Spec me - small form factor gaming and dev rig

Sirrah · 5 May 2020 at 10:54

Hi guys,

So I got myself a sentry 2.0 case which was delivered in December and was wondering if anyone would like to help me to spec it out!

My use cases will be pretty straightforward but demanding:
- Gaming
- Software development
- Scientific computing
- Video, image editing

I've already got a gtx1060 which although ageing will suffice for the time being, so i'll upgrade that later although recommendations are welcome.

I'm looking for a strong long-lasting CPU, lots of RAM, good cooling solution etc. Monitor suggestions especially welcome!

Cheers,
Sirrah

cimurray · 6 May 2020 at 11:34

Just had a look at this case and it looks nice! You'll have to get a tape measure out if space is as tight as it looks to make sure everything fits but I recently built a rig for my son using the Inwin A1 which is a SFF case and managed to fit a full fat air cooler into it with 2mm to spare!. In terms of specs you should get at least a Ryzen 3700X processor with 8 cores and 16 threads although more cores would be better for your type of work. The problem with more cores is you get more heat which will likely be your main issue in such a small enclosure. Memory should be at least 32GB although more would be better if you can afford it and find a motherboard that will both fit in the case and support more than 32GB RAM as you will probably be limited to two slots from the pictures I saw. Cooling will be where you will need your tape measure to fit a decent system into the confined space. Water cooling is unlikely to be the goto solution as you will be limited on the size of the fans which will directly impact the effectiveness of any water cooling solution. Noktua produce a couple of low profile air coolers for AM4 motherboards and if you team one of them up with some decent case fans to create good air flow over the components you should be fine.
My only other thought relates to your 1060 Graphics card. I am not sure how much impact the graphics card will have on your type of usage but I suspect that for video and image editing in particular you will need something significantly better. Best bet is to build your rig with the 1060 and see how it goes - but be prepared to spend a lot more to make up the possible shortfall!

Quartz · 6 May 2020 at 12:15

AMD is not your only option. You might consider an Intel Xeon on the Asrock EPC621D4I-2M

Of course, you'll need £3K for that 28 core Xeon 3175 or £10K for the Xeon Platinum 8180...

cimurray · 6 May 2020 at 13:02

Just realised that I didn't address the monitor part of your request. For my money there are two "must haves" which is 4k screen resolution and an IPS panel for the type of use you have planned. Screen size is a more personal thing although 27 inches is still hard to beat as its the ideal compromise between size and value for money. As it happens I did quite a lot of research into this at the end of last year for a professional animator who wanted a new monitor and ended up settling on the Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q which is a 27 inch monitor that has an IPS panel and runs at 4k. Have a look at it as there are numerous reviews of it of Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUiVurrfJFU&t=6s and use it as a benchmark against other screens you may consider. The bad news is your 1060 probably won't cut it at 4k!
Good luck and post back on whatever you decide.

Quartz · 6 May 2020 at 15:59

cimurray said:
ended up settling on the Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q

I have the 24" Dell Ultrasharp 4K monitor and it is indeed wonderful. I have it in portrait mode for text, not graphic, use.

@Sirrah I do recommend multiple monitors. Game on one and work on another.

Sirrah · 13 May 2020 at 02:20

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I'll definitely be upgrading the gpu soon but not right away. I won't be gaming much in the first instance. Main question for now is does anyone know of a socket AM4 mini-itx mobo which can support up to 64gb of ram? If not i'll have to drop down to 32gb, which would be a shame.

Still need to add a mobo, psu and fan. Unfortunately OCUK didn't have the monitor I wanted, but I'm going with an LG UHD 27UL850.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 64GB (2x32GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit= £319.99
1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £289.99
1 x WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T2B0C)= £149.99

Total: £768.67 (includes shipping: £8.70)

Thanks for any help!

martin363 · 13 May 2020 at 10:48

Paul of Pauls Hardware did a couple of videos on that case. The CPU cooling is going to be your real issue. You are basically limited to the Cryorig C7 and the Noctua L9i. Both will struggle with anything more than a Ryzen 3600 really. Paul ended up cutting a hole in the side to fit a larger cooler reducing the noise and improving the cooling.

