Two things that are common mistakes our clients make in builds like these.
First, pay close attention to the 4600G you've chosen.
Shipping is not covered on this model, you're paying an extra $15, would you might as well buy a new one from Amazon.
Deeply consider investing in Zen 3 technology with a starter CPU that a large number of our clients purchased this past year.
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
And if you need an APU
AMD Ryzen™ 5 4600G, 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Once again, see if you can work it into your budget and purchase Zen 3
AMD Ryzen" 5 5600G 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Finally, current gaming really depends on Windows resources being free of the PFZ, the virtual memory page file zone Windows uses to adjust for insufficient RAM. In 2023, being a "gamer16", is something to consider of avoiding.
This is one of the more popular sets that our clients purchased over the last 6 months.
We have this information helps.
There's often a bit of confusion when it comes to a few of the more unfamiliar minis
KAMRUI / NiPoGi / CTONE are official sub-brands under ACEMAGICIAN's (ACEMAGIC) ODM/OEM umbrella.
The two most popular purchases made by our clients, with the more powerful 5800U and additional integrated GCN 5th gen Vega CU, have been these models
And these are often optimized with 2Rx8 dual rank memory to reach full bandwidth throughput, which allow for increased iGPU performance.
Clients have actually purchased the AMR5 more as a project board, then a mini PC. With its dual M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slots, it's easy to add an external GPU.
Although the stronger choice in your budget based on current client purchases would be the Nucbox K1
...as the RDNA2 Radeon RX 680M integrated graphics are on a whole different level. That's within range of a GTX 1050 Ti desktop GPU.
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Silicon Power 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 TLC R/W up to 3,400/3,000MB/s SSD (SU001TBP34A80M28AB)
Windows 10 Professional (32/64 Bit) 1 PC
At this point, you just choose a GPU that is 200mm overall length, or less. Choices range from
ASRock Challenger Arc A380 6GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ITX Video Card A380 CLI 6G OC to a GIGABYTE WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GV-N3060WF2OC-12GD
It's a little over budget, but it's easy to build and it gives you some options to grow with both CPU and GPU.
MaxProAndU Team
First off, we would like to point out that there are two Ryzen 5 1600s, YD1600BBM6IAE and YD1600BBM6IAF, Have often had issues with F51g. And unless you're specifically looking for a new motherboard, maybe consider just starting out upgrading the CPU.
As for motherboards, the least expensive with decent quality and integrated Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth, our clients buy this AM4 more than any other.
And so far, not any problems whatsoever. As for an inexpensive 5000 series Zen 3 CPU that has been the upgrade champion since its introduction back in April, this has been the price to performance leader.
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
You may also want to look into cloning your old drive into something newer and higher speed. Our clients have found that the 3400/3000MB/s of the following has been a real performance plus, especially when dual booting.
Silicon Power 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 TLC R/W up to 3,400/3,000MB/s SSD (SU001TBP34A80M28AB)
There are some other changes that our clients constantly make, mainly when it comes to system RAM to take full advantage of the 5500.
If you have any questions, just let us know.
You got a laundry list of requests, so we'll give you some tips that we give our clients.
It's basically best to build your own, but these rules work just as well for someone who is looking to buy a pre-built.
Regardless of the intent, there are some rules we lay out for our clients entertaining the thought of building/buying their first PC.
The first rule is to set a budget, regardless of funds. Even with deep pockets, laying out your spending reduces the likelihood of making tactical errors. If you're conscious about every item purchased, you'll have vested more time and thought into what you'll be using.
Second, choose a case. What you pick is what you'll be living with for time, so you do you. We advise our clients to go with something well ventilated, with horizontal motherboard installation (far easier to work on, less continuity problems). Here's an example:
Third, time to pick a graphics card. If you're not building around this single component, you're going to make mistakes in your build. It's team Nvidia and team AMD. Without getting into a lot of details, we profess AMD. Here's their best and what's most popular:
XFX Radeon RX 7900XT Gaming Graphics Card with 20GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA 3 RX-79TMBABF9
The fourth item on the list is a processor. Intel and AMD. Regardless of choice, we advise our clients to avoid the latest/greatest to avoid the new problems that come with it. Once again, AMD is our suggested go to:
AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X3D 8-core, 16-Thread Desktop Processor with AMD 3D V-Cache™ Technology
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 8-Core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Radeon Graphics
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Now fifth, find a motherboard. Although your case will dictate the form factor, we advise Micro ATX. Unless you need all of those extra slots, a full ATX is asking for trouble. Motherboards are the single most complicated part of your PC, and it's best to only get the features you'll need. For our application so far:
Sixth: RAM and storage. When it comes to RAM there's a host of reasons to currently make 32GB the minimum. And with four slots you can always add two more matching sticks later. RAM is often the least investment in a build, but that lack can cause the most issues. The same goes for NVMe SSDs. They've come down in cost but builders will go with smaller name brands without research.
