"I haven't built a pc (The Dharma Initiative[pcpartpicker.com]) for myself since 2014 and I have been saving up to build a new pc. I present... The Knight of Auriel! (named after a D&D character)

PC Partpicker Link: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/k64dnQ
javascript:ValidateForm()
This build consists of the following parts:
• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S chromax.Black
• MOBO: ASUS Prime Z790-A WiFi
• Video: Gigabyte NVIDIA RTX 4090 Windforce 24GB
• Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 32GB DDR5-6000
• Storage: SK hynix Platinum P41 1 TB M.2 NVMe
• Storage: SK hynix Platinum P41 2 TB M.2 NVMe x2
• PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA P3 1000W 80+ Platinum
• Case: Fractal Design Torrent
• Monitor: LG Ultragear 27GL850-B Nano IPS 144Hz/1ms
• Keyboard: Logitech G213 Prodigy
• Mouse: Logitech G403 Hero
• Mouse Pad: SteelSeries QcK Edge XL

I'm not a fan of RGB which is why this build may seem odd compared to most gaming pcs. I did splurge on the 4090 graphics card but I was able to buy it at retail at Best Buy. The Falcodrin Community Discord[discord.gg] proved to be a life saver in helping me get the GPU at retail price as well as notice of other deals on parts like the SK hynix NVME drives at 30% off!

I was a little intimidated by AIO coolers (I've since watched enough videos that I no longer fear AIOs) and went the tried and true Noctua route. I went with the air cooled Fractal Design Torrent case based on the Gamers Nexus review. The case is rough to the touch which I personally like and comes with 5 fans that are super quiet and push a lot of air though the case without the need for a rear exhaust fan. The case could provide better guidance regarding the fan hub and more space for cable routing at the bottom and where the PSU is house. The Noctua NH-D15S fit perfectly and provided plenty of clearance for the RAM. The chromax.White heatsink covers add a little bit of styling.

If I had a chance to redo do this, I would have probably gone with AIO and the Hyte Y60[hyte.com] case. The Torrent case can support AIOs but it's primarily designed for air flow. Why would I change, because I installed the CPU cooler before I installed the MOBO in the case which I thought was helpful until it came time to plug the CPU power cables into the MOBO. I had to remove the CPU cooler to do this. Also, the cooler made plugging in the CPU fan to the plug in the MOBO very difficult.

I went with the Asus Prime Z790 because it was silver, had PCIE gen 5.0, and had heatsinks for all 4 m.2 drives. I've had no issues with the MOBO. I've read reviews where people have found the MOBO takes a long time to boot. I had no such issues and even the boot time after I enabled XMP wasn't what I would consider long.

I've been using Samsung SSD drives for over a decade and saw no need to change now. I initially went with Samsung 980 Pro NVME drives for this build. Reading discussions on the Falcodrin discord and then seeing performance metrics changed my mind. I had never even heard of SK hynix until now. The fact the these drives stomp on the 980 pros and cost less made this an even easier purchase. SK hynix Platinum P41 NVME drives are super fast and data transfers have been so much faster than my last laptop.

I was initially trying for a 4090 FE card. I felt uncomfortable spending so much on a part from a manufacturer that I've viewed unfavorably. Again, Falcodrin's community and the Overclock 3D[overclock3d.net] review helped put my mind at rest that this was a good card to go with and a card that I was able to purchase. The card has performed well. I've played Red Dead Redemption 2, a fully modded Skyrim, and Rocket League all fully maxed out with the card not even trying. Cyberpunk, The Witcher 3, and God of War are next to be played and I can't wait to dive in to those games with my new build.

I went with the LG 27GL850-B based completely on Reddit recommendations and the price. The monitor has great color and build quality and there wasn't a single setting on it that needed adjusted. The provided power cable is only 5-ft and too short so I did have to by a replace adapter with a longer cable.

A few things changed since I took the initial picture. First, the Razer BlackWidow Elite keyboard was returned. After using it for a few days I found that mechanical keyboards aren't my thing. I found it to be too loud and the RGB keys were nice, they only illuminated the main part of the key and not the whole key. In a dark room, I could see any of the secondary key functions like: !@#$%^&*()_+{}|:"<>?. The Logitech G213 is perfect for what I want out of a keyboard. The key illumination is great, the media controls are very helpful, and it's not so loud that it will wake my wife up from across the house when typing/gaming.

I also ditched the Razer DeathAdder V2 in favor of the Logitech G403 Hero for no reason other than I didn't want to have to run G Hub and Razer Synapse. It took a few days to get used to the feel for the G403. Now, I prefer it over the DeathAdder. The feel of the mouse is smoother and the side thumb buttons are nicer and click better IMHO.

I went with Windows 11 Pro solely because my work laptop also has Win 11. I purchased a key from a [key reseller](Godeal24.com) and have had no issues. I highly suggest ThisIsWin11 https://github.com/builtbybel/ThisIsWin11 and ShutUp10++ https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 to debloat your install."