CPU Build for Two PCIe 4.0 Gen4 NVMe M2 high-bandwidth storage devices

[PVC]

I changed the Title because this discussion has morphed beyond choosing a case!!

I am not new to PC building. But I am new to SFF building. I want to build a small-as-possible mini-ITX 4000 Ryzen, 2x NvMe drives, no-GPU/no gaming. See detail parts list at bottom.

The Ryzen 7 4700GE is/(will be) a 35W TDP so except for this 35W-TDP CPU and two hot PCIe Gen4 M2 drives I don't need other cooling. I can't find the correct case. Every case I look at is for Gaming. That is, the cases that I look at have almost half the space set aside for a GPU. I don't want a GPU. I can use a regular power supply or I can use an external brick. Problem is I can't find a case without that big area for the GPU? Do I have to go with a Dan 4/A4-SFX (about 7 liters or so) when all I need is a couple/few liters for a CPU and two M2 22/80 sticks.

• Also I could use advice on how big of a power supply I would need? I was planning PCPartsPicker estimate times 1.3.
• Is the one CPU fan plus case fan(s) enough cooling?

Plan for Build Parts;
Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO mini-ITX
AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE/7nm Zen 3 (8/16) 3.1 GHz-4.35 GHz (DDR4-3200) Vega 8/512 SPs@2000 MHz - (35W TDP)
Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, Premium Low-Profile CPU Cooler for AMD AM4 (Brown) 37mm total height
G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB DDR4-3200 (2 x 8GB) (PC4 25600) CL16 288-pins
Gigabyte AORUS Nvme Gen4 M2 500GB PCI-Express 4.0, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader
Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M2) (no heatsink, use provided motherboard heatsink)
<<<< NO Graphics Card <<<< NO GPU
<<<< NO OVERCLOCKING <<<< NO OC

 

[judokamak]

Plenty of options on this list:


Also I could use advice on how big of a power supply I would need? I was planning PCPartsPicker estimate times 1.3.
APU cases usually host flex psu-s or an ac-dc-atx solution. You will find all the info you need on this forum.

 

[leo1981]

Are you looking for a brickless build?

J-HACK Pure Mk2 NOW SHIPPING - J-HACK

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: PURE MK2 ORDERS ARE NOW SHIPPING. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOURS, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR YOUR ADDRESS CONFIRMATION. *No computer components included; case only* Example Configurations The APU Build: Ryzen 3400G, Meanwell RPS-120 internal AC-DC, J-Hack ONE2 Plugin 200X The...

j-hackcompany.com

Or external PSU:

M350 Universal Mini-ITX enclosure

M350 Universal Mini-ITX Enclosure, the swiss Army Knife of Embedded mini-ITX Computing

www.mini-box.com

There are other APU cases out there.
How small case are you looking for?
I was looking at a similar setup; I'm waiting for the new Deskmini specs.

 

[PVC]

M350 Universal Mini-ITX enclosure

M350 Universal Mini-ITX Enclosure, the swiss Army Knife of Embedded mini-ITX Computing

www.mini-box.com

Well maybe the mini-Box M350 would work? What confuses me is the picture they showed of the case with airflow coming into the case in the exact opposite direction of the CPU fan ??? But another picture shows two brackets with two case fans each, four case fans total. Maybe I could have one bracket with two case fans on the opposite side of the CPU fan. Then have the two case fans, plus the CPU fan all blowing out from the case in the same direction.

 

[ermac318]

If I may suggest waiting for a little bit until the Renoir CPUs (Ryzen 4000 SPUs) ship, there may be more options that become available. AsRock has hinted that there will be more options coming soon. As of right now, the DeskMini A300W doesn't support Renoir CPUs officially, but if they do add support (or release an "A500" that uses the new A520 chipset) then that would be my go-to for tiny GPU-less build. It's extremely cost effective, and the only real downside is the SODIMM memory.

If you don't want to do with the DeskMini, buying an X570 board for what you're doing is ridiculous overkill. A B550, B450 or even A320 board (assuming they get BIOS support for Renoir) would be plenty for a 35W chip.

If you must have an expensive board, put it in something like J-Hack's Pure Mk2 as has been linked. Buy it with the Meanwell PSU and DC-ATX board included.

 

[PVC]

This J-HACK would work if I could hack off the left GPU-Side of the case. What I want is the Right two/thirds of the J-Hack plus room for an internal power supply. Is that asking too much?

J-HACK Pure Mk2 NOW SHIPPING - J-HACK

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: PURE MK2 ORDERS ARE NOW SHIPPING. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOURS, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR YOUR ADDRESS CONFIRMATION. *No computer components included; case only* Example Configurations The APU Build: Ryzen 3400G, Meanwell RPS-120 internal AC-DC, J-Hack ONE2 Plugin 200X The...

j-hackcompany.com

 

[PVC]

If I may suggest waiting for a little bit until the Renoir CPUs (Ryzen 4000 SPUs) ship,

Yep, I will wait (by default). Just looking ahead. I will look into your other suggestions. I use 2xM2 sticks for image backups because I constantly change the available software for testing various different options.

