Ryzen SFF gaming setup ~£1200

TheOtherOption

TheOtherOption

TheOtherOption

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Joined
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Hey All! Been a while since I built myself something new and with the offerings from AMD now being so competitive again I figure it's time ... only really play things like Civ VI / Dying Light (2 when it's out).

I've gotten my own place recently but it's pretty small so need something mini ATX / ITX sized ideally that could play games at 1080/1440p comfortably (60fps+) without sounding like an aircraft!

Was thinking something like a 3600(X) / X570 mini ITX board? / 16GB / 1TB nvme SSD / 2070 Super ...

Not sure about a case or cooling but I'm not going to overlock the CPU (at least not for now) so could stick with the included cooler or would something beefier stay quite for longer? If I got a board with 2 x M2 slots is it worth sticking in an OS drive too and keeping one for games etc specifically?

Cheers!!
 
I wont make a system basket up, others better will do that. but regarding the OS Drive no harm it getting a decent size for both if you have the budget, I would then split a 250gb partition for windows and leave the rest for games on a separate partition
 
If small footprint is the major concern, not height, then there's a great offer on the Phanteks Evolv Shift X.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £785.20 (includes shipping: £12.30)
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You could also take a punt on an MSI B450i ITX board, and hope it now has updated BIOS for Ryzen 3000. X570 ITX is expensive.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,446.10 (includes shipping: £11.10)
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The MSI Gaming X is whisper quiet. Whereas the Gigabyte has 4 years warranty and the Zotac 5, and you could undervolt and play with fan profile to achieve same, or close.


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £155.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)
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CPU cooler height is limited in that case (82mm) and the AMD Wraith Prism cooler exceeds that. A 120mm liquid cooler, or 240mm, could be used. Seems the Corsair could need additional mounting from the manufacturer, unless that warning on the product page no longer applies.
 
Thanks for the suggestions already - some food for thought! Just looked at a build video of that phanteks case - certainly a bit different!

I suppose I could compromise and get a normal ATX board for cheaper but try and go for as small a normal ATX case as possible??

I did like the idea of a tiny gaming PC but they are often louder and there are compromises like graphics card size etc so a full ATX but small case would maybe solve that - it wouldn't be the end of world!
 
There are some cases like Fractal Meshify C (ATX or micro-ATX versions) that aren't very deep but still fit nice-size cards. Also used a Corsair Carbide 175R (ATX) recently that likewise isn't very deep.

Using a B450 Mortar (micro-ATX) or B450 Tomahawk (ATX) would really bring cost down. Though if you're set on 2 x M.2 slots you'd want the B450 Pro Carbon.
 
If I were to forgo the SFF and get midi tower side setup how does the below look??

I can get the MSI B450 Gaming Carbon elsewhere for same price (out of stock here) so that's a good shout no?


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,379.74 (includes shipping: £15.90)
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Would pay a little extra for a better/quieter card with more warranty, personally.

Not sure what the slower 500GB M.2 is for but it might be a pity to use up the second M.2 slot on a small drive like that. Perhaps reserve that slot for a bigger M.2 in future.
 
That's my thinking now - I can actually get the 3700X for £276 elsewhere so that's s steal - is it worth having the AIO cooler for it or should I just use the included cooler if I don't plan on overclocking for now - can always stick an AIO in later if needed?



My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,479.93 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​
 
Pro Carbon better than the B450-F. However, if you fancy Asus look for the B450 Strix-E. Note that both Asus boards don't have BIOS Flashback so if not recent they won't run Ryzen 3000 chips out of the box and would need an older Ryzen chip to flash BIOS. Then again, it may just be a placeholder for the Pro Carbon in your spec.

Something like an Alpenfohn Brocken 3 would be ample for 3700X though if you prefer the looks of a liquid cooler go for it. Better cooler than the stock helps temps if PBO is enabled + quieter.
 
One way or another. OcUK were recently selling Pro Carbons with up-to-date BIOS. If it doesn't come with "Ryzen 3000 ready" on the box, then you can use BIOS Flashback to flash without CPU installed. You'd need a USB flash drive 16GB or less and to only connect the CPU 8-pin power cable and 24-pin ATX cable to the motherboard.
 
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £85.49 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
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If you measure the dimensions with a tape measure you will see this case would fit nicely on a lot of stands/units as though it was an AV Receiver which is rather good as you can fit a lot of top end parts inside. Silverstone do make good quality cases too.
 
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