PC

Topic Daughter needs a gaming PC Mini ITX Ryzen build for daughters b-day

thatonedude

* 28-Feb-2018(#1)

My soon to be 8 year old daughter has discovered Roblox this past year. She has taken over my gaming PC!!!! I've effectively been ousted from it. I want to get her own PC for her birthday in a few weeks so I can reclaim my station and we can game in harmony.

I know basically a potato could run Roblox, but I want something that's going to last a few years with the possibility of AAA gaming. We do have a couple higher/mid end games she has taken interest in, the most demanding being Planet Coaster. She doesn't play these much... yet, but I would like her PC to be able to run a AAA game at low/mid settings if need be.

I've been seeing some decent deals at $500 - $650.

https://www.target.com/p/cybertronpc-rhodium-gxe74...

(wife works for target and we can get a 15% discount... this isn't a dealbreaker, if I found one elsewhere for similar price or less of course)
Outside of the ugly case, the only thing I'm not sure of is the processor, it seems to bench at half or slightly less than an i5, would this be adequate for a AAA game?

This caught my eye at BestBuy.com

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy-desktop-intel...

I like the SSD, i5 and RAM but the Intel HD Graphics 630 are a bit of a turn off... though probably decent for Roblox. Could always upgrade to a card later.

I've played with PCpartpicker a bit, but keep coming up with ~$700... wondering if this is due to maybe choosing components that may be overkill.

Calling upon GameTZ computer guru's to help me find the right buy without overspending on CPU/GPU power that may not be used to potential. Pre-built or me building is fine... I'd prefer to build it, but it seems to cost more when the OS and odds and ends like wireless and monitor are factored in.

Anyone know of any good deals or show me a build that could satisfy a AAA game at mid settings that is $500 or less?

Monitor/accessories do not have to be included in that price... I'm thinking of giving her my ol' 1080p and upgrading to a 1440... maybe.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

RagingShadow07

28-Feb-2018(#2)

With GPU prices in the toilet, why not go with a Ryzen 2400G build for now and pop in a graphics card when they come down in price? You'd have a great processor with basically GT 1030 worth of integrated graphics, and $500 would build a great system.

Mir_wan

* 28-Feb-2018(#3)

i agree you can build/get a Ryzen 2400G or 2200G with about 8 GB of RAM for around $400. The APU should be plenty to get started with Roblox and allow you to slap a GPU in later when GPU prices get to normal.

gamer78

28-Feb-2018(#4)

I have this one

https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16883220795

Been thinking about selling it since I had mine built it's a good gaming pc last newer game I played on it was prey on about med to high settings at 60 FPS ..

thatonedude

* 28-Feb-2018(#5)

RagingShadow07 wrote:

> With GPU prices in the toilet, why not go with a Ryzen 2400G build for now and pop

> in a graphics card when they come down in price? You'd have a great processor with

> basically GT 1030 worth of integrated graphics, and $500 would build a great system.

This is why I came here... I had no idea that AMD had such a beastly integrated graphics chip. I'm going to go ahead with the 2400g and build a mini ATX later today or tomorrow. Trying to find the right case (trying to cute it up a bit and go all white) and still deciding on if I want to upgrade my monitor and give her my current one (which is black, so I probably won't right now).

I appreciate the insight @RagingShadow07. You just helped my daughter's eighth birthday be a little more awesome!

RagingShadow07

* 28-Feb-2018(#6)

Glad I could help!

For cases NZXT usually has the most color choices, and Phanteks has some cases that come with LED strips.

Edit: also, spring for the fastest memory you can find at a reasonable price.

APerfidiousDane

28-Feb-2018(#7)

Keep an eye on /r/buildapcsales. I see a lot of good prebuilt deals on there.

With the prebuilt flair https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/search?sort...

thatonedude

* 1-Mar-2018(#8)

Hmm... yeah some solid deals in there. I might have to consider these as I found that these 2nd gen Ryzen chips are having boot issues with the current AM4 boards. A bios update is needed by an older AM4 chip before you can flash it for use with the newest Ryzen gen.

AMD at least is willing to help it's customers solve the issue:
https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2G...

Small headache situation as I only have an Intel and I don't know how long AMD would take to help resolve... my daughters birthday is the 15th.

RagingShadow07

1-Mar-2018(#9)

The BIOS code has been out since November so chances are you should be good if you buy a new board. Got a Fry's or Microcenter nearby?

thatonedude

* 1-Mar-2018(#10)

Yeah, I was perusing Fry's yesterday a bit, found everything I need there except the case... my Fry's has crap selection on mini ITX cases. No Microcenter though.

I have my eye on this one as it has WIFI included:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N...

PCpartpicker giving me a warning and I saw a comment that said they had to flash update, little weary.

RagingShadow07

1-Mar-2018(#11)

That one is good as long as you don't plan to overclock (VRM gets hot, but moot if stock).

