config check

[markh]

Hi,

I'm considering a high-powered mini PC with AMD Ryzen CPU and AMD Radeon GPU as the power-per-$ (can't find pound sign lol) seems pretty good.

However, info about AMD compatibility with Linux seems sketchy from a quick look around. I'm currently using Ubuntu 18.04 but wouldn't rule out another distro if compatibility was better.

Does anyone have any idea of AMD / Linux compatibility issues, or preferably an absence of compatibility issues (I can but dream)?

Specifically I'm looking at the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU and either the 8GB Radeon RX Vega 64 GPU or the 16GB Radeon VII.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[markh]

Hi, can anyone advise as to how sensible or not this spec is please? I'm under-informed about cooling in particular, I didn't add any extra fans as it's the most expensive case, but worry that they might be needed especially with 8-core CUP / 8GB GPU.

Also if anyone has any experience of Linux with AMD-based systems I'd be grateful to know your experiences.

Thanks,

Mark

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.35GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 I AORUS PRO WIFI (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 580 - HDMI, 3 x DP - DX® 12 (Special Offer)
Up to 2 Games FREE w/ select RADEON RX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-L9i Low Profile AM4, Super Quiet CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi excluded on H310I-PLUS)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED

 

[Oussebon]

I've taken the liberty of merging your threads as they are probably best answered in context of each other.

What is the budget?

What is the cost of the system?

Why are you going for a "mini" system? (bearing in mind that it's not actually much smaller than some of the smaller cases under the "normal" systems)

What are you using the system for, exactly?
You mention Linux.. you're just using Linux, or dual boot? Gaming? Gaming just under Windows, or just Linux? Uses nothing to do with gaming? Specific software?

 

[markh]

Budget is flexible, but ideally I'd be spending about 1200, which is the cost of the system specified.

The AMD mini systems caught my eye - I have previously owned a Mac Mini and it worked well for me as a home-based system that is nevertheless portable, as opposed to a hulking great tower. Also this system did seem a fair bit cheaper than any of the equivalently-specced full size systems I costed up, but I admittedly didn't spend long looking at those options.

I have no intention of dual-booting Windows, I'm Linux-only at the moment, unless I happen to need a program that is unavailable for Linux in future, in which case I would dual boot just for that one program (MaxMSP comes to mind, a music program).

I'm in the middle of a PhD which involves a mix of music production (hence the 8 core CPU and 16GB RAM) and data processing (hence the 8GB GPU), with the possibility of some graphics work and maybe a bit of light gaming thrown in. I'm not rich, and the system I costed up seemed like the best available cost/power balance, though I'm very happy to be proven wrong on this.

 

[Oussebon]

I think the CPU and RAM choices are very sound

The case dimensions are: 398mm x 276mm x 351mmm (Approx H x W x D)
A Fractal Focus G (ATX case) is 444mm x 205mm x 464mm (Approx H x W x D) - so similar height, much thinner, but deeper.
The Corsair 275R (ATX case) is 436.5mm x 211mm x 446mm (Approx H x W x D) (so a bit smaller still)

In terms of 'equivalent' specs:


The differences in these specs are:
- The ATX Spec has one of the best and quietest single tower air coolers on the market - the Noctua in the mini ITX build is relatively weak due to its size: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/foru...rdware-Reviews&p=397278&viewfull=1#post397278
- The ATX build doesn't have wifi/BT unless you add a card (do you need wifi/BT?)
- The motherboard on the ATX build has a lot more upgrade options including a 2nd M.2 slot, more expansion slots, sata slots, etc
- Prices are ATX £1071, "mini" £1144. ATX is £1107 if you add a card that does both wifi and BT.

One would ideally want a modular PSU like the TXm series, but that would be especially the case in the mini ITX build.

So an ATX system gives you a PC with more upgrade options and a better CPU cooler for a lower price. I'd probably spend the difference on an X470 motherboard like the Ultra Gaming for the additional features like the 10gbps USB C.

If your gaming and graphics uses are quite casual you could easy save £44 on the GPU by going for an RX 570.

If the budget's £1200 or so I'd be tempted by the modular and quieter PSU anyway.


Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275R TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.35GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB AMD RADEON™ RX 570 - HDMI, 3 x DP - DX® 12
---Up to 2 Games FREE w/ select RADEON RX GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,138.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/4SYMAhMfvc/

Worth considering an ATX spec at least.

 

[markh]

thanks so much, that's super helpful. I wasn't aware of the ATX / ITX distinction.

a couple of other things if you don't mind:

- am I right in thinking I can update / add additional GPU, hard drive and RAM whenever I want?

- does the lack of a fan controller / extra cooling fans matter much with this config?

I've arrived at this, much the same as yours but upgraded GPU and case and added a monitor :

Case CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Eight Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.35GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM) 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card 8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 580 - HDMI, 3 x DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive 250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser Firefox™
Monitor Samsung LS24D330HSX/EN 24" LED monitor
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

 

[Oussebon]

am I right in thinking I can update / add additional GPU, hard drive and RAM whenever I want?

Yes. PCS allow that under the warranty (it's in the TCs & Cs). And the motherboard should support that.

You'd be very unlikely to benefit from adding an additional GPU though. Many uses will overall prefer a single, faster GPU to a pair of slower ones. Not just gaming but things like video editing, depending on the workload.

If you feel pretty sure multiple GPUs are beneficial for you (I'm not sure they are based on what you said) then you'll need a larger power supply.

But you can replace the GPU just fine.

With the RAM, you can add more. Extra RAM doesn't always play nice with existing RAM, though, and I'm not sure how happy Ryzen is with mixed RAM kits at high frequencies with 4 RAM slots populated. You might end up having to drop the frequency, struggle to find compatible RAM, or even end up having to just replace it so as to add more. That's also potentially true of Intel systems though.

- does the lack of a fan controller / extra cooling fans matter much with this config?

No. The case ships with 3 good quality fans at the front, and has decent airflow. You can always add additional fans or a fan controller yourself in the future should you ever want.

Monitor Samsung LS24D330HSX/EN 24" LED monitor

Could I suggest looking at the AOC G2460VQ6 24". it has freesync with an uncommonly wide range, which will be a very nice bonus for gaming.

 

[markh]

Hi Oussebon,

Thanks so much again, this was super helpful. Also for the monitor recommendation, I know nothing about monitors.

I've noticed in reviews that the most recent AMD Ryzen chips come with their own fans built-in - do you think this renders the additional Noctua CPU cooler pointless, or would it be worth including for additional cooling?

Am only holding off now because I need to figure if I really need Windows or if I can cope with just Linux...

Thanks again, much appreciated

Mark