Mini PC Build

[Astral_Sprint_3030]

Hi, what do you guys think of this build?

I'm trying to get my old tower off my desk and I have just enough space on a lower shelf for this case, but I'm a little concerned about overheating. This is for general use and some gaming. It's right at the top of my budget, a bit more than I wanted to pay actually. I don't want to buy a new monitor right now, so I stuck at 1080p max.

I'd appreciate any advice.

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN NODE 304 Mini ITX Case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X470-I GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Radeon Graphics

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Radeon GPUs
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
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
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]

Price: £1,314.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Frank100]

Hi,

In terms of heat, the location of the case is important. If it is under the desk then heat will not dissipate quite as well as it would on the desk, but if the computer is not pushed all the way back against another surface, (i.e. wall, back plate of desk), then airflow should still be adequate. Try to have the desk away from the wall by a few inches as this will allow far more heat to escape.

I think there are some tweaks available on the build. The 3600 instead of the 3600X saves a little money. If you were able to stretch to a 1TB M.2 SATA chip, would this be enough space for all your games? Not having a spinning disk in the case will reduce heat and dust build up and you could keep files on a USB drive and plug that in on top of the desk.

Frank100

 

[SpyderTracks]

This brings the price down quite substantially, no need for the RX5700 at 1080p, the 1660 Super is more than adequate even at high refresh, and factoring in a closed loop watercooler which would suit the chip and case well:
Case
FRACTAL DESIGN NODE 304 Mini ITX Case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X470-I GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
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
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY 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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,194.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-sff-gaming/d7ZZ8HEGYm/

 

[Astral_Sprint_3030]

Thanks for the input. I went for the 3600 at first after checking the recommended specs for the games I want, but one of those games (Outer Worlds - currently around £50) is included with the 3600X so the upgrade seemed to make sense.

The desk isn't right back against the wall and there'll be about 8cm headroom. Hopefully that'll be enough. I'll take the advice on the Arctic thermal paste.

I might be able to get by with a 1TB SSD and without the Barracuda. I actually have a couple of spare 2TB drives if I need them, it's just that they are a bit old, having been sat in my NAS for 8 years. As for the graphics card, while I am partial to AMD cards, the most important thing is that they will play the games I want, which are RDR2, The Outer Worlds and Borderlands 3 (which also comes with the RX 5700). Borderlands 3 is about £30, so the question is whether the extra £70 for the RX5700 is worth it. While I have no immediate intention of upgrading the monitor, I might do so in a yesr or so.

Is the Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Cooler better than the Noctua?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the input. I went for the 3600 at first after checking the recommended specs for the games I want, but one of those games (Outer Worlds - currently around £50) is included with the 3600X so the upgrade seemed to make sense.

The desk isn't right back against the wall and there'll be about 8cm headroom. Hopefully that'll be enough. I'll take the advice on the Arctic thermal paste.

I might be able to get by with a 1TB SSD and without the Barracuda. I actually have a couple of spare 2TB drives if I need them, it's just that they are a bit old, having been sat in my NAS for 8 years. As for the graphics card, while I am partial to AMD cards, the most important thing is that they will play the games I want, which are RDR2, The Outer Worlds and Borderlands 3 (which also comes with the RX 5700). Borderlands 3 is about £30, so the question is whether the extra £70 for the RX5700 is worth it. While I have no immediate intention of upgrading the monitor, I might do so in a yesr or so.

Is the Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Cooler better than the Noctua?

Ah, in that case yes, stick with the 3600x. The only time it’s worth it is if you’ll use the bundled game.

The RX5700 if you’re thinking of upgrading monitor in the future would definitely be worth it, but at 1080p, just won’t be used to its full potential. Then again, RDR2 is particularly taxing so the extra power would likely not go amiss.

The noctua is fantastic, but in such a confined space it’s drawing air from the case and recycling, and that air will be quite warm as it’s a small case. The benefit of the h60 is that it’s drawing air from outside the case, so in a micro build like this is particularly suitable.

 

[Astral_Sprint_3030]

Thanks for that.

The Node 304 is supposed to have good airflow with the 3 case fans. I think I would prefer the Noctua cooler, especially since I really want it to be as quiet as possible. It's a pity that PCS don't do the Noctua NH-U12S, but it might not fit.

I think I might go with the 1660 Super, and the 550w PSU, which might reduce the temperature inside the case. And I won't be overclocking this PC.