>5 yrs PC Overhaul : Switching to mATX! & Define Mini C/Arc Mini R2?

bjornng · Feb 8, 2018

>5 yrs PC Overhaul : mATX recommendations, rough build list up!

Hey guys! As per title.

Just a disclaimer! I have actually posted before a similar rig overhaul thread, but with crypto mining jacking up GFX prices, I thought I should update myself with the market as well! My current rig setup is as >>>

So basically, my rig has past the 5 years mark already, and though based on my usage, most of you guys recommended me to stick with it, I would want to prepare for the worst case scenario i.e rig suddenly dies and I have to panic purchase a rig. So while it's still up and working well, I wanna be able to offset some cost of the new rig by selling this off!

My usage are movies, youtube videos, trading platforms.. sometimes I do edit simple videos (using Windows Movie Maker), so a simple GFX would be good in case. I intend to overhaul every component except the peripherals. Will not be doing any overclocking.

Build more or less finalized below!!

CPU+MB: Intel Pentium G4560+ ASUS PRIME B350M-A, $236.00 // Tradepac
Graphics: Will be using onboard GFX
PSU:SF Leadex Silver FM 550W, $104.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build, but seems like OOS..
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400MHz, $165.00 // Convergence System (Lazada) -
SSD:SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB, $134.00 // Tradepac
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB, $53.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build
Casing: FracD Arc Mini R2 , $89.00 // Convergence System (Lazada)

Current damage: $781 (before discounts, prob higher as Tradepac prices are for full build)

Thank you and sorry for the TLDR!

chong · Feb 9, 2018

mATX user here for almost 4 years.

One problem I faced recently when pondering a Ryzen upgrade was the lack of options in enthusiast-grade motherboards. Seems like the industry has decided to focus on ATX and iTX, which is sad for myself as I want a small PC with the flexibility of multiple expansion slots.

So if u just need a GPU, maybe u can consider going iTX instead.

bjornng · Feb 9, 2018

chong said:
mATX user here for almost 4 years.

One problem I faced recently when pondering a Ryzen upgrade was the lack of options in enthusiast-grade motherboards. Seems like the industry has decided to focus on ATX and iTX, which is sad for myself as I want a small PC with the flexibility of multiple expansion slots.

So if u just need a GPU, maybe u can consider going iTX instead.

thanks for your reply bro!

hmm.. what do you mean enthusiast-grade motherboard? you mean the mATX boards have more simpler/lesser features or something?

yeah, i want a small PC as well, hence considering mATX.. for GPU, i doubt i need a high end or latest one based on my usage too..

chong · Feb 9, 2018

Enthusiast grade like the top of the line chipset, beefy VRMs, at least 2 16-lane (physical) PCIe slots, at least 6 90-degree SATA headers, plenty of fan headers, etc - something like the Asus Maximus Gene mATX boards.

If you foresee yourself with only 1 GPU and no other add in cards, then iTX with it's single PCIe slot seems to fit better.
For an even smaller PC, u can consider the upcoming Intel Hades Canyon NUC with Vega GPU but you'll lose a lot of customizability: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1222...s-are-official-799999-shipping-in-spring-2018

bjornng · Feb 9, 2018

chong said:
Enthusiast grade like the top of the line chipset, beefy VRMs, at least 2 16-lane (physical) PCIe slots, at least 6 90-degree SATA headers, plenty of fan headers, etc - something like the Asus Maximus Gene mATX boards.

If you foresee yourself with only 1 GPU and no other add in cards, then iTX with it's single PCIe slot seems to fit better.
For an even smaller PC, u can consider the upcoming Intel Hades Canyon NUC with Vega GPU but you'll lose a lot of customizability: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1222...s-are-official-799999-shipping-in-spring-2018

Thanks for your reply once again bro

appreciate it!

Hmm.. what about for Intel mATX boards?

I was just casually looking at the Asus Prime B350M-A.. believe that is a mATX board right? Saw that it has one 16x PCI-e slot which would be suitable for just 1 GPU?

I think based on my usage, onboard graphics would be more than enough, or at most 1 GPU would be sufficient..

Would appreciate if you guys could share your inputs and advices!

bjornng · Feb 10, 2018

Hey guys! So I went to do more research on each parts, and I've got a rough build idea.. Some of the brands I selected are because of positive experiences from my existing build, and recommendations from you guys!

CPU+MB: R5-1600 + ASUS PRIME B350M-A, $417.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build
Graphics: TBC
PSU: SF Leadex Gold 90+ FM 550W, $135.00 // Tech Dynamic (Lazada) - Based on reliability from current build
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400MHz, $295.00 // Convergence System (Lazada) - Based on usage, I think 8GB would be enough..? I've read a few threads saying that most are 16GB now by the way..
SSD: SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB, $137.00 // Tradepac - Actually wanted 120GB but seems like it's obsoleted..
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB, $53.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build
Casing: FracD Arc Mini R2 , $89.00 // Convergence System (Lazada) - Most probably will go for this case! Will work build around this.. Haha

Current damage: $1,126 :s8:

Am definitely open to your suggestions and recommendations on how I can improvise this setup in terms of costs.. My budget is actually ~$1.2K with GPU.

