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Meanderings of a ROG Builder

SorryDave
Level 9
Impatiently, today I checked and re-checked the status of half a dozen tracking numbers. I have a lot of my hard earned gold sitting on UPS trucks heading slowly towards my humble home. I wonder at the events that have brought me this new anxiety.

It all started simply enough, the scenes I needed to render required more memory and the render time was too slow. My old faithful LENOVO laptop is just not up to the task. I need a computer that had more memory, a faster processor, but a simple GPU. I took a trip to Best Buy and could not find this computer. I came to the conclusion that I could build a cheaper computer than buy one, if I just stick with what I need.

However, I was rusty. The last time I built a computer it was for the release of a new game: Resident Evil. I had to do my research and I learned much. The technology has become awesome.

As I filled my wish lists, I came to a new realization: I an no longer value shopping. This was not a build cheaper than I could purchase. What I need and what I want were not the same anymore. I need to play as well as work, and I play hard. Money was not the priority, speed and style was.

This will now be a ROG build, because I want the best. I am anxious to get started building.
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xeromist
Moderator
I wouldn't worry about your building skills. I too have been tinkering with PCs for many years and remember how fiddly it could be in the 90's. These days the components and software are more sophisticated so parts of the same generation with matching interfaces generally work together. Some parts perform a bit better but there's a baseline compatibility with just about everything. Just take it slow and don't force anything.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

This day brought great joy and was then followed by crushing grief for this ROG build.

First some background: I had first ordered a motherboard, PS, Memory, and a SSD. The next day I found that these were going to the wrong address. The sender recalled the product from UPS to send it back to the correct address. This would add a week to my delivery. No big deal. With my PayPal fixed, I continued to purchase items.

Several days ago I received my first items; an unlocked I9-9900K and a SAMSUNG 1TB M.2 SSD. Shortly after I received my Eureka 60" computer desk (with cup holder) and a large ROG mouse pad.

Then today, my Strix Helios case arrived. Big and beautiful. What an awesome looking case even lights off and empty. I was overwhelmed with pure joy.

I went to check my remaining tracking numbers as I do throughout the day only to learn a horrible thing. UPS misrouted one of the items being sent back, delaying the return of the motherboard, PS, Memory, and SSD. This will add approximately 9 business days till I can start my build. My original joy was replaced by deep sorrow.

I hope that this is the only delay I run into on this build. I have much more stuff on UPS trucks travelling around the country.

I got way too carried away purchasing the parts for my new build. This is clear to me now in the end of the month as bills come rolling in. Despite saving a decent monthly chuck for 8 months and my entire annual bonus, I still spent from my checking. I am going to have to have a low profile next couple months just to get finances under control.

I am typically very frugal and I am at least a week away from getting the components I need to start my ROG build.

This would make me sad except I just unboxed my 34" curved widescreen monitor. It is awesome. I am sure this is the worst part of spending so much money on a build; broke, but cannot yet enjoy the product. None of the guides I recently watched on computer building included advice on how to mitigate financial strain. I am eager to build and then play.

Now that my Maximus Hero XI and Windows came in the mail I am ready to build. I am still waiting on my memory, but have 2x8G sticks available to get started.

Strange thing is, I am a little nervous about starting. After waiting all this time for these expensive parts to come in the mail, I got a little intimidated about putting in my I9. This is the most expensive computer I have ever built and the thought of it going wrong spooked me from starting.

Tomorrow I will see if I am braver. If anyone even reads this thread, I have a question for you: Should I test outside the case or just install and test?

SorryDave wrote:
Now that my Maximus Hero XI and Windows came in the mail I am ready to build. I am still waiting on my memory, but have 2x8G sticks available to get started.

Strange thing is, I am a little nervous about starting. After waiting all this time for these expensive parts to come in the mail, I got a little intimidated about putting in my I9. This is the most expensive computer I have ever built and the thought of it going wrong spooked me from starting.

Tomorrow I will see if I am braver. If anyone even reads this thread, I have a question for you: Should I test outside the case or just install and test?


If your build is going to be complicated then you generally want to test the parts on a bench first. People doing extensive hard tubing for example. It takes more time to build and dismantle if something is wrong. If your build is not like Tetris then there's no reason you can't mount your components in the case. That said, you might find it easier to install the CPU, air cooler, and memory outside of the case first and then drop the whole board into place. Personal preference.

Random thought: Make sure your CPU cooler doesn't have protective plastic on the mating surface. People have been known to mount them with the plastic still on them.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…

Have courage SorryDave! Take heart in the certain knowledge that months after the bills are paid and your fantastic new system is configured and running, its performance will boost your joy to such heights that you will wonder why you didn't build a high performance system years ago.

Then there will come the problem of wanting to build another super system all over again and soon 😉 I am already dreaming of motherboards with PCIe v4, DDR5 RAM, USB3.2 and more cpu cores than I really need.

Thanks for the encouragement RSEandme and Xeromist.

Despite my fears when I started, everything came into place. The bench test was just the PS, Motherboard, CPU, and memory. It was a great feeling watching the system complete POST without any issues. I then installed these items into the case and loaded Windows. Then I started adding piece after piece. Before long I had my computer up and running and drivers installed. Every component I purchased was installed with the exception of the expensive 64Gb memory modules (2-3 business days away). The 16Gb I have in there will enough for now.

My hesitation to get started has been replaced by a sense of accomplishment. This is a modest accomplishment as the computer is ugly with the nest of cables hanging out everywhere. I am tired and have to sleep. Before me lies the greatest technical and artistic challenge I have ever faced: Cable Management.

Congratulations SorryDave! It IS really neat to see your build come alive. You may never buy a pre-built computer again.

Cable management: I believe it is much easier to secure cables to the case's internal tie-points as you are installing and connecting the components. For example, you might find that some cables won't be long enough to reach their destination when you try to tie them down and you'll need short extensions.

xeromist
Moderator
Several tech reviewers have tested cable management vs airflow. They found a rats nest didn't impact temps, so you only need to manage for aesthetics. Get it to the point where it makes you happy visually and you don't really have to worry beyond that.
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station…