Questions on Mitx AMD MB for Ryzen 5 2400G

[nipsip]

1. How do you tell if the MB has the upgraded bios. Really do not want to be receiving and sending chips from MB manufacturers.

2. Read a lot about poor performing wifi/bluetooth cards on AS Rock and Asus - any feedback on these cards?

3. As of 3.1.2018 which board would you choose. ( I do not want to install video card) Will build in the Realan w60.

 

[nipsip]

This is the Realan E-W60 - No plan for video card. Have to use Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 - since the case is only 60mm deep. 200x60x250mm. Only need HDPlex 160 and a power brick. As soon as I get word on MB manufacturers having Raven Ridge ready mITX boards, I will post pictures of the build. Building a couple of these ASAP.

Add in $58 for the HDPlex and $60 for the Realan E-W60 and you are at ~$830.


CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9a-AM4 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.90 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard????: ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($108.39 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ B&H)

 

[stree]

All Ryzen AM4 motherboards are Raven Ridge ready, as long as you have the correct BIOS version.for ASRock AB350 ITX you need Beta BIOS 4.43, the 4.40 version is flawed and you may not be able to see the Samsung M.2 960 with 4.40. If the BIOS on the MB is earlier, EG: versions 3.0 or 3.10, then you MUST get BIOS 3.6 first ( Bridge version BIOS) before attempting 4.43. Use instant flash, not Windows flash.

I have not heard anything negative about the Bluetooth on this MB.

I would use G-Unique instead of HD-Plex, but that is just a preference. Even a PICO 160 watt would be fine for your build.

The EW-60 may be restrictive in cooling, only side and bottom panel vents. The CPU cooler may benefit from the following:
Remove the top panel, fit 4 x 6-32 MF standoffs, male end to screw into the top panel fixing screw holes, leaving the female part to refit your top panel, thus leaving an all round air intake gap. The height of the standoff is your choice. the standoffs MUST be 6-32 type, not M3 or other.

There is an inbuilt 50mm fan mount at the side vent, this may help get air flow to help keep the M.2 cool.

 

[m_42]

Hi there lads,

@ nipsip
Since I'm building an almost similar sytem to yours, I'm posting in here. I hope you don't mind.

@ stree
I'm in the process of building the following system:

Mainboard: Asrock Fatal1ty AB350 ITX/ac
CPU: Ryzen 5 2400G
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a
SSD: SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 500 GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0
Memory: G.Skill RipJaws V DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR4-3200, CL14-14-14-34

The case would most probably be a Streacom F7C Evo Chassis

Now comes the part where I'm literally torn, the PSU.
I'm not very keen on going with a picoPSU-160-XT + 192 W power adapter, I don't know I've just got mixed feelings about that.
I've read a lot about HDPlex and G-Unique. I want my system to last a long time so I'm trying to pick good parts.
Wouldn't a HDPLEX 400W Hi-Fi DC-ATX Power Supply be a treat in this case? I know it might be overkill for a system without a proper GPU but I don't care to be quite honnest.
Any advice would be highly appreciated.

 

[stree]

I use a 120W G-unique and a 300w G-Unique Archdaemon Limited edition, and the following Pico units: 120w, 150w and 160w.
Never had a moments issue with any of them.. the 12w Pico is over ten years old and had plenty of service, the 150 at least 8 years, and the 160w about 4 years. Of course the G-unique are much newer, a year and 2 years.
Absolutely no telling them apart when system is running and have great faith in the Pico units I have used. I am no authority, but do remember what has let me down and what has not.

I looked at HD-plex and G-unique at same time, preferred the 12 volts in to the 19volts of the HD-plex that required a further stage to get to 12 volts, and at the time I bought I think the HDP had not been updated for quite a while if I remember comments correctly, whereas G-unique was ever evolving and I just liked the approach. Solely based on my preferences.
Also be careful about overdoing the PSU, bearing in mind the efficiency band of these can be on a fairly high user demand, dropping quickly in efficiency as the PSU is under-utilised.

As an example of the opposite, I am building an AB350 Gaming ITX, with a 2200G, Samsung 250Gb 850 Pro, 1 TB 2.5" Toshiba HDD or Seagate firecuda SHDD ( not decided which yet) and 16GB (2x8 ) 2933 DDR4.
I will be using the 120 watt G-unique for this. Not a gamer machine fairly light duty, and the power draw band is circa 31w idle 131 w full load, so happy that the 120w will be ample for it.

Not really advice, just some things to chew over in the quest to get what you will be happy with.