Understand that RAM and GPU prices are quite high now as well.. So I don't really mind to wait till it settles downwards if it comes to that..

Thank you all in advance!! =:p

ZrE0_Cha0s · Feb 10, 2018

bjornng said:
Hey guys! So I went to do more research on each parts, and I've got a rough build idea.. Some of the brands I selected are because of positive experiences from my existing build, and recommendations from you guys!

CPU+MB: R5-1600 + ASUS PRIME B350M-A, $417.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build
Graphics: TBC
PSU: SF Leadex Gold 90+ FM 550W, $135.00 // Tech Dynamic (Lazada) - Based on reliability from current build
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 2400MHz, $295.00 // Convergence System (Lazada) - Based on usage, I think 8GB would be enough..? I've read a few threads saying that most are 16GB now by the way..
SSD: SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB, $137.00 // Tradepac - Actually wanted 120GB but seems like it's obsoleted..
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB, $53.00 // Tradepac - Based on reliability from current build
Casing: FracD Arc Mini R2 , $89.00 // Convergence System (Lazada) - Most probably will go for this case! Will work build around this.. Haha

Current damage: $1,126

Am definitely open to your suggestions and recommendations on how I can improvise this setup in terms of costs.. My budget is actually ~$1.2K with GPU.

Understand that RAM and GPU prices are quite high now as well.. So I don't really mind to wait till it settles downwards if it comes to that..

Thank you all in advance!!

if can try to find other psu like bronze type dun need a gold and next which gpu are u aiming?

next is that try to get a cheaper ram if u dun intend to OC it.

lastly please bear in mind that all tradepac prices are base on full system build, if its not, u might have to pay slightly higher on its price list. check the pricing of all shops b4 checking with them on the things u buying. And remeber to choose another board just for backup in case the board u want really no stocks.

bjornng · Feb 11, 2018

ZrE0_Cha0s said:
if can try to find other psu like bronze type dun need a gold and next which gpu are u aiming?

next is that try to get a cheaper ram if u dun intend to OC it.

lastly please bear in mind that all tradepac prices are base on full system build, if its not, u might have to pay slightly higher on its price list. check the pricing of all shops b4 checking with them on the things u buying. And remeber to choose another board just for backup in case the board u want really no stocks.

Thanks for your reply Zre0_Cha0s!!

Hmm.. What about the Superflower Leadex Silver? That's $104.

I got one question though - I saw that B350M-A supports DDR4 3400MHz, so would a 2400MHz work? I'm not sure if the market base is all 16GB ram now though, if not I guess 8GB would suffice too.. From PCThemes price list, probably G.SKILL RIPJAWS V 2666MHZ CL15 ( 4GBx2pcs ) @ $162, or CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 2666MHZ CL16 ( 4GBx2pcs ) @ $165.

Also, just curious, have you guys heard of Klevv before? Saw on Tradepac, they have SSD and ram as well. Tried to search this but limited reviews..

Okay! Thanks for letting me know!

Hopefully the Asus board is available because seems like there are limited Ryzen mATX boards from Asus now. Though I swear by Asus motherboards, but if there are other brands on par with it, I just might consider too!

ZrE0_Cha0s · Feb 11, 2018

bjornng said:
Thanks for your reply Zre0_Cha0s!!

Hmm.. What about the Superflower Leadex Silver? That's $104.

I got one question though - I saw that B350M-A supports DDR4 3400MHz, so would a 2400MHz work? I'm not sure if the market base is all 16GB ram now though, if not I guess 8GB would suffice too.. From PCThemes price list, probably G.SKILL RIPJAWS V 2666MHZ CL15 ( 4GBx2pcs ) @ $162, or CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 2666MHZ CL16 ( 4GBx2pcs ) @ $165.

Also, just curious, have you guys heard of Klevv before? Saw on Tradepac, they have SSD and ram as well. Tried to search this but limited reviews..

Okay! Thanks for letting me know! Hopefully the Asus board is available because seems like there are limited Ryzen mATX boards from Asus now. Though I swear by Asus motherboards, but if there are other brands on par with it, I just might consider too!

104 for superflower ledex sliver is consider a good price as well.

As for the mobo is its max supported speed(which include of stable OC ram speed.) and yes it can support a basic 2400mhz (which is the minimum for DDR4) next for the amt of ram required would still think that 8GB is suffice for maybe another few years but if u dun mind increase your budget abit more can go for 16gb (that is if u intend to play latest games down the road)

that ram is like an OEM rams, but they also have performance rams as well.

other boards would be MSI or gigabytes.

bjornng · Feb 11, 2018

ZrE0_Cha0s said:
104 for superflower ledex sliver is consider a good price as well.