I own both the ASRock B350 ITX and ASUS Strix B350 ITX and can vouch for both being excellent, but the ASRock B350 only has a 1x1 WiFi card whereas the X370 version, ASUS and Gigabyte have better WiFi cards.

Looking for anything in particular as far as an itx case goes? I've owned tons and might be able to give some advice.

thatonedude

* 1-Mar-2018(#12)

I doubt I'll overclock, at least for a few years.

I'm looking at the white Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX case.I see I will be needing an additional fan as it p only comes with intake, good thing I have a couple on hand.

Also looking at bitfenix prodigy white as it has a optical drive bay, but not really necessary in the end... just have a spare DVD writer laying around

I'm about to head back down to Frys, think I'm going to pull the trigger on the 2400G and that gigabyte mobo... I figure I'll just send the serial info and proof of purchase to AMD now and hope the loaner chip comes before 2 weeks. Best case scenario I get the case in a few days and find it boots fine and I can just send the loaner back. Too good of a setup to pass up.

So the gigabyte B350 Wi-Fi is good or are you saying the Wi-Fi on gigabyte x370 is better?

RagingShadow07

1-Mar-2018(#13)

I built a system in the Evolv ITX for my girlfriend. Not a bad build honestly, but I'd definitely recommend a second fan since the front intake kinda chokes air a little bit (she's running an i7 and 1070 fine though).

For the wifi, looking at the online page, the Gigabyte is a 433MB/s setup, which is the exact same as the ASRock B350 (1x1 antenna setup). If you're close to the router it won't be an issue, but if wifi is really important, it might be worth the extra $20-30 to go with either the ASUS Strix B350-i (which I have and love) or the ASRock X370 ITX/ac since both of them have better wireless chips.

thatonedude

1-Mar-2018(#14)

It will be about 20ft away, with one wall separating... I could run Ethernet if there is issues.

RagingShadow07

* 1-Mar-2018(#15)

I'd say you're fine with either board then honestly. Anecdotally I much prefer the BIOS of the ASRock and ASUS to Gigabyte's Ryzen BIOS but that's just me being nit picky. For the 2400G any of those boards will be great.

You should post a build log! I've got some spare parts laying around and was thinking of building a Ryzen box for the living room.

DiamondDave

* 2-Mar-2018(#16)

RagingShadow07 wrote:

> With GPU prices in the toilet, why not go with a Ryzen 2400G build for now and pop

> in a graphics card when they come down in price? You'd have a great processor with

> basically GT 1030 worth of integrated graphics, and $500 would build a great system.

Both the 2400G and the 2200G are pretty legit. Price for power, I've seriously considered a Mini-ATX build with the 2200G as its cornerstone until I come across an affordable small form factor discrete graphics adapter. Some modest overclocking provides very respectable gaming power.

It's not just your Frys by the way, their PC selection's been on a sharp decline for a long time. Had to skip getting the Mini-ATX I wanted and had to go with the SLI Plus board instead for my Intel 8th Gen build, which wasn't a huge deal but it was $30 I didn't need to spend at all.

Mexico

3-Mar-2018(#17)

newegg had the ASRock Killer sli/ac x370 mobo (not mini atx) for $80 after rebate and has been pretty good for me, with the 3.50 bios I was able to get my ram up to 3200 and solid 3.8ghz on a ryzen 1700 with a stock cooler (might have been able to do more with better thermal paste).

thatonedude

* 7-Mar-2018(#18)

I ended up going with these pieces for the build (wanted to update as I have gotten a couple PMs with info on their available PCs):

AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor

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

G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive My daughter doesn't do much beyond a few games at this point and when she starts getting into other things I'll throw a mechanical HD in there for her

Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case

SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply got $20 rebate to mail in on this one... couldn't pass up $35 for a full mod

Asus - VX238H-W 23.0" 1920x1080 Monitor another $20 rebate

CORN Wired Multimedia Mechanical Feeling Professional Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo Multi-color LED Suspension Keys - White I unboxed this and hooked it up while she was at school. Looks nice, I think she'll dig the colors... although feels a little cheap hope it lasts at least a year. I expected it to be a tad cheap at that price point and I think she'll destroy any one I get after awhile... girl regularly nasties up my keyboard, constantly wiping it down with disinfectant wipes. So glad she'll be off my PC.

So for ~$675... I'm pretty happy with the price point for this build even though I went a bit over what I initially wanted to spend.

I did buy a AMD A6-9500 from Fry's as the research from other peoples experience with getting the bios flashed for the newest Ryzen generation and my recent contact with AMD about getting the 'loaner' sent is looking like AMD will do it, but they are dragging their feet about it... making you get a statement from the motherboard company, checking with the company you bought the motherboard from and paying them to do it if they offer the service (Fry's doesn't unless you bought the lesser processor and provided it to them... which is ridiculous as I can do it myself at that point). I figure I'll just flash with the A6 and return it... not my favorite option, but at this point my best option. Also, Fry's is good about open box returns as long as it's not damaged.

