Hello Steemit,
lately i was using a laptop for my qt wallets. Since some of them aren't written very well there is often some CPU usage. And for a laptop with a Intel M3-6Y30 everything matters.
I decided to build a cheap mini pc/server to accommodate everything and also to host a Storj node.
Intel wasn't an option for multiple reasons, cores were important and you have to pay a lot for that on Intel. I remember 3 years ago when Mediatek launch their mobile processor with 10 cores, Intel spent most of their time mocking both Mediatek and AMD with a 65 cores mobile phone. Well, guess what, now they come with a 28 core CPU which is a big problem for then, not for the other companies.
So i ended up choosing Ryzen 2400G, 4C/8T with Vega 11 graphics. I bought an Asrock AB350 Fatality ITX board, there are other brands options like Asus or Gigabyte. All of them come with everything you may want to add as extra, M.2 PCI 4x, audio 7.1, 2x HDMI ports, lots of USB 3 ports and even 1x USB 3.1 which comes handy if you want to connect an GPU that way. It also has a PCIE 16x but i can't use it because the case i bought is for a mini pc, not for a tower pc.
For storage i used 2 old SSD's, one 840EVO 240Gb and a Sandisk also with 240Gb. For the Storj node i used 2 external HDD with 1TB each USB 3.0. I left the M.2 slot empty for now. It won't be easy to add it because it is on the bottom of the motherboard, so i've to dismantle the PC and take the motherboard out to assemble the M.2. So if you're planning to build one like this, you should get the M.2 first thing.
Another important situation, the stock cooler from AMD doesn't fit the case. You have to buy an option with less than 43mm. I bought a Noctua NH-L9 but there are other decent options available.
A few hours for installing windows and syncing all the wallets, everything was running smooth.
Then the problems started. First with the drivers for Vega 11 and then for the Wi-Fi. After some debugging i ended up using the APU 18.51 drivers from AMD website. The ones on AsRock site don't work (17.40) and if you select the regular drivers from AMD they don't work either. I haven't solve the Wi-Fi issue because i'm using the LAN connection and didn't have the time to fix it.
With a small box temperature aren't that good. Also, the room where i have it is quite hot because a small mining rig is running near it.
I also run some tests that i would like to share with you, 3D Mark, CPUZ. You may get surprised, specially when we compare it with i7-7700K who costs twice as much and the i5-7600K who costs 50% more. Also keep in mind that these tests were done with more than two dozen of wallets running on the background.
The PC remains perfectly usable with all the background activity.
Also run League of Legends on 1080p medium-high settings at 80fps smooth without any breaks.
Everything went for under 500 euros (i had both HDD and SSD).
If AMD can avoid the issues with drivers for the Vega 11 and if the Wi-Fi issues are solvable i think this is a solid build for a mini server/media-pc. Simple games can run but don't go above LoL, Fortnite or even Counter Strike.
Feel free to comment below with your opinion and experience or if you have any question feel free to share them :)