 

[ermac318]

This J-HACK would work if I could hack off the left GPU-Side of the case. What I want is the Right two/thirds of the J-Hack plus room for an internal power supply. Is that asking too much?

J-HACK Pure Mk2 NOW SHIPPING - J-HACK

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: PURE MK2 ORDERS ARE NOW SHIPPING. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOURS, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR YOUR ADDRESS CONFIRMATION. *No computer components included; case only* Example Configurations The APU Build: Ryzen 3400G, Meanwell RPS-120 internal AC-DC, J-Hack ONE2 Plugin 200X The...

j-hackcompany.com

That's exactly what it does. You can use that space either for an internal power supply or a low profile GPU. Read the example configurations lower down the page.

Yep, I will wait (by default). Just looking ahead. I will look into your other suggestions. I use 2xM2 sticks for image backups because I constantly change the available software for testing various different options.

The DeskMini A300(w) does have two M.2 slots, just FYI. But yes you'd need a board with dual M.2

 

[PVC]

Thanks for your replies. I will review and take a second look at cases around 3 liters that can take a sff power supply.

 

[ignsvn]

I am not new to PC building. But I am new to SFF building. I want to build a small-as-possible mini-ITX 4000 Ryzen, 2x NvMe drives, no-GPU/no gaming. See detail parts list at bottom.

The Ryzen 7 4700GE is/(will be) a 35W TDP so except for this 35W-TDP CPU and two hot PCIe Gen4 M2 drives I don't need other cooling. I can't find the correct case. Every case I look at is for Gaming. That is, the cases that I look at have almost half the space set aside for a GPU. I don't want a GPU. I can use a regular power supply or I can use an external brick. Problem is I can't find a case without that big area for the GPU? Do I have to go with a Dan 4/A4-SFX (about 7 liters or so) when all I need is a couple/few liters for a CPU and two M2 22/80 sticks.

• Also I could use advice on how big of a power supply I would need? I was planning PCPartsPicker estimate times 1.3.
• Is the one CPU fan plus case fan(s) enough cooling?

Plan for Build Parts;
Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO mini-ITX
AMD Ryzen 7 4700GE/7nm Zen 3 (8/16) 3.1 GHz-4.35 GHz (DDR4-3200) Vega 8/512 SPs@2000 MHz - (35W TDP)
Noctua NH-L9a-AM4, Premium Low-Profile CPU Cooler for AMD AM4 (Brown) 37mm total height
G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB DDR4-3200 (2 x 8GB) (PC4 25600) CL16 288-pins
Gigabyte AORUS Nvme Gen4 M2 500GB PCI-Express 4.0, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader
Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M2) (no heatsink, use provided motherboard heatsink)
<<<< NO Graphics Card <<<< NO GPU
<<<< NO OVERCLOCKING <<<< NO OC

Agree with the others, the motherboard seems overkill.

One thing you should note is that, historically, Ryzen GE processors have been reserved for OEM & system builders. So I'm not sure how you'll be able to get one.

However, in any case you know any retailer selling them, do let us know

 

[PVC]

Agree with the others, the motherboard seems overkill.

One thing you should note is that, historically, Ryzen GE processors have been reserved for OEM & system builders. So I'm not sure how you'll be able to get one.

oic, Perhaps I will not be able to get my mits on the Rysen 7 nnnnGE. Yikes! I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up! As to x570 being overkill?? What's the diff if the price is near the same as B550? EBay prices seem similar to me.

 

[kazuma86]

Plenty of options on this list:


Also I could use advice on how big of a power supply I would need? I was planning PCPartsPicker estimate times 1.3.
APU cases usually host flex psu-s or an ac-dc-atx solution. You will find all the info you need on this forum.

Will be help you a lot.. the list is easy to find, but you need to find others review before build what pc case suit for your build.

 

[ignsvn]

oic, Perhaps I will not be able to get my mits on the Rysen 7 nnnnGE. Yikes! I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads up! As to x570 being overkill?? What's the diff if the price is near the same as B550? EBay prices seem similar to me.

I leave it to you to google the diff between X570 and B550.

Regarding the APU, you can still limit the power usage of the 4xxxG, essentially making them 4xxxGE. Google about Ryzen PBO & cTDP. Quite a few brought down their cTDP to 35w & 45w.

 

[PVC]

Okay, I am liking J-HACK. I watched a video on an older obsolete model. This Video

I am looking at the J-HACK Pure Mk2 (PRE-ORDER) as my case. But I have a power question below.

Assume for now that I stick with my X570 mini-ITX motherboard to get 2x PCIe Gen4 M2 2280 sticks.I entered mt parts into pcpartpicker to get Estimated Wattage.

pcpartpicker Estimated Wattage = 179W

• Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO
• AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G 8/16 (3.6-4.45 GHz) Vega8-2100 MHz, 65W TDP--For pcpartpicker power estimate I used older equivalent = AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8/16 (3.66-4.4 GHz) 65W TDP
• Noctua NH-L9a
• G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB DDR4-3200 (2 x 8GB) (PC4 25600) CL16 288-pins
• Gigabyte AORUS Nvme Gen4 M2 500GB PCI-Express 4.0, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader
• Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M2 (no heatsink, use heatsink provided with motherboard)

Finally, here's my power question. Based on my pcpartpicker Estimated Wattage = 179W what is a good internal power supply choice for this J-HACK Pure Mk2 (PRE-ORDER) case.

