Returning to AMD on a Ryzen APU Part 1: Introduction and Parts List

So I had 450 USD* on my hands. Just enough to get myself a current-generation Ryzen 3000 series APU Prank'ed, the Ryzen 3400G APU is actually a Zen+ 12nm CPU and not a Zen2 7nm CPU.

So why an APU? Actually if you're asking what an APU is, it's AMD's term for a CPU with built-in graphics, it means Accelerated Processing Unit. If you have been in this blog before, you might have read this guide I wrote about setting up crossfire between a A10 APU and R7 video card. 

So just a mere 17 months later I'm back to an APU after going through what? Four totally different computer builds? First it was the AMD A10 7850K + R7 250, then the Intel Xeon X3460 + GTX 750ti, after that was the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 + RX 570, finally for the last 3 months I used that overpowered and high-consumption Intel Xeon E5-2670 + GTX1070 rig. 

My previous build, a workstation I named Alcott/Blue Tears.

Oops, kind of digressed there. So why go back to an APU from a fairly OP build? My reasons are as follows:

1. The previous build was too power hungry, pulling 200 watts from the wall on idle and pulling at least 400 watts when under load. This made me unable to use our family home's solar power system.  This Ryzen 5 3400G system only pulls 60-170 watts (monitor, speakers, and desk lamp included).
2. Due to the motherboard not having spare system fan headers (OEM 7JNH0 Socket 2011), all the fans ran on fixed speeds. At first it was a full 1200 rpm but luckily an online store was selling a fan hub with a switch that allowed for 8 fans running at either low (don't know the exact RPM) or full speed (1200-1500rpm depending on fan model). With fans running at full speeds, the PC was really loud. LIKE IT CAN GET THROUGH HEADPHONES LOUD. With only the CPU fan and PSU fan on the InWin Chopin, it should be comfortably quiet.
3. On top of the case fans, the GPU fan sounded more like a whine at >2000rpm. Though Asus was kind enough to update the DUAL model's bios with the 0db fan feature (this was only available on their Strix lines before) so it wasn't spinning (and hence) wasn't loud on idle. But oh boy was it irritating when it ramp-ed up. Having no GPU, though sounds kinda lame, does keep me sane from the noise and keeps the desire to upgrade low.
4. I wasn't using it as what it was intended to be. I built that rig with a workstation mentality in mind, 16 threads, 32gb RAM, a powerful 8gb graphics card for video editing and rendering 3D backgrounds. I was even supposed to have a friend use it to make 3D backgrounds for us but nope that did not materialize. It became an OP gaming rig instead for games that weren't even current generation nor AAA. I mean come on, why run TERA and Black Desert Online on something like that? TL;DR too overpowered for gaming.
5. Looking at my planned upgrades for it, it would cost me close to 1200 USD, almost twice as much as the original build. It would be cheaper to buy current-generation parts and just buy a 2nd hand GPU if I needed to.
6. Speaking of planned upgrades. GPU are undergoing a rapid phase of innovation. Just look at what AMD has done, First we had Vega, then Radeon VII, then now we have Navi. For some reason AMD is still selling Polaris GPUs. Suddenly your current-gen GPU is now obsolete(?). With an APU, I don't need to worry about being left behind in terms of video cards. I mean, at least I won't be pressured to upgrade. Besides, the APU can run most of the games in my Steam Library just fine (rip Borderlands 3 and Ace Combat 7 I won't be able to play you lol).
7. I started hating LEDs and RGB. 
8. I can't bring it overseas.

So what's cooking? A Ryzen 3400G-based Mini-ITX system.  

All brought from Lazada.ph hahaha, thanks Lazada.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G with Radeon RX Vega 11 
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus B450I Pro Wifi 
• Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury 2666mhz DDR4 2x4gb  
• CPU Cooler: BeQuiet! Shadow Rock LP 130w TDP cooler but with a 120mm Noctua NF12 
• Case: InWin Chopin SFF Case with 150w 80+ Bronze PSU

But bruh, the graphics card. Yeah bruh, no space for a graphics card and that's gonna keep me away from buying one. I want to believe that the final AM4 APU would be a Zen 3 + Navi one. And I hope that ultimate AM4 APU would still support the B450 chipset lol. 

