Custom PC builds have come a long way since that last time I assembled my own PC, which was more than ten years ago. Every part of the experience is much nicer nowadays. A plethora of high quality parts is available: cases, power supplies, storage, ram, etc. The process of building has become simpler: you need less parts, these parts connect via compact cables that are easy to deal with, bulky and noisy cd-rom or spinning hard drives are not required anymore, the fans could be dead silent, if you want them to. And the best part remains: it’s as fun and satisfying as it always has been.
My current build, optimized for compactness, silent operation and light gaming:
- Streacom DA2 Mini-ITX case
- AMD Ryzen 4300GE with Noctua NH-U9S fan
- ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX
- 32Gb RAM Samsung DDR4 3200
- 250Gb SSD M.2 Samsung 970 Evo Plus
- 1Tb Samsung 870 Evo SATA SSD
- Corsair SF600 PSU
I also purchased a pair of standard Wi-Fi antennas, that need to be screwed in the ports. I like them better than a shark fin type one, that came with the motherboard.
The case is about half of a 27" display in height. The side panels can be removed without a screwdriver.
The brackets can mount fans or different types of storage and be placed anywhere on the integrated track that runs along the frame of the case. Cable management is not my strong skill.
All in all, I am really happy to revive an interest in an old hobby of mine.