Hi guys,
I would like to share my latest mini PC build. This isn't the initial version, as I went through some builds to get here which failed due to space, thermals or noise. I will be sharing with you my previous attempts so that you don't do the same mistakes with these components.
This is the current complete specs sheet:
==============================================================
The current build runs perfect in any given scenario. I been playing AAA games, mining XMR crypto and graphical designing without temperatures / power consumption / noise to exceed normal levels. In idle mode consumes about 20W while in full load with all components stressed to the max consumes up to 120W, measured at the wall. Mining performance is about 6.6KH/s and you can earn about XMR0.4/yr. Power consumption under mining load with 8 threads is about 90W, measured at the wall.
Gaming is more than decent. I'm getting around 40FPS on high end titles with 1080p@60Hz and preset low graphic settings. APU thermals never exceed 80°C whether I am gaming or mining. SSD thermals used to be 46°C before installing the heatsink and now averages at 32°C. RAM sticks thermals average at about 48°C while gaming and about 35°C in any other scenario. I was gaming on Windows but recently I switched to Linux as it gives me more performance for mining and lower thermals and power consumption.
It took some time to get to this build as initially I had slightly different components. The first attempted case was CiT MTX-007B but it had low clearance for APU cooler and a poor integrated non-standard PSU. The second case was SKTC A09 MiniITX but it had poor quality build and its edges were bent inside when removing the side panel which made installing or removing components very inconvenient. The current case has a really professional finish, is stylish and sturdy with lots of air vents, and has pretty good clearance to accommodate most of computer parts out there.
The previous PSU was a SilverStone FX350-G which was awfully loud even under idle condition and had very strong cables that I could not easily route through the case. I cut all its cables except for MoBo 24pin, APU 8pin and a single SATA port, and also changed the fan twice with a Delta fan with lower speeds but the noise was eventually getting at the same level and overall does not account the price paid. RAM sticks where also downgraded from G.Skill 4000@CL14 to the current ones due to overheating while gaming. When they were reaching 60°C the PC ran into a BSOD and reset itself. I need to mention at that time I was using the Noctua 80mm stock fan so the RAM sticks weren't getting cooling from the current 140mm fan.
The initial motherboard was Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX but I downgraded to A520 due to cooler clearance and overall thermals of the VRM. This way I also reduced power consumption by a few percents and did not compromise performance at all. I also upgraded its wireless module as I had a more performant version lying around. Because the case has a low profile PCI slot available I connected a USB type-C bracket to the internal USB3.0 header as this motherboard doesn't have any Type-C connectors on the back.
The case has option to mount 2*80mm fans at the top but in my situation were not needed as the Arctic 140mm fan does all the magic in this amazing PC. As you can see from the pictures I mounted the fan on the side panel with rubber screws as I didn't had any option to stick it on the Noctua heatsink. Basically this huge fan cools down the APU, GPU, RAM, SSD and VRMs altogether at the same time.
I hope you like my build. In the future I would like to replace the PSU with a fanless one when they will be available as the 140mm fan should provide enough airflow for the whole components in the case. Also the air vent on the side panel allows for a 160mm fan but I couldn't find a slim one that can fit between heatsink and side panel. Most of the 160mm fans have 25mm height and I need only 15mm.
Cheers.
I would like to share my latest mini PC build. This isn't the initial version, as I went through some builds to get here which failed due to space, thermals or noise. I will be sharing with you my previous attempts so that you don't do the same mistakes with these components.
