The One Where I Take A Holiday

Ah, President’s Day. A day all government workers get off, yet very few of us even know why. But hey, I don’t care about that, I’m here to build a computer! We’ve got new parts!

First off, my favorite motherboard company is without a doubt Asus. The ROG Strix B550-I does not disappoint. It’s beautifully boxed, it has stacked components, putting more features on an ITX board than you would think possible. Those little screws do indeed remove the fan shroud and expose the VRM. I’m not planning to overclock, so no worries there. A quick test fit in the PlinkUSA case, and sure enough, the VRM and WiFi attachment fits with maybe enough space for a single sheet of paper above it.

Back to the build. The CPU, cooler, and NVMe all move over pretty easily. I swap in the new RAM, and sure enough, the Ripjaws would have been an issue. Now comes the moment of truth. I start putting everything in the case, when I notice the motherboard rocks slightly. That’s odd, maybe this one is bent too?

Nope. The Asus board has a second m.2 slot on the back of the board, and the height of it is keeping the motherboard from going flat. Quick Google search: “how to remove m.2 slot from rear of motherboard.” 2 minutes later, yeah, that’s not happening. I grab a couple washers, and space the board 2mm higher, taking away precious CPU cooler space. Here’s hoping it all fits.

Finally, everything goes together, and let me say, it’s pretty dense. The PlinkUSA case has an intelligent fan system and thermostat right in the center of the front, and that takes valuable space, while also shifting the intake fans over towards the PSU. The RAM generates a nice wall that blocks any fresh air from getting to the CPU. No worries, Prime95 is running, and I’m sitting at 65-68 degrees.

…that is, until I slide the top of the chassis on. Immediately the fan spins up, and within about 7 minutes, the CPU is at 95 degrees, the TJmax, and CPU utilization drops to 80%. Not great at all. (Side-note, I know that Prime95 isn’t a realistic use case for the computer. But I’ll be running this thing in a server closet that gets warmer, not to mention at countless events with unknown A/C conditions. I’d rather be on the safe side when it comes to heat.) I do a quick check of the voltage, and even if I do some serious undervolting, I don’t think this is going to work. Yes, I know the 5700G has a configurable TDP, but I paid for the power, gosh darn it, and I’m going to use it!

Again, I admit defeat, and purchase a 2U chassis that has more than enough space. I also buy the slim SATA adapter I’ll need to connect to the DVD player. Other than that, (and the Decklink) everything else works great. No blackout screens, no shutting off, and the case looks so good with how small it is.

2U isn’t as good as 1U, but I need something at this point.