Light in the Dark
The last custom PCs I built before this were SFF Shuttle XPCs about 10+ years ago. (Single-fan CPU heatpipe-cooler, no RGB.)
After several years using gaming laptops (for portability) I decided it was time to build again. This is the result.
Completed on Oct 31st, 2019.
Benchmarks:
Cinebench R20 - 5064
3DMark Timespy - 11,479
Passmark - 8366
Lessons Learned:
1. If you're going to put 9 fans in case, seriously consider modular fans like In-Win Crown or Lian Li's upcoming Uni-Fan. I wish I'd known about them before this build.
2. If your focus is motherboard-controlled ARGB, you may want to steer clear of Gigabyte. After a month of troubleshooting, they were unable or unwilling to explain why the 5V ARGB header on the MB was outputting power while the system was in complete shutdown.
3. Cable management - If I were to build another, in this case, I'd go ahead and spend a little bit extra on custom length CableMod cables. There was less bulk with the included EVGA PSU cables (all black, btw). Rat's nest is an understatement, especially with the additional cables for the 9 ARGB fans!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes that's a 50" HDTV as a monitor. It supports 120Hz refresh and frankly, I can live with the minor extra response delay for now. (All peripherals are wireless and I sit about 6 feet away from the monitor in an ergonomic easy-chair.)
After several years using gaming laptops (for portability) I decided it was time to build again. This is the result.
Completed on Oct 31st, 2019.
Benchmarks:
Cinebench R20 - 5064
3DMark Timespy - 11,479
Passmark - 8366
Lessons Learned:
1. If you're going to put 9 fans in case, seriously consider modular fans like In-Win Crown or Lian Li's upcoming Uni-Fan. I wish I'd known about them before this build.
2. If your focus is motherboard-controlled ARGB, you may want to steer clear of Gigabyte. After a month of troubleshooting, they were unable or unwilling to explain why the 5V ARGB header on the MB was outputting power while the system was in complete shutdown.
3. Cable management - If I were to build another, in this case, I'd go ahead and spend a little bit extra on custom length CableMod cables. There was less bulk with the included EVGA PSU cables (all black, btw). Rat's nest is an understatement, especially with the additional cables for the 9 ARGB fans!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes that's a 50" HDTV as a monitor. It supports 120Hz refresh and frankly, I can live with the minor extra response delay for now. (All peripherals are wireless and I sit about 6 feet away from the monitor in an ergonomic easy-chair.)
Color(s): Black
RGB Lighting? Yes
Theme: none
Cooling: AIO Cooling
Size: ATX
Type: General Build
Hardware
CPU
$ 449.00
Motherboard
$ 229.00
Memory
$ 529.98
Graphics
$ 399.99
Gigabyte - GeForce AORUS WaterForce WB
Chip Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip: RTX 2080 SUPER
Interface: PCIe x16
Storage
$ 42.99
Storage
$ 315.00
PSU
$ 199.98
Case
$ 160.56
Case Fan
$ 149.97
Cooling
$ 112.89
CableMod
CableMod - E-Series Cable Kit for EVGA G5 / G3 / G2 / P2 / T2
Mode: Stock
Sleeve: PRO ModMesh
Color: Carbon
Accessories
$ 39.99
Accessories
$ 20.99
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