Feedback on my Node 202 workstation/light gaming build

mcs437

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 21, 2018
13
10
Hey,

I'm putting together a build in a Node 202 which will primarily be used for software development in Windows. I usually develop on Mac but we've been picking up more projects which have required Windows recently and I'm sick of running Windows in a VM - and bootcamp isn't practical as I flit between the two OSes.

Biggest everyday taxes on the system are going to be Visual Studio and occasionally Cinema 4D if I'm reviewing a 3D model. Will be pretty unusual for me to be doing the renders from C4D though so not overly concerned about performance there.

My priorities for the build are stability/low temps/low noise with enough grunt to run Visual Studio without keeling over.

Current build ideas are:

Type Item Price
CPU AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor £165.99 @ Amazon UK
Motherboard Asus - ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard £248.00 @ Amazon UK
Memory Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory £129.40 @ Amazon UK
Storage Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive £121.63 @ Amazon UK
Video Card Zotac - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Mini Video Card £419.78 @ Amazon UK
Case Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case £65.47 @ Amazon UK
Power Supply Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply - Already Own
Case Fan Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 54.97 CFM 120mm Fan £17.69 @ Amazon UK
Case Fan Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 54.97 CFM 120mm Fan £17.69 @ Amazon UK
Case Fan Noctua - NF-A9x14 29.72 CFM 92mm Fan -
Monitor Acer - H277HK smidppx 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor - Already Own
Total £1185.65
Notes:

  • Asus MoBo is primarily because it's one of the few Ryzen mITX (only?) that has two M.2 slots.
  • Mini 1070 ti because it'll give me enough GPU power if I do need to run any C4D renders and is small form factor allowing for a bit of extra airflow in the case. Might occasionally game at 1080p (on a 4K monitor). I'm not sure about this one - would I be better going full size as the GPU will have better cooling?
  • Ryzen 5 2600 because it's a 65W TDP CPU which hopefully means I can keep temps/fan noise down - I plan on buying a Wraith Spire and adding the A9x14 fan as it'll be quieter than the OEM fan with the shroud removed.
Would love peoples thoughts/opinions or any suggested mods in the same price range.
 
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el01

King of Cable Management
Jun 4, 2018
770
588
Hey,

I'm putting together a build in a Node 202 which will primarily be used for software development in Windows. I usually develop on Mac but we've been picking up more projects which have required Windows recently and I'm sick of running Windows in a VM - and bootcamp isn't practical as I flit between the two OSes.

Biggest everyday taxes on the system are going to be Visual Studio and occasionally Cinema 4D if I'm reviewing a 3D model. Will be pretty unusual for me to be doing the renders from C4D though so not overly concerned about performance there.

My priorities for the build are stability/low temps/low noise with enough grunt to run Visual Studio without keeling over.

Current build ideas are:

Type Item Price
CPU AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor £165.99 @ Amazon UK
Motherboard Asus - ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard £248.00 @ Amazon UK
Memory Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory £129.40 @ Amazon UK
Storage Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive £121.63 @ Amazon UK
Video Card Zotac - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB Mini Video Card £419.78 @ Amazon UK
Case Fractal Design - Node 202 HTPC Case £65.47 @ Amazon UK
Power Supply Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply - Already Own
Case Fan Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 54.97 CFM 120mm Fan £17.69 @ Amazon UK
Case Fan Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 54.97 CFM 120mm Fan £17.69 @ Amazon UK
Case Fan Noctua - NF-A9x14 29.72 CFM 92mm Fan -
Monitor Acer - H277HK smidppx 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor - Already Own
Total £1185.65
Notes:

  • Asus MoBo is primarily because it's one of the few Ryzen mITX (only?) that has two M.2 slots.
  • Mini 1070 ti because it'll give me enough GPU power if I do need to run any C4D renders and is small form factor allowing for a bit of extra airflow in the case. Might occasionally game at 1080p (on a 4K monitor). I'm not sure about this one - would I be better going full size as the GPU will have better cooling?
  • Ryzen 5 2600 because it's a 65W TDP CPU which hopefully means I can keep temps/fan noise down - I plan on buying a Wraith Spire and adding the A9x14 fan as it'll be quieter than the OEM fan with the shroud removed.
Would love peoples thoughts/opinions or any suggested mods in the same price range.
Not bad!

I would recommend a different case (perhaps others may have ideas) with the same layout due to the airflow restrictions within the Node 202.
 

mcs437

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 21, 2018
13
10
Thanks - would definitely be open to other ideas. Living and working in London my desk space at home (where this machine will be used) is pretty limited and the overall dimensions of the Node are perfect (in a vertical orientation).

If I could get something with a similar width when vertical - maybe a touch larger - which has much better airflow then I'd definitely be open to suggestions. I am definitely leaning more towards a larger GPU now as well - just for better cooling of the GPU itself.
 
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mcs437

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 21, 2018
13
10
Researching cases - the LOUQE Ghost S1 looks pretty amazing - and it's not much bigger than the footprint of the Node 202 with the stand. Can I wait until January 2019 though?

Maybe'll I'll build into the Node first and then upgrade to a LOUQE once their shipping times are a bit lower....
 
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el01

King of Cable Management
Jun 4, 2018
770
588
Researching cases - the LOUQE Ghost S1 looks pretty amazing - and it's not much bigger than the footprint of the Node 202 with the stand. Can I wait until January 2019 though?

