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The original was posted on /r/sffpc by /u/Urbanplastic on 2024-01-24 10:24:00+00:00.
Hey everyone, I'd like to share my experience and some pictures of the NR200P Max. I'm completely new to this! After more than 20 years primarily working on Mac, I wanted a compact PC for 3D rendering, starting with CPU rendering and then moving on to GPU once I decide which one to buy.
I opted for the NR200P Max case as it's known to be easier to build compared to other SFF cases. The experience is both fun and a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least, but I think it's worth it.
Here are the specs:
- CASE: Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P Max
- MOBO: ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
- RAM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6400MHz CL32
- Storage: Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
- GPU: For now, I decided to keep my trusty SAPPHIRE RX580 NITRO+ 8GB that I've been using in an old Mac Pro 5,1 (considering RTX 4080 Super once it's released).
- BOTTOM FANS: 2 x Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap (used as intake)
And here are some issues I encountered as a newbie:
- On my first attempt, after everything was mounted, it didn't turn on because the front panel cable was mispositioned on the motherboard.
- Once fixed, the RX580 wouldn't boot and gave me a black screen. I resolved this issue by using the HDMI port on the mobo to access the BIOS. I then updated it with the latest drivers (via USB key), installed Win11, bypassed Wi-Fi requirements as it wasn't working yet, installed all Asus drivers to enable Wi-Fi, and finally installed RX580 drivers.
- Now I can boot from the RX580, but there's a persistent VGA white light on the mobo. Not sure if it's normal as the card runs okay. Wondering if the PCIe Riser cable is the culprit... I read somewhere that the white light is a GPU error and that riser cables might introduce issues.
- Another issue I experienced twice: the PC not waking up from sleep mode with either the mouse or keyboard.
Overall, I'm really happy with my new PC! Coming from the Apple ecosystem, all the trial and error is something new for me, but I'm impressed with the performance so far!
The CPU runs hot at full load in Cinebench and Coronabench (some peaks at 95°C or even 98°C). Not sure if switching the bottom fans to exhaust would improve anything during rendering. I'll give it a try. I might also experiment with undervolting the CPU; according to reviews it would generate a minor loss in performance versus a significant difference in temperature and power usage.
