Successful new build with ASROCK and ZORIN PRO

L

Lufo

Guest
Here are the components I used for my new Linux Box.

Intel Core i7 12th Generation i7-12700 for the cpu
Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Low Profile for the CPU cooler
ASROCK H670M Pro RS Micro ATX for the mother board
Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD M.2 NVMe for the SSD boot drive
G-Skill Flare X Series F4-3200C14D-16GFX for system memory
Silverstone Milo 11 Micro ATX for the case
Silverstone 300 watt TFX for the PSU
Noctua NF-A8 PWM 80mm fan for case cooling
Intel SSD DC S3500 80gig for 6 GB/s SATA storage

Other than the Intel SSD DC S3500, all components came from the U.S. Amazon retailer. The Intel SSD came from a printer that had failed and was not economical to repair.

For the most part, all components went together quite easily without any real snags. Keeping in mind the Silverstone Milo 11 is a micro ATX case, I was not able to install a 60mm case fan on the side. At this location, one of the USB cable plugs blocks the fan from being installed. As it is, this is a location where the most outside PCI slot, motherboard connectors and fan locations merge. It is a small box so something has to give and in this case having the USB was more important to me than having the fan. The USB cable plug is thick and vertical and blocks the fan; if the cable plug had a 90 degree angle in it then it would block the last PCI slot. Sometimes there are trade offs when using a smaller case. I did install an 80mm fan in the front of the case without any issues.

There is one small issue that is a small annoyance...the power button on the case is the same color as the case and non illuminated. The button blends in very well with the case so seeing the button in low light is difficult. However, not a game changer but you do sort of have to feel for or know where the power button is.

The motherboard booted and I went to the BIOS. Not much to do there but to do the online update that ASROCK provides via the motherboard. That update worked great, no glitches at all. This is not an OC CPU so the OC stuff I ignored, took a cruise around the rest of the BIOS and did a save and exit.

The board then booted to the USB stick that contained the .iso image for Zorin Pro. Zorin installed seamlessly and I rebooted. I had a Logitech wireless mouse that was not seen by Zorin so I went to a corded mouse and all was good. It is a shame that Zorin does not auto install and start up the Solaar and Piper apps. With the dominance of Logitech one would think that a "turn key" Linux distro would auto put that in and activate.

All in all, I am quite happy with the box and Zorin.


​

 


A small update concerning the Silverstone Milo 11 micro ATX case. Above I mentioned the on/off power switch blending in quite well with the front panel and in low light it is difficult to see; once you learn where it is by muscle memory then all is good.

There is a second issue, maybe a bit more serious and that is the circuit board that houses the four USB ports for the front of the case have the back of that circuit board exposed. Problem is the exposed solder points are quite sharp and hard. Because the Milo 11 is a micro ATX case it is quite small and this board is located to the rear and left of the PSU, if facing the rear. Stuffing unused cables behind the PSU will permit some of the power cables to lodge up against this circuit board. Granted, it would take probably years for the sheath to be pierced on a power cable but still...who wants that to happen?

The solution for me was to use non-conducting, non-acidic electrical silicon. The brand I use is the ASI 388 Electronic Grade Silicone. I have used this stuff a lot over the years and it is an excellent choice for electronics use. It skims in about 15 minutes and sets up completely in 24 hours. I can now stuff those power cables and other wiring back in this corner and not worry about shorting or cross feeding power.
 
Thanks for sharing, @Lufo - that sounds like a good rig, and you have good troubleshooting skills.

Enjoy your Zorin - it is one of the first 3 Distros I put on my rig back in 2014. :)

Wizard
 
Talk about great minds thinking alike......Zorin was my very first distro around the same time.

I might just have to revisit it.
 
@wizardfromoz ; @Condobloke ;

Thanks! I spent years troubleshooting mainframe type hardware and software and I also maintained DC powered office plants up to 2000 amps.

I am happy with the build and spent probably waaaay too much time deciding what components to use but, that is the technician in me. I ultimately wanted a low thermal CPU and quite cooling; not being an over-clocker I did not need the i7-12700K CPU which has a significantly higher thermal footprint. I initially was concerned the H670 chipset, being very recent would not be recognised by Zorin or other distros, it turns out that was an unwarranted concern. I posted the build so others on a "quest" would have an example to look at.

This is my first ASROCK board and I am impressed with the quality of the board and the layout of components. There were options in the BIOS that I was not familiar with so one day I will go back and look those up to see what they do. As it is, the board on power up initialised fine, saw all components and identified the USB drive with the .iso load.
 
Lufo said:
Here are the components I used for my new Linux Box.

Intel Core i7 12th Generation i7-12700 for the cpu
Noctua NH-L9i-17xx Low Profile for the CPU cooler
ASROCK H670M Pro RS Micro ATX for the mother board
Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD M.2 NVMe for the SSD boot drive
G-Skill Flare X Series F4-3200C14D-16GFX for system memory
Silverstone Milo 11 Micro ATX for the case
Silverstone 300 watt TFX for the PSU
Noctua NF-A8 PWM 80mm fan for case cooling
Intel SSD DC S3500 80gig for 6 GB/s SATA storage

Other than the Intel SSD DC S3500, all components came from the U.S. Amazon retailer. The Intel SSD came from a printer that had failed and was not economical to repair.

For the most part, all components went together quite easily without any real snags. Keeping in mind the Silverstone Milo 11 is a micro ATX case, I was not able to install a 60mm case fan on the side. At this location, one of the USB cable plugs blocks the fan from being installed. As it is, this is a location where the most outside PCI slot, motherboard connectors and fan locations merge. It is a small box so something has to give and in this case having the USB was more important to me than having the fan. The USB cable plug is thick and vertical and blocks the fan; if the cable plug had a 90 degree angle in it then it would block the last PCI slot. Sometimes there are trade offs when using a smaller case. I did install an 80mm fan in the front of the case without any issues.

There is one small issue that is a small annoyance...the power button on the case is the same color as the case and non illuminated. The button blends in very well with the case so seeing the button in low light is difficult. However, not a game changer but you do sort of have to feel for or know where the power button is.

The motherboard booted and I went to the BIOS. Not much to do there but to do the online update that ASROCK provides via the motherboard. That update worked great, no glitches at all. This is not an OC CPU so the OC stuff I ignored, took a cruise around the rest of the BIOS and did a save and exit.

The board then booted to the USB stick that contained the .iso image for Zorin Pro. Zorin installed seamlessly and I rebooted. I had a Logitech wireless mouse that was not seen by Zorin so I went to a corded mouse and all was good. It is a shame that Zorin does not auto install and start up the Solaar and Piper apps. With the dominance of Logitech one would think that a "turn key" Linux distro would auto put that in and activate.

All in all, I am quite happy with the box and Zorin.


​

Click to expand...
Congratulations on your new build!
As far as not being able to see the power button on your new rig why not take a q-tip and dip it in some white paint and put a small dot on the power button?
 
Well...as I sit here copying files from my Win 7 box over to a USB stick, exporting passwords and profiles for Vivaldi, Firefox and Thunderbird, deleting stuff I do not want to copy...I am reminded of Dr. Smith from the old TV series Lost In Space.

"Oh the pain...the pain...the pain"!
 
"You bubble-headed booby" welcome to Linux :)

Avagudweegend
 
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