Maybe'll I'll build into the Node first and then upgrade to a LOUQE once their shipping times are a bit lower....
If you want something that's hideous but will get the job done:
https://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=rvz02

Otherwise, perhaps I could design something for you with acrylic and modcubes(structural bits) and then have you assemble it?
 

annasoh323

Master of Cramming
Apr 4, 2018
424
314
If you want something that's hideous but will get the job done:
https://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=rvz02

Otherwise, perhaps I could design something for you with acrylic and modcubes(structural bits) and then have you assemble it?
Hideous!? Kind sir, I respectfully beg to differ! In person, the Raven's unconventional angled lines were fairly muted and a quick LED swap made the red HDD light the power light which was much more dignified. (I'm just biased, don't mind me).

If you're liking the looks of a console style case, can I recommend the forum's own Salvo Studios S401? It's one of the only console style cases I know that faces the graphics card and motherboard the same way which meant that I didn't have to choose which side of my case to admire. It's smaller than the Node 202 and RVZ02, It has much more open venting, and has a level of same small-run SFF street cred that they don't. It's built like a tank too. It can fit almost all the same hardware. CPU cooler height is slightly more limited but the addition of small exhaust fans helps quite a bit. You can also accessorize with a carrying handle and custom acrylic side panels. It's pricier than either of the above two options but should run competitively with the Ghost. My closing argument is that there is an active coupon code for $20 off shipping costs. Salvo is a one-man band and designed, had built, packs, and ships all cases himself. If my pitch isn't enough, the thread has lots of info and build pics and @confusis did a review video for SFF Network. (again, I am biased here. Not all bias is a bad thing right? right?)


Whatever you end up with, welcome to the club!
 
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el01

King of Cable Management
Jun 4, 2018
770
588
Hideous!? Kind sir, I respectfully beg to differ! In person, the Raven's unconventional angled lines were fairly muted and a quick LED swap made the red HDD light the power light which was much more dignified. (I'm just biased, don't mind me).

If you're liking the looks of a console style case, can I recommend the forum's own Salvo Studios S401? It's one of the only console style cases I know that faces the graphics card and motherboard the same way which meant that I didn't have to choose which side of my case to admire. It's smaller than the Node 202 and RVZ02, It has much more open venting, and has a level of same small-run SFF street cred that they don't. It's built like a tank too. It can fit almost all the same hardware. CPU cooler height is slightly more limited but the addition of small exhaust fans helps quite a bit. You can also accessorize with a carrying handle and custom acrylic side panels. It's pricier than either of the above two options but should run competitively with the Ghost. My closing argument is that there is an active coupon code for $20 off shipping costs. Salvo is a one-man band and designed, had built, packs, and ships all cases himself. If my pitch isn't enough, the thread has lots of info and build pics and @confusis did a review video for SFF Network. (again, I am biased here. Not all bias is a bad thing right? right?)


Whatever you end up with, welcome to the club!
You're entitled to your opinions. I think it looks a tad gamery, and I probably confused it with the 03.
The S401 is pretty great though. Maximum airflow.
 
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SumGhai

Cable-Tie Ninja
Jun 14, 2016
147
175
As the proud owner of a Node 202 myself, I highly recommend against getting it. The thermal problems are absolutely true, and I can feel my 1070 pumping out hot air all over the interior of the case. The case is also a real pain to work with and work around, especially if you have a card that is over-height as it'll conflict with several screw points on the frame. I'm definitely looking to migrate to a different case.

It's a shame, I love the minimalism of the case but I really don't like how it's meant to be handled according to the instructions. I would recommend looking at the RVZ02/RVZ03 or the corresponding ML08 line of cases from Silverstone.
 
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annasoh323

Master of Cramming
Apr 4, 2018
424
314
You're entitled to your opinions. I think it looks a tad gamery, and I probably confused it with the 03.
The S401 is pretty great though. Maximum airflow.
Yes, indeed, it is a gamer-y. Everyone is partial to their first build, though - I couldn't help myself. The RGB on the 03 is pretty unforgivably blatant <hides the RGB strip I placed in my S401>

As the proud owner of a Node 202 myself, I highly recommend against getting it. The thermal problems are absolutely true, and I can feel my 1070 pumping out hot air all over the interior of the case. The case is also a real pain to work with and work around, especially if you have a card that is over-height as it'll conflict with several screw points on the frame. I'm definitely looking to migrate to a different case.

It's a shame, I love the minimalism of the case but I really don't like how it's meant to be handled according to the instructions. I would recommend looking at the RVZ02/RVZ03 or the corresponding ML08 line of cases from Silverstone.

Yes! The ML brethren to the RVZ cases are the respectable cousins with a white collar job that drives the Audi compared to the hippie RVZ cases that hitchhike from town to town because their VW van broke down a couple of towns back. They're headed for the next music festival/stargazing event in the next county. (request forgiveness from the hippies on the forum I may have just described)
 

mcs437

Chassis Packer
Original poster
Nov 21, 2018
13
10
Thanks for all the feedback - I picked up a Node 202 for a bit of a steal from Amazon last week so I already have it.

I'm going to use it to experiment a bit but will probably end up replacing it in fairly short order with something with a bit more SFF street cred :)

Final Parts List:

Ryzen 5 2600
Zotac 1070 Ti Mini
Asus Rog Strix B450i
970EVO 1TB
Corsair 3000Mhz LPX CL15 DDR4 2 x 8GB Ram
Corsair SF600 Gold PSU
2 x Noctua NF-F12 to create static pressure in the GPU chamber
1 x Noctua A12-15
1 x Black Ridge CPU Cooler - this looked so cool I had to have it and it'll give me plenty of options to get something with a bit more street cred later on. Going to see if I can mod the 202 to fit the Black Ridge with an A12-15 mounted on top.
3 x Custom 3D printed feet using this design to help cool the GPU chamber: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/6fn15w/3d_printed_custom_ducting_for_my_node_202_case/
2 x NF-A6 60mm fans to mount at the top as exhaust - should fit from my reading but might need to figure out a custom mounting solution
 
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