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Purple Reign - A build almost 10 years in the making

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*LONG THREAD WARNING*

So let me start of by saying, gosh darn has it taking me waaaay too long to finally join these forums! It's good to be here finally :D Like many on here, I've been watching Linus from the very early days on NCIX and oh boy is it awesome to see him grow and form LMG. 

So a bit of background info. I started building PCs around 10 years ago, when those crappy IDE cables were the fastest connection and black case interiors weren't a thing. My first build was terrible... molex adaptors everywhere, cable management wasn't in my vocabulary and the case... my god. Even though it looked terrible by today's standards, I was really proud of it.

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AMD Phenom X3 build circa 2009 (yeah.. I'm still not sure why I didn't get an X4 chip) It's amusing to look back and see the severe lack of effort by manufacturers to have complimenting colours schemes at the time. The modding scene from what I remember was pretty huge though! I even had a HD3450 in that system for quite a while, I still have it somewhere.. 

Over the years and a few PC builds later, I was still always having to just botch together systems as I could never afford a complete full new build. I'd always have to pull an old drive from my last PC or make do with my current case, skimp on a power supply and buy a dodgy '700W' one with ketchup and mustard cables 9_9 I'm sure many can relate to this, but I was still happy. 

My main system for around 7 years was my trusty AMD Phenom II 955 black edition and a HD4890 (upgraded to a HIS 6970 at a later point) This was built not long after owning the Phenom X3 system. However, Intel was about to hit AMD hard with their announcement of their soon to be game changing i7 line of CPUs. As soon as the i7s came out I wanted one. The 960. That was the CPU to have, however like today, they were really expensive and I could not afford one, nor the motherboards - heck I couldn't even afford a proper PSU! 

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(above) A rather unsightly interior on one of those awful huge turbine cases with a piano gloss finish. Honestly the worst case ever made. I highly recommend to new builders to never ever go cheap on a case! 
(below) My efforts for a black interior in an Antec 300 case (legendary case!) 
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For some reason, I decided to go crossfire...If only the PCI slots had that much clearance nowadays haha! I did love these reference coolers for the ATi cards around the 3000 - 4000 series cards.

-------------------------

Over the years I flirted with upgrading my system to the i7 I really wanted. The 4th gen i7s was when I almost pulled the trigger initially, but never did. Then the 7th gen approached...

During a CSGO game my power supply blew up. My PC was out of action for around 8 months while I was in between work. I also use Mac for my work so a replacement PSU wasn't urgent (although I did completely drank to silver... *shudder*..) I ended up picking up a Corsair CX series PSU to replace my noname cheapo Chinese version.

-------------------------
 
Thanks to the HTC Vive (and lots of video editing) I ended up picking myself up a Strix 1070 to make my system VR ready (still running the Phenom II amazingly and this was my first new card since the 6970) However, due to my own stupidity I thought GPUs wouldn't be bigger than the huge HIS 6970 cooler, but I was wrong. The Strix 1070 was literally about .5cm too long for my Antec 300 case ... sigh. So a quick trip online and a Corsair 450D later, I was up and running. I was rocking some 'baller' (as described by Luke in one of the scrapyard wars episodes) OCZ Gold RAM. Ah.. OCZ. I had all my 4 slots taken up with only 8GB of RAM and wanted MOAR!! So I ordered a 2X16GB kit of RAM from Corsair. ONLY TO REALISE MY BOARD WAS SO OLD IT COULD ONLY TAKE 4GB STICKS MAX.

*RAGEQUIT*

This was the point I just said f*ck it. This was the time to build a new system...

 I wanted this to be an accumulation of all the things I learnt over the years. The patience and desire to create some I've wanted to build. As a creative and artist, I wanted something that wasn't only a workhorse, but a piece of art in it's own right. 

 

and here it is. Progress -> Near Completion 


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You can never have too many photos of these Dominator sticks. Man are they sexy. :x

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This was the 'completed' build. A system that worked but wasn't a finished build in terms of aesthetics.

Upgrades below included:

 

- Swapping out the CX series for the AX860i (I am and was aware of the problems people had with this model)
- Getting aftermarket / custom sleeved cables for the PSU
- Replacing all the fans with Maglev series ones


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The updated build. Looking cleaner, however the cables weren't making me smile.. so I checked out CableMod for some cables. To my surprise they didn't float my boat for what I wanted, amazingly Corsair had pretty much the exact cables I wanted and at a lower price than what CableMod were offering. I went with the Metallic Graphite set, which was exactly the look I wanted :D

I took quite some time picking out components that would compliment each other. I didn't just want to match up blacks and whites, but match metals, finishes and show a class of engineering. I absolutely love the turn companies have made this year with muted and monotone colours schemes. This allows the builder to be more creative in then filling out the build with whatever secondary colour they want. I love how there is only a splash of red from the AX860i. It was important for me on this build to not have anything in this system that would detract from this overall aesthetics when it was off *cough* mustard and ketchup cables haha!

