Discussion Need help with my first sffpc

[Rootzero]

Well, yes and no. If you watch his HWINFO instance you can see his clock speeds dropping (AKA thermal throttling is occuring) during an all-core Cinebench run...which with all the splicing and on-screen-capture mouse-scrolling is hard to track the behavior of. Given how CPUs behave like GPUs now--validating the frequency behavior as well as the score is needed, and isn't provided here....which given his conclusion about the proc being too hot for the cooler, makes sense he didn't really bother.

1. At 6:11 at the very beginning of the run, he's getting 4.4gHz
2. At 6:13, under a 1/4th of the way through the run he's getting about 4.35gHz..at which point he's hit 90C within a few seconds of load.
3. At 6:29, the system is throttling back more to 4.28gHz

And ofc, Cinebench on a 8c/16t system is a fast load. It is over in under a minute.

I tried his undervolting video. Didn't care for the outcome; I get better compute results with my AIO and letting the board/CPU manage itself. But I have a 240mm AIO; although I'm now running in a FormD T1. To each their own, go for it--but know you're setting yourself up for a challenge to get it to run well under sustained load. My 5800X under gaming load with a 240mm AIO hits 75C; but it is boosting to 4.85gHz because it has thermal room to do so.

Also, is there a better cooled I can use for this build?

 

[Rootzero]

Thanks again for explanation. I am getting a Dan A4, instead of Velka. It's the same price, but it's lighter, slightly bigger and as per reviews have better thermals.

 

[thelaughingman]

I am getting a Dan A4, instead of Velka.

this would have been my first suggestion to you if I had seen this topic earlier. you never want to saddle a 12/16 cores GPU with a 47mm class air cooler. I did it in my original build last year - 3900X and black ridge taobao clone and had to use ECO mode full time.

with the Dan A4, you can get an AIO, namely Asetek 645LT which would give you much better thermal performance. and if you go the extra mile and use an ITX graphics card (170mm in length), you can even fit a 120mm AIO in the GPU chamber for even more CPU performance.

I have updated the build

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/36GpYg
Changed the mobo from 570i to b550i which is compatible with blackridge cooler after removing m.2 heatsink.

Added compatible lpx ram.

This is likely my finalized build. What do you guys think?

Additional suggestions would be:

• Take the B550i Aorus Pro AX instead, much better value than the B550i Strix and without the noise/annoyance of the tiny chipset fan
• If possible, upgrade the M.2 SSD to a Samsung 980 Pro or WD SN850 to take full advantage of PCIE gen.4
• Switch the PSU to the Corsair SF750 - fan would not spin until load reach 300W, which is more than the 5950X would ever pull just by itself. Silverstone doesn't have the good track record in terms of fan control / noise - just look up comments on their 750/1000W unit.

Please share some pictures once your build is up and running. Enjoy!

 

[Rootzero]

Hey thanks so much for the feedback. That's exactly what I'm doing. Getting asetek aio. Since gpu is in short supply I'm going with the 92mm aio.

I am getting a asus x570i, because it has a fan for vrms which should come in handy as there's no airflow in the case due to the aio. It also seems to run cpu much cooler as per optimum tech comparison video. A

 

[Rootzero]

this would have been my first suggestion to you if I had seen this topic earlier. you never want to saddle a 12/16 cores GPU with a 47mm class air cooler. I did it in my original build last year - 3900X and black ridge taobao clone and had to use ECO mode full time.

with the Dan A4, you can get an AIO, namely Asetek 645LT which would give you much better thermal performance. and if you go the extra mile and use an ITX graphics card (170mm in length), you can even fit a 120mm AIO in the GPU chamber for even more CPU performance.


Additional suggestions would be:

• Take the B550i Aorus Pro AX instead, much better value than the B550i Strix and without the noise/annoyance of the tiny chipset fan
• If possible, upgrade the M.2 SSD to a Samsung 980 Pro or WD SN850 to take full advantage of PCIE gen.4
• Switch the PSU to the Corsair SF750 - fan would not spin until load reach 300W, which is more than the 5950X would ever pull just by itself. Silverstone doesn't have the good track record in terms of fan control / noise - just look up comments on their 750/1000W unit.