Quartz · 13 May 2020 at 11:11

martin363 said:
Paul ended up cutting a hole in the side to fit a larger cooler reducing the noise and improving the cooling.

Sirrah · 13 May 2020 at 11:41

Thanks for that!

Having looked around, I might go for an AIO as in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJDL1I3xTzA

What do you think?

Sirrah · 13 May 2020 at 11:58

Meaning i'll have to update the gpu immediately, no problem!

Updated basket so far:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 64GB (2x32GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit= £319.99
1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £289.99
1 x WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T2B0C)= £149.99
1 x ASUS ROG STRIX B450-I GAMING (Socket AM4) DDR4 Mini-ITX Motherboard= £139.99
1 x Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Mini ITX 6144MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £299.99

Total: £1,211.05 (includes shipping: £11.10)

cimurray · 13 May 2020 at 13:05

Pleased to hear you're making progress. The video you refer to above was using an Intel i7 8700k which only has six cores and 12 threads whereas your selected Ryzen processor has 8 cores and 16 threads which would likely increase the thermal heatload - although in mitigation the Ryzen architecture is on 7nm die which is much more efficient than the Intel offering and should help reduce the additional heat. You may require further research to decide if the net temperature result is higher or lower than the i7 chip in the video.With regard to your choice of motherboard it seems fine but be aware that following AMD's announcement in the last few days you will likely have no future upgrade path on this board as the new series of processors coming out later this year will not be supported on the 400 series motherboards. If a future upgrade path is important to you you will have to shell out more cash for a 500 series motherboard (which unfortunately also tend to run hotter than the 300 and 400 series boards because of their higher VRM requirements).

Keep us informed of your progress and good luck.

Sirrah · 13 May 2020 at 13:59

Hey,

Thanks, yes I was dimly aware of that announcement as it popped up on a feed somewhere but kind of ignored it. I'll try to find an alternative motherboard, although I'm imagining that by the time I'm bored of the cpu I chose that even the next series of motherboards will be obsolete. I intend to run this rig for a few years.

Also, yes, that's what I was hoping for re: the thermal load being reduced due to the 7nm process, but you're right, probably not worth just winging it. I'm attracted to the additional cores for software development and scientific computing purposes!

I will update as I go. Advice always welcomed!

cimurray · 13 May 2020 at 14:06

Just been looking at this more closely and suggest you have a look at the Dr Zaber link below which has a whole load of questions and answers for your case. The one I was most interested in was the "What components should I choose for my build" where it makes it clear that a processor rated at 65W TDP will be fine -which includes the Ryzen 3700X.

http://zaber.com.pl/sentry/

Sirrah · 11 Mar 2021 at 11:08

Hi all!

So, a year passed and in some part due to busy-ness and stock issues I've still yet to build this thing!

But I want to pull the trigger on this soonish, so here's my list so far with comments:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core 4.7GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £419.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit= £209.99
1 x Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive= £209.99
1 x be quiet! SFX-L Power 600W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply= £116.99
1 x Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm= £39.95

Total: £1,007.41 (includes shipping: £10.50)

CPU
Considering going for a 12 core here for the scientific computing I do

GPU
I have a 1060 to use until stock returns or the 4x series arrive

RAM
Would consider 64gigs again for the scientific computing I do

HDD
I'll add a large ssd later

MBB
No motherboard yet, OcUK doesn't seem to have any Ryzen 3rd gen compatible mini-ITX mobo's... is that right? Is there one in general that comes recommended?
EDIT: I guess i'll go for the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming

FAN
Just picked the top of the list here, open to any suggestions.

I'm seeking advice on all matters and would welcome any suggestions!

Thanks very much

EDIT: Pasted the wrong cpu in at first

EDIT 2: Added basket