As a bonus, there's a simple and inexpensive fix to increase system performance while saving unnecessary wear-and-tear on your NVMe. Simply add a cached 128GB SATA SSD and use it exclusively for the Windows Page File system. Now PF has its individual pipeline to use without compromising the primary drive. Here are parts our clients commonly use:
PNY CS2140 2TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - M280CS2140-2TB-RB
Seventh on list is power supply unit or PSU. Like RAM, more is better. But you best do research. Generally we have clients go with at least a 600W PSU, with these two being the most common:
And there you have it! Please let us know if you have any questions.
MaxProAndU Team
If you're trying to settle between the Elitemini B550 and HX99G, our clients have found three things.
At the base it's a difference between Zen 3+ DDR5 and Zen 3 DDR4
At the core it's a Navi 23 28CU PCIe 4.0 x8 non-gradable RX 6600M
Minisforum's isn't an OEM class motherboard manufacturer
When it comes to the HX99G, clients have enjoyed the advantages in size and performance. It's offered. But they come to the realization that is sticking point in performance, and where it's aging out the most, is the RX 6600M.
It's solid graphics, but the x8 lane PCIe is a bottleneck compared to the 6900HX. And when they compare performance differences among themselves, the clients have found a limited amount of difference between the HX99G and the HX80G. The HX99G pushes ahead where CPU requirements are heavy such as emulation.
But there are definitely features found on the HX99G, such as two USB4 ports which make it more future proof and a better long-term investment.
Needless to say, clients who have purchased the Elitemini B550 have not been thrilled with the results. Basically, other clients that have built an "ITX Frame" have had better control over motherboard selection, and been more satisfied with the overall results in the end.
For example, this was a client's build over the weekend
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
NEMIX RAM Nemesis Series 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD R/W up to 7,415/6,800MB/s - NMS-M2G4N-1TB
Windows 10 Professional (32/64 Bit) 1 PC
Equivalent HX99G GPU
ASRock Radeon RX 6600 8GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Video Card RX6600 CLD 8G
So under $800 with an equivalent GPU
MSI Mech Radeon RX 6750 XT 12GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 Video Card RX 6750 XT MECH 2X 12G OC
Their GPU choice, which brought them under $950
With a pricing target
MINISFORUM Neptune HX99G Mini PC
Between the nine members here on our team, we really like the HX99G. With the current regional availability of a barebones unit
MINISFORUM Neptune HX99G Barebones Mini PC
That's easy to upgrade
NEMIX RAM Nemesis Series 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD R/W up to 7,415/6,800MB/s - NMS-M2G4N-1TB
Our clients have been picking up what they want, the next day, for $925 USD
MaxProAndU Team
With the exception of CPU/ APU, this has been a BOM our clients have figured out on their own, and the least expensive with full PCIe x16 graphics
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5500 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Silicon Power 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 TLC R/W up to 3,400/3,000MB/s SSD (SU001TBP34A80M28AB)
Windows 10 Professional (32/64 Bit) 1 PC
At this point, you just choose a GPU that is 200mm overall length, or less.
GIGABYTE WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GV-N3060WF2OC-12GD
And in actuality, you got some inaccuracies in your information. To the following may actually help you in your decision.
The Ryzen 5 5600G Zen 3 is actually a Cezanne 5000 series, not a Renoir Zen 2 4000 series based APU. And to top that, last year's popular price point Ryzen 5 5500 release "IS" a 5600G, AMD simply disabled the iGPU, creating another SKU, and reducing inventory.
With that, 5600G and 5500 have nearly identical performance, with the 5500 being slightly more energy efficient with disabled graphics.
And while the 5600G's GCN 5th gen Radeon RX Vega 7 iGPU is sufficient for most tasks, It tends to be insufficient in others. Many of our clients have found the 5700G's RX Vega 8 iGPU to be a better investment, although occasionally lacking.
Client experience has found that a PCIe x4 strangled RX 6400 provides more than six times the performance of the RX Vega 8 iGPU.
But with the DESKMEET X300, you're limited to 200mm OAL of the GPU, or many of our clients and simply made fan modifications.
The RX 6500 XT yields better performance, with a nominal additional cost over its twin, the RX 6400.
SAPPHIRE PULSE Radeon RX 6500 XT 4GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ATX Video Card 11314-01-20G
But they found a number of other options.
MaxProAndU Team