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Downsize Help Required

snips86x

snips86x

snips86x

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It's been a while since I was in the PC game and kept track of hardware so need some guidance, I don't follow anything PC related anymore.

Wife and I are looking to downsize our rigs in to something smaller. We're looking at 300-400w max.

System 1 - want to replace the following with something more power efficient, will consider older gen components
  • 5900x
  • 6900xt
  • B550 Tomahawk
System 2
  • AMD 3600
  • B450 Tomahawk
We will keep the RAM, SSDs and PSUs unless the RAM is incompatible. Enough to run 1440p, nothing overkill.
 
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What GPU is in System 2? As the 3600 does not have an IGPU.

May I ask why you wish to downsize and reduce power consumption?

Have you checked what the current power draw is on both systems are during gaming?

You are most likely better off sticking to AM4 socket as if you need to replace ram on both systems (to go to AM5) it will cost a fortune (How much ram is in both at the moment?)
 
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ED209 said:
What GPU is in System 2? As the 3600 does not have an IGPU.

May I ask why you wish to downsize and reduce power consumption?

Have you checked what the current power draw is on both systems are during gaming?

You are most likely better off sticking to AM4 socket as if you need to replace ram on both systems (to go to AM5) it will cost a fortune (How much ram is in both at the moment?)
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2070 super which were keeping

Power consumption, heat, electricity prices and general costs have become extortionate for us so we've switched to Xbox series X which is far more manageable. By contrast, our electric cost have halved.

BUDFORCE said:
You'll spend /loose more money swapping the hardware around than you'll ever get back on the energy cost.

It wouldn't even be close.

Modern hardware only uses as much energy it needs to, and you can control it, limiting FPS and under clocking for example will be far more effective for that...
Click to expand...
Yeah maybe, alright I don't mind staying with AM4 if it means we can get something more efficient.
 
snips86x said:
System 1 - want to replace the following with something more power efficient, will consider older gen components
  • 5900x
  • 6900xt
  • B550 Tomahawk
System 2
  • AMD 3600
  • B450 Tomahawk
We will keep the RAM, SSDs and PSUs unless the RAM is incompatible. Enough to run 1440p, nothing overkill.
Click to expand...
snips86x said:
2070 super which were keeping

Power consumption, heat, electricity prices and general costs have become extortionate for us so we've switched to Xbox series X which is far more manageable. By contrast, our electric cost have halved.
Click to expand...
Power efficient and power consumption aren't the same thing in this context. Modern hardware is more efficient per FPS, but if you're looking for capable 1440p gaming, then it will not be much lower consumption.

I'd agree with the above, you'll lose far more money than you save.

An alternative is to configure your existing PCs to run in the most efficient/low consumption config possible through undervolting, power limiting and frame caps. You have an advantage there in that higher-end parts are often the most worthwhile to tune.

You could probably cut the power consumption in half of both of those cards and still retain "good enough" performance at 1440p, which would save in the region of ~200 watts at full load.

For reference, 200 watts for 4 hours per day, is roughly £75 (annually).
 
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snips86x said:
Wife and I are looking to downsize our rigs in to something smaller. We're looking at 300-400w max.
Click to expand...


The ETA Prime channel on YouTube specialises in super-small builds (not just NUCs). I believe you can get a half-height RX 9060 XT these days.
 
Thanks all, might reconsider my options but still replacing the big rig. Maybe a NUC which can handle what we're looking to play.
 
If the sole driver of changing components is reduced power consumption then that is a fool's errand.

You could probably run the current rigs at full pelt for a year and it wouldn't come close to the cost delta.

If you're looking to reduce the physical footprint, sidestepping into an ITX build is probably the most cost effective way to downsize.
 
snips86x said:
Power consumption, heat, electricity prices and general costs have become extortionate for us so we've switched to Xbox series X which is far more manageable. By contrast, our electric cost have halved.
Click to expand...

snips86x said:
replacing the big rig. Maybe a NUC which can handle what we're looking to play.
Click to expand...

The hardware will cost more than you save but you could sell the PC and get a low power tablet, firestick etc for streaming and use a free Geforce now account depending what games you want to play.

But frame caps, under volting etc as the others have suggested should be the first step or you could end up with buyers remorse especially if the price of PC components keep going up and you later decide to buy another PC because you aren't happy with the performance / service of your chosen solution.

Electricity prices are going up soon and again in Jan but electric heating, immersion heaters and cooking will make PC use seem small so look at what else is using power as well getting rid of any old light bulbs for leds etc.

Quick duckduckgo search found this and I'm sure there are loads of similar guides so try this and make a free Geforce Now account as well which moves some of the hardwork to their servers instead of your PC:
 
NetMan said:
The hardware will cost more than you save but you could sell the PC and get a low power tablet, firestick etc for streaming and use a free Geforce now account depending what games you want to play.

But frame caps, under volting etc as the others have suggested should be the first step or you could end up with buyers remorse especially if the price of PC components keep going up and you later decide to buy another PC because you aren't happy with the performance / service of your chosen solution.

