Any AM4 Mini-ITX Boards with 3 Monitor Outputs?

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Hey all,

So I've always disliked Macs but that has been reinforced this week. 4 years ago I got my fiance a late 2013 27" iMac. She was the mac person, and I wanted her to be happy.

Well, last Thursday it suddenly would no longer power on. 4 years down the road, there is no more Warranty or Applecare. I looked it over, but there is little I can do to fix it, so we took it to a service center. Found out this morning that the power supply went and it took out the main board. Total repair estimate? $800. In other words, totally not worth it for a 4 year old i5 machine.

It's pissing me off because I could replace the power supply and motherboard on a PC and only be out less than $200.

I think she now - after this incident - understands my disdain for Apple, and is willing to let me build her a replacement machine, as long as it is nice sleek and stylish. I think I can do that.

Since she is not a gamer or a heavy GPU user, I am leaning towards an integrated GPU solution, and I quite like AMD's comeback so I'd prefer to throw them some money rather than Intel.

In her previous setup though, she used the 27" iMac in the center, with a set of small old Dell monitors, one on each side for a total of three.

I'm trying to find an APU compatible motherboard with three outputs, but not having any success. Does anyone know if they exist?

Much obliged!
 
I guess I could always get one with a DP port and use an MST hub, but even though they are more common and cheaper now than they used to me, a single hub costs a good chunk of th eprice of a decent motherboard which seems somewhat like a waste. it would be better if there were a motherboard with three DP/HDMI outputs on the I/O panel.
 
forget 3 display outputs. Just go to rtings and find a nice 4k tv. I was using 3 or 4 monitors at a time all the time but switched to tv use. I'm waiting for black friday to grab an OLED.
 
mkrohn said:
forget 3 display outputs. Just go to rtings and find a nice 4k tv. I was using 3 or 4 monitors at a time all the time but switched to tv use. I'm waiting for black friday to grab an OLED.
Click to expand...

Oh, I have one for myself, and I love it. I actually wrote one of the early guides on the Samsung 4k TV setups.

107275_upload_2018-3-4_22-18-40.png



I'm not quite sure she is ready for it though, and she already has her triple screen setup (not pictured) in place, just minus the actual computer and center monitor since the iMac died.

I was kind of thinking about a drop in replacement.
 
you actually find a way to use the side monitors? I had a pair of U2414's next to mine like that and just can't really use it. I've tried using my yoga flipped in front of me for some touch control stuff but using anything on the sides feels awkward and forced. Email and chats are all that really end up on them and I if I'm typing for long on them it feels weird to turn that far over.
 
Unfortunately, the mobo makers have really dropped the ball with AM4 and have left out a lot of segments, including an mITX board with 3 video outs.

AsRock B450 ITX: 1x HDMI, 1x DP
AsRock X470 ITX: 1x HDMI, 1x DP
Asus B450-I: 1x HDMI
Asus X470-I: 1x HDMI
Biostar X470GTN: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI-D
MSI B450I Plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DP

Gigabyte doesn't even have an AM4 mITX
 
MrDeaf said:
Unfortunately, the mobo makers have really dropped the ball with AM4 and have left out a lot of segments, including an mITX board with 3 video outs.

AsRock B450 ITX: 1x HDMI, 1x DP
AsRock X470 ITX: 1x HDMI, 1x DP
Asus B450-I: 1x HDMI
Asus X470-I: 1x HDMI
Biostar X470GTN: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI-D
MSI B450I Plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DP

Gigabyte doesn't even have an AM4 mITX
Click to expand...


You seem pretty well read on the subject.

If I can stretch it up to MicroATX, are you aware of any?

