Couch Potato
by Shane T Posted on: 12/28/2021
Build Description
Gaming is for the couch. After working from home 8 hours a day my desk is the last place I want to relax. My mini-ITX PC is intended to be a gaming system that stays discrete, quiet, and powerful while being 100% playable from the couch. From racing games to competitive FPSes to MMOs, my couch PC handles it all. There's a full custom loop to keep temps and noise low, fixing one of the major downfalls of a 15L case like this. When not using a controller, I use a lap-resting keyboard and mouse and set my TV to either 4k 60Hz or 1440p 120Hz depending on the game.
Favorite Feature
This thing feels completely unnoticeable in my living room. It fits in with the decor with a very small footprint and it's unbelievably silent. Previously I used the stock fan cooler on the 5700 XT and it would hit 110C junction temps while sounding like an airplane. With the water loop, my GPU rarely goes above the 60s.
Intel Core i5-8600
Qty: 1
$229.00
Planning to upgrade to i5-12600k
ASRock B360M-ITX/ac
Qty: 1
$99.00
Planning to upgrade to a Z690 ITX board (for Alder Lake CPU)
Radeon RX 5700 XT MECH OC
Qty: 1
$569.00
I want to upgrade to something with HDMI 2.1 but you all know the GPU situation
Crucial Ballistix Gaming 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 PC4-21300 CL16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit BL2K8G26C16U4B - Black
Qty: 1
$77.99
Planning to upgrade to 32GB
Sliger SV540
Qty: 1
$259.00
Corsair SF750 750 Watt 80 Plus Platinum SFX Fully Modular Power Supply
Qty: 1
$184.99
65" Sony X900H
Qty: 1
$1,299.00
4k and 120Hz. Despite the advertising, this TV isn't actually capable of outputting native 4k at 120Hz, so I either game at 4k60 or 1440p/120Hz depending on the genre. (This is an issue with the Mediatek processing chip on this specific TV model and is fixed in future TV models)
Alphacool DC-LT 2 Pump
Qty: 1
$24.00
Suuuper fragile. The pump wires can detach with the slightest jostle.
Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Water Block for Radeon 5700 XT
Qty: 1
$129.00
Alphacool Eisstation 40 DC-LT Reservoir
Qty: 1
$24.00
EK-Classic Water Block for Intel CPUs
Qty: 1
$74.00
EK-CoolStream SE 280mm Radiator
Qty: 1
$74.00
EK-CryoFuel Navy Blue Premix
Qty: 1
$18.00
Should've gone for something without dye, but I need the snazzy colors for showing off to the internet!
Razer Turret Keyboard and Mouse
Qty: 1
$249.00
For mouse and keyboard couch gaming. I'm able to top scoreboards in Vanguard and play several hours straight of New World with this thing on my lap just as easily as I can at any desk.