Building your own computer is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a tech enthusiast. Over time this turned into a much more serious custom build with hardline water cooling, upgraded storage, and a lot more planning.
Why I Built It
I wanted a workstation that could handle video editing, game servers, design work, VMs, and modern games without compromise. That meant choosing every part intentionally and building around expandability. I built my first computer around 2018 using the money I generated from Minecraft related projects. But now it is time for an upgrade!
The old machine before the upgrade.
Main Components
- ◆ASUS - ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI MOTHERBOARD
- ◆INTEL - CORE I9-14900K PROCESSOR
- ◆MSI - NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 TI SUPER 16GB VENTUS 3X OC GRAPHICS CARD
- ◆CORSAIR DOMINATOR TITANIUM RAM 196GB (4X48GB) DDR5 6600MHZ
- ◆CRUCIAL T700 2TB GEN5 NVME M.2 SSD
- ◆CORSAIR RM1000X POWER SUPPLY
- ◆LIAN LI DYNAMIC EVO XL FULL TOWER CASE
Waterblocks and Radiators
- ◆CORSAIR ICUE LINK XC7 CPU WATER BLOCK
- ◆ALPHACOOL EISBLOCK AURORA RTX 4070TI VENTUS W/ BACKPLATE
- ◆BYKSKI DISTRO PLATE W/ PUMP
- ◆THERMALTAKE 360MM X 27MM COPPER RADIATOR (X2)
Cooling Components
- ◆LIAN LI SL120 V2 BLACK FANS (X13)
- ◆CORSAIR HYDRO X SERIES SATIN BLACK 14MM HARDLINE TUBING
- ◆CORSAIR HYDRO X SERIES GOLD FITTINGS
- ◆CORSAIR HYDRO X SERIES XL8 PERFORMANCE COOLANT
- ◆EK-QUANTUM TORQUE DRAIN VALVE & COMPRESSION FITTINGS
- ◆CORSAIR HYDRO X SERIES XT SOFTLINE 10-13MM TUBING
Misc
- ◆CORSAIR PREMIUM INDIVIDUALLY SLEEVED TYPE-5 POWER SUPPLY CABLES PRO
- ◆LINKUP - EZ VERTICAL GPU MOUNT
Build Notes
This build was planned around airflow, clean cable routing, and future serviceability. The distro plate, dual 360mm radiators, and hardline tubing added a lot of time to the build, but they completely changed the final look and thermal headroom.
The finished build - clean routing, lots of cooling, and room to expand.