I’ve always built my own computers. I would say every 4-5 years or so I was looking to update, except that the i5-2500K CPU released in January 2011 was good enough to last up to 2018. In fact I should instead say that all CPUs Intel released after the i5-2500K weren’t good enough to justify an update to me. Yeah, right! That was until AMD was back in the game with new multi-core CPUs forcing Intel to release a first 6 cores CPU which finally convinced me it was time to upgrade. Being a computer enthusiast I think it was about time!
I’ve started with large cases and with every new build I was always looking to go smaller while keeping full performance. My last 2 builds were μATX format and it was time to move to the mini-ITX format. It’s not because it’s small that it cannot be powerful!
Currently in process of building 2 PCs for our twins. Most parts bought.
The problem is buying 2 video cards. Not only many stores have a policy for 1 per order but you never see stock available and from people who post about their successful purchase, it is usually overpriced. I need a comprehensive store who will help me here.
2 x NR200P (2021)
- Power supply: Corsair SF600 platinum (1 bought out of 2 because of special combo with CPU)
- ✔ Motherboard: TDB but possibly GIGABYTE B550i AORUS PRO AX
- ✔ CPU: AMD 5600X
- ✔ CPU Heatsink: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition
- ✔ Memory: 2x8GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4-3200 MHz (red)
- Video card: TBD but either TURBO-RTX3070-8G or GV-N3070EAGLE-8GD
- ✔ SSD: Western Digital SN850 M.2 NVMe PCI-E 4.0 1TB
- ✔ Monitor: 27″ MSI Optix MAG274QRF 1440p
- Keyboard: TBD but looking for Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 – Cherry MX Silent
- Mouse: TBD
✔ = bought
Below here my latest build and as you scroll down you’ll see my previous builds.
NCASE M1 (2018) – the crowdfunded computer case
Read the build log here
- Power supply: Corsair SF600 gold
- Motherboard: mini-ITX ASUS RoG STRIX Z370-I Gaming
- CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K @ 4.8GHz (all cores)
- CPU Heatsink: Noctua NH-U9S
- Memory: 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200MHz 1.35v 16-18-18-36
- Video card: nVidia MSI GTX 1080Ti AERO OC 11GB
- SSD: Samsung 960 PRO M.2 NVMe 512GB
- Monitor: 27″ ASUS PG27VQ 1440p 3D Vision
- Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 – Cherry MX Silent
- Mouse: Corsair Sabre RGB
Lian Li PC-V354A (2011)
- Power supply: Corsair HX650W
- Motherboard: μATX ASUS RoG Maximus IV GENE-Z
- CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 4.2GHz
- CPU Heatsink: Noctua NH-U9B SE2
- Memory: 2x4GB G.Skill Sniper DDR3-1866MHz F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR 1.5v 9-10-9-28
- Video card: nVidia EVGA GTX 660Ti 2GB
- SSD: Crucial MX300 525GB
- Optical drive: LG BH12LS35 Blu-Ray writer with Lightscribe
- Monitor: 24″ LCD BenQ XL2420TX 1080p 3D Vision
- 3D Vision kit 2 (bundled with monitor)
- Keyboard: Logitech G15 v2
- Mouse: Cordelss Performance Mouse MX
Thermaltake LANBox (2007)
- Power supply: Corsair HX520W
- Motherboard: μATX ASUS P5E-VM HDMI
- CPU: Intel Core2Duo E8400 @ 3.6GHz
- CPU Heatsink: Thermalright XP-120
- Memory: 2x1GB OCZ DDR2-800MHz Platinum Rev. 2
- Video card: nVidia EVGA 8800GTS 512MB
- HDD: Velociraptor 600GB & Raptor 74GB (both 10K rpm)
- Optical drive: BenQ DW1655 with Lightscribe
Antec Sonata (2003)
- Motherboard: ATX Abit NF7-S v2.0
- CPU: AMD Barton 2500+ @ 2.3GHz 1.7v
- CPU Heatsink: Vantec Aeroflow VA4-C7040
- Memory: 2x256MB Corsair XMS TwinX 3200LL
- Video card: ATi All-in-Wonder 9600XT
- HDD: Western Digital 74GB Raptor & 36GB Raptor (both 10K rpm)
- Optical drive: BenQ DW1655 with Lightscribe
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