First Build Jitters - Mini ITX/Ryzen 5 2400G questions

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lamorey.joshua

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Jun 11, 2018
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About to build my first gaming PC at the young, tender age of 32. Freaking out a little and have some questions. Already have the monitor and CPU.

The idea was to build a reasonably future-proof build that could be upgraded with a GPU in the next 12-16 months. I watched a lot of videos on the topic. I found Level1Tecs to be the most helpful.

CPU - Ryzen 5 2400G

CPU Cooler - Noctua - NH-L9a-AM4 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler

Motherboard - Gigabyte - GA-AB350N-Gaming WIFI (rev. 1.0) Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard

RAM - G.Skill - Flare X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory

SSD - Crucial - MX500 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Case - Fractal Design - Define Nano S Mini ITX Desktop Case

PSU - Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Monitor - Asus - VG245H 24.0" 1920x1080 75Hz Monitor

I am a little worried about this motherboard. I didn’t want a Mini ITX but I need something with a display port because the monitor supports freesync and that’s important with APUs (or so I’ve read). The other motherboards on the market with display ports seems to have trouble with 3200 RAM.

I also read repeatedly that the Gigabyte ITX heats up and that the stock cooler sits on it too high. Therefore I added the Noctua. Question one: does this make sense or is it unnecessary?

Question two: is this motherboard a good choice or am I shooting myself in the foot by buying something tiny that I cannot overclock in the future, and something that might run too hot?

Question three: is this PSU okay? I would like to keep it around in the future when I (hopefully) add a GPU.

Question four: should I buy the 3200 RAM or the 3000? I’ve watched enough benchmark videos to make my eyes bleed but I have no idea. I’m new to PC gaming so it’s not going to kill me if, in the beginning, I have to drop resolution down to 900p for some games.


Would love to hear any thoughts! Thank you all for your contribution to this site. I love it here!
 
Solution
DSzymborski
You don't need a Mini ITX motherboard to have DP. Newegg alone has lists 67 ATX and 15 uATX AM4 motherboards with DP. And most of these motherboards should be able to handle 3200 RAM just fine.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007625%20600165703

If you don't need that form factor, I don't really recommend it for the first build. For a first build, I generally recommend roomier cases, with more space to get comfortable with the basics of building a PC. Space management, cable management, etc. become a little more challenging on small cases, so it can be less comfortable for a beginner.

The PSU is absolutely fine for a budget build. If you had an $800 GPU in there, I'd say get a top tier...
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

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You don't need a Mini ITX motherboard to have DP. Newegg alone has lists 67 ATX and 15 uATX AM4 motherboards with DP. And most of these motherboards should be able to handle 3200 RAM just fine.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007625%20600165703

If you don't need that form factor, I don't really recommend it for the first build. For a first build, I generally recommend roomier cases, with more space to get comfortable with the basics of building a PC. Space management, cable management, etc. become a little more challenging on small cases, so it can be less comfortable for a beginner.

The PSU is absolutely fine for a budget build. If you had an $800 GPU in there, I'd say get a top tier PSU, but the newer CX line is perfectly adequate, if not exciting.

Faster tends to be better, but you should be fine either way.
 
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lamorey.joshua

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Thanks for your response.

There are fewer motherboard options than it appears because I would like to avoid spending more money for a 370 model. But the only full size 350 ATX (with display port) option I can find with good reviews is the ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F. However, reviews for this product repeatedly mention that it is not fully compatible with G.Skill Flare X RAM. I want this specific RAM because Tom's review of the Ryzen APU here specifically names it as the best option, with the best timing for running the APU. Most of the many reviews I have read for the Gigabyte - GA-AB350N claim that the G.Skill Flare X runs great from the start. But I think you're right and I maybe shouldn't buy a ITX as a first build. So I'm stuck. I would love to just buy the B350 Tomahawk motherboard but it doesn't have a display port.

Is there a solution here that I'm missing?
 
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lamorey.joshua

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On Partpicker, Amazon and Newegg. Seems to be a theme that the Asus - STRIX B350-F has trouble with some types of RAM.

But I took your advice. Ordered the Asus STRIX B350-F, Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 and a full ATX case. I figured I'll need the space on my first build and I want it to last me a while. Looking forward buildling this Ryzen 5 2400g machine and finding out what it can do.
 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

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I wouldn't get too upset about reviews on commerce sites. For something like PC components, there's not a lot of value in comments made from random people. Unless it's something that comes out in a professional review or from an individual with a track record, I wouldn't put too much stock into those things.

Even if you have faith in the people, there's a real selection bias; an average consumer is far more likely to talk about something when they have problems, not when everything's working just fine. In this case, fussy RAM is a likely problem people are going to have with a motherboard for which there is a problem, so you see this complaint a lot with pretty much any motherboard.
 
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lamorey.joshua

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Strong advice. Thanks again.
 
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4freedomssake

4freedomssake

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I'm wondering which Ryzen chip I should go to when making my ITX build. 3 or 5. Especially 7 cannot be afforded right now with my budget $5-600 dollars. My monitor is a LG 29' 2560x1080 60hz for viewing Netflix & Prime. But I definitely want to have a dedicated GPU down the road. Throw out the SSD for mechanical drive for now?
 
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