back up to 60°C. It consistently takes several tens of minutes to cool down to a satisfactory temperature.
We consider these temperatures—and especially the SSD’s inability to cool down quickly—unacceptable. We have three options to resolve the issue:
- Replace the SSD with a slightly slower model that doesn’t heat up as drastically
- Add a fan to this chamber to ensure forced airflow (requires a small 3D-printed mount)
- Watercool the SSD
We prefer this last option. We don’t want to sacrifice performance. The X570H Pro’s throughput is a major asset for productivity. We also don’t want to add a fan, which would go against the spirit of this build. However, adding a custom water-cooling heatsink to the SSD makes sense here and presents no technical difficulty. Unlike the RAM, the SSD is low enough in the case to allow connection to the cooling loop. This will therefore be the next upgrade for our FF10.
Verdict
The Xikii FF10 is expensive: $549 ($579 with the custom water-cooling kit). Its design is unconventional and won’t appeal to everyone. It comes with the usual constraints of the Small Form Factor world : careful component selection and a tight build process.
But what an experience !
From the extraordinary unboxing to the impressive final result—not to mention the high-end build quality and the best temperatures ever seen on the RTX 5090 FE—we’re looking at one of Xikii’s most successful products to date, and one of the best in the SFF category overall. It’s one of those rare products that makes a promise and delivers on it from start to finish.
And that’s not all ! Xikii announces that this first FF10 is the start of a series exploring vertical design. We can’t wait to see what’s next.
