It’s been years since a I built a PC from scratch. The last time when I built one, I just dropped out of college, fresh on my first job and Obama just became president…I think. After that it was just replacing components here and there and installing the OS multiple times starting with with Windows XP.
Since then I’ve been busy trying to build a career for myself, went back to school and just living a life. My first computer kept me busy a few years though, maybe 5 years or so, and after that I also needed a laptop when I started going to school again. I
I recently found my old specs
- Motherboard :ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard – Retail
- CPU :AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz
- Memory :CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 – Retail
- Hard drive : Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM
- GPU : XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card – Retail
And it was enough to play the following games:
- Far Cry,
- Crysis
- The Simpsons
- Need For Speed Underground 1/2, Most Wanted
- Spider-Man
- Command & Conquer: Generals and Zero Hour
- VietCong and others I don’t think I can remember
It was fun while it lasted. I think I can remember this list because they were games I actually finished on this PC. I mean I’ve played older games like Doom ( finished on msdos0 , Duke Nukem 3D (finished) and Shadow Warrior, Heretic, Quake,but those were on PC’s I didn’t build myself.
And I think I only changed a few hard drives and the power supply a couple of times because back then I didn’t think they were such big deals, it was an XTech I think. It was also the only thing I bought locally, well that and the case. The motherboard died on me after 5 years.
Not bad now that I think about it though, considering my PC was on 24/7, played games and downloaded lots and lots of torrents back then. In that period I already purchased a laptop which I needed for school and decided to give my desktop away to family.
The new 2019/2020 PC Setup
Fast forward 2019. It didn’t have much use for a laptop anymore and I wanted to pick up gaming again, which I knew would be difficult to find the time but it impossible . A lot of of YouTube videos helped me look at what’s new. People were talking about NVMe, liquid cooling … I didn’t even know where to start.
After reading a lot of reviews and waiting for price drops and this is the setup I bought … so far :
The CPU
Model: Intel Core i7-9700K
I never installed an Intel CPU before and this was first. It was a Prime Day Deal and I thought what the hell. This was the first component I bought and decided then I would buy the other components and build my PC based on this. Installing this was new for me because I was always used to having CPU fans coming with the processor. This was not the case anymore. Nowadays you have to buy the CPU and CPU fans separate.
The CPU Fan
Model: Noctua NH-U12A
I opted to go for air cooling, because it seemed easier to install. Also I had to know if it was going to fit in my case which I already bought. Maybe the only thing that bothered me in the beginning was the color, but I grew to like it. And it really it quiet as they say. Installation was easy too. There was enough space and it didn’t get too close to the ram. As for cooling, I will give an opinion about that when I have a GPU
Memory/RAM
Model: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz
I was debating whether I should go for an RGB version, but I then decided it wasn’t really for me. And the the extra money did not seem worth spending.
Hard Drive / NVMe
Model: Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series – 500GB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD
This is more than enough to put my OS on it and the primary programs like Photoshop. I will buy another hard drive later just to put documents, videos and music because I wouldn’t access them on a regular basis.
Motherboard
Model: Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WiFi
Now I have to say, the reason I chose this was more because of the WiFi option. The way my room is, I didn’t want to go to all that hassle of setting up cables and go in to the ceiling. And that it has RGB is just a plus. Also it had 2 NVMe slots. The integrated I/O shield was also super handy because I have to admit, I think I forgot to put it a time or two in previous builds.
Power Supply
Model : CORSAIR RMX Series (2018), RM650x, 650 Watts
Like the memory, I almost went for an RGB version, but again I was thinking about my putting my money in the CPU and later the GPU. I used a calculator to check the power consumption and put an extra 100 Watts just in case I decided to really go for it. And I almost bought a white version, but this was $20 more expensive I think and it wasn’t in stock. It turned out great because even with the case I bought, you couldn’t see the color of the power supply, so I guess that worked out.
The Case
Model : NZXT H500
will be updated …
