The Rig

Tweet ThisShare On FacebookStumbleUponDigg itShare on Del.icio.us

Home > Computers
Google

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 and most the site development on it. Plus a lot of multimedia editing. Haven't updated this place for a long time. Used t be I'd build or upgrade my main rig in 6-12 month intervals, but ever since Intel became the dominant power things have slowed down, a lot... Anyway, after 5+ years got the new system built. And yaay, this time it is an AMD.
And yeah, I am still watercooling, because WC rocks :)

Current Rig:
  • CPU - AMD 2nd Gen Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, 16-Core, 32-Thread, 4.4 GHz Max Boost (3.5 GHz Base), Socket sTR4
  • Motherboard - ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme, sTR4, X399 Chipset, E-ATX. And after all the BIOS and driver updates I still can't get that thing to read correct CPU temps or get the LiveDash display working, will do sooner or later.
  • SDRAM - CORSAIR Dominator Platinum DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600) - 64Gb.
  • Video - SLI With 2xZotac Gaming GeForce RTX 2080Ti AMP 11GB GDDR6 352-bit.
  • Monitor Primary - ASUS PA329Q 32" 4K/UHD 3840x2160 IPS HDMI Eye Care ProArt
  • Monitor Secondary - Dell U3011FPW 30" widescreen
  • Storage Primary - Samsung 970 PRO M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen3. X4, NVMe 1.3 64L V-NAND 2-bit MLC;
  • Storage Secondary - Samsung 970 EVO M.2 2280 2TB PCIe Gen3. X4, NVMe 1.3 64L V-NAND 3-bit MLC;
  • Storage Backup - 3xWD 6TB Black Performance HDD, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB Cache, 3.5"
  • BD/DVD RW - Lieon BD writer, with lightscribe, which I never use...
  • Speakers - Klipsch Promedia GMX A-2.1. Subwoofer 50 watts + 2 satellite speakers, total 78 watts. Very nice.
  • Case - Corsair Obsidian 800D.
  • PSU - Silent Pro Gold 1200W Modular.
  • CPU Waterblock - EK-FB ASUS X399 Gaming RGB Monoblock - Nickel
  • GPU Waterblock - 2xEK-Vector RTX 2080 Ti - Copper + Plexi
  • Water Pump - Swiftech MCP655-PWM-DRIVE 12v Water Pump Module - PWM Enabled sitting in the EK D5 Dual CSQ Acetal Pump Top.
  • Reservoir - Monsoon Series Two Dual Bay Reservoir, Matte Black.
  • Phobya G-Changer Ver. 1.2, 360mm Radiator - Black. Using 3 Noctua fans.

Planned upgrades:

  • At the moment nothing really, I got all I wanted, but I suppose in a year I might bpgrade the case, PSU, and probably I'll start messing with hard tubing.

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.