I have searched without much luck. Neweggs search function doesn't have a checkbox for "total number of monitor connections" :p
 
The selection of B450 mATX is equally poor.
No, there is no X470 mATX

AsRock B450M Pro4: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI, 1x VGA
AsRock B450M HDV: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI, 1x VGA
Asus TUF B450M-Plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
Asus B450M-K: 1x DVI, 1x VGA
Gigabyte B450M DS3H: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M gaming plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M Bazooka: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M Mortar: 1xDP, 1x HDMI
 
MrDeaf said:
The selection of B450 mATX is equally poor.
No, there is no X470 mATX

AsRock B450M Pro4: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI, 1x VGA
AsRock B450M HDV: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI, 1x VGA
Asus TUF B450M-Plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
Asus B450M-K: 1x DVI, 1x VGA
Gigabyte B450M DS3H: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M gaming plus: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M Bazooka: 1x HDMI, 1x DVI
MSI B450M Mortar: 1xDP, 1x HDMI
Click to expand...


Huh.

Figures. I hope these things support MST hubs then...
 
Realize that even though the motherboard has the display outputs, you will need either a 2200g or 2400g processor. (They have integrated graphics). Otherwise, I would opt for something like a 2600, with a dedicated graphics card that has 3 outputs.
 
Woot910 said:
Realize that even though the motherboard has the display outputs, you will need either a 2200g or 2400g processor. (They have integrated graphics). Otherwise, I would opt for something like a 2600, with a dedicated graphics card that has 3 outputs.
Click to expand...


Yeah, my plan was to use the 2400G. She doesn't do GPU intensive stuff, so it didn't make sense to spend on a fancy GPU.

I'm starting to question that now though. I was planning on using a Streacom FC5 Evo fanless case. The manual says it can handle 65W, and the 2400G has a TDP of 65W, but I'm reading about the 2400G now, and they are saying it hits the upper 90C temp range at stock clocks with the included wraith cooler, which suggests the passive solution in the Streacom case may not be sufficient.

A case of misleading TDP's maybe?
 
yeah, I recently heard about that board from gigabyte too.

Apparently it showed up on amazon on Aug. 23
 
MrDeaf said:
Unfortunately, the mobo makers have really dropped the ball with AM4 and have left out a lot of segments, including an mITX board with 3 video outs.
Click to expand...

Try and find an Intel board with three video outputs...

It's a bit of a universal problem, and with Intel, all of the CPUs for the socket have GPUs!

I definitely recommend going with a low-end discrete GPU. MSI makes some decent ITX cards with flavors for both brands- actually wound up getting one each of RX560 4GB ITX and GTX1050 4GB ITX for different builds. They're silent under desktop load, and the RX560 is used to power a 4k monitor and two 1080p monitors.

[the GTX1050 is literally for Plex transcoding, it is otherwise unnecessary; I went as high as the 1050 because that was the cheapest card that had 4GB, and I wanted something that would be useful for other purposes down the road]
 
IdiotInCharge said:
Try and find an Intel board with three video outputs...

It's a bit of a universal problem, and with Intel, all of the CPUs for the socket have GPUs!

I definitely recommend going with a low-end discrete GPU. MSI makes some decent ITX cards with flavors for both brands- actually wound up getting one each of RX560 4GB ITX and GTX1050 4GB ITX for different builds. They're silent under desktop load, and the RX560 is used to power a 4k monitor and two 1080p monitors.

[the GTX1050 is literally for Plex transcoding, it is otherwise unnecessary; I went as high as the 1050 because that was the cheapest card that had 4GB, and I wanted something that would be useful for other purposes down the road]
Click to expand...


I wound up using the APU for primary monitor output, and popped an old fanless GT630 I had kicking around in there, and use it for the monitor outputs for the two side screens.

It's not ideal, but it works.

I'll say this though, Ryzen likes that power A LOT more than Intel chips.

I've built a nearly identical Intel system with a picoPSU and a dual core i3-7100 for my router, and it pulls between 6W and 8W from the wall at idle.

I can't get this Ryzen 5 2400G to pull less than 28W from the wall at idle. Maybe the board needs a new BIOS update (none available right now) or maybe the 4.18 Linux kernel I am using hasnt quite mastered the Raven Ridge p-states yet, but it is a notable difference. It is a quad core though. That would contribute.
 
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