Constraints

• Size/Form Factor

• Beginner Friendly

• GPU compatibility 

Sources

• Optimum Tech - "Cooler Master NR200 Review - They Listened!"

• Hardware Canucks - "Cooler Master NR200 ITX Case Review - The Best ITX Case For The Money"

Criteria

• Cores 

  • 8 Cores, 16 threads

• Temperature Ratings

• TDP - Lower the better

• Value - Higher Performance per Watt

Sources

• Linus Tech Tips - "I had given up on AMD… until today - Ryzen 9 3900X & Ryzen 7 3700X Review" 

• Gamers Nexus - "AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Review: Odd Man Out vs. 9700K, R5 3600, & 3900X"

• Paul's Hardware - "REALLY GOOD: My Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3700X Review and Benchmarks!"

Constraints and Criteria

• Mini-ITX

• Q-Flash Plus Button

• WiFi 6

• 2.5GbE LAN

• USB Type C

• Hi-Fi Audio

• Reliability 

• Cost - Lower the better

Sources

• Optimum Tech - "Best B550 ITX Motherboards - Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock" 

Criteria

• Frequency - higher the better

• CL Timing - lower the better

• Capacity - higher the better

Decision

The chosen Crucial Ballistix Ram Kit offers CL16 CAS latency and 3600 MHz which is said to perform really well with Ryzen Zen 2 Architecture CPUs. Additionally, I opted for 16GB of RAM is it is more than enough for my use, which is mainly CAD and light gaming. 

Sources

• LTT - "Watch this BEFORE buying an AMD CPU! - Every RAM Speed Tested"

• Gaming Scan - "How To Choose RAM [Ultimate Guide]"

Criteria

• Storage - more the better

• Price - lower the better

• Read Speeds - higher the better

• Write Speeds - higher the better

Decision

In the end I decided to get the Samsung 980 as it offered higher read and write speeds compared to the 970 series, while also being a good bang for the buck as I bought the ssd on sale. Gen 4 NVME SSD storage is still very expensive, and Gen 3 is already more than fast enough for daily use. 

This one is pretty straightforward. With the GPU shortage it was really a matter of which 30-series Nvidia GPU I would be able to get my hands on.

Constraints

1. Card Length

• 330mm

2. Card Width

• Triple-slot GPU support (60mm)

Decision 

In the end, I bought a 3060 as it was the only one available in my price range. Ideally, I would have wanted a 3060ti as to avoid any need to upgrade the Graphics Processing Unit for at least 3-4 years. 

Results

After running benchmarks and gauging the performance since installation, I have been pleasantly surprised with the performance, and will consequently not require an upgrade based on my use cases and workload. 

As with everything small form factor, there is a price markup. SFX power supplies are not cheap especially when your requirements are high wattage and fully modular. I had a price alert set for the power supply, and as soon as it went on sale I ordered it. 650W may prevent future upgradability, but is more than sufficient for a AMD 3700X and Nvidia RTX 3060 pairing. 

V1 Setup was based off the initial budget that I had set for the PC Build. For V1 I ended up using the AMD Wraith CPU Cooler that it provided along with the CPU. 

Maintaining Positive Pressure within Case

• To maintain positive pressure you need more intake than exhaust in your system. With the configurability of the Cooler Master NR200, I was be able to fit: 

  • 2 Scythe Kaze Flex 120mm Slim fans on the bottom as intake. As the GPU is 2.7 slots thick, I was not able to install full size fans

  • 1 Cooler Master 92mm Sickleflow fan as intake from the rear of the case. The rear bracket only supports 92mm, as anything larger would clash with the motherboard

  • 2 Noctua NF-P12 120mm fans on the top as exhaust 

 Utilizing Natural Convection within Case

• By having cold air pulled in from the bottom of the case the internals and especially the GPU are fed ambient room temperature air. As the internals cause the temperature of the air to rise, the hot air, by the principles of natural convection will also move upwards. 

• As the hot air rises within the case, it will be exhausted by the top Noctua fans. 

With the combined effect of positive pressure, natural convection, and the fact that both the cpu and the gpu are being fed ambient air should combine for overall cool performance in my use cases. 

The above configuration takes the airflow in the NR200 to the next level. The axial stock cpu fan that is used in V1 is replaced with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition RGB CPU Air Cooler. While this product only comes with a singular 120mm fan, I plan on using the additional fan clips to add another 120mm fan to the other side of the heat sink, making this a push-pull cpu fan configuration. The secondary 120mm fan will then effectively replace the 90mm intake fan that is currently positioned on the rear. This layout expands on the air flow effectiveness of V1 by pulling more ambient temperature air directly over the heat sink fins. Additionally, the overall air intake has increased which should also increase the positive pressure created by the fans in the case. 

Pending Installation of the new CPU Cooler

Modular Headphone Rest