Log Opinion on my Velka 3 Build

[CeleryGod]

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to piece together my Velka 3 build, and would like your opinion on what I've come up with. Originally I was looking at the AM5 platform (ok, admittedly so I can get a copy of Starfield), but the mini-ITX motherboards seem quite expensive, and more than what I need. The best GPU that I can fit in the case (and is available in the U.S.) seems to be the Zotac 4060, so I don't think I need some crazy build to drive that card.

Here's what I come up with:

- Velka 3 Case
- Gigabyte B550I AORUS Pro AX AMD AM4 Mini-ITX Motherboard
- 5600X (or maybe a 5600 since it's a little less)
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB 2 x 16GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL16 (can't find the height on these but I think they'll fit being low profile)
- SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe
- ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4060 8GB SOLO
- Noctua L9a-AM4 Chromax
- HDPLEX 400W HiFi DC-ATX
- Dell 7.4 mm barrel 330 W AC Adapter

Anything I should change or be concerned about? Thanks everyone!

Edit: I'm also considering a 5600X3D, since according to GamersNexus it only drew another 7 watts or so during an extended CPU test.

 

[scatterforce]

With a 5600/x/x3D and 4060, get a HDPLEX 250W. It will be more than enough for your needs.

If you are aiming for a budget build with new parts, go Intel. You can get an ASRock Z690M-ITX for 150 and a 12400 for another 150 from Bestbuy. It has bios flashback on the board, uses DDR4, and will support the upcoming Intel chips. Personally, I would invest in something that's not a dead-end platform.

 

[nightshift]

Great picks on Intel's side here by scatterforce, that board is the definite one to take due to having both M.2 slots at the front side-by-side and the 12400 is a perfect and very capable cpu for an L9i. However with the conclusion of the 13th gen Intel series, we can say it's just as dead as AM4. Or will the 14th gen be fine on this platform as well? If so, it should still be fine with DDR4?

If you can get a 5600x3D, it's probably one of the better choices here. It's certainly performs the best out of the 65w range, even up to the level of the 5800x3D in some cases. So that will surely outlive a lot of other processors, sheerly through it's performance. Yet the 12400 actually runs very cool, probably significantly cooler compared to the 5600x3D.

As for PSU, I'm not sure if any of the HDplex fit in there or can be secured properly. Don't know if that will change with the new revision of this case, but I cna say from personal experience that the Enhance 766b VK edition that Velkase sells is a safe bet for the current v.2 in all aspects. Being brickless is nice too.

Once the build is done, please update this post as I am very interested in how that particular 4060 performs here and just Velka 3 builds in general

 

[CeleryGod]

Thanks, I'll update this post when I finish in a few days. The 250w hdplex was out of stock when I ordered the 400w dc atx, but I've thought about returning it now that the 250 is available again. I've read that the Velka 3 front plate can just be flipped, and then I can install the psu on the bottom. I want zero noise from the psu, soi was going to try this first.

I'll definitely consider the 12400 if I can get that and a motherboard for cheap at Microcenter. Although it may look odd, I may end up getting a taller CPU cooler and just taking a Dremel to the side case. I just want my PC to fit in a side corner, and won't even see that side of the case from my view. It'll either be a great idea or a terrible one

 

[scatterforce]

Or will the 14th gen be fine on this platform as well?

It's been confirmed that the 13th gen will be getting a refresh and will use the 1700 socket once more later this year. IDK if they are going to call it the 14th gen or not, but it's not a dead socket yet.

@CeleryGod the AXP90x36 has been shown to outperform the L9i if you want maximum cooling, especially for the intel part. I would do this with a foam gasket/fan duct before cutting into the case.

 

[k0n]

Definitely the 250W GaN and I would want an iGPU for (graphics card less) retirement of RAM/CPU/board or as backup ...so AM5 or 1700.

The AM5 mini-ITX boards are disappointing and Intel is at the very least competitive in the 12400 range. Interesting 1700 boards... 14th gen is supposed to also work, but upgradeability is overrated I think. Are you really going to throw away the 12400 in 1-2 years just to get a new CPU on your old board? My board was 140€ and 60€ for RAM... why let yourself get tied down by this? Keep the CPU your getting with the RAM/board your choosing for it.. with iGPU this will make a capable (tiny) non gaming PC.

I had 2400G, 3600 and 3700X.. all sold with the board/RAM they were reliable working on. All still perfectly usable. Who is going to throw away even the R5 7600... just to pair a new Ryzen 9000 with an old board that is missing features + early DDR5 RAM that was ideally choosen for Ryzen 7000 (6000Mhz?), but now unoptimal for your new Ryzen 9000. If you don't throw the R5 7600 away... someone will need a board for that. Along with sweetspot Ryzen 7000 DDR5

 

[nightshift]

It's been confirmed that the 13th gen will be getting a refresh and will use the 1700 socket once more later this year. IDK if they are going to call it the 14th gen or not, but it's not a dead socket yet.

@CeleryGod the AXP90x36 has been shown to outperform the L9i if you want maximum cooling, especially for the intel part. I would do this with a foam gasket/fan duct before cutting into the case.

