The Rig

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I guess my home system deserves separate page, considering all the use it gets and the joy it brings :) And I don't mean only gaming here. I do quite a bit of work, software development, and most the site development on it. Plus a lot of multimedia editing. Things have gotten a lot more interesting last few years, I have a reason to upgrade parts more often. At least GPU and CPU once every year or two. PCIE gen5 SSD finally arrived, etc. Still sticking with AMD in this build, although went with Ryzen 7950X this time instead of the thread ripper, no real use of that one for my tasks.
And yeah, I am still watercooling, because WC rocks :)

Current Rig, build complete in 01/2023:
  • Case - Phanteks Enthoo 719.
  • CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core, 32-Thread Unlocked, Socket AM5;
  • Motherboard - ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero Socket AM5 Ryzen 7000 gaming motherboard;
  • SDRAM - G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo RGB Series (AMD Expo) DDR5 RAM (4x16GB) 6000MT/s CL36-36-36-96 1.35V;
  • Video - ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC;
  • Monitor Primary - ASUS PG32UHQ 32" 4K/UHD 3840x2160
  • Monitor Secondary - ASUS PA329Q 32" 4K/UHD 3840x2160 IPS HDMI Eye Care ProArt;
  • Storage Primary - Samsung 990 PRO M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen4.
  • Storage Secondary - Samsung 990 EVO M.2 2280 2TB PCIe Gen4.
  • Storage Backup - 3xWD 6TB Black Performance HDD, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5"
  • BD/DVD RW - External, LG Ultra HD, firmware upgraded;
  • Speakers - Klipsch Promedia GMX A-2.1. Subwoofer 50 watts + 2 satellite speakers, total 78 watts. Very nice;
  • PSU - Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 1300W (80+Platinum, ATX 12V);
  • CPU Waterblock - CORSAIR Hydro X Series XC8 RGB PRO;
  • GPU Waterblock - Bykski GPU Water Block;
  • Water Pumps - Dual Swiftech MCP655-PWM-DRIVE 12v Water Pump Modules, PWM Enabled sitting in the EK ek-xtop Revo Serial pump top;
  • Reservoir - EK WB EK-RES X3 150;
  • Dual XSPC TX360 Crossflow Ultrathin Radiators, Top, Front;
  • Fans - be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4;
  • Koolance quick disconnects, real time saver for CPU/GUP upgrades;

Planned upgrades - 2024:

  • Waiting on the Ryzen 9000 series release, if it delivers what the leaks say, should be a noticeable upgrade. Same for the GPU, waiting for the 5 series and if AMD manages to deliver something competitive, no issues switching to them either. Nearest possible upgrade, replace system M.2 ssd with Gen5.

Building Your Own Custom Rig - If you are up to the challenge, have time and nerves for it, then it is well worth it. Especially once you are done with all that. It will save you the money(well I do manage to spend more than 1000$ per upgrade), and you'll have exactly what you wanted, most likely outperforming comparable systems from vendors such as Dell, IBM, Gateway, etc. However during the build... Few advices from my own experience.
    First of all go and check on the internet how to build the system if you haven't done so. I've had considerable hardware experience, nevertheless I needed help few times. On the net you'll find everything, instructions how to build the system from the scratch, all sorts of reviews what's good and what's not, overclocking guides if you decide to go that way, cheaper prices, incorrect info, and so on. Therefore, do your homework, otherwise it'll cost you more and probably will not work, or won't work as it should.
    Next, you order the parts. Try to get things from the same online store. Don't jump on something just because it's cheaper at another store by few $, most likely shipping will be extra anyways. Read on the net about the online store you're gonna deal with. I've had bad experience with parts bought from compuplus.com long ago. So did my friend few days later. Could've been avoided had I spent more time researching the sellers.
    Be prepared that some parts may be defective and you have to return them, wait for the replacement, etc... Good luck.
    There are a bunch of the hardware forums to help you out with building your system, installing soft, configuring hardware and software. These days there are plenty of very good youtube channels for reviews, assemblyh instructions, evverything else.

To overclock or not to - That is the question. In short, just like with building your system from the scratch, if you have time and nerves(again!), go for it. You'll get faster system once you figure out the right parameters. It took me around a week to tweak and test my first custom build system until I got it stable. For now I'm running 3.2ghz chip at 4.7ghz, quite a boost :). Difference is noticeable not only in various benchmarks, but also while I am working with the programs I use every day. Especially multimedia editing. One thing is if you have problems with noise then overclocking is a questionable option. Overclocked hardware generates more heat, hence the need of extra, more powerful fans, and those are real noisy as usual. Vantec Tornado that I used was comparable to small industrial vacuum cleaner at 5000 rpm :) Of course you can spend more money and go with water cooling, which is far more effective and more silent, but not completely. Anyway, read on the net, and decide for yourself.