This is the current complete specs sheet:
==============================================================
- APU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, 16Thread@4.6GHz, 16MB Cache, 65W, 7nm
- Heatsink: Noctua NH-L9x65 SE-AM4
- FAN: Arctic P14 Slim PWM, 1800RPM, 140*16mm
- GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics iGPU, 8Thread@2GHz
- RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V, 16GB-DDR4@3.6GT/s, CL14-14-14-34, 1.45V
- Heatsink: G.Skill stock
- SSD: WD Blue SN570 1TB, NVMe PCIe3.0, GPT Partition, Ext4 Format
- Heatsink: Jeyi Warship PRO
- MoBo: Gigabyte A520I AC
- Wireless: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
- WiFi5, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2x2MIMO, dual band, 867Mbps
- Bluetooth v4.2
- Thumb WiFi antennas 3dBi gain
- PSU: Seasonic SSP-300SUG, FlexATX, 80Plus Gold, Active PFC, 300W
- Case: Lzmod A24-V4, 4.3liter, L194*W88*H252mm
- Akasa USB-C 3.1 Gen2, Low Profile PCI Bracket
- OS: Zorin OS Core v16.2 64bit Linux
The current build runs perfect in any given scenario. I been playing AAA games, mining XMR crypto and graphical designing without temperatures / power consumption / noise to exceed normal levels. In idle mode consumes about 20W while in full load with all components stressed to the max consumes up to 120W, measured at the wall. Mining performance is about 6.6KH/s and you can earn about XMR0.4/yr. Power consumption under mining load with 8 threads is about 90W, measured at the wall.
Gaming is more than decent. I'm getting around 40FPS on high end titles with 1080p@60Hz and preset low graphic settings. APU thermals never exceed 80°C whether I am gaming or mining. SSD thermals used to be 46°C before installing the heatsink and now averages at 32°C. RAM sticks thermals average at about 48°C while gaming and about 35°C in any other scenario. I was gaming on Windows but recently I switched to Linux as it gives me more performance for mining and lower thermals and power consumption.
It took some time to get to this build as initially I had slightly different components. The first attempted case was CiT MTX-007B but it had low clearance for APU cooler and a poor integrated non-standard PSU. The second case was SKTC A09 MiniITX but it had poor quality build and its edges were bent inside when removing the side panel which made installing or removing components very inconvenient. The current case has a really professional finish, is stylish and sturdy with lots of air vents, and has pretty good clearance to accommodate most of computer parts out there.
The previous PSU was a SilverStone FX350-G which was awfully loud even under idle condition and had very strong cables that I could not easily route through the case. I cut all its cables except for MoBo 24pin, APU 8pin and a single SATA port, and also changed the fan twice with a Delta fan with lower speeds but the noise was eventually getting at the same level and overall does not account the price paid. RAM sticks where also downgraded from G.Skill 4000@CL14 to the current ones due to overheating while gaming. When they were reaching 60°C the PC ran into a BSOD and reset itself. I need to mention at that time I was using the Noctua 80mm stock fan so the RAM sticks weren't getting cooling from the current 140mm fan.
The initial motherboard was Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX but I downgraded to A520 due to cooler clearance and overall thermals of the VRM. This way I also reduced power consumption by a few percents and did not compromise performance at all. I also upgraded its wireless module as I had a more performant version lying around. Because the case has a low profile PCI slot available I connected a USB type-C bracket to the internal USB3.0 header as this motherboard doesn't have any Type-C connectors on the back.
The case has option to mount 2*80mm fans at the top but in my situation were not needed as the Arctic 140mm fan does all the magic in this amazing PC. As you can see from the pictures I mounted the fan on the side panel with rubber screws as I didn't had any option to stick it on the Noctua heatsink. Basically this huge fan cools down the APU, GPU, RAM, SSD and VRMs altogether at the same time.
I hope you like my build. In the future I would like to replace the PSU with a fanless one when they will be available as the 140mm fan should provide enough airflow for the whole components in the case. Also the air vent on the side panel allows for a 160mm fan but I couldn't find a slim one that can fit between heatsink and side panel. Most of the 160mm fans have 25mm height and I need only 15mm.
Cheers.
Shall I connect all 4 of them to the APU fan header, the elephant in the room, or is better to link each one to the components they sit on top of? What would you say/do? I'm thinking though that I would go through a complicated step with this and I like to keep things simple. But, I will definitely look into it. Thank you.
