It’s that time again—time to build a new computer! My last build was way back in 2010 (check it out here: https://akschaefer.com/2010/03/11/my-new-desktop/), and it’s definitely starting to show its age.
The first big decision was AMD vs. Intel, and from there, the rest of the parts naturally fell into place. As a long-time AMD fan, I decided to go with the AMD Ryzen series and chose the AMD Ryzen 7 1700—a solid 8-core processor that offers excellent performance for its price.
For the motherboard, I opted for the Gigabyte GA-AB350-GAMING 3, which has plenty of I/O to meet my needs. To complement it, I selected G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2x8GB) of RAM, which provides great speed and reliability.
When it came to the graphics card, I decided to reuse my Gigabyte NVIDIA GTX 960. Even though it’s a mid-grade card, it’s still holding its own and should serve me well for a few more years.
For storage, I went with a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD as the primary OS drive for its blazing-fast read/write speeds. For additional storage, I added a Seagate Barracuda 2TB drive, which offers plenty of space for files and media.
Finally, to house all these components, I chose the LIAN LI PC-K6SX case in black. This case is both sleek and practical, featuring built-in sound-dampening materials for a remarkably quiet operation. The minimalist design and silent functionality make it the perfect finishing touch for this build.
