Question 1

Will the mini itx fit inside a normal sized tower?

Accepted Answer

It really depends on the tower. Few cases have full motherboard support across all three common sizes of motherboards. MiniITX specific cases are available through newegg. If considering using a larger case meant for ATX or microATX be sure to read the motherboard compatibility specifications. I would recommend a Cooler Master N200 if you are looking for a tower style case and a Silverstone Sugo SG05BB-LITE if you are looking for a more compact cube style case and the Silverstone Milo ML05B for a media center style case. These are all miniITX compatible and the Cooler Master will accept a microATX motherboard if you decide to upgrade in the future.

Question 2

How noisy is the fan on the heat sink?  I have a AMD Hudson (e450) I built last year which is silent and I am thinking of building another with this Combo.  I am guessing this will be quite a bit snappier than the E450 build.

Accepted Answer

I replaced a E-450 with this, and it's much faster.  Noticeably so.

However, it's not silent.  In normal operations, it's audible, but barely.  However, if peg the processor, it is easily audible but I wouldn't say noisy.  It's enough to be distracting though.

You don't have to do that much to peg the processor, so it happens fairly often.  For example, watching Netflix in HD while playing a game in Java does it every time, as does playing two videos.

I don't know why anyone would consider this anyway.  Wouldn't an AM1 motherboard with an Athlon 5350 be cheaper, and superior?

Question 3

How hot does the embedded APU get when put under load? Is the provided heatsink/fan combo sufficient?

Accepted Answer

Not hot enough to raise concern. I have mine mounted in the dash of my minivan feeding a 7" Xenarc touchscreen and a 20" flip down monitor. I have had no thermal issues even on hot days with the A/C off and the windows open.

Question 4

Hi,

What RAM is compatible for this board. Can anyone post what they have installed? - Thanks

Accepted Answer

DDR3 1600 - besides speed, _latency_ can slow you down.  Low latency RAM is expensive (it can be more than the MoBo).  But it depends on whether this ITX is for a desk-top office or serious gaming.
I started with PATRIOT PSD34G1600KH which is fine for general purpose computing (and quick).

Question 5

i plan on getting this as an HTPC with XBMC. will a 250 watt power supply be enough for this board?

can somebody suggest a casing with a power supply for this?

thank you.

Accepted Answer

I just finished installing Gentoo Linux w/ XBMC on one of these and it works brilliantly--even using the proprietary Radeon driver. Measured power draw (Kill-A-Watt measured) at the wall is 37.5W at full load, 17.5W idle, so I should imagine that unless you add something to it with a large power draw it will easily work with a 250W PS.

That said, I went with the Lian Li PC-Q09FNB case that comes w/ a 300W power supply. Absolutely love the case, however, the 120mm case fan doesn't support PWM modulation while the motherboard does so I replaced the fan w/ a model that does so that it is almost completely silent now!

Question 6

Any recommendations for ram?

Accepted Answer

I can't recall the brand I purchased, I just put in 16 gigs of whatever NewEgg had in stock. Runs Win7 64 bit absolutely great.

Question 7

How well does Linux support this cpu/video card?

Accepted Answer

AMD catalyst drivers work great in Ubuntu and mint linux

Question 8

Does this mobo have the connections to support 2 x 3.0 USB ports on the front panel of the case I am possibly getting? If not can someone recommend some that do. I don't know where to look to see if they have them or not. I am an extreme novice and this is my first attempt at building a PC myself. Thanks ahead for your help.

Accepted Answer

Mobo has one USB 2.0 header for use with front panel case connections. The only USB 3.0 connections available are the two on the rear I/O panel.

Does not sound like this is the board for you.

Search NewEgg for mobos that have USB 3.0 connections. Once you find a few you like, go to the board manufacturer's website and download the manual if you want to be sure it has your front panel USB 3.0 headers before you buy. It is not a rare feature for a mobo to have. Good luck with your build.

Question 9

What are the specs on the AMD CPU?

Accepted Answer

It's an APU.  There is a Radeon 8400 on the chip so it's pretty zippy.  Windows 7 benchmarks are 6.5 for the processor and 5.9 for display.

Question 10

Can I pcie wireless card be installed?

Accepted Answer

I've got three of these with 8 port sata pcie cards plugged into it.  WiFi should be just fine.

Questions & Answers