Are errors the most effective learning tool?
Are errors the most effective learning tool?
I've been trying to build myself a HTPC for my bedroom for a couple of months now. I built a system with a Ryzen 3200G and a Gigabyte DS3H Wifi MicroAtx board, but it wouldn't post. I decided to order a second DS3H Wifi board ($89 for a B450 w/integrated WiFi seemed like a really good deal), an Athlon processor, and additional memory. Because of the way shipping was delayed, by the time I identified the first board was the issue it was too late to return it so I had to send it to Gigabyte for warranty service. In the meantime, I built the system with the second board and it worked fine. I built it in a Deepcool Matrexx 30 case (with a tempered glass side panel and only $35 on Amazon) I even threw in a bluray drive I had sitting on a shelf because I have lots of DVDs and blurays acquired when they were a thing. But then my sister bought a house and I decided to build her a PC as a housewarming present. But I decided not to wait for the 1st board to be returned and took the board out of the PC I had just built. Her PC came out really nice. I thought about buying another board but pricing and availability been crazy lately. But then I saw Micro Center had an Asrock B550m Pro4 MATX board for $114. I picked it up yesterday and today I rebuilt my PC with it. Oh and I had put the 3200G in the PC for my sister and I upgraded to a 3400G. I had left the power cables in place for cable management. The weird thing was I had to remove them because the new board, also Micro ATX, was wider and covered more of the cable management openings. But I plugged in all the cables. I had removed the screws holding the optical drive in place so I could move it forward to make it easier to fit the board in the case. But when I went to push it back into place I discovered it blocked by the 24 pin connector. Shows what I know. The DS3H is 9.6" X 8.5" but Micro ATX can be as large as 9.6" X 9.6". So I guess my choices are to forget the optical drive, buy a larger case, or replace the B550 with the B450 if and when I ever get it back. Or I suppose I can just have the drive stick out 1.1"... If mistakes are the best way to learn I will soon be an expert. Thanks for listening guys. I just felt like venting.
Hey, your sister's PC looks good. Sadly, I have to admit you made another mistake (or maybe I missed it when you said it). The B550 doesn't support the 3200G and 3400G because those chips are actually Zen+ not Zen 2, even though they're from the Ryzen 3000 series. It's a bit confusing with the naming.
Each release I've made has had some small or big issues (such as the Phenom II build crashing at startup). As long as things are working, it's fine.
I didn't test it with the 3200G, but this B550 board fits my 3400G. I understand AMD has started stepping back on backward compatibility, but I believe they would have been able to work together. The 3200G and 3400G are top-tier AMD CPUs with built-in graphics. I think ASROCK would prefer boards that are compatible, otherwise why would they include HDMI, DisplayPort, and D-Sub in the rear ports? Edited June 30, 2020 by Michael McChesney I meant "discrete" when I meant "integrated."
Upcoming Zen 2 APUs (Ryzen 4000) are expected to feature an 8-core 4700G processor, which could be quite notable. If your B550 board is compatible with the 3400G, that’s useful to know. I also believe that not offering current-gen APUs at first was somewhat unexpected from AMD.
Skip the built-in optical drive and choose an external one. This is the model I received and it functions well: https://www.amazon.com/External-Haiway-P...A5OTg2OTy=
Talking about errors, my first PC setup included a desire to stream 4K Blu-rays, which led me to purchase a dedicated 4K storage. Later I learned that playing such high-resolution content required the Cyberlink Power DVD utility, priced higher than the drive itself. Since I was the sole user, I needed it to launch without prompting for a password. However, the 4K DRM restrictions meant I couldn't access 4K films unless I activated more advanced security settings. In that case, playing a 4K movie occasionally became too cumbersome. Over time, my home setup changed—my workspace folded, and I realized my 9900K would overheat unless I limited its performance. That prompted an upgrade from a Hyper 212 to a 360mm AIO. This decision revealed the incompatibility with an optical drive, which ultimately led to the drive being discarded. Right now I have an old external DVD burner from about fifteen years ago, which is quite large by today’s standards. I also own a USB 3 kit for connecting internal SATA drives via USB, hoping it could interface with my Blu-ray unit—though I’m not surprised if there’s a reason it doesn’t work. Presently the drive remains plugged in but protrudes from its case. I plan to keep it that way until I find a more suitable enclosure or a replacement when the Gigabyte board arrives. Edited June 30, 2020 by Michael McChesney typo