PS: I use a Realan EW-80

 

[m_42]

Thanks a lot for the prompt answer.
Mine isn't supposed to become a gamer machine either. G-unique looks interesting indeed but since I'm European-based, I'll have to ponder over the lot a bit before taking action.

 

[stree]

I am in UK , ordered the G-unique and made do with Pico until the G-Unique arrived.. 3 weeks to a month,
Also forgot to mention, no problem configuring the cabling, if you want 4 sata and a molex fine, 4 molex and a sata fine, just tell Gury what you want, what colour cables, what length etc etc and he will build as you wish.

 

[nipsip]

All Ryzen AM4 motherboards are Raven Ridge ready, as long as you have the correct BIOS version.for ASRock AB350 ITX you need Beta BIOS 4.43, the 4.40 version is flawed and you may not be able to see the Samsung M.2 960 with 4.40. If the BIOS on the MB is earlier, EG: versions 3.0 or 3.10, then you MUST get BIOS 3.6 first ( Bridge version BIOS) before attempting 4.43. Use instant flash, not Windows flash.

I have not heard anything negative about the Bluetooth on this MB.

I would use G-Unique instead of HD-Plex, but that is just a preference. Even a PICO 160 watt would be fine for your build.

The EW-60 may be restrictive in cooling, only side and bottom panel vents. The CPU cooler may benefit from the following:
Remove the top panel, fit 4 x 6-32 MF standoffs, male end to screw into the top panel fixing screw holes, leaving the female part to refit your top panel, thus leaving an all round air intake gap. The height of the standoff is your choice. the standoffs MUST be 6-32 type, not M3 or other.

There is an inbuilt 50mm fan mount at the side vent, this may help get air flow to help keep the M.2 cool.

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I had wondered whether there would be enough air flow with the low profile CPU fan given the solid top lid. I would go with the E-W80 for more internals space, however not sure what to do with the three com holes in the back - https://******/psd7oR. I don't suppose this would fit - https://******/DDXZQd.

Have emailed the guy selling G-Unique and will go with that PSU. I don't really want to rely on a "boot kit" from AMD just to install a bios that will work, thus my question about anyone who has ordered from NE or AMZ or elsewhere that has gotten a Raven Ridge ready MB (with sticker on box). I am assuming that BM stores have NOS.

 

[nipsip]

I use a 120W G-unique and a 300w G-Unique Archdaemon Limited edition, and the following Pico units: 120w, 150w and 160w.
Never had a moments issue with any of them.. the 12w Pico is over ten years old and had plenty of service, the 150 at least 8 years, and the 160w about 4 years. Of course the G-unique are much newer, a year and 2 years.
Absolutely no telling them apart when system is running and have great faith in the Pico units I have used. I am no authority, but do remember what has let me down and what has not.

I looked at HD-plex and G-unique at same time, preferred the 12 volts in to the 19volts of the HD-plex that required a further stage to get to 12 volts, and at the time I bought I think the HDP had not been updated for quite a while if I remember comments correctly, whereas G-unique was ever evolving and I just liked the approach. Solely based on my preferences.
Also be careful about overdoing the PSU, bearing in mind the efficiency band of these can be on a fairly high user demand, dropping quickly in efficiency as the PSU is under-utilised.

As an example of the opposite, I am building an AB350 Gaming ITX, with a 2200G, Samsung 250Gb 850 Pro, 1 TB 2.5" Toshiba HDD or Seagate firecuda SHDD ( not decided which yet) and 16GB (2x8 ) 2933 DDR4.
I will be using the 120 watt G-unique for this. Not a gamer machine fairly light duty, and the power draw band is circa 31w idle 131 w full load, so happy that the 120w will be ample for it.

Not really advice, just some things to chew over in the quest to get what you will be happy with.

PS: I use a Realan EW-80

What are you putting in these holes, or just leaving them open? - https://******/psd7oR - do you think I can substitute these for the USB 2 - https://******/DDXZQd - I will probably follow your lead because of the space for a HDD in the E-W

 

[stree]

Regarding your post about cooling... reread my earlier post, I did cover this aspect, raising the top lid with standoffs to create an air flow gap.............it works.....Done on mine
Re the pic with port cutout holes.... I just leave them.....
Regarding the hard drives/SSDs. I do not use that top carrier plate, I remove it......The EW80 has a PSU board built in, I remove and use the space for ssd on its edge..............Also, the vent holes at the sides...............I will try to send a pic if you do not follow this next part......The vent holes are just about the same distance apart as the mounting holes on the flat underneath of the SSD, not the ones on the side edge. So I use simple right angle brackets fitted to the SSD and then to the side vent holes........ This keeps the SSds to the sides and just under the lid, and does not restrict CPU cooler airflow.......All you need is the brackets and 4 x SSD mounting screws......They are so small as to be un-noticed.

