Almost 6 years after purchasing my current desktop computer, I finally decided to replace my current computer with a custom built PC. Being one of my favorite PC brand, I preferred to stick to Dell but alas! I couldn't find any computer from Dell that I think would be a PC that I want. Please don't get me wrong, Dell makes some great PC and I am a huge fan of their brand.
On a personal level, I used both the laptop and desktop computer from Dell and I think they were great. But it's not only about the configurations, as the time goes on and newer OS appears in the horizon, things gets bit more complicated and harder for old PCs to perform as per the demand. I am not a gamer yet I can't work on a Dual Core computer from 2008 any longer. So, I decided to build my own ultimate PC and finished ordering all the necessary components. Let's take a look at the items that I am getting.
Chasis
While I appreciate the newer computer casings and their designs from all the manufacturers, I figured they were designing their products focusing mostly on the gamer. All those fancy and aggressive looking case and their colorful lighting features intimidates me. Majority of those cases does not have any 5.25 inch bay at all which is understandable but I am not willing to give it up yet. But on a serious note though, I still like to have an optical drive on my computer just for the show, call me "old school".
I picked a brand new (ofcourse Dell) Dell Optiplex 9010 case with 275W power supply. It does have two 5.25 inch bay and I already ordered a Dell 19-in-1 media card reader and a slim DVD-RW combo which nicely fits within a single bay. I will think about the second bay later on. This case supports both the Mini ITX & Micro ATX motherboard. Since I already got the Micro ATX motherboard, I didn't hesitate to grab this case.
Processor
As far as the processor is concern, my pick was an Intel Core i7 processor. As I mentioned earlier, I am not a gamer so I really didn't bother wasting my time thinking of overclocking my processor. I picked Intel Core i7 8700 which is an 8th gen 6 core/12 threads processor. With 65W TDP (Thermal Design Power), this processor consumes 30W less than Intel Core i7 8700K (95W) which I think is exactly what I am looking for. Perhaps it was more important for me to take this issue in my consideration as my computer case has only 275W power supply.
After reading and watching so many YouTube videos on fairly good Mini ITX CPU cooler, I decided to go with the Cryorig C7 CR-C7A Cpu cooler. This little device puts Intel's stock cooler into shame on every single test that I have watched. I mean seriously, it boggles my mind that Intel sells a $350 processor with a very cheap and under performing CPU cooler! What's wrong with Intel?
Motherboard
I picked Asus ROG Strix Z370-G Gaming motherboard. Generally speaking, Z370 chipset based motherboards are not all that available yet. On top I had to get a Micro ATX format motherboard which automatically limits my options. Built-in Wi-Fi AC & Bluetooth module was a big plus for me. It will help me not only to connect with my Wi-Fi but also to be able to play music from my computer to my music system. Dual M.2 slot, SLI Bridge Support which all seems to be the features that a gamer might desire but I won't say no to them, I think they are great.
Memory
I also grabbed a Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 288-Pin DDR4 single slot memory. Please lets not get started with dual channel memory architecture topic here. Memories are not cheap and this single item cost me $200+. Since my PCB supports up to 64GB memory, I am planning to get the most out of it and I have a plan to upgrade it afterwards. 16GB seems fairly ok for the kind of work I do, at least for now. I am definitely leaning more towards the 32GB range soon enough though.
Graphic Card
This is not the most important part for my build. However, as I am planning to grab a ultra-wide monitor soon enough, I grabbed this MSI GeForce GT 1030 2GB Cuda card for less than $90. This little monster is powerful enough to support 4k monitors as well. My old monitor does have a display port, so I can use this card with my current old monitor. This is not a gaming horse but watching 4K content and working on a ultra-wide monitor would be a walk in the park for this card.
I am well aware of the fact that my system processor that features Intel® UHD Graphics 630 chip that can support 4k display. So basically I didn't had to buy this but I just grabbed it so that the processor can work freely without worrying about the graphic part. Dedicated graphic card helps and it lowers pressure on the processor.
So, basically that's about it. I am looking forward to build the little beast soon enough and share my thoughts on the final computer. Til then, have a nice weekend ahead.
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