 

[ermac318]

Okay, I am liking J-HACK. I watched a video on an older obsolete model. This Video

I am looking at the J-HACK Pure Mk2 (PRE-ORDER) as my case. But I have a power question below.

Assume for now that I stick with my X570 mini-ITX motherboard to get 2x PCIe Gen4 M2 2280 sticks.I entered mt parts into pcpartpicker to get Estimated Wattage.

pcpartpicker Estimated Wattage = 179W

• Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO
• AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G 8/16 (3.6-4.45 GHz) Vega8-2100 MHz, 65W TDP--For pcpartpicker power estimate I used older equivalent = AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8/16 (3.66-4.4 GHz) 65W TDP
• Noctua NH-L9a
• G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 16GB DDR4-3200 (2 x 8GB) (PC4 25600) CL16 288-pins
• Gigabyte AORUS Nvme Gen4 M2 500GB PCI-Express 4.0, Full Body Copper Heat Spreader
• Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M2 (no heatsink, use heatsink provided with motherboard)

Finally, here's my power question. Based on my pcpartpicker Estimated Wattage = 179W what is a good internal power supply choice for this J-HACK Pure Mk2 (PRE-ORDER) case.

@Thehack Is the manufacturer of this case. I believe he is bundling the 200W Meanwell and a DC-ATX unit with the case.

 

[PVC]

Hmmmmm; based on the advice that I multiply the pcpartpicker estimated wattage by 1.3 (179W x 1.3 = 233W) and based on the Ryzen power consumption charts at guru3d I think I will need a 250W power supply. I will open another thread if I need to probe this further. Thanks for your replies.

 

[DwarfLord]

M350 Universal Mini-ITX enclosure

M350 Universal Mini-ITX Enclosure, the swiss Army Knife of Embedded mini-ITX Computing

www.mini-box.com

Well maybe the mini-Box M350 would work? What confuses me is the picture they showed of the case with airflow coming into the case in the exact opposite direction of the CPU fan ??? But another picture shows two brackets with two case fans each, four case fans total. Maybe I could have one bracket with two case fans on the opposite side of the CPU fan. Then have the two case fans, plus the CPU fan all blowing out from the case in the same direction.

I would not recommend the M350 with an nvme drive under the motherboard.
I have this case, and there is absolutely no space at all under it for a heatsink or even a copper heat spreader like those seen on nvme drives. I have a sata m.2 drive installed there, and there is perhaps maximum 1mm between the drive and the case.

 

[Thehack]

1. These power consumption measures are a bit fringe case scenario. You are unlikely to fully load the CPU *that* much.

2. If that is a concern, your workload fully loads it, you can always cap the power consumption in Ryzen Master.

3. Yes, there is a 200W Kit in the works, but I'm not sure when it will be available. It is the Plugin 200X.

 

[PVC]

Agree with the others, the motherboard seems overkill.

I am going to scrap this X570 build. Here's why,,,

I was seeking to use the new PCIe Gen4 technology for faster data transfer between two Gen4 NVME 2280 M2 sticks, and the Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO has the capability for mounting two M2 sticks. However, there are other considerations. The back-of-the-mother-board mount for a second M2 does not have the same resources (PCIe lanes or whatever) as the front mounted M2 that sits beneath the chipset fan, thus the back mounted M2 is slower. This alone would compromise my plans for fast data transfer between the two M2 sticks. Then there is HEAT. The PCIe Gen4 sticks run very hot which may cause thermal throttling. Here's one review below. Maybe I will look at a comfortable mini-ITX Ryzen 5 build instead.

 

[Stevo_]

I am going to scrap this X570 build. Here's why,,,

I was seeking to use the new PCIe Gen4 technology for faster data transfer between two Gen4 NVME 2280 M2 sticks, and the Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO has the capability for mounting two M2 sticks. However, there are other considerations. The back-of-the-mother-board mount for a second M2 does not have the same resources (PCIe lanes or whatever) as the front mounted M2 that sits beneath the chipset fan, thus the back mounted M2 is slower. This alone would compromise my plans for fast data transfer between the two M2 sticks. Then there is HEAT. The PCIe Gen4 sticks run very hot which may cause thermal throttling. Here's one review below. Maybe I will look at a comfortable mini-ITX Ryzen 5 build instead.

You didn't mention if using pcie slot, could get an nvme adapter for it and have full lane support rather than the bottom slot. I use the pcie slot as main on my pc. 2400g with 16gb running off 150w fanless flex psu. You might be interested in the case as well got off ebay but aliexpress has more supply. TDP capped at 65w no issues under load

ttps://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/g-alantic-ga6605-3-84l-itx-case-brickless-silent-w-2400g.11872/