Build Check for a First-timer SFF!

Reynx

Case Bender
Original poster
Feb 10, 2020
2
0
Hey all!
First time building an SFF PC - Can't wait to get rid of my giant full sized tower which has finally given up on me after almost 8 years.
Just ordered my NCase M1 and I'm hoping it'll arrive within the next month or so. I would love some of your opinions on my build so far:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S
- Additional NF-A9 PWN 92mm
Motherboard: MSI B450I Gaming PLUS AC
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200
Storage: Corsair MP510 960GB M.2-2280 NVME
GPU: XFX Radeon RX 5700 8GB
PSU: Corsair SF600W
Intake fans below: 2x Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm

I'm not planning on overclocking or anything like that.
I know there have been issues with B450 boards and the most recent Ryzen CPUs - it seems like the store I'll be ordering from will update the motherboard BIOS for free when I purchase the CPU as well so I'm hoping I'll avoid all that.
I'm not too sure on the MSI board over the Asus ROG Strix - I've read about frequent RAM issues with the Asus board.

I would particularly like your thoughts on cooling - I think I'll be fine from a GPU point of view with the bottom intake fans. From what I've read, the Noctua NH-C14s had better CPU temps but it seems like its harder to get a hold of here in the UK.

Additionally, I'm still not completely settled on the Radeon RX 5700. I'm guessing the alternative would be an RTX 2060.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and input!
 
Last edited:

ParallaxStax

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Nov 24, 2019
120
110
If you are getting a blower model of the 5700, you only need one fan as intake on the bottom, as the gpu only has one hole in the shroud.
 

HyperActive

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jul 22, 2019
183
75
Great choice on the ncase! What resolution are going to game on?

MSI and Asus both have great itx b450 boards, I have the asus and have no complaints.
Cooling for the 3600 and u9s is great. I have a rear a9 on the c14s and found out that above 40% fan speed, the a9 get a high pitched sound. I don't like this noise, or let I say noise at all, so the bigger the fan, the lower the noise from the fans.

For gpu, the rx 5700 is great for 1080p gaming and 60+ fps on 1440p. Check how much more the rx 5700xt is though. The xfx or rather wide, get the powercolor red dragon (which can fit 2 12x25mm fans underneath in the future for lower noise and better temps) or the gigabyte gaming oc. Both are great cards with the best temps/noise for mid range rx 5700 (xt) cards.

Lastly, 2300mhz ram is very slow. 3200 is not that much more expensive and gives you better scaling in the ryzen cpu, also 5 fps more. Ryzen works better with faster ram and 3600mhz is the sweet spot for ryzen 3000, though not that much better than 3200mhz. 2300mhz is too low though for the money you will save.
On 1440p gaming, cod and bf5 take 13-15gb ram. 16gb is fine for 1080p ultra, but if you will upgrade your monitor to 1440p (or in the future, it is a big visual upgrade of you ask me) get 3200mhz 32gb. You only have 2 slots so can't upgrade later without buying totally new and the prices are still low now.
 
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Reynx

Case Bender
Original poster
Feb 10, 2020
2
0
Great choice on the ncase! What resolution are going to game on?

MSI and Asus both have great itx b450 boards, I have the asus and have no complaints.
Cooling for the 3600 and u9s is great. I have a rear a9 on the c14s and found out that above 40% fan speed, the a9 get a high pitched sound. I don't like this noise, or let I say noise at all, so the bigger the fan, the lower the noise from the fans.

For gpu, the rx 5700 is great for 1080p gaming and 60+ fps on 1440p. Check how much more the rx 5700xt is though. The xfx or rather wide, get the powercolor red dragon (which can fit 2 12x25mm fans underneath in the future for lower noise and better temps) or the gigabyte gaming oc. Both are great cards with the best temps/noise for mid range rx 5700 (xt) cards.

Lastly, 2300mhz ram is very slow. 3200 is not that much more expensive and gives you better scaling in the ryzen cpu, also 5 fps more. Ryzen works better with faster ram and 3600mhz is the sweet spot for ryzen 3000, though not that much better than 3200mhz. 2300mhz is too low though for the money you will save.
On 1440p gaming, cod and bf5 take 13-15gb ram. 16gb is fine for 1080p ultra, but if you will upgrade your monitor to 1440p (or in the future, it is a big visual upgrade of you ask me) get 3200mhz 32gb. You only have 2 slots so can't upgrade later without buying totally new and the prices are still low now.

Ah whoops - definitely meant to say 3200mhz RAM - thanks!

For the GPU, I'm mainly aiming for 1080p gaming currently with a view to upgrade to a 1440p monitor later this year. At the moment I'm torn between the RX 5700/5700XT and the GTX 2060 Super. The price difference isn't gigantic I suppose
 

HyperActive

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jul 22, 2019
183
75
Ah whoops - definitely meant to say 3200mhz RAM - thanks!

For the GPU, I'm mainly aiming for 1080p gaming currently with a view to upgrade to a 1440p monitor later this year. At the moment I'm torn between the RX 5700/5700XT and the GTX 2060 Super. The price difference isn't gigantic I suppose
With the 1440p gaming, the rx 5700xt is King for the money. 2060 super and rx 5700 are fine if your budget can't get you the xt version. The cards I mentioned are great also on the xt version.
Also, I highly recommend the 32gb if you are getting 1440p soon and want to go at least 5 years with your pc.
 

tinyitx

Shrink Ray Wielder
Jan 25, 2018
2,279
2,338
Also, I highly recommend the 32gb if you are getting 1440p soon and want to go at least 5 years with your pc.
Would you elaborate on this recommendation please?
Did you read in some review sites that 32GB RAM is preferred for 1440p gaming for now and next 5 years?
If so, please link me to it.
 

HyperActive

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jul 22, 2019
183
75
Would you elaborate on this recommendation please?
Did you read in some review sites that 32GB RAM is preferred for 1440p gaming for now and next 5 years?
If so, please link me to it.
No, but like I said, my system uses 13-15gb of ram on larger maps in cod and bf5 1440p ultra. With higher res textures, comes higher ram usage. The new consoles can handle higher res textures and resolutions as a whole and games will therefore also come with higher res settings. I think you wilt bottleneck your ram capacity and therefore pc relatively soon the coming years if you stick with 16gb of ram on 1440p gaming.
 

MattyKHZ

Average Stuffer
Sep 26, 2019
72
21
Is no-one using 5700 with xt bios? That is what I am thinking. Red Dragon same cooler so why not get 5700 and put xt bios on.