B450 ITX System

Plec said:
And these might interest you - had them ready in case you changed your mind on cooler - shows what's possible with case and cooler options (Dark Rock Pro 4 is the new incarnation):

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That is enormous! Won't see me RGB though? It's as big as the motherboard? To be honest I've not got a lot of options on cases, Level 20 VT? Gamers Nexus say it has poor airflow though. So it's looking more like the Phanteks on Thursday.
 
Plec said:
That's the bonus! :D


Oddly enough, i was thinking about that with the @GIGA-Man, Gigabyte build competition - if you stick a big cooler on you will kinda eliminate yourself from the running with ITX builds. Unless...

(I should add - i know next to nothing about this cooler):

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I've seen some itx builds running the Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4. Similar clearance to the 212 but noticed 1-2mm extra clearance?
 
Plec said:
Yes, the Noctua is only 71mm depth (with fan) as opposed to 77mm for the Evo - so you would gain another 2/3mm over the Cooler Master (taking into account that's overall depth.).

Going to have to look at the Gigabyte dimensions now, out of curiosity...
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Might put the Noctua on the list, colour isn't appealing but performance matters most.
 
Plec said:
They do black fans and heatsink shrouds, to totally addle your brain (not cheap):

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It's slightly more expensive than the other recommendations but it looks like it'll solve the clearance issues!

Can always change to the Chromax packs at a later stage?
 
Plec said:
It will certainly resolve your Cooler Master uncertainty - when comparing only to that.

The Mugen will obviously resolve the issue too - but understand the heatsink has an appreciably larger footprint; which you may think overwhelms your build/motherboard - totally understand, if this is the case (the added problems of internal aesthetics with windowed cases :)).


Sure - not an issue. The fan plus shroud comes to ~£38 - but you get all colour combinations within the kit/fan. Ridiculously expensive - but admit it would look funky if you colour coordinated it properly to your other components.
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I'm pretty sure you can get slim Noctua fans but not in black and more expensive again.

I've put a thread in CS and awaiting a reply now, probably tomorrow. I'll report back with my experience with them soon.

Have you heard of the Lian Li TU150?
 
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Plec said:
That looks like a dedicated LAN case - regardless of what they say.

I've only had a quick look - but i'm not sold on the PSU position as it's at the front of the case and the PSU back/vents directly at the back panel - which makes no sense. From initial look i thought it was vented via a shroud at the top (its not - I checked) - but on this clip you can quite clearly see the back of the PSU when he takes the side panel off - about 2 minutes and 50 seconds in :/

Would need to see a proper review...
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Agreed. Not much choice for ITX cases, so looking highly likely to be the Phanteks. Don't want another NZXT experience, and can't do the Phanteks Shift.
 
It'll more likely be the Phanteks without a doubt, just throwing some cases out there.

As soon as I hear back from CS, I can get the wheels in motion on the last 2 components. Just want to get this area right.

I've not set a budget, but probably £150 is my max!
 
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Just a build update...

Decided and now ordered the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv MATX in Galaxy Silver, took onboard airflow concerns.

Why the choice in colour you might ask? Well my Founders Edition RTX turned up today and would look great with the case and cooler I've ordered.

Black and silver with some RGB?

Also ordered 2 Noctua NF-A14 fans to complete the build, plus made some other hardware changes so standby for photos!
 
I took all advise onboard and didn't want the GPU slapped on top of the PSU shroud and suffocating it.

To be fair I'm not doing any heavy OC'ing, so I doubt airflow will be a major concern now.
 
Plec said:
He's ordered it, tamzzy. :)

I'm going to make him happier about his purchase, right:

I've built with the MATX evolve - personally, i found it a quality case - relatively pricey but the quality seemed to justify price compared to other case of similar price. Cooling wasn't an issue with extra fans and quality cooler. And with your addition of 2 quality Noctuas coupled with the NH-U12 you shouldn't have any thermal issues and the extra space for the GPU will certainly keep things frosty. Set up a decent fan curve and things will be nice a quiet too when browsing/working.

Here's a review to keep keep you happy - Clicky


Yeah, the Founders edition should compliment the case and board nicely - as for the RGB, no idea - i like subtle under lighting affects/faint glow (but my personal build components are subjected to complete darkness with padding).


Look forward to it - best of luck.

Hardware hints?
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@Plec
I've made a few changes, unfortunately Ryzen 7 deal fell though and couldn't be honoured even though funds where taken.

So Ryzen 5 2600x was chosen as a replacement and discounted, with 2 games!

I managed to get the Asus Strix B450-I motherboard with bundled ROG SCABBARD mat, again on offer. I was also after a large play area so timing was right.

Think I mentioned about the CPU cooler change etc.
 
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@Plec

I did consider the 1700 but after reading user feedback It seems the 2600 will be ample for my needs for gaming and casual streaming, until I decide to do this professionally.

The board offer was kinda tempting as it came bundled with that mat, and if reviews are true it's just an X470 with a B450 chipset for £139.

For a few quid more over the Gigabyte, it was worth it in my opinion.

To be honest the Noctua colours are kinda growing on me, at first it was a no but for performance I forgive it.

Also to mention I went for a crazy deal on a brand new EVGA G3 550W PSU for £59.99!

I've got a boat load of components on the way so hopefully this weekend the build is on!
 
@Plec
@orbitalwalsh

The Strix was from a big reputable retailer so if DOA then shouldn't be an issue, apart from disassembly again.

I really appreciated the advise guys, made some good decisions on some quality components. It's been 4 weeks of solid reviews, user feedback and videos and looks like a solid setup and ready for Zen 2 eventually.
 
Plec said:
Suggest, building and running initial boot/test outside of the case - just short the pins to start if there isn't an onboard on switch - especially as it's an ITX build (although, you're using a MATX case so the build won't be as fiddly). Once you've established proof of life install into case - probably adds 10 minutes to the overall build - but worth it.


No worries - your research should all pay off.

Post if you run into any problems - our youngest isn't well so will probably be around at the weekend. I'll look out for alerts.
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Will do!
 
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