Mini-ITX Zen 2 Build & Discussion

[cptwhite_uk]

So I've started prepping for my Ryzen 3 series build.

Edit: Spec finalised. A lot of research went into each and every component, all offering best in class quality and performance for the price. Everything checked to be compatible in terms of clearance.

Case (£60): Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (I also intend to apply a carry handle to the top if possible)
Fans (£15x3): 1x200mm front fan (included) + 3 no. 140mm BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 (1x rear, 2x top)
Fan Header (£9): DEEPCOOL FH-04 - Allows upto 4 fans to be powered from a single fan header
PSU (£40, 2nd hand): Corsair RM650X (gold rated, fully modular)
CPU (£320): AMD Ryzen 3700X
CPU Cooler (re-used): Noctua NH-D14 with AM4 mounting bracket (from current PC)
RAM (£110): G-Skill Trident Z RGB 2x8Gb DDR4 3200 Cas 16
M.2 NVME SSD (£130): Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB
MB (£125): MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC
GPU (re-used): MSI Gaming X GTX 1080 8Gb


Total cost for build is £839 approx. plus some small postage costs.

Noctua supplying a free AM4 mounting kit adaptor for my CPU cooler purchased in July 2012 is just above and beyond. They have a customer for life thanks to their awesome products and unrivalled customer service.

Will post images of the build and my thoughts when completed weekend of 13/14 July.

Edit:

Photo Album of the build:

I not all case fans would fit with the Noctua NH-D14 fitted, so I initially used the stock cooler, but then took some case fans out to make space and eventually fitted the NH-D14 as it had greater benefit for cooling.

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1Q...ZwJ4Rb4swfE8Ay

Video with my final thoughts:

[kalniel]

Nice. If you don't need RGB RAM then you can get 2x16GB DDR4 3200 for under £160 for a bit more future proofing.

[Corky34]

DDR4 3600 would be my choice for RAM.

[kalniel]

DDR4 3600 would be my choice for RAM.

How's the price looking on that? When I had a bit of a dig around it was nearly double that of 3200, but that was for 16gb sticks so maybe they're still lagging.

[cptwhite_uk]

Yeah I did consider that, but I've not seen my RAM usage anywhere near 16Gb at the moment, and it's easy enough to switch out at a later date. I'm not really bothered about RGB, but the Trident-Z have customisable lighting to match the rest of the system (red / white theme) and they're meant to be high end modules reading around, so might allow some overclocking.

I've edited in the SSD, it is meant to perform similar to Samsung 970 Evo / Pro but for around a £60 + saving
See review here: https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/adata...w-34741-2.html

RAM / Case / SSD / Fans were all purchased through CCL for reference, who offered good pricing on everything and I've been very impressed with them previously. I intend to purchase the CPU and Motherboard from them if possible.

[cptwhite_uk]

Edited:
DDR4 3600 would have been my preferred choice, but it's still ~ 50% more expensive than value 3200 modules.

[cptwhite_uk]

The spec has now been finalised, I've editted the first post to reflect the final build and total cost.

This is my first full PC build for my main rig in 7 years, very excited to put it together.

First impressions of the case are excellent, it's a solid piece of kit for the price, very thoughtfully designed.

[VykkuF]

You can get a generic fan splitter for £2-3 shipped, which will work as well.

[cptwhite_uk]

True, but it's not as tidy as a dedicated fan header input with its own housing which can be secured with shelf adhesive tape in the back of the case. It also gives me 4 inputs, while most basic cables provide power to 2 or 3 fans. Ones with 4 inputs are only a couple of pounds cheaper than the one I bought.

[VykkuF]

Here is one for £3.49 that is on a PCB, has double sided tape already applied to the back, and has 5 ports. But you are right, it is still under £5 of a discount, and it looks like you bought it already. Enjoy the build.

[cptwhite_uk]

Photos and video added to the first post.

[cptwhite_uk]

Re-seated the CPU cooler, now running at 75C full load.

[AGTDenton]

Re-seated the CPU cooler, now running at 75C full load.

That seems high and surprising for the Noctua fan you have.
Of all the things I never had a problem with CPU temps in my Mini ITX system.
Both on fan and on AIO.
Is it running slow or with any problems at that temp?

[cptwhite_uk]

It's running well, boosting to 4150/4200 typically. I'm currently running with the side off as airflow through the case isn't great. Not sure fans are writing correctly. Going to invest in 3x Noctua high performance 4pin PWM fans. The case really is suited for AIO cooling for CPU and GPU, especially the GPU. Also looking at switching case to MATX variant.

[Lost4words]

Obviously you fitted you fans in the right orientation?

[enver33]

Nice, where did you find the silentwings 3 for £15? thats such a nice price