ITX Ryzen 2400G low noise buid help

Hardware Build a PC
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Hello forum,

for a couple of days I am thinking / planning on building a new ITX build based on a Ryzen 2400G.
Since I am a fan of Level1Techs Youtube videos around Linux and stuff I thought I might find some helpful ideas in this forum. (PS: I am mostly a linux [Kubuntu] user)

First of all, please excuse me, if my english is not as specific, as I would like it to be. It is not my native language.

So as mentioned earlier, I’ planning to build a SFF Ryzen 5 2400G system in the not too distance future. I’d like the system to be as quiet as possible for a SFF - especially during office and web work. Low noise under load would be awsome, no question. But since I do not play games too much in the last couple of months/years, it’d be ok for the coolers to spin up a little under load. But while working, programming, surfing and stuff, it would be best to have the lowest noise as possible :smiley:

So my first task was/is to find a suitable and nifty case and currently I prefer the Fractal Design Node 304 the most, since I lets me eventually use a dGPU (got a spare 1060 3g somewhere, which I would plug in) and it lets me use all of my 4 SSDs. I found a couple of other good looking options, like the Kolink Rocket Mini-ITX or the DAN A4-SFX V3, which I would prefer on the design side, but as far as I could find out, their cooling options will be considerably louder due to the space problems. (and they come with a hefty price tag, as well). Another problem would be the low amount of 2.5’ drives on those cases. Currently I am using 4 2.5’ drives, which would be easily reduceable to 3 and with some effort I might be able to only use 2 drives, but… yeea… I will see.
If one of you has another good option for a good looking case, I will be happy to have a look into it. :slight_smile: Until then I will most probably stick to the Node 304.

For the PSU I am thinking of a Seasonic FOCUS SFX GOLD 650W. I love the idea of the fanless mode. I also assume the SFX-L space savings over an ATX formfactor might be very helpful, to reach a better and more silent CPU cooling solution + airflow? For future upgrades of CPU/GPU I’d go for the 650W. In case that it will make absolutely no space difference I can use my 1 year old bequeit! Dark Power Pro 11 850W PSU, which on the other side would be a little overkill on the power side I guess. It would’nt hurt though.

So now I reach the difficult parts of my plan.
Firstly I have no idea, which ITX AM4 motherboard would be advisable. In a lot of threads here I read, that linux support for Ryzen APUs was not very well optimized in the past.(e.g. this thread right below mine xD) Stays that true for the time being? (GPU passthrough is only a nice to have). Since I might want to upgrade the CPU and/or GPU in the future, I assume a X470 motherboard would be the way to go? I assume the next Gen Ryzen CPUs will still stick to X470, right?

Lastly I am heavily unsure on which cooling solution to choose for the CPU. Theoretically I would love to use a custom watercooling solution (got a couple of spare things, when I switch my current build to the new ITX), but besides the (not too noisy, but hearable) pump, the space problematic will most probably prohibit a custom solution.
Another option might an AIO watercooling? I have no idea of the noise level of current products. Do you know a very low noise option here? Would you recommend it at all?
In the end I assume a quality air cooling solution might reach the lowest noise level, don’t you think? Since I have not yet had the case in my hands, I can not imagine, how much space I will have for the CPU cooling. Maybe someone has experience on that case? What is your opinion on the Nofan CR-80EH? Would you think with a decent airflow from low noise case coolers that passive cooler would even work under load?

I would love to read your advices and critics. :slight_smile:

Thank you very much for reading.
Ruphus

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ITX and low noise/silence are a tough task.
When you can live with low power or no GPU, then the Streacom DB4 can work for you.

For silence, I would get a “bigger” case (ITX cube or microATX) and then use 120mm fans at low (!) RPM to push a gentle breeze through the case.
Examples would be the Silverstone Grandia GD09 or Grandio GD10 or NZXT H200

Waterpumps make a lot of noise. Additionally you have to find a case that supports a 120mm radiator (240mm when you want to put the GPU on water) and then stuff all of it in a small case.

There are a lot of nice low profile coolers out there. To name a few:
Cryorig C1
bequiet Shadow Rock TF2
bequiet Dark Rock TF
Noctua NH-C14S

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If you’re not building a “future proof” system with upgrade possiblities, why not settle for a client case, like the Antec ISK110?
Edit: I see now there is an ISK110 version with USB 3.0 in the front

Pair that with a Noctua low profile cooler, or drill a hole in the vent for the stock cooler or other taller cooler (like the NH9x65), and you’ve got a plenty silent computer.

The case has room for two 2.5" drives and a single 4-pin cpu connector. The case has 2x2 USB2.0 connectors in the front.

Regarding the motherboards, the AM4 ITX boards are kind of expensive. If you’re not intending to overclock (which should be avoided with the ISK110), just choose a motherboard with the right onboard and backpane I/O, and you’ll be fine. I’m an Asus guy since when they started with digital VRM’s ten years ago, but since everyone has them now, there’s really no reason to choose one brand over the next for long-term stability. Especially if you’re not overclocking; just look for the features you like, and you’ll be fine.