I'll post some pics when I actually build it next week. I have boxes stashed all over the house and am pretty stoked about putting this baby together and seeing my daughters face when she gets to sit down with her own lil' PC.

RagingShadow07

7-Mar-2018(#19)

The only thing I'd advise on that build is to swap the 8GB stick with two 4GB sticks. The integrated GPU performance is going to take a colossal hit with single channel memory.

Otherwise this build is awesome! Leaves tons and tons of room for upgrading it in the future if you ever need to. That's going to last her a while.

DiamondDave

8-Mar-2018(#20)

I like that a lot. Agreed on the single RAM stick though, dual channel's the way to go.

thatonedude

* 8-Mar-2018(#21)

I've always bought in pairs in the past, though I didn't realize single channel would have performance ramifications. Probably just go with another 8GB, easier than sending it back to Newegg and I won't have to buy more in 3-4 years.

Again, thanks for the heads up!

DiamondDave

8-Mar-2018(#22)

16GB should be plenty for a decade, lol

thatonedude

* 8-Mar-2018(#23)

Haha, yeah it's overkill for her... my thinking was since there is only 2 RAM slots get 1x8GB now and upgrade later instead of 2x4GB now and have to replace later.

I see Newegg will let me print a shipping label and cover the return cost, debating on maybe just settling for the 2x4GB.

thatonedude

* 8-Mar-2018(#24)

I still have an ol' EVGA GeForce GTX 560Ti laying around. Out of interest looked at what it compares to versus a Radeon Vega 11... strikingly close and slightly better in most benchmarks:

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-56...

I was surprised to see how close it is, it's a good 5-6 years old. I do have to fix a fan mount, but maybe I should get this bad boy back in action.

thatonedude

* 8-Mar-2018(#25)

Muhahaha said screw it and ordered the G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3200.

Found the Ryzen is temperate to memory speeds so why not get the 3200 at the same price point as the 2400 with the current Newegg 48 hour 10% discount on all G.Skill memory.

Time to learn how to play around with RAM speeds!

RagingShadow07

9-Mar-2018(#26)

Good pick!

For memory speeds, if you get lucky you can just set the XMP profile (especially with raven ridge) and have it just work. Just make sure you run a memory test for a couple passes. In the beginning I could get my 3000MHZ ram up to its rated speed and it seemed stable, but memtest86+ showed some errors until I bumped it down to 2666 (BIOS updates helped memory compatibility a ton).

DiamondDave

* 9-Mar-2018(#27)

I've generally found the gains made in boosting RAM are mild, compared to the system instability issues they often incur. I keep mine at stock. If your RAM isn't your bottleneck, boosting frequencies won't improve performance generally speaking.

RagingShadow07

* 9-Mar-2018(#28)

DiamondDave wrote:

> I've generally found the gains made in boosting RAM are mild, compared to the system

> instability issues they often incur. I keep mine at stock. If your RAM isn't your

> bottleneck, boosting frequencies won't improve performance generally speaking.

Ryzen changed that. Before Ryzen I was always vocal against paying more for faster ram, but since Ryzen's internal bus speed is tied directly to RAM it actually has a pretty big effect compared to upping the memory speeds on an intel system.

DiamondDave

9-Mar-2018(#29)

Interesting!

Mexico

10-Mar-2018(#30)

APU's also take advantage of the higher clocks since it is using ram for your video memory. @thatonedude You can also look into the settings of the mobo bios and see if there is a way to increase the video memory pool to 2gb, would probably help out.

thatonedude

* 16-Mar-2018(#31)

Finally post birthday and everything went together with no problems other than my fat fingers having issues with some tiny screws in mini spaces. Other than flashing the bios, haven't had time to peruse the settings or make any memory speed adjustments. I'll get to that in a couple weeks. Going to leave the stock cooler as the temps have been in normal range and she isn't loading the CPU down, I did wipe off the thermal paste AMD had shipped with the processor and slathered a layer of Arctic Silver 5. Also added a Corsair 120mm fan at the rear, had to add a fan splitter as this mobo only has one fan connection outside the CPU fan. Both seem to be running normal. It is nice and quiet, I really like it. The modular PSU is great for keeping down some wire clutter. Some of the wiring is a little wild at top, but I don't notice it when the case is closed and sitting at the desk.

image

She loves it!

image

Again, thanks for the information all... it really helped out in my build!

RagingShadow07

16-Mar-2018(#32)

Excellent looking build! I'm stoked I was able to help a little. Happy birthday to the kiddo!

DiamondDave

18-Mar-2018(#33)

Definitely a slick setup. Love the chair, too, actually!

NatGasHole

23-Mar-2018(#34)

This is awesome.

Longknife

(frozen)28-Mar-2018(#35)

Excellent setup, thatonedude. Where'd the chair come from?