I was considering that but unfortunately I am looking for a case that is just right on my budget, and so far the Lancool 215x is looking very well to me with its price.
I know but yeah I think the velcro straps would make my build look much cleaner, especially when my PSU has a hard ass stubborn cable that is not braided. Might as well go for some PSU extension cables as well to make it more look clean,
I think it would be neat if someone made a slab PC case that was monolithic. 
Well technically you’re not encouraged to write a good review explicitly, so as long as people who give 3 stars have as much chance to win as someone who gives a 5 Starr review… I doubt this will be the case though.
I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t know that I’ve really seen GN Steve ever being this savage in a single video.
Between the murder scene, regression, embarrassment remarks sprinkled heavily throughout the video and even the comparison to the release of the Bulldozer architecture.
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I didn’t think anything would ever get him going more than the NZXT H1 fire hazard… Gotta love Tech Jesus…
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Oh dear, that was awkward.
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I’ve had my on the Asus PN50 bare bones mini PC for a bit. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s essentially Asus’ take on the Intel NUC form factor but powered by Ryzen 4000 series APUs. The system has RAM listed as 3200 MHz DDR4. While researching memory options for the system, I came across parts from G.Skill and Kingston that use the standard SPD mechanism to set a 3200 MHz frequency and not an XMP profile. Links below.
Is there any reason why I would not want to choose one of these parts and instead go with one that uses an XMP profile to set 3200 MHz? I think the odds are in my favor that XMP would work just fine. I’m still sitting here scratching my head though thinking that if I have the option to not rely on XMP, why wouldn’t I want to go that route? The only thing I can think of would be if I ever wanted to move the 3200-via-SPD RAM into another computer that doesn’t support 3200 MHz.
G.Skill F4-3200C22D-16GRS
https://www.gskill.com/specification/2/197/1594019108/F4-3200C22D-16GRS-Specification
Kingston HyperX HX432S20IB2K2/16
http://www.kingston.com/dataSheets/HX432S20IB2K2_16.pdf
do you have the option in the bios to choose an XMP profile?
No idea. I don’t own the system yet. I’m just researching potential parts at the current time should I decide to pull the trigger on it. The downloadable user guide doesn’t really contain any BIOS screenshots or specific info.
The memory info is in the unit’s QVL, different section of the product website:
https://www.asus.com/Displays-Desktops/Mini-PCs/All-series/Mini-PC-PN50/HelpDesk_QVL_Memory/
Ryzen’s infinity fabric takes great advantage of high speed RAM (to a certain point), so I wouldn’t do anything but 3200 MHz modules in this system.
If you’re referring to the “purchasing and installation guide” link then I’m really suspicious of that being boilerplate text and not specific to the PN50. Note the platform specific references to XMP/DOCP for Intel/AMD. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that a fair number of current AMD systems actually support by-the-book XMP in their BIOS.
Even if you go with the assumption the PN50 actually does support XMP, that still leaves my original question open about why I may or may not want to choose a memory option that doesn’t rely on XMP for setting the SODIMM module’s rated speed.
Side Question: This machine would be attached to my TV and used in a pretty basic browsing/media comsumption role. Am I thikning correctly that I’d probably be hard pressed to tell any difference with faster RAM timings in this use case? In other words, CL20 or 22 are probably fine in this role, and 3200 MHz and two modules for dual channel are probably all I need to worry about spec-wise, correct?
If you click on the link I posted and go under CPU/Memory support, it lists the memory that has been tested and is supported by the motherboard of that specific model. You can see specifically what model
3200 modules are supported at 3200 as well as at what timings and whether they are supported in 1 or 2 slots. You are correct in thinking that most AMD motherboards support XMP, but things get much more nuanced when you get into these ultra small form factor boards.
Long story short, if you purchase something on the QVL you should be fine. You may have to play with manual settings if it isn’t.
As for your side question, yes I would not worry about going all out on your CL numbers if all you’re doing is browsing and basic streaming.
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Thanks for the feedback.
Funnily enough, the QVL is actually where this research endeavor all started for me. I had no problem with the idea of paying a few dollars more for QVL-listed RAM. If you look though, there are literally only two items listed for 8 GB modules running at 3200 MHz. The first one is from UnilC which I’d never even heard of before looking at the list. The other is a Samsung part (the actual SODIMM, not just the DRAM chips). That’s it. The other 8 GB listings on the QVL are all for slower speeds.
UnilC appears to be a Chinese DRAM maker that’s somewhat new to the global market. It may be fine but I’m not comfortable banking on “may be” where RAM is concerned. That leaves the Samsung part which I haven’t been able to locate at any major U.S. based retailer. I’ve only found it at third party sellers and their storefronts at major retail sites. Again, that’s outside my comfort zone where RAM is concerned.
Looking at what IS on the QVL, the G.Skill kit you have linked should work at 3200 with both slots populated. There’s a 64GB kit of the same series as the one you have there that is verified for 3200/3200.
So you’ve got a good chance there for it to work fine. Most of the ASUS boards I’ve dealt with that didn’t have any XMP support (first gen Ryzen, still let you set a generic ram speed, so I would assume the board in that barebones has at least that. In general I’ve had good luck with G.Skill memory in Ryzen systems, though most of that has been desktop and either FlareX or TridentZ NEO.
Best thing to do is purchase from somewhere that’ll take a return if need be.
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My original plan was to upgrade my i7-3770k at the end of last year, but with cpu prices and availability together with the fact that graphics cards (at least the interesting ones) are near impossible to find at a price that is compatible to my wallet, i mostly have decided to wait until the next generation of cpu/gpu releases in hope that the marked has stabilized a bit.
My 3770k and 1070gtx still handles most games i try well, atleast at 1080p, and the few games i use with VR also runs ok for the most part (racing sims mostly). So as long as the marked is as it is, i might as well wait it out a bit more and use a bit of money to cover other needs (audio aint cheap either)
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here’s a cool tidbit. E3 2021 is going to be virtual and completely free!
You know, when I built my new computer back after this past Black Friday in preparation for a 3080 or eventual 3080Ti, I didn’t think I’d still be using my ever-faithful 1080Ti in April. It may be showing its age in new AAA titles at 1440p, but for everything else, it does just fine.