Electricity prices are going up soon and again in Jan but electric heating, immersion heaters and cooking will make PC use seem small so look at what else is using power as well getting rid of any old light bulbs for leds etc.

Quick duckduckgo search found this and I'm sure there are loads of similar guides so try this and make a free Geforce Now account as well which moves some of the hardwork to their servers instead of your PC:
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying but there are multiple elements to this. Firstly, we haven't used our PCs for about 6 months. They've been put away and we replaced them with series X instead. We haven't missed them tbh.

Secondly, I work from home so my pc used to run from 0900 through to about 2300. Some days idle, some not.

When we switched to Xbox, our electric usage dropped heavily. We had laptops for some games but they're not as convenient as console. Pickup and out down of the controller made it far more appealing.

My rig is massive. It's too big to put anywhere now and the heat it used to generate was also abhorrent.

We've gotten used to small easy to use and hide consoles and even have tried steam decks but the resolution when docking is far from ideal.

It was our intention to replace the PC with a smaller hardware which would fit into an itx case but we're also considering gaming NUCs for those games we miss on steam.
 
snips86x said:
Secondly, I work from home so my pc used to run from 0900 through to about 2300. Some days idle, some not.
Click to expand...
What is the idle power consumption of the PC? Ryzen isn't ideal for maximising this, but even a highly optimised ATX build is usually 20-30 watts, with Ryzen around 60-100 watts (* depending on GPU and RAM clocks). OEM 12v PCs can get that down to 5-15 watts, not sure about NUCs, but they're likely in that ballpark as well. I have a different PC for work from gaming, partly for this reason, because it is easier to optimise. I built them that way though, since the power difference is not meaningful enough to purposefully do that.

* Ryzen with IGP is different, they can be under 30 with some careful selection and tuning.

snips86x said:
My rig is massive. It's too big to put anywhere now and the heat it used to generate was also abhorrent.
Click to expand...
The reason we are "beating a dead horse" with the old 6900 is two things: 1. price, 2. capability (to play games at 1440p). You mentioned you've been away from hardware for a long time. Well, it hasn't moved on much. RDNA2 was pretty power efficient for the time and while, yes, newer cards are better, they're also really expensive for what you get. Your 6900 XT is faster than a 5060 Ti 16GB and that laughably costs £600+. AMD's 9070 non-XT is better value for the same price, but even that's only ~25% faster.

Tuning down the big beast is just way better value and modern cards are not meaningfully different enough (on performance or efficiency) to justify the purchase, when pitted against a power tuned 6900 XT that you already own.

You could get a MATX or potentially ITX case that would fit that beast in and the power tuning would push the heat output down. I have a RX 6600 that uses ~130 watts stock and it copes fine with 1440p, in the majority of games. A 6900 XT is 3x the shaders, so there's huge headroom there.

I'm not confident you'll find the performance of mini SFF PCs (with integrated) satisfactory for 1440p, since even relatively high-end ones will struggle against the lesser of your two cards (2070 Super).
 
snips86x said:
I get what you're saying but there are multiple elements to this. Firstly, we haven't used our PCs for about 6 months. They've been put away and we replaced them with series X instead. We haven't missed them tbh.

Secondly, I work from home so my pc used to run from 0900 through to about 2300. Some days idle, some not.

When we switched to Xbox, our electric usage dropped heavily. We had laptops for some games but they're not as convenient as console. Pickup and out down of the controller made it far more appealing.

My rig is massive. It's too big to put anywhere now and the heat it used to generate was also abhorrent.

We've gotten used to small easy to use and hide consoles and even have tried steam decks but the resolution when docking is far from ideal.

It was our intention to replace the PC with a smaller hardware which would fit into an itx case but we're also considering gaming NUCs for those games we miss on steam.
Click to expand...
If you haven't missed them then sell them both but you said you wanted to keep the 2070s...

Working from home could mean anything from a spread sheet to rendering videos, music production, AI... etc so its impossible to say what's best but if it's not demanding then one of your laptops / a dock might be enough. You might also be able to ask your employer to contribute to cover increased energy use etc

Homeworking rules and expenses - TaxAid

Working from home expenses Changes to the rules from Aprill 2026. Before April 2026, you could claim tax relief on expenses you made if you worked from home. This could cover things like: Phone or internet costs Gas and electricity costs But, from April 2026, you can no longer claim tax relief...
taxaid.org.uk taxaid.org.uk


You can get controllers for PC's, stick it in a smaller case, stick the PC in a cupboard somewhere and use HDMI and USB fibre optic extension cables or connect to them remotely from another device.

Heat during the summer when its getting hotter and hotter every year is understandable everyone will probably need aircon the way its going and it might need to become mandatory in all new builds.