That's good news. I also have the LGA 1700 board, so will be interested to see what they come up with. Hopefully they make something within the 65w territory.
The AXP90-X36 is a great choice with a separate slim noctua fan especially on this mounting. It's heatsink has vertical fins which works better here.

The 12400 is a cool cpu and I would grab the regular version instead of the one without the igpu, as for the price difference (10-15$) it is definitely worth having it.

Also regarding the M.2 SSD - Samsung is very popular for some reason, yet I'm not convinced that it runs the coolest. Based on some comparison videos, there might be other, more suitable choices. For example out of the pcie 4.0 bunch, Seagate's Firecuda 520 ran cooler even that some other models having their own heatsinks. Aside from that, single-sided 3.0 models can also be a great choice for lower price, cool operation and no apparent speed difference with regular use, unless you move terabytes daily for some reason and also in a constant hurry.

 

[CeleryGod]

With the newest revision of the Velka 3, does anyone know if the 250w HDPLEX fits? Considering that now that it's back in stock in the US.

 

[hk3212]

With the newest revision of the Velka 3, does anyone know if the 250w HDPLEX fits? Considering that now that it's back in stock in the US.

Also curious about this, was looking at building with 250w HDPLEX in the SKTC A07. Otherwise, will go with K39 as I know the PSU will fit in that case (v3)

 

[CeleryGod]

I ended up going with the HDPLEX GaN in the Velka 3. It's not a perfect fit but it's great not having any PSU fan noise.

 

[hk3212]

Would the HDPLEX 250W PSU be enough for a 12400 + Zotac 4060 Solo setup? Pcpartpicker is giving my build a 300W estimate, which I assume is the maximum. Will I have to power limit the CPU? I think the 12400 can get up to approx. 120W max.

 

[msystems]

Hdplex gan can be run right at rated wattage without issue, gpu transients don't seem to do anything to it. Due to the switching frequency of gan technology, this thing has like 10x the capacitance of a flex psu. So recommended wattage figures are irrelevant! As the actual load is kept at or below 250w its good. Recommended to make sure it has some kind of extra cooling above 150w continuous just to keep the chips in it happy. Whether this is conduction to the chassis, a case fan, anything helps.

 

[hk3212]

Thanks for the info, this is my 2nd itx build and the world of GAN psus is new to me. I've decided on most of the components, do you think the 7600 would be harder to cool than the 12400? This is a k39 build and I'd be willing to pay more for AM5 but not if cooling is a bigger concern.

 

[k0n]

Will I have to power limit the CPU? I think the 12400 can get up to approx. 120W max.

I think the powerlimit for the 12400 is even higher (154W) though the most I've seen on my 12600 non K was 80-90W... it just doesn't need more to reach the set and locked down clock limits.

Still I like to powerlimit the CPU further (just in case). Via ThrottleStop you could just limit it to 50-60W for mixed CPU/GPU loads... this leaves you maybe 95-99% of the gaming performance but with less heat, noise and powerdraw.

 

[CeleryGod]

Hdplex gan can be run right at rated wattage without issue, gpu transients don't seem to do anything to it. Due to the switching frequency of gan technology, this thing has like 10x the capacitance of a flex psu. So recommended wattage figures are irrelevant! As the actual load is kept at or below 250w its good. Recommended to make sure it has some kind of extra cooling above 150w continuous just to keep the chips in it happy. Whether this is conduction to the chassis, a case fan, anything helps.

Yes, good advice. I happen to have a 5600X3D, but I limit it to around 80w and my 4060 solo only hit 110w at max. PSU gets hot to the touch, but that's expected, and heat is dissipated through the chassis or a fan (if you've got one moving air across it somehow).

 

[nightshift]

Would the HDPLEX 250W PSU be enough for a 12400 + Zotac 4060 Solo setup? Pcpartpicker is giving my build a 300W estimate, which I assume is the maximum. Will I have to power limit the CPU? I think the 12400 can get up to approx. 120W max.

I have the Enhance 766b VK edition from Velkase together with the Velka 3. Never heard a single sound from the psu so far. Since it costs the same or less than the GaN 250w passive psu, I see no reason not to grab just that. 600w is a lot of headroom and it is ventilated and cooled by a silent fan so it doesn't heat up anything above. Case also looks better with that full black psu within - it's just how it's meant to be.
The 12-13400's are easier to cool than the recent Ryzens (this changes from 1x500 and above). The 4060 from Zotac seems like an amazing gpu, something that's meant to be in this case. Do post the build one you're finished please.

 

[hk3212]

I went ahead and bought the Hdplex psu, power limiting the cpu should make it viable if necessary. I found the PSU to be $70 cheaper when purchasing from Canada, and I like the idea of a fanless setup.

 

[k0n]

@hk3212 definitely the way to go for a noise conscious build. Fanless PSU and easy to cool CPU(/GPU).

 

[minimize]

I ended up going with the HDPLEX GaN in the Velka 3. It's not a perfect fit but it's great not having any PSU fan noise.

Do you mind posting a pic? I'm interested on this build as well.

 

[CeleryGod]

Sure, here's one. On the top right of the PSU I have one screw and bolt holding it in place. I have the sides covered with magnetic mesh (that's why there are magnets) normally. Would like an adapter plate for an HDPLEX on the Velka 3, but since I can't see the back on my setup it doesn't bother me right now.