Small Form Factor Ryzen 3000 Build

[Movinghead333]

Hey everyone,

so first of all I want to thank you guys for providing great feedback for the last build i posted here which is still working just fine up to this day!

Though the system still works great I have reason to upgrade (or maybe not if you convince me otherwise), so let's go through the suggested questions:

 

1. Budget and Location
   I live in Germany and my Budget is about 1000€. I have already upgraded my GPU to a GTX1070ti and bought a 1TB ssd, which both are to be reused in this build. As a shop I will probably use something like https://www.amazon.de.
2. Aim
   As an IT student I mainly use my PC for programming as well as gaming. I am also editing video footage from time to time, though this is more of rare use case. I do a lot of multi-tasking using three monitors, which is why I think couple more threads than my four core, four threads 4690k wouldn't hurt. My aim is to create a powerful yet transportable build, since I am often moving between my home-town and my university city. Before anyone suggest getting a laptop, I will note that I do own surface book which is great for programming and university related work, but on the gaming side of things the gtx965m just does not go that far.
    
3. Monitors & Peripherals
   I already have a mechanical keyboard as well as a nice mouse. I am using 3 monitors most of the time, of which 2 are running 1080p@60Hz with my main one being a 1080p@144Hz.
    
4. Why I want to upgrade
   The reason I want to upgrade is mostly for more mobility as well as maybe improving compile times with a newer CPU. I was thinking about just getting a smaller case and putting in a mini-atx motherboard, reusing most of my current build except for the define R4 case, the motherboard and the giant CPU cooler I bought back then. This however would leave me with 3 components just sitting around waiting to collect dust or to be sold for a low price, so I was thinking of giving my old build to my parents, putting in a cheap GPU and calling it a day.
    
5. Current build plan
   I am looking for a small console-style case which can fit all the necessary parts and provide sufficient ventilation. Originally I was looking into the Dr Zaber Sentry 2, however due to its limited availability and high price tag (~200€), I went out searching for alternatives and found the fractal design node 202. The next thing i chose was the Ryzen 7 3700x as CPU which has a price that should fit my budget, whilst having plenty of computational power. From there one I am a bit lost. I know I need motherboard which fits the mini-atx standard so it can be installed in the node 202 and one that supports the AM4 socket for the 3700x but apart from that I can only think of some quality of life stuff like integrated wlan which would be nice or a onboard m.2 slot or two. Concerning the RAM I would just stick with 16GB since I never felt like I needed more in my previous build. When buying the RAM however I don't really understand which frequencies and timings I should be looking for. Coming back to the CPU I will need aftermarket cooler solution since as far as my research goes the box cooler from the 3700x will not fit in the node202. So I will need to find a CPU cooler which both fits the AM4 socket while being only ~57mm in height or smaller. Now the only things left are a PSU, where a SFX-formfactor 500w unit from a brand like bequiet should do the job and maybe 256GB m.2 as boot drive having the previously mentioned 1TB ssd as main storage. And last but not least a fresh copy of Win10 home premium.

 

So the build should look somewhat like this: (everything marked with a * needs to be bought)

• *CPU: Ryzen 7 3700x
• *Motherboard: needs AM4 socket and a m.2 slot (integrated wifi would be a nice addition)
• *CPU-cooler: A low profile cooler with a height <=57mm
• GPU: GTX1070ti (already in use)
• *RAM: 16GB DDR4
• *Case: Fractal Design Node 202
• *PSU: Either a aftermarket one or possibly the 450w PSU that comes with certain versions of the Node 202
• *Boot Drive: 256GB m.2 onboard
• Main Storage: 1TB ssd (already in use)
• *Copy of Windows 10

 

So if you have made up to this point, then all that is left to say is thanks for reading and as always any recommendation and suggestions are welcome. Also if I have forgotten something important just mention it and I'll make sure to add missing information.

 

[Origami Cactus]

For motherboard you could go with Asus B450-I, it is the exact same as x470-i.

There is also a gigabyte b450 itx board which is pretty cheap, and an MSI one.

The MSI one is really good, but the onboard audio is pretty crap compared to the asus one.

[porina]

I have an Asrock B450 which I'm currently using with a 3600. It does have wifi built in.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITXac/index.asp#Overview

 

I'm not familiar with the Node 202, would a case like Silverstone SG13 be of interest? That has enough for a 120mm AIO and takes ATX PSUs so there's some potential there. If you go this route, make sure to get the mesh front version, as the solid front version has no airflow.

 

Edit: which 1070Ti do you have? The SG13 would suit a reference blower cooler, and I have a 1070 in mine. It is way out of date but check out the VR box in my sig for example.

[Movinghead333]

1 hour ago, Origami Cactus said:

For motherboard you could go with Asus B450-I, it is the exact same as x470-i.

There is also a gigabyte b450 itx board which is pretty cheap, and an MSI one.

The MSI one is really good, but the onboard audio is pretty crap compared to the asus one.

Thanks for the suggestion! I think the Asus B450-l should do the trick, though I have read there is a bios update necessary for the 3700x to work, but that should not be more than putting the update on a stick inserting it into the MB and going into the bios and lastly starting the update right?

[mariushm]

The system may not boot if the BIOS is too old.

Some motherboards have BIOS Flashback feature, where you can just plug a usb stick with the bios file with a special file name on it and you can update the bios just by pressing a button, without even placing the cpu in the socket.

 

You may want to check out ASRock Fatal1ty B450 GAMING-ITX/ac if you can still find it. Link above goes to pc part picker germany ... assumed you prefer german sellers based on the top comment.

 

Has 6 phases (well, 3 with doublers) but nevertheless it has 6 power stages... has Intel gigabit lan, ALC1220 audio, m.2 connector etc.

 

I would say there's little benefit in going with 3700x over 3600. I would suggest going with 3600 as it's cheaper and then maybe use a bit of your budget on higher frequency ram and better psu.

 

For psu, Enermax Revolution SFX 650w is quite good at around 100 euro : https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/DZDJ7P/enermax-revolution-sfx-650w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-sfx-power-supply-erv650swt

It's relatively small : Dimensions (WxHxD) 100 x 63.5 x 125mm

 

Around the same price you should have Seasonic Focus SGX 450w: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/V3ndnQ/seasonic-focus-sgx-450w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-sfx-power-supply-ssr-450sgx

But you have to be careful as it's SFX-L ... it's around 13cm long.

 

[Movinghead333]

46 minutes ago, porina said:

I have an Asrock B450 which I'm currently using with a 3600. It does have wifi built in.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITXac/index.asp#Overview

 

I'm not familiar with the Node 202, would a case like Silverstone SG13 be of interest? That has enough for a 120mm AIO and takes ATX PSUs so there's some potential there. If you go this route, make sure to get the mesh front version, as the solid front version has no airflow.

Thanks for the motherboard suggestion I will take it into consideration. Unfortunately I am not that into cubic looking cases, I am more looking for that slim modern console-like look (something like a xbox one for example). Small height and whatever length and width necessary for the components to fit. 

[Origami Cactus]

32 minutes ago, Movinghead333 said:

Thanks for the suggestion! I think the Asus B450-l should do the trick, though I have read there is a bios update necessary for the 3700x to work, but that should not be more than putting the update on a stick inserting it into the MB and going into the bios and lastly starting the update right?

No, sadly not. You will need an older ryzen processor to update the bios, or have the computer shop do it for you. If you can find a newer patch with ryzen 3000 sticker on the box, it will work straight up.