Gaming NUC's can cost thousands which negates saving a few quid on your electric bill which is what seemed to be your main goal. If you aren't happy with the steam deck then sell it but if you replace your PC with a low powered device / PC with intergrated graphics you might not be any happier with the performance. Pull the GPU and fit a secondhand cpu with intergrated graphics and give it a try you can always sell the parts on again.

Try Geforce Now, it works on a multitude of devices even on some SMART TV's but the free sub has limitations that might not meet your expectations and the paid subs never made much sense to me when you can use the same money to build a PC and play anything you want not just what they have in their catalog.
 
Tetras said:
What is the idle power consumption of the PC? Ryzen isn't ideal for maximising this, but even a highly optimised ATX build is usually 20-30 watts, with Ryzen around 60-100 watts (* depending on GPU and RAM clocks). OEM 12v PCs can get that down to 5-15 watts, not sure about NUCs, but they're likely in that ballpark as well. I have a different PC for work from gaming, partly for this reason, because it is easier to optimise. I built them that way though, since the power difference is not meaningful enough to purposefully do that.

* Ryzen with IGP is different, they can be under 30 with some careful selection and tuning.


The reason we are "beating a dead horse" with the old 6900 is two things: 1. price, 2. capability (to play games at 1440p). You mentioned you've been away from hardware for a long time. Well, it hasn't moved on much. RDNA2 was pretty power efficient for the time and while, yes, newer cards are better, they're also really expensive for what you get. Your 6900 XT is faster than a 5060 Ti 16GB and that laughably costs £600+. AMD's 9070 non-XT is better value for the same price, but even that's only ~25% faster.

Tuning down the big beast is just way better value and modern cards are not meaningfully different enough (on performance or efficiency) to justify the purchase, when pitted against a power tuned 6900 XT that you already own.

You could get a MATX or potentially ITX case that would fit that beast in and the power tuning would push the heat output down. I have a RX 6600 that uses ~130 watts stock and it copes fine with 1440p, in the majority of games. A 6900 XT is 3x the shaders, so there's huge headroom there.

I'm not confident you'll find the performance of mini SFF PCs (with integrated) satisfactory for 1440p, since even relatively high-end ones will struggle against the lesser of your two cards (2070 Super).
Click to expand...
NetMan said:
If you haven't missed them then sell them both but you said you wanted to keep the 2070s...

Working from home could mean anything from a spread sheet to rendering videos, music production, AI... etc so its impossible to say what's best but if it's not demanding then one of your laptops / a dock might be enough. You might also be able to ask your employer to contribute to cover increased energy use etc

Homeworking rules and expenses - TaxAid

Working from home expenses Changes to the rules from Aprill 2026. Before April 2026, you could claim tax relief on expenses you made if you worked from home. This could cover things like: Phone or internet costs Gas and electricity costs But, from April 2026, you can no longer claim tax relief...
taxaid.org.uk taxaid.org.uk


You can get controllers for PC's, stick it in a smaller case, stick the PC in a cupboard somewhere and use HDMI and USB fibre optic extension cables or connect to them remotely from another device.

Heat during the summer when its getting hotter and hotter every year is understandable everyone will probably need aircon the way its going and it might need to become mandatory in all new builds.


Gaming NUC's can cost thousands which negates saving a few quid on your electric bill which is what seemed to be your main goal. If you aren't happy with the steam deck then sell it but if you replace your PC with a low powered device / PC with intergrated graphics you might not be any happier with the performance. Pull the GPU and fit a secondhand cpu with intergrated graphics and give it a try you can always sell the parts on again.

Try Geforce Now, it works on a multitude of devices even on some SMART TV's but the free sub has limitations that might not meet your expectations and the paid subs never made much sense to me when you can use the same money to build a PC and play anything you want not just what they have in their catalog.
Click to expand...
We have been toying with selling and waiting for the next Xbox or downsizing the existing rigs to itx, might just have to work on that one instead. If we keep them we need something a lot smaller than what we have. Will have a think.
 
snips86x said:
We have been toying with selling and waiting for the next Xbox or downsizing the existing rigs to itx, might just have to work on that one instead. If we keep them we need something a lot smaller than what we have. Will have a think.
Click to expand...
What are the existing cases? Would a Lian Li V100R Mini, or Antec CX600M be a suitable size? The reason I ask is that ITX versus MATX usually has more restricted GPU length, may need SFX instead of ATX PSU, 2 RAM slots instead of 4 (option of 4 is helpful in this shortage) and less conventional M.2 slots (like back mounted).
 
Tetras said:
What are the existing cases? Would a Lian Li V100R Mini, or Antec CX600M be a suitable size? The reason I ask is that ITX versus MATX usually has more restricted GPU length, may need SFX instead of ATX PSU, 2 RAM slots instead of 4 (option of 4 is helpful in this shortage) and less conventional M.2 slots (like back mounted).
Click to expand...
I've got Phanteks Evolv X, which I have just stripped, wife has Phanteks P400. We're going to sell our boards and replace them with ITX versions using this case - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ante...3NDUwODAkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODk3NDUwODQkajU2JGwwJGgw
 
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