Description

This was my first build, focused on both form and function. It will be ideally used for gaming but realistically lots of web browsing.

Everything went smoothly except for blue screens on boot when I tried to enable AI overclocking, and it took some tinkering with bios settings to even get turbo boost to work (needed to enable multi-core optimization). I don't need to overclock anyway so that's okay for me.

My girlfriend dropped both the motherboard and the RTX 2080 Ti while we were building it, but they both work so it's cool.

Update: got it running at 5GHz on all cores with a manual overclock.

Part Reviews

CPU

Intel Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor

I wanted a top of the line CPU so I could sleep at night. Once turbo boost was enabled it runs great.

CPU Cooler

NZXT Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.17 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Better aesthetic than any other cooler, and it works well to boot.

Motherboard

Asus PRIME Z390-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Picked mainly because of the color, but it does everything I need it to. Only complaint is the AI overclocking issue, but I might just be doing something wrong.

Memory

G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory

Nicest looking RAM, and quite speedy. I got 32 GB because my laptop has 16 and I needed this to be superior in every way. XMP works great once enabled.

Storage

Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive

Very fast storage. It's already half full, but I won't play half the games so I'll uninstall them as need. If more than 1 TB is needed I'll get another SSD.

Video Card

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Founders Edition Video Card

The RTX 2080 Ti is simply the best graphics card. I picked the founders edition because I like how it looks more than other models. Some coil whine under full load, but otherwise silent. I just wish the green LEDs could be changed.

Case

NZXT H500i ATX Mid Tower Case

This case looks great and is easy to build in. I didn't realize the included LEDs were addressable, so that's a bonus.

Power Supply

EVGA SuperNOVA G1+ 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Got it on sale for the price of the 750. More than enough power and no issues.

Monitor

Dell AW3418DW 34.1" 3440x1440 120 Hz Monitor

I was debating between this monitor and the 4k 144 Hz ROG. They both have pros and cons, but I ended up going with the Alienware since it's bigger and cheaper, but 4k would have been nice also. Overclocking worked as advertised.

Keyboard

ROCCAT VULCAN 120 AIMO Wired Gaming Keyboard

Got it because it's shiny. First mechanical keyboard so I don't have much to compare it to, but it seems good.

Speakers

Logitech Z333 40 W 2.1 Channel Speakers

Seemed like quality mid-range speakers and I'm satisfied with them.

Custom

uphere Sleeved Cable - Cable Extension for Power Supply with Extra-Sleeved 24 PIN 8PIN 6PIN 4+4 PIN - White with Cable Combs(11.8 inch/30CM)(SC304)

These cables make the inside of the case clean, and were cheaper than other options.

Comments

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

That is a very clean build. It looks very nice! The cables look great with the build. Overall great pc!

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

That's a very clean and well done PC, Your cable management is on spot

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

BEAUTIFUL. Love that founders edition card. Clean, top notch performance i'm sure, good job! That monitor looks like something special, very cool.

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

What frames are you getting?

  • 8 months ago
  • 1 point

Around 100 with maxed settings in Witcher 3 and Battlefield V.

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

I'd pay to see your reaction if the motherboard and graphics card had broken lol. Solid build, 11/10 dude.

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

i heard bad stuff about nzxt aio water coolers have you had any issues i really like the look of them and my intel cooler isnt cutting it

  • 8 months ago
  • 1 point

So far so good, but most of the negative reviews I saw on Newegg said it broke after about a year, so I'm just hoping that won't happen. It's worked great the few days I've had it.

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

thats fair. very nice build though im thinking about uploading my build when i get home now. i love all white builds they look like a science lab inside

  • 8 months ago
  • 2 points

Very Coordinated. Good stuff.

  • 7 months ago
  • 2 points

My dream pc! Good job. What advice could you give about the IA overclocking system of this mobo? Should i use it if i build the same pc than you? Thanks

  • 7 months ago
  • 2 points

Thanks! I never tried it again after the initial crashes since I don't really need to overclock, but I wouldn't recommend it. It seemed like it was trying to push the CPU too far (the target it selected was 5.2 GHz if I remember correctly). Other than that everything has still been working great. I would guess the other Asus motherboards have the same software, but maybe the beefier ones like the Maximus can support it better (just a guess).

  • 7 months ago
  • 1 point

Ok i ll try by myself at the moment and see. But it is true that with this good cpu it is not realy necessary to overclock ;) It is already so good! Thanks a lot for your answer.