CPU Budget Mini-ITX build: Ryzen 3 2200G vs Pentium Gold G5400

[Alain]

Hello fellow SFF builders,
I need some input/opinions on that eternal build question: AMD or INTEL for my next budget Mini-ITX build.
Just to be clear, I'm putting together a budget build with the sole purpose of using the unit to stream video on a big TV.
No gaming, no video/photo editing, and no Office productivity software.
I'm down to choosing between the Ryzen 3 2200G or the Pentium Gold G5400.
The obvious pros for the Ryzen are the 4 physical cores and the embedded Vega video. The Intel chip has a definite advantage in terms of the price, at least here in Canada where i live.
What is swaying me towards Intel is the price of the ITX motherboard, which seems to be much lower than most offerings for the Ryzen chip.
Ram is also a deciding factor since Intel seems to be more comfortable with the lower (cheaper!) speed DDR4 compared to Ryzen.
I look forward to reading your comments! Thanks! :-)

 

[BonfireOfDreams]

Just to be clear, I'm putting together a budget build with the sole purpose of using the unit to stream video on a big TV.
No gaming, no video/photo editing, and no Office productivity software.

Not that I don't love building, but for this use case it's probably not worth the investment to do so. There are cheaper pre-built alternatives that are smaller for what you aim to achieve. Probably not the answer you wanted, someone should say it.

 

[Alain]

Not that I don't love building, but for this use case it's probably not worth the investment to do so. There are cheaper pre-built alternatives that are smaller for what you aim to achieve. Probably not the answer you wanted, someone should say it.

BonfireOfDreams,
You're absolutely right! A pre-built would definitely be cheaper! But in this case, I'm building some Mini-ITX boxes for my friends because they like the size and the cool look of mine. ;-) And with two of my friends. they want to build it with me, so it's a also a learning experience. :-)

 

[BonfireOfDreams]

And with two of my friends. they want to build it with me, so it's a also a learning experience. :-)

I bring it up a lot on this forum but have you considered the deskmini? >.>

 

[Alain]

Here are a couple of pictures of the Mini-ITX build i have at my business. The one I have at home is identical, except that I painted the SSD tray which is visible from the top vents. This is what my friends have asked me to build.

 

[ermac318]

I bring it up a lot on this forum but have you considered the deskmini? >.>

The DeskMini or a NUC is the best option here. Unless you need to do 4K BluRay, even the Gemini Lake NUC would suffice.

 

[Alain]

The DeskMini or a NUC is the best option here. Unless you need to do 4K BluRay, even the Gemini Lake NUC would suffice.

The problem for both of these options is that the total cost of a functioning system is near or above the cost of the Mini-ITX build.
In Canada, i see the DESKMINI A300W at around $244.99:

ASRock DESKMINI A300W AMD A300 Barebone System - Newegg.com

Buy ASRock DESKMINI A300W AMD Socket AM4 AMD A300 1 x HDMI Barebone System with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.ca

Being a barebone system, i'd still have to add CPU, RAM, storage.
With the hardware options i've looked at for the Mini-ITX build using the Pentium, I could get a functioning system up for around $450.
And the RGeek L80 case i'd be using, IMHO, is a nicer looking box. ;-)

 

[ermac318]

If you can find the Gemini Lake or Apollo Lake in stock (seems like they are out of stock most places like NewEgg and Amazon) you can have a full system for $350.

 

[BonfireOfDreams]

In Canada, i see the DESKMINI A300W at around $244.99:

Oof. Why they did this to the Canadians is beyond me. That's a pretty good markup.

With the hardware options i've looked at for the Mini-ITX build using the Pentium, I could get a functioning system up for around $450.
And the RGeek L80 case i'd be using, IMHO, is a nicer looking box. ;-)

Sounds like you are pretty sold on what you're looking for. Just throwing this out there at this point. Here's a PCPartPickerList for CAD prices with A300/Athlon 200GE. For Canadians, it may very well not be a cheaper solution than the build you're suggesting, but it should at least meet it.

 

[Alain]

Oof. Why they did this to the Canadians is beyond me. That's a pretty good markup.

Sounds like you are pretty sold on what you're looking for. Just throwing this out there at this point. Here's a PCPartPickerList for CAD prices with A300/Athlon 200GE. For Canadians, it may very well not be a cheaper solution than the build you're suggesting, but it should at least meet it.

Actually, that's a pretty good price on the setup you've suggested! And the hardware would be perfect for a streaming box! Thanks BonfireOfDreams, your input is exactly what I was looking for! :-)

 

[Choidebu]

Sounds like all you need is a chromecast ultra.