Please share some pictures once your build is up and running. Enjoy!

Let me know if the asus x570i is a better choice here.

The ssd, I already have ssds on my laptop and I plan on using those for now as this entire build is running me for almost 2.5k.


Thank you so much for the psu feedback, I wasn't aware of it and I doubt my research would have found it. It was my first choice but it's not available on Amazon. I'll look around and see if I can find it.

 

[thelaughingman]

I am getting a asus x570i, because it has a fan for vrms which should come in handy as there's no airflow in the case due to the aio.

In the Dan A4 you can install a slim 92mm fan below the motherboard - that would provide plenty of airflow over the motherboard area. The tiny fans (35-40mm) are just not worth it in terms of noise to temperature.

Let me know if the asus x570i is a better choice here.

If I were you my thinking process would be a decision tree, answering the 2 key questions below:

1. Do I need both M.2 drives to be Gen 4? This is to address the choice between X570 and B550 chipset. I did wanted that thus I chose the X570i Strix and then moved on to the Crosshair VIII Impact
2. Which board should I go for given the selected chipset? From my POV
   • X570: the Strix is the best - more rear IO, better front M.2 temps, temp sensor header for watercooling loop
   • B550: the Aorus is the best - passive chipset heatsink, all fan headers are 2A, AND considerably cheaper than Strix or Unify

Thank you so much for the psu feedback,

No worries, the SF750 is widely considered the best SFX PSU out there and given the PSU feeds electricity to the entire system, it is entirely justified to go for the best option possible. This PSU will last you many years across many builds to come for sure.

 

[Rootzero]

From my understanding gen 4 m.2 real world performance impact is marginal because gen 3 already provides pretty fast transfers.

Temp header definitely is a plus

 

[Rootzero]

In the Dan A4 you can install a slim 92mm fan below the motherboard - that would provide plenty of airflow over the motherboard area. The tiny fans (35-40mm) are just not worth it in terms of noise to temperature.


If I were you my thinking process would be a decision tree, answering the 2 key questions below:

1. Do I need both M.2 drives to be Gen 4? This is to address the choice between X570 and B550 chipset. I did wanted that thus I chose the X570i Strix and then moved on to the Crosshair VIII Impact
2. Which board should I go for given the selected chipset? From my POV
   • X570: the Strix is the best - more rear IO, better front M.2 temps, temp sensor header for watercooling loop
   • B550: the Aorus is the best - passive chipset heatsink, all fan headers are 2A, AND considerably cheaper than Strix or Unify

No worries, the SF750 is widely considered the best SFX PSU out there and given the PSU feeds electricity to the entire system, it is entirely justified to go for the best option possible. This PSU will last you many years across many builds to come for sure.

More io means I don't need to carry around a hub.


4:50 mark. Op explains why 570i is marginally better.

 

[Rootzero]

Wow I completely got it backwards. Giga board had lower vrm temp, higher clocks than asus x570i. And it has better vrm as well. Now I'm torn again lol

 

[Skripka]

Wow I completely got it backwards. Giga board had lower vrm temp, higher clocks than asus x570i. And it has better vrm as well. Now I'm torn again lol

"Better VRM" here is misleading. All the AM4 motherboards have overbuilt VRM. Even the 'worst' AM4 motherboard of the lot can drive a 3950X or a 5950X over locked with LN2. By at least a factor of 2x. It really is a non issue these days.

 

[Rootzero]

"Better VRM" here is misleading. All the AM4 motherboards have overbuilt VRM. Even the 'worst' AM4 motherboard of the lot can drive a 3950X or a 5950X over locked with LN2. By at least a factor of 2x. It really is a non issue these days.

Thank you for the information. I have went with asus x570i for the extra usb ports on the front and back as I won't have to carry a usb hub.