- Joined
- Nov 7, 2006
- Messages
- 726
So I figured, after looking over the gaming thread, that posting some pc and desk setups might help those less experienced members to up their game or just see the competition. For us PC gamers (aka Master Race), our rigs and desks are sacred and holy. Plus, moding your PC has become a new hobby for many enthusiasts. I have one friend that uses a Lazy-Boy as his chair and loves it. What do you have setup? How is your rig setup? AIO water cooling or custom loop? AMD or Intel? AMD or Nvidia?
I'll start, my rig stats are below, just finished putting her together. I got all the parts on and around Black Friday (saved all year for this and actually exceeded Visa's daily transaction limit lol
).
Case: Thermaltake View 31
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (wifi)
Processor: Intel i7 8700K 3.7ghz
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 3200mhz DDR4 4x8GB
CPU AIO: Corsair H150i Pro
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti SC GAMING
GPU AIO: ID-Cooling ICEKIMO 240VGA RGB Sync (*not pictured yet, enroute)
SSD: Samsung 860EVO 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x
Power Backup: APC UPS 1500VA
Monitors: Acer KG271 27" x2
Now, don't look at a PC and think "holy shit that is too much money" because it really isn't. Not counting the monitors, this setup can cost you less than 2k (not counting the monitors, backups, desk, and network devices) and will last for at least 5 years. 2k spread out over 5 years is a pretty good investment. The last rig I had could play damn near any game for almost 5 years and was under 1.5k in cost. Plus, I do a lot of gaming and personal work involved with co-running a gaming community. Additionally, this setup will more than keep up with future school work I plan on doing. With new and more stable water cooling out, that life expectancy is dramatically increased so you stay valid and current (future proof). Also what is cool is that with new monitoring software you can monitor your computer's health (heat, power fluctuations, cooling, fans, etc...) and make adjustments fairly easy. I chose to go with an AIO water cooling setup because it was cheaper, less maintenance, and easier to install when compared to a custom cooling setup. For my system, I priced out a custom loop kit for almost 800. That was insane. Additionally, I would have had to assemble it all and test it and ensure there would be no leaks that helped the magic smoke escape. The AIO kit was less than 300 and there is little setup with no loose liquids. Additionally, I never have to swap out the liquids or drain the system every year or two. While the custom loops are much more aesthetically pleasing, they are a pain IMHO. If I had experience with assembling them I might be of a different mind. However, I am at the stage in life where I just want my shit to work.
I was going to do a 3 monitor setup like @Ranger Psych , but I couldn't justify the need for 3 monitors, and my OCD wouldn't let the two be side by side so I decided to try the stacking method. If you wonder why more than one, it makes gaming so much easier when trying to keep comms with your team or look up information during a lul in the fight. Plus it makes the desktop feel less cluttered for me. The chair is old but comfy, once it wears out I will look into getting a dedicated gaming chair. Also not pictured is I just got Gigabit internet and upgraded my infrastructure to support full gigabit throughout the network. The means shielded cat 6 throughout the house, shielded connectors, and an upgraded modem (Netgear Gigabit modem) and router (ASUS AC3200RT) to handle the speed. The router is in the middle of the house so I have excellent wifi coverage throughout, without the need for extenders. I even managed to terminate the cat 6 into the walls with plates and the works. Overall I am set electronically for several years, and since I did all this around Black Friday, when it comes time to replace everything, it should fall around the same time and hit the same deals all over again.
What are the pros and cons of your setup? Questions? Judging by the Gaming thread we have a lot of gamers here, so If you don't know then just ask and you will get several answers. Pick the ones that work best for your setup.
I'll start, my rig stats are below, just finished putting her together. I got all the parts on and around Black Friday (saved all year for this and actually exceeded Visa's daily transaction limit lol
).Case: Thermaltake View 31
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (wifi)
Processor: Intel i7 8700K 3.7ghz
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB 3200mhz DDR4 4x8GB
CPU AIO: Corsair H150i Pro
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti SC GAMING
GPU AIO: ID-Cooling ICEKIMO 240VGA RGB Sync (*not pictured yet, enroute)
SSD: Samsung 860EVO 1TB
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x
Power Backup: APC UPS 1500VA
Monitors: Acer KG271 27" x2
Now, don't look at a PC and think "holy shit that is too much money" because it really isn't. Not counting the monitors, this setup can cost you less than 2k (not counting the monitors, backups, desk, and network devices) and will last for at least 5 years. 2k spread out over 5 years is a pretty good investment. The last rig I had could play damn near any game for almost 5 years and was under 1.5k in cost. Plus, I do a lot of gaming and personal work involved with co-running a gaming community. Additionally, this setup will more than keep up with future school work I plan on doing. With new and more stable water cooling out, that life expectancy is dramatically increased so you stay valid and current (future proof). Also what is cool is that with new monitoring software you can monitor your computer's health (heat, power fluctuations, cooling, fans, etc...) and make adjustments fairly easy. I chose to go with an AIO water cooling setup because it was cheaper, less maintenance, and easier to install when compared to a custom cooling setup. For my system, I priced out a custom loop kit for almost 800. That was insane. Additionally, I would have had to assemble it all and test it and ensure there would be no leaks that helped the magic smoke escape. The AIO kit was less than 300 and there is little setup with no loose liquids. Additionally, I never have to swap out the liquids or drain the system every year or two. While the custom loops are much more aesthetically pleasing, they are a pain IMHO. If I had experience with assembling them I might be of a different mind. However, I am at the stage in life where I just want my shit to work.
I was going to do a 3 monitor setup like @Ranger Psych , but I couldn't justify the need for 3 monitors, and my OCD wouldn't let the two be side by side so I decided to try the stacking method. If you wonder why more than one, it makes gaming so much easier when trying to keep comms with your team or look up information during a lul in the fight. Plus it makes the desktop feel less cluttered for me. The chair is old but comfy, once it wears out I will look into getting a dedicated gaming chair. Also not pictured is I just got Gigabit internet and upgraded my infrastructure to support full gigabit throughout the network. The means shielded cat 6 throughout the house, shielded connectors, and an upgraded modem (Netgear Gigabit modem) and router (ASUS AC3200RT) to handle the speed. The router is in the middle of the house so I have excellent wifi coverage throughout, without the need for extenders. I even managed to terminate the cat 6 into the walls with plates and the works. Overall I am set electronically for several years, and since I did all this around Black Friday, when it comes time to replace everything, it should fall around the same time and hit the same deals all over again.
What are the pros and cons of your setup? Questions? Judging by the Gaming thread we have a lot of gamers here, so If you don't know then just ask and you will get several answers. Pick the ones that work best for your setup.
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