Good luck!
From a guy with two 24/7 uptime ivy bridge systems living inside ISK110 cases, with the Noctua NH L9i for cooling.

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Hello MazeFrame!

Thank you very much for the recomendations. Actually I would consider those topblowers in case I choose the Kolink Rocket ITX Case, where there is only around 80mm height for the CPU cooler.
I really like the bequeit Shadow Rock LP! That may be a good choice as a top blower. Thank you very much!

By now I am more or less certain, that I will stick to air cooling solution. Currently I am researching for a suitable tower cooler style for the Fractal Design Node 304. But since I now have read quite a few positive reviews of bequiets Shadow Rock LP, I start scratching my head again if I may go for the quite expensive Kolink Rocket case… :smiley:

omg it is so difficult to make a decision. Nevertheless I guess, that I first need to know, which AM4 ITX mainboard I should go for.

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I am not a big fan of Fractal Design. They are too plain, if you know what I mean.

80mm hight for a CPU cooler sounds like a noise problem.

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Hey ewrk,
thank you, as well, for your detailed recommendation! To the case I must say, that I do not really like the design. It would not fit on my desk nor the little side table next to my desk. And I would prefer USB 3.0 in the front panel to not be forced to use a usb hub on the table.

In regards to the motherboard, I would like it to be as “future proof” as to be able to possibly upgrade to a Ryzen 3000 series CPU/APU in the next years. So I guess it should at least come with a AM4 socket. But what I have more concerns about is the compatibility with linux right now.

Thank you for your input!

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Yes, I fear a top blower to be too noisy, as well. Especially if I see me streaming too much or playing games during the next hot summer (probably next year :smiley:) .
But the bequiet! Shadow Rock LP seems to be pretty silent (at least in idle)… Further on I might replace its cooler with a more silent case fan (bequiet shadow wings) from my current setup.

The Fractal Design would fit pretty good into my appartement, I must say. Nevertheless from design point I would love to choose the Kolink Rocket, but it is at least double the price in comparison to the Node 304… :frowning:

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There are probably a few more cases that fit your usecase and desired style. I just never shop in the ITX category and am therefor short on ideas here.

Edit: I remembered a thing! https://smallformfactor.net/reviews/cases Should find something here

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I have not tried that recently but please make sure that it is solid these days. Because it was … not brilliant in the past.

Personally I would go dedicated GPU and CPU, specifically Ryzen 2600 and RX570. It drives the cost up by 100,- to 150,- bucks but you get a LOT more out of it. Also splitting GPU and CPU helps with noise, obviously.

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Works fine on Fedora 28.

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That is good to know.

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I’ve heard good things about Fedora w Ryzen APU’s, but my personal experience has not found any Debian/Ubuntu based distros running 100% stable yet. Lubuntu 18.10 has been as good as I have found, but still a few random reboots. I’d be cautious about and Ryzen APU Linux boxes if you need 100% rock solid stability. Mine sat in the garage for a couple months out of pure disgust at how unstable it was.

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Hmm, maybe that is the last straw for my laptop (2500U), gonna give it a shot.
(I know, not the same thing. Just a note to myself.)

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Due to the fact that I have a spare GTX 1060 I am not willing to buy a new GPU. And on the other hand I would prefer to save 100$ on the cpu by buying only the 2400G since it suits my current needs. On the other hand it would make the next upgrade (3000 series) much more rational then.

Anyone has thoughts on the ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/AC?

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Update
So by now I have seedn Wendells video on the ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming K4, where he states that a quite good linux support is given. So I guess I will go for the before mentioned ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/AC.

Lastly I will most probably choose a beQuiet! Shadow Rock Slim tower, the Fractal Design Node 304 and Ryzen 5 2400G.

Right now I am researching if I should purchase 3200 MHz memory directly with the upgrade or if I may wait a little more in order for reduced ram prizes.

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If you are in Germany, Mindfactory.de has a few nice and fast kits on sale GSkill Aegis 3000Mhz CL16 and GSkill Ripjaws V 3200MHz CL16

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Yes I am from Germany (Grüße :smiley: ). Thank you very much for the hint on Mindfactory. I did now choose 16GB G.Skill RipJaws V schwarz DDR4-3200 DIMM CL16 Dual Kit, since I hope the faster memory to give more potential to the APU. I will try to overclock the memory to 3400 MHz as I read in the product comments that some dudes managed to do that, as well.

So my final list of hardware, which I will now aquire looks as follows:

In total that makes around 494€. I guess for the sake of completeness in addition I will have a look for some decent 90mm fans to replace the built in case fans…

I think that this setup will will suite my needs for a while.

  • quite silent during normals tasks (surfing web, programming, streaming)
  • Linux seems to work just fine with the mainboard
  • let me play light titles and/or maybe some modern 1080p low settings games
  • capable of a future CPU upgrade
  • capable of using a dGPU to dual boot into windows for the rare AAA title times

I wish that memory wouldn’t be as expensive as it currently is. I’d have loved to just flip in 32GB for virtualization and possibly share my computer power for some Golem Tokens (still possible with less memory).

Any opinions on that system?

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