Question Fractal Design Terra Mini-ITX build opinions

[davidbenpark]

Hello! My friend has asked me for advice on parts for his Fractal Design Terra Mini-ITX build. He needs the small form factor due to his tiny desk.

He's a graphic/web designer primarily using Figma. He doesn't game, and says he still doesn't want to, but I want him to, so I'm forcing him to get a decent GPU.

He's happy to spend £1,500, and doesn't mind a little overkill if it gives him some headway to ensure it keeps pace for a few years.

Here's what I'm thinking: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/Hhq3cH

Any advice/input would be very welcome!

 

[Lutfij]

Here is my submission;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (£305.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47 42.58 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI MPG B650I EDGE WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard (£199.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL34 Memory (£183.26 @ Newegg UK)
Storage: Solidigm P44 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£62.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: Solidigm P44 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£154.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: PowerColor Fighter OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card (£363.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Terra Mini ITX Desktop Case (£169.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: Lian Li SP 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£123.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1579.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 16:25 BST+0100
2 SSD's, one for the OS, app's and launchers, the larger drive can be for games.

 

[davidbenpark]

Here is my submission;
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (£305.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47 42.58 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI MPG B650I EDGE WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard (£199.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL34 Memory (£183.26 @ Newegg UK)
Storage: Solidigm P44 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£62.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Storage: Solidigm P44 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£154.47 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: PowerColor Fighter OC Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB Video Card (£363.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Terra Mini ITX Desktop Case (£169.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: Lian Li SP 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£123.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1579.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 16:25 BST+0100
2 SSD's, one for the OS, app's and launchers, the larger drive can be for games.

Wow this is cool! I totally missed that the 9000 series CPUs had launched.

I get your logic with the mobo and storage upgrades, too.

Can you tell me why you switched RAM for ones with higher CAS, please? Just a better brand?

And is the PSU just a better brand/quality too?

Thanks!

 

[Lutfij]

I've had a great run with Kingston's HyperX range of gear before they sold the brand naming rights to HP and their Fury lineups are just lackluster, IMHO. I could've gone with a tighter latency kit but I was concerned about budget. The kit you've chosen will work with the build though.

By all means my suggestion isn't set in stone and there's room to wiggle/change. I would change that copper cooler and the Lian-Li SP unit to something white to fit the internal theme but that's how I'd go about the build. Maybe even drop the fans and add them later if better thermals are desired.

Yes Lian-Li is a better quality unit overall.

 

[logainofhades]

A little over, but I managed a better GPU, assuming that store and listing are legit.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (£305.20 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47 42.58 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock A620I LIGHTNING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard (£132.85 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: Kingston FURY Beast 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£179.73 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£79.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£133.97 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Acer Nitro OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card (£389.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Terra Mini ITX Desktop Case (£169.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: Cooler Master V850 SFX GOLD 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1507.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 17:27 BST+0100

This GPU is another option, if things are not quite right with that vendor. I am not overly familiar with the shops over your way. This one would raise the price to £1541.48

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card (£423.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Total: £423.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 17:32 BST+0100


I chose the motherboard on HUB's recommendation for ITX boards.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmStRPI47I

 

[geofelt]

If a friend asks for advice start with what he asks for.
He has no interest in gaming. Why not just start with integrated graphics.?
One can install a discrete graphics card later when new products may be better and cheaper
A extra strong psu is still a good idea.

For a desk top, consider using the corsair 2000D.
https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc-...akGSMLauflyU1mBuTiE3AKZcylEA1oLszko-OeGqknhRC
It is a tower type case with a lower desktop footprint.
Probably costs less too.
It will allow a 90mm high cooler.
The fractal has 77 mm in Max CPU config, 48 mm in Max GPU config
I think a 9700X is going to need better cooling than what a low profile cooler can give.

9700X seems way stronger than what the apps he runs needs.
I am ok with that. A strong cpu helps regardless.
My choice would be an Intel i7-14700.
Not quite as strong, but much cooler since it can not be overclocked.
It comes with an adequate stock cooler.
I might spend $25 or so to buy a RH1 89mm cooler:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000089189/processors.html

 

[LordVile]

Hello! My friend has asked me for advice on parts for his Fractal Design Terra Mini-ITX build. He needs the small form factor due to his tiny desk.

He's a graphic/web designer primarily using Figma. He doesn't game, and says he still doesn't want to, but I want him to, so I'm forcing him to get a decent GPU.

He's happy to spend £1,500, and doesn't mind a little overkill if it gives him some headway to ensure it keeps pace for a few years.

Here's what I'm thinking: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/Hhq3cH

Any advice/input would be very welcome!

I'd look at the Corsair 2000D, It has a really small footprint due to the vertical design and gives you so much more cooling capacity with space up to a 360mm rad and basically any Gpu you want at 365mm. Only issue is you need to get a SFX PSU.

Something like this

PS - best will in the world that tiny cooler in yours isn't going to cool a R9 chip without a large amount of performance left on the table.

 

[helper800]

I have a couple different build suggestions. First and foremost using the Coolermaster NR200 V2 case would be much easier to build in and cost less while still being plenty small. I have two different variations below, one that is a bit over budget but with a 4tb secondary drive and one that is below budget with a 2tb secondary drive.

More storage but over budget:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (£308.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP120-X67 59 CFM CPU Cooler (£33.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock A620I LIGHTNING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard (£132.85 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory (£167.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£79.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£218.99 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Acer Nitro OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card (£389.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P V2 Mini ITX Desktop Case (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Cooler Master V750 SFX GOLD 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1542.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 19:21 BST+0100

Cheaper with less storage:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor (£308.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP120-X67 59 CFM CPU Cooler (£33.98 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock A620I LIGHTNING WIFI Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard (£132.85 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory (£167.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£79.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial T500 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£133.97 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Acer Nitro OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card (£389.99 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P V2 Mini ITX Desktop Case (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Cooler Master V750 SFX GOLD 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Slim PWM PST 41.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.39 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1457.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-10-23 19:24 BST+0100

 

[helper800]

I'd look at the Corsair 2000D, It has a really small footprint due to the vertical design and gives you so much more cooling capacity with space up to a 360mm rad and basically any Gpu you want at 365mm. Only issue is you need to get a SFX PSU.

Something like this

PS - best will in the world that tiny cooler in yours isn't going to cool a R9 chip without a large amount of performance left on the table.

Your build is in dollars. The OP needs to source parts from the UK.

 

[LordVile]

Your build is in dollars. The OP needs to source parts from the UK.

Cheers, edited dunk why it always defaults to US

 

[davidbenpark]

These are brilliant suggestions everyone, thank you very much. I'm going to ponder it all and feedback with decisions.