 

[nipsip]

Regarding your post about cooling... reread my earlier post, I did cover this aspect, raising the top lid with standoffs to create an air flow gap.............it works.....Done on mine
Re the pic with port cutout holes.... I just leave them.....
Regarding the hard drives/SSDs. I do not use that top carrier plate, I remove it......The EW80 has a PSU board built in, I remove and use the space for ssd on its edge..............Also, the vent holes at the sides...............I will try to send a pic if you do not follow this next part......The vent holes are just about the same distance apart as the mounting holes on the flat underneath of the SSD, not the ones on the side edge. So I use simple right angle brackets fitted to the SSD and then to the side vent holes........ This keeps the SSds to the sides and just under the lid, and does not restrict CPU cooler airflow.......All you need is the brackets and 4 x SSD mounting screws......They are so small as to be un-noticed.

Hi, thanks. I appreciate your solution to the E-w60, however I like your solution for the SSD for the ew80 even more. If you could take a picture, I would like to see it - especially a picture of the bracket thanks.

 

[stree]

I will try to find some. The EW-80 is with someone else at the moment, experimenting with a 3D printed bracket/holder for 1 or2 SSDs in place of the stock power supply board.
However I also use MiniSYS M8 which is a similar case and mount SSDs to the sides the same way.

 

[m_42]

That MiniSYS M8, not bad at all. I must have missed that one. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available anywhere else but at a couple of sellers on al*b*b*.

 

[stree]

Actually it is an older version of the MiniSYS M8, the S-197-80.more or less the same case, but the M8 has the lid lifted with standoffs.
No pics of thhe 197-80 so used the M8!!
Whereabouts are you? I know a seller in UK who gets a few every month or so.

 

[m_42]

Germany. How much does he charge?
I'm still puzzled one bit, I could buy a case and pair the lot with a G-Unique PSU or I might just as well end up building my own custom case with a modular SFX PSU (Corsair SF450 for instance).

 

[stree]

Here is a link to his facebook page, he usually answers quickly.
https://www.facebook.com/ittechuk/

 

[m_42]

Thanks a lot.
The case is however sold out. I'll keep an eye on new arrivals then.

 

[Flumper Dinkle]

Hello, I came across this thread as I'm in the middle of planning something very similar using the same case and the 2200g. My plan is to use a direct plug PSU and an internal AC-DC PSU so it'll be a brickless system.
Main uses for it will be emulation and some low end gaming, I hear this APU is absolutely perfect for that. Would love to hear how your build comes on.

In response to your originally asked questions, if you're worried about online retailers not having the updated bios for raven ridge then you could wait until they're out of stock then order. That way you know the next batch should be updated in factory.

As for Bluetooth performance on AsRock boards I've been using an ASRock Z170 for a couple of years and the supplied antenna wasn't great, as soon as I changed that out it worked without flaw.

My current selection of motherboard for my build is the ASRock AB350 you mentioned but I've not had any experience with it. Just generally going for the cheaper components so it'll either be that or the Gigabyte equivalent for me.

I was slightly worried about cooling but as someone mentioned above I may go the standoff route or mill my own slots in the top plate. I'll also need to find somewhere to put a C8 inlet. Think my biggest challenge will be fitting the AC-DC brick inside the case!

 

[stree]

Bit late getting back on to this one, but nevertheless here is what I have done:

I wanted to use the 300 watt Archdaemon limited edition from Gury in this case instead of any of the Picos I have. They can be used on other cases .
Anyway, the EW-80 is made to take only 5.5mmx2.5mm connector, but this is inadequate for 300 watt and the amps given, so this is what I did.

You can just make out that I have filed away material on the upper side of the port ( furthest left) about 4 mm wide by 1.5>2mm deep, and also filed away some material from the latch on the connector, but leaving enough so it still latches firmly.
Then mounting the connector in the port, ( good tight fit) I used the mounting plate of the latch as a jig for drilling the mount plate holes.

This is the connector mounted, looks a little wonky, I think the camera exaggerates it! not noticeable really.

 

[stree]

Connected up.
I could have filed more away to allow for the larger side of the latch to pass through the port, and mounted the part fixed to the case on standoffs as the original is, thus setting the whole thing further back in the case. It will do as it is for now though

No intrusion into the case, no clearance issues at all.

Plus another thing I mentioned earlier, mounting an SSD in the area that was occupied by the original case PSU board.
It is fixed by screws through the case bottom panel vent slots, as seen below the red sata cable to the SSD.

Still things I want to try with this case, but glad I got round to this.