Sandbo

So at the end I decide to build the new AMD router I longed, following the initial post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/b6ql33/probably_not_buying_amd_x86_home_router_part_list/

The spec has now changed a bit to the following:
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Sandbo/saved/VqkGGX
TypeModelPrice (CAD)CPUAMD - Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz --> 3.7 GHz$69.99CPU CoolerNoctua NH-L9x65$49.9MotherboardMSI - B450M GAMING PLUS$114.99MemoryADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 16 GB (2 x 8 GB)$119.99StoragePatriot - Scorch 128 GB M.2-2280$34.99CaseCemo M1 Aluminum PC Chassis for ITX/MATX$79.99Power SupplySeasonic SSP-300SUG$94.99External NICIntel (Dell) i350-T4 9YD6K Quad-Port$100Total: $661.58 CAD+Tax
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>More picture here<<<
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motivation:
I was trying to make a new router which is smaller, after my Intel x86 router has served me for 7 years
Initially I was looking for an ITX board with AMD CPU+dual Intel NICs. But there aren't any consumer ITX boards that come with dual Intel NICs at the moment. (there are server ones which are overly expensive for the purpose for a home router). Maybe later there will be more embedded boards coming out with dual Intel NICs.
So for now, I turn my head into finding something maybe not that small, but at least thinner so it can stand somewhere near my wireless AP. Node 202 was initially my choice, but then I always want to have aluminum chassis (all my other computers are using aluminum chassis) so I continued the hunt. Then I bumped into this interesting chassis (CEMO M1) which supports low profile cards. It seems to be a perfect option if I want to add external NICs.

Here are reviews by parts: (quoted for visual clarity only)
CPU:

Athlon 200GE is chosen for two reasons: 1. Its capability for overclocking at this price. 2. My goal is to build a fast enough OpenVPN server, this application currently runs only single-threaded, so I just need a high core clock CPU.
The CPU I got seems to be a bit of a lemon, overclocking only to 3.7 GHz with 1.38V needed. 3.8 GHz will need quite a bit higher voltage which I don't think is worth it. Now I am still stress testing with Prime95, it runs at max @ 81C, a bit higher than what I expected given I am using Noctua cooler, but this is due to a lack of exhaust fans in this small chassis. With the PC case open the temp can drop to 65C max.

MB:

TIL mATX form factor actually has two sizes: 24x21.5 and 24x24. The chassis CEMO M1 supports only the former, so I picked this board out of the few available options for its seemingly better VRM.
This is my second MSI board since my very second PC back in 2003. So far I found the BIOS pretty reasonable and I haven't run into much troubles installing Windows. Will need to test Linux (for router) later.

Memory:

16 GB is an overkill for a router, where 4 GB served me very well already. But I got this on a discount, and RAM is very repurpose-able so I guess it's fine to invest a bit more. If one wants to cut the budget, a single strip of 4 GB can be used.

Storage:

The storage size can be much smaller (I used to use a 4 GB USB thumb drive to run my pfsense router). If you keep logs, then larger disk is favorable. $39.99 CAD for a 128 GB NVMe drive (though PCI-E x2) I think this is a fine option.

Case:

The case is 100mm*250mm*315mm, which makes it a bit fatter than node 202 but then quite a bit shorter. No screw holes for exhaust fans, but 1-2 can be mounted with suitable screws on the chassis over the array of holes.
This is a second aluminum case I got other than those from Lian-Li. From my search, there aren't many full aluminum chassis which are thin but also support PCI-E cards. While I found a few imperfect finishing here and there, in general the appearance is fine. The PCI-E alignment to the motherboard is off a bit, but it didn't seem to flex the PCI-E card too much. Finally, reading from some Chinese reviews they said the case's aluminum was too thin, I bet they have never tried to build with Lian-Li's which is only worse; this case is very study comparing to Lian-Li's imho. The horizontal bars makes it quite bit stabler.
It supports low profile only so unfortunately it won't work for most GPU-oriented builds, plus the use of a short flex PSU (1U) limits its highest deliverable power, but still it is more than adequate for a router or an iGPU only personal computer.

Power supply

This is one of the better 1U PSU with a length < 150mm. Being 300W max it is sufficient if an external GPU isnt't used. However, while my parts won't trigger it, this PSU (or these PSUs in general) can run very loud on higher load, due to the need of using a small fan which must spin fast.
FSP has a few more options giving higher power though being more expensive. At the end my experience with Seasonic biased me, I also don't see how I can use more than 300W for the router.
Idle power is 27W, and with CPU running Prime-95 it blows up to 72W. Not exactly a environmental friendly build but then my workstation is only worse.

External NIC

This is one of the newer Intel quad port NIC which comes with those bells and whistlers for running in a virtualized environment.
Finally, my solution towards the unavailability of internal Intel NICs is I give up and get an Intel NIC. This actually spent me a good while to look up. Basically, new ones are always available as retail unit, but in general they are priced pretty high. Meanwhile, used or "new pull" are available on eBay from different seller at pretty low price, and basically work just as well. Though, you need to be aware when getting an Intel NIC nowadays, a lot of Chinese OEM Intel NICs are being sold on eBay without any signs distinguishing themselves from the genuine Intel boards. They might work fine, and they might not. If you can buy an used card at a similar price, that will be a better option imho.

I am planning to use ClearOS 7 (free version) which I am already using on my existing router. It runs pretty well on my Intel G530, will see how this goes on the AMD CPU. Being a modified Linux OS (CentOS) I don't expect to have any troubles.

*Superconducting if cooled below 1.2 Kelvin only. Dilution refrigerator is not included.

Adding some benchmark results for OpenVPN server with a 320 Mbps internet connection. To my surprise, the utilization went down much more than expected. I thought it will be around 60%, but now it is 24%! It seems I can push it up to 1 Gbps if I have the connection.
Results here: https://imgur.com/a/VVVScMY

[ 本帖最後由 Sandbo 於 2019-4-20 13:31 編輯 ]

qcmadness

4x10G?

Sandbo

引用:

原帖由 qcmadness 於 2019-4-20 13:18 發表
4x10G?

just 1G, 10G is way too expensive to deploy at the moment (NICs, switch), plus my server doesn't have room to house a 10G card.

qcmadness

個機箱幾ok

Sandbo

引用:

原帖由 qcmadness 於 2019-4-21 02:52 發表
個機箱幾ok

Yes, it took me sometime to look for an aluminum chassis which is thin while supporting PCI-E add-on cards.
This is a very expandable solution even later when 10 Gbps NICs are needed.
The aluminum, despite of an inferior finish comparing to Lian-Li (CEMO's just blasted), is much sturdier than Lian-Li's paper weight.
Though, the lack of intake/outlet fans makes it a bit weak in ventilation.

[ 本帖最後由 Sandbo 於 2019-4-22 13:02 編輯 ]