Now, in order of unboxing, let us walk through some of the parts involved. There's already a ton of unboxing and reviews of the items listed here so you can watch those too if you'd like lol.

First is the InWin Chopin. This small form factor case can be had for at least 85 USD. It comes with 150 watt +80 Bronze rated power supply unit. From what I've read online, this is just a spiced up model of an older  InWin BQ Series SFF case. I chose the silver over the black one because the black model looked like a magnet for hand prints.

That's actually a side panel that slides off and is not hinged in anyway.

It come with these mylar strips. I choose orange for a silver-orange theme. Orange being the color of the Aorus product line and in the PC world, is a kind of neutral color. If you go red, it's AMD, go green and you're Nvidia, go blue and you're Intel. Orange also mean Ryzen as well but the connotation isn't that common.

Look at sleek brushed aluminum.

Hidden underneath that side panel are the two 2.5'' drive bays. Also hidden underneath the InWin logo is a VESA interface. The paint job on the panel looks grainy and poorly done up close. If they dare call it a powder finish, I'd riot.

The cables are nice and all but i wish they were flat or braided. Nothing a little cable wrap can remedy.

The 2 2.5'' drives installed. Cable routing is tricky, be careful not to adversely bend something.

Since this is an ITX build, you can't really expect having enough space for cable management but this case actually has enough space to hide all the front panel I/O and power cables via recesses inside the interior of the case. 

Next is the CPU and motherboard. I bought this as a bundle so they came in the same package.

I thought they sent in 5 optical mice for free but those boxes are just for packaging lol.

Sorry for the excessive lighting but damn this motherboard is so monochrome I like it. But I also feel the M.2 heat sink is kinda useless but hey, it does look clean. The front panel connectors are in an unusual spot? That's probably the usual spot for front panel connectors in a mITX motherboard.

Next is the CPU. Contrary to my previous Ryzen 5 1600. The box for the 3400G comes with a carbon fiber-esque appearance rather than just the plain dark gray of the previous generations. Also since the chip comes with Radeon graphics, it also comes with a Radeon case badge.

Here's the CPU mounted in the motherboard. The golden arrow wasn't there and I had to search the internet if the triangle outline was indeed referring the previous golden triangle thing I was expecting to appear on this AM4 motherboard. As you can observe here, the cables can be nicely tucked to the sides, allowing for a clear and unobstructed area for CPU cooler installation.

The included Wraith Spire box cooler was too tall for the Chopin and I didn't have any compatible cooler at the moment so I opted to just install something that could cover the whole thing but at the same time cool it. So here's where that filthy Shadow Rock LP comes into the equation. I don't have the original SilentWing fan but I did have a Noctua NF12 lying around so there it goes.

After that painstakingly long black screen (which is normal for first boot), I finally got into the bios. See how cool that thing runs with a 130w cooler? 

The Noctua fan was pleasantly quiet, as expected. Even at it's full rated speed of 1500rpm, it was okay. But during gaming, coil whine from the motherboard (or is it the CPU) overpowers the fan noise. More on that on Part 2.

I wanted to overclock the 3400G but I found on youtube that under super stress-test conditions, a similar system unit could draw more than 150 watts from the wall and since I'm limited to 150 watts, I refrained from doing so but I did try, since the 3400G comes with the new Automatic Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) and that thing is accessible through Ryzen Master. So I tinkered about and went straight to +200mhz on both CPU and GPU and it froze the system. Couldn't event get through windows once Ryzen Master loaded in the background. So I promptly uninstalled that thing and I'm back in business, but for some reason UMA and frequency controls are now locked in the BIOS. I'll have to jump the CMOS next time I service this machine.

This ends Part 1. Benchmarks and other stuff on Part 2, coming soon. Thanks for reading.