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The cables were looking a little crazy. I totally forgot to order cable combs with these which actually ended up being the best thing that happened. I discovered these gorgeous billet aluminium ones over at MNPCtech. It was so strange finally ordering something from Bill as it was him that first ignited the PC building passion in me 10 years ago. I remember watching all his crazy almost MTV mod videos, featuring PC cases with airbrushing effects... ahh.. Good times!

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A little tidier... 

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Added some Corsair RGB goodness - and yes, that really is the keyboard I still use. PS2 2001 baby *disclaimer the 24 pin is wonky because the back panel isn't on. Long story...*

(I did also check out the CableMod ones of these too, but got increasingly annoyed with not being able to find a video or photo showing the white. In nearly every shot the camera's white balance was set wrong and wasn't showing an accurate colour... sigh. I finally found a video featuring these Corsair ones showing it was a cool white which sealed the sale and ended up also being cheaper!) 

The monotone look of this build comes to life with a splash of colour from the RGB. It really changes the feel of the build.

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Some colour experimentation. I have a whole colour pallet and ideas exploration on my Instagram for those who're interested. Being a photographer, aesthetics and colour are important to me. Have a look up of the colour wheel that has been around for literally centuries, it'll give you a basic breakdown of complimenting and contrasting colours. 

---------------------------

SO

This was my 10 years in the making. I always wanted that core i7 and a rig that I could be proud of. I always wanted that neat system with tidy cables and overkill written on it. So here is my system, Purple Reign (albeit more magenta, but f*ck it) 


*DISCLAIMER*

The thing that I know people will love to point out and ask, is the strange GPU combination. I know, it's not the conventional setup, but from the initial VR upgrade I ended up having a 'spare' 1070. The matching aesthetics (disregarding the difference of cables) was too tempting not to try. The 1070 will probably go in a build for my other half for her own VR rig and I'll go SLI 1080Tis and a custom water loop HOWEVER, the current issues with SLI and VR put me off. This is also not just a gaming machine. I do heavy editing workloads in both Photoshop and various motion graphics and video editing suites. So, as much as this would be overkill for just gaming, I'm also a full time working professional ;-) 

Many thanks for checking out this super long post and reading through my journey :) <3 

 


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Current Specs

- 7700K @ 5Ghz
- Corsair 450D case
- Corsair 32GB Dominator Platinum LE Chrome RAM
- Corsair H115i AIO cooler
- Corsair Maglev fans
- Corsair AX850i PSU
- Corsair Metallic Graphite cables
- Samsung 850 Pro 500GB SSD
- Asus Strix 270E motherboard
- Asus Strix 1070 
- Asus Strix 1080Ti
- MNPCtech billet aluminium cable combs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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That is a really gorgeous build sir!

 

I agree, the Dominator Platinum memory is my favorite as far as aesthetics go, I'd be using them when I upgrade my PC if it wasn't for the cost....

 

I'm curious, why does the top GPU only have a 6 pin connector while the bottom has an 8 and a 6? Seems a little odd to me....

Quote or tag me( @Crunchy Dragon) if you want me to see your reply

If a post solved your problem/answered your question, please consider marking it as "solved"

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2 minutes ago, Alexsolo said:

Beautiful build! What did you do with the old GPU's? ;)

Thank you very much ^_^ The 6970 is sat in a box as a spare, the 1070 is in this build to potentially be put into a VR build for my other half and the little 3450... well, not too sure about that one xD

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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Wow. Just wow. Beautiful photos, amazingly clean cable management, and oh my god that dominator RAM is stunning. And of course, gotta love that RGgoodness! Please please please post an update when you get a custom loop in there, I'm sure it'll look awesome.

HEADS UP, THIS ACCOUNT IS INACTIVE NOW

I'm keeping everything else the way it was for anyone who might check out my answers in future, but I won't be using LTT.

 

 

 

 

Don't forget to quote me when replying to me!

Please explain your question fully, so I can answer it fully.

PSU Tier List Cooler Tier List SSD Tier List  My Specs Below!

Spoiler

My PC:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 @ 3.2GHz

Cooler: Stock Wraith Spire

RAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 3000mHz 16GB DDR4 (2x8GB) RGB

Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming ATX

SSD: Crucial MX500 500GB 2.5"

HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB 7200rpm

GPU: Asus ROG Strix OC GTX 1060 6GB

Case: Cooler Master H500P

PSU: Corsair RM650i 650W 80+ Gold Fully Modular

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Fans: 4x Cooler Master Masterfan Pro 120 Air Balance

Spoiler

Potato Laptop (Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook, 2013):

CPU: Intel Ivy Bridge i5 3337U @ 1.8GHz

RAM: 8GB DDR3 2133mhz SODIMM (1x4GB Samsung, 1x4GB Kingston)

SSD: Kingston 24GB SSD (originally for caching)

HDD: HGST 500GB 5400rpm

GPU: Intel HD 4000 Graphics

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit

 

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3 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

That is a really gorgeous build sir!

 

I agree, the Dominator Platinum memory is my favorite as far as aesthetics go, I'd be using them when I upgrade my PC if it wasn't for the cost....

 

I'm curious, why does the top GPU only have a 6 pin connector while the bottom has an 8 and a 6? Seems a little odd to me....

Thank you so much! 

The Dominator is stunning - I'm personally not too keen on the new Torque ones, so I'm really happy I managed to get a set of these 'Chrome' sets before they went. Stupidly because of RAM prices (and Brexit here in the UK) these were actually CHEAPER than the normal high speed RAM... 

The difference in pins is because the top card is a 1070 and the bottom is a 1080Ti :) The 1070 is currently because used as a PhysX card, well that's my excuse at least anyway.. aha! 

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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2 minutes ago, wackomann said:

Thank you so much! 

The Dominator is stunning - I'm personally not too keen on the new Torque ones, so I'm really happy I managed to get a set of these 'Chrome' sets before they went. Stupidly because of RAM prices (and Brexit here in the UK) these were actually CHEAPER than the normal high speed RAM... 

The difference in pins is because the top card is a 1070 and the bottom is a 1080Ti :) The 1070 is currently because used as a PhysX card, well that's my excuse at least anyway.. aha! 

Oh nice haha. I'm practically broke when it comes to buying PC parts so I just have to look at all the cool components and things coming out(Hyper Beast cases, Dominator Special Editions, etc) and wonder "if only I had money..."

Quote or tag me( @Crunchy Dragon) if you want me to see your reply

If a post solved your problem/answered your question, please consider marking it as "solved"

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8 minutes ago, JaegerB said:

Wow. Just wow. Beautiful photos, amazingly clean cable management, and oh my god that dominator RAM is stunning. And of course, gotta love that RGgoodness! Please please please post an update when you get a custom loop in there, I'm sure it'll look awesome.

Thank you so much Jaeger! I really appreciate the kind words. I definitely will, there's quite a few things riding on whether I do a custom loop, but I would certainly love to do one :) The real question is do I get those new Phanteks GPU blocks.... ;)

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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8 minutes ago, Ryujin2003 said:

Great story, amazing build, and fantastic camera work! I'm glad you finally got what you wanted!

Thank you very much and thanks for taking the time to read the essay haha! I appreciate it :)

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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5 minutes ago, ars3n1k said:

Nice pictures to go along with it. Clean final result :) 

Thank you very much :D

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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23 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Oh nice haha. I'm practically broke when it comes to buying PC parts so I just have to look at all the cool components and things coming out(Hyper Beast cases, Dominator Special Editions, etc) and wonder "if only I had money..."

That was me! It'll happen though :) and when it does, it'll be awesome! 

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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15 hours ago, wackomann said:

I discovered these gorgeous billet aluminium ones over at MNPCtech. It was so strange finally ordering something from Bill as it was him that first ignited the PC building passion in me 10 years ago. I remember watching all his crazy almost MTV mod videos, featuring PC cases with airbrushing effects... ahh.. Good times!

IMG_4767.jpg.5185eb57f9931392fb3c184dbae6d1d2.jpgIMG_4801-Edit.jpg.a0c895592f4a0da5b43fd17193ac8046.jpgUntitled-1.jpg.63d9c9389d46b00c8c21f19432467473.jpg

A little tidier... 

 

Killer transformation and I didn't realize I was an inspiration to you!

 

Making parts full time has taken away my time from making those build videos, but I try to live stream once a week on my channel to give other builders their chance to be featured, :-) 

 

 

 

17 years of helping you void your warranty

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2 hours ago, Mnpctech said:

 

Killer transformation and I didn't realize I was an inspiration to you!

 

Making parts full time has taken away my time from making those build videos, but I try to live stream once a week on my channel to give other builders their chance to be featured, :-) 

 

 

 

Thanks Bill I really appreciate you reading and having a look! Very much so, it's thinking back and seeing how these things lead you to the point you're at and you're part to thank for my PC building :)

I hope to check it out some day - I'm more active again on YouTube these days so may see you around there :D Thanks again! 

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

fantastic build and amazing photos! :D what setup