First mini-ITX build — need advice

Posted by Pudgesf@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 7 comments

Planning my first SFF gaming build and I’d appreciate some feedback before I buy the parts.

Main concern: is the Noctua NH-L9a-AM5 enough for a Ryzen 7 7800X3D in a \~9L case, or should I look for a stronger low-profile cooler?

Current parts list:

Case: Mechanic Master C24 Sugar Cube (\~9L)
CPU: Ryzen 7 7800X3D
GPU: RX 9060 XT 16GB or RTX 5070 12GB
Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi
RAM: 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30
SSD: Crucial P510 1TB Gen5
PSU: Corsair SF850
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM5

The case supports:

mini-ITX motherboards
GPUs up to 245mm
SFX / SFX-L PSUs
CPU coolers up to 135mm

I’m aiming for a compact 1440p gaming system with at least 12GB VRAM.

Would you change anything in this build? Especially interested in thermals/noise advice for such a small case.

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CZsea@reddit

Do you really want 7800x3d or something like 7600x3d is also fine for you? cause that will solve a lot of problem while also pair well with 9060/5070

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Heat/airflow, you also can consider smaller psu or more budget board. 7800x3d is good but if want to pair with 9060xt or 5070 then 7600x3d or 7700/9600/9700 will be enough. Unless you play in 1080 and want to push high fps for competitive game. Well, those are cheaper and use less power too, so that's another plus.

*I just don't want to delete what I typed man

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Pudgesf@reddit (OP)

Ye, im gonna mostly play 1080p competitive games.

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Pudgesf@reddit (OP)

What problems does this build actually have overall? And if I replace the cooler with a more powerful one, would that solve them?

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Aggressive_Deer_7072@reddit

Honestly the cooler is the only thing that immediately scared me there lol

NH-L9a is great for super low power chips but a 7800X3D in a 9L case is gonna get hot pretty fast. since your case supports 135mm coolers i’d seriously look at something bigger like an AXP120-X67 or even a PA120 Mini if it fits. huge difference honestly

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RouteToDevNull@reddit

I would probably go with Noctua NH-U9S, should fit but double check.

I would also drop that Gen5 SSD, I did not check your specific model but they can run insanely hot and in little case it's death...would go for high-end gen4

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Homeless_Depot@reddit

/r/sffpc

I've never used one, but I know people really like the Thermalright AXP - I think the idea is you really want a 120mm fan and improved fins for a 3D, even one that is pretty reserved w/ power draw.