Let's Build a PC: Mystery Edition
Have you ever put together a PC without knowing any of the parts you’ll be using? We’ve built a lot of PCs here at Micro Center, both here on MC News and on our YouTube and social media channels. But for this latest build, we spiced it up a little bit.
Early last week I sat down at the Micro Center PC Builder and put together a PC for our YouTube host Jordan to build. However this time, I didn’t tell him exactly what it was he would be building. He would be doing this build completely blind, with no idea what the final PC would be until it was done.
Below, you’ll find every part we used and why I chose it, but SPOILERS BEWARE: watch the video first if you don’t want to have the surprise ruined!
The Build:
The Theme:
Before we dig into the parts, let’s talk a bit about the theme for the build. I’ve been on record many times over espousing my love for simple, understated aesthetics. For this build, I decided to flip the script and go for an RGB maximalist design, cramming as much customizable lighting into this build as possible. After all, RGB makes computers run faster, right? Right?
Underneath all the lights, the build is aimed for high-end 1440p gaming without sacrificing productivity performance. The end result is a positively glowing (literally) jack-of-all trades PC that’ll future-proof any builder for at least a few years.
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D Granite Ridge AM5 4.40GHz 12-Core Boxed Processor
AMD’s very recently released Ryzen 9 9900X3D is another entry in AMD's much-loved X3D series of processors. While past generations of X3D have been laser-focused on gaming, the 9900X3D (as well as the 9950X3D) bump up the core count to perform better in productivity applications without sacrificing that 3D V-Cache tech that made the CPUs such potent gaming powerhouses.
CPU Cooler: Corsair iCUE LINK RGB TITAN 360 RX LCD 360mm All in One Liquid CPU Cooling Kit - Black
With a processor as nice as the 9900X3D, a reliable cooler is a must have. The TITAN 360 RX LCD from Corsair not only provides fantastic cooling thanks to a triple radiator design, but it’s absolutely dripping with RGB. From the fans to the pump to the LCD screen, this is a radiator that must be in this build.
Motherboard: ASRock X870E Nova WiFi AMD AM5 ATX Motherboard
While I picked ASRock’s X870E Nova motherboard for almost exclusively aesthetic reasons (the holographic design and gorgeous RGB underlighting look fantastic), don’t discount it as a killer motherboard. With WiFi 7 and PCIe 5.0 support, this motherboard is just as fast as it looks.
Video Card: PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 9070 Hellhound
The graphics card is the one place where I let the RGB theme lapse, and for good reason. AMD’s recently released RX 9070 cards deserve to shine on their own and, when everything else is RGB, it's where the RGB isn’t that’ll draw the eye. The Hellhound is a sleek dual-slot 1440p card, featuring 16GB of GDDR6 memory and all the upgraded power of AMD’s latest generation of GPUs.
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE RGB 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5-6000 PC5-48000 CL36 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
Don’t worry, we’re right back to the RGB. Corsair’s VENGEANCE line of RAM features addressable RGB all along the top of the sticks. I opted for 32GB of DDR5-6000 RAM to start for this build. 32GB is more than enough for the average builder, but still offers an easy upgrade path if more RAM is a must-have.
Storage: Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB SSD
It no longer matters if you’re gaming or working, an SSD is an absolute requirement for any new builds. Not only have prices come way down, but capacity has gone way up. This 2TB SSD from Samsung offers read/write speeds of up to 7,250MBps and 6,300MBps, respectively, and is currently on sale for only $139.99 (at time of writing), making it a killer deal for anyone looking to upgrade or add storage to a build.
PSU: ASUS ROG Loki 850 Watt 80 Plus Gold SFX-L Fully Modular Power Supply - Black
Did you know you can get RGB on your power supply? You do now! ASUS’ ROG Loki PSU is a power supply that comes with a conversion bracket if, like a particular Micro Center writer, you’re only looking for RGB and don’t notice that it’s an SFF (small form factor) PSU until the build process is already well under way. Thankfully, simply connect the included conversion bracket, and you have an RGB power supply that will fit an ATX build and provide more than enough juice to power your rig.
Case: Antec C5 ARGB Tempered Glass ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case
I opted for a case off the beaten pass for this build, picking Antec’s C5 case for a few reasons. First, I like small cases. While this isn’t an SFF case, it is a very compact ATX case, giving full size motherboards just enough clearance to fit. Second, it comes with seven fans pre-installed. That’s a lot of cooling that you don’t need to worry about. Finally, do I really need to say it? RGB. Not only are all seven fans RGB, but there’s a nice strip down the front of the case for that final hit of color.
The Full Build:
Configure Your PC
Read more: PC laptop and desktop resources
- AMD RX 9070 and 9070 XT are Coming Soon: Here's What You Need to Know
- See top new laptops at Micro Center
- See top new desktops at Micro Center
- See top new GPUs at Micro Center
- See top new CPUs at Micro Center
Sean Mekinda is Micro Center's Community and Content Specialist, with three years of experience on The Micro Center Community and writing credits across the internet, including Polygon, 25YL, and 614 Magazine. He's been writing about and reviewing tech for over five years.
Sean has a specialty in gaming, peripherals, and creative projects designed to make your life easier, especially when it comes to tabletop gaming.
Contact Sean at SMekinda@microcenter.com