As for the mobo is its max supported speed(which include of stable OC ram speed.) and yes it can support a basic 2400mhz (which is the minimum for DDR4) next for the amt of ram required would still think that 8GB is suffice for maybe another few years but if u dun mind increase your budget abit more can go for 16gb (that is if u intend to play latest games down the road)

that ram is like an OEM rams, but they also have performance rams as well.

other boards would be MSI or gigabytes.

Hey bro, thank you once again, well noted!

Just curious, what would be the difference from silver and gold psu? Also, what about seasonic? Heard seasonic and superflower are about on the same level.

So assuming my usage remains the same the next few years, do you think 8gb would be alright? The most I think is i will upgrade my monitor to 27", and watch 4k videos I guess.

Okay, will take a look @ klevv and see what else I can find about it!

What would be the equivalent b350m-a for MSI/gigabyte, and personally for you, which would you pick?

Thank you all and hope others could share their insights and recommendations too

Koenig168 · Feb 11, 2018

bjornng said:
Also, just curious, have you guys heard of Klevv before? Saw on Tradepac, they have SSD and ram as well. Tried to search this but limited reviews..

Klevv is a Hynix-related company. The first RAM was well reviewed but that was before the Samsung B dies came out. Now it is considered mid-performance. Great aesthetics though. Distro is Tech Dynamics.

ArcticCheetah · Feb 11, 2018

Personally I would not buy any boards with no heatsink over the VRM mosfets

bjornng · Feb 11, 2018

ArcticCheetah said:
Personally I would not buy any boards with no heatsink over the VRM mosfets

Hey bro! Thanks for your suggestions!

Sorry, could you explain what you mean no heatsinks over the vrm mosfets? Sorry, as I'm not that experienced.. Haha, all I know about heatsinks is the one on the stock coolers from the CPU

ArcticCheetah · Feb 11, 2018

bjornng said:
Hey bro! Thanks for your suggestions!

Sorry, could you explain what you mean no heatsinks over the vrm mosfets? Sorry, as I'm not that experienced.. Haha, all I know about heatsinks is the one on the stock coolers from the CPU

Max your CPU then put your fingers here

Then you will know why you want heatsinks on it
Funny how people try to get RAM with heatsinks when they are not hot to begin with yet something that get really hot during high workloads they don't want heatsink on it.
:s13:

Anyway the ASUS PRIME B350M-A is really crappy, the board clearly have marked holes for mounting a heatsink yet they are too cheapskate to put 1 on it.

bjornng · Feb 12, 2018

ArcticCheetah said:
Max your CPU then put your fingers here

Then you will know why you want heatsinks on it
Funny how people try to get RAM with heatsinks when they are not hot to begin with yet something that get really hot during high workloads they don't want heatsink on it.

Anyway the ASUS PRIME B350M-A is really crappy, the board clearly have marked holes for mounting a heatsink yet they are too cheapskate to put 1 on it.

Oh I see.. Okay! Thanks for enlightening, learnt something new!

Ahh.. What is a great alternative to the B350M-A that suits what you are sharing?

ArcticCheetah · Feb 12, 2018

bjornng said:
Oh I see.. Okay! Thanks for enlightening, learnt something new!

Ahh.. What is a great alternative to the B350M-A that suits what you are sharing?

Hard to tell which is good.
There is UEFI stability issues and hardware built issues.
Too much conflicting info to make a good decision.
Am using ASRock AB350M Pro 4 but not sure if there are better boards

bjornng · Feb 12, 2018

ArcticCheetah said:
Hard to tell which is good.
There is UEFI stability issues and hardware built issues.
Too much conflicting info to make a good decision.
Am using ASRock AB350M Pro 4 but not sure if there are better boards

I see.. Okay! Thanks bro.

Seems like ryzen r5 matx boards are not the main focus now for most brands..

If I go for itx, in terms of r5 boards, would that provide me with more options as well as reliability?

ArcticCheetah · Feb 12, 2018

bjornng said:
I see.. Okay! Thanks bro.

Seems like ryzen r5 matx boards are not the main focus now for most brands..

If I go for itx, in terms of r5 boards, would that provide me with more options as well as reliability?

For ITX even less choice, got people complaining about Asrock ITX board heatsink have a thick insulation layer between on the B350 vs the X370.
And the gigabyte gaming wifi ITX

Affordable B350 matx I think only have Asrock AB350M /Pro 4, Gigabyte AB350M Gaming 3/D3H and MSI Mortar

michael_thm · Feb 12, 2018

Today AMD Ryzen 2200G and 2400G launching today liao. The onboard graphics as powderful as dedicated entry level graphics cards like the GF 1030.

Me is impatiently waiting for it to go on sales. HOOT AH!

gerker2009 · Feb 12, 2018

Yea, am waiting for reviews and benchmarks... wonder how much will it cost in here

michael_thm said:
Today AMD Ryzen 2200G and 2400G launching today liao. The onboard graphics as powderful as dedicated entry level graphics cards like the GF 1030.

Me is impatiently waiting for it to go on sales. HOOT AH!

>5 yrs PC Overhaul : Switching to mATX! & Define Mini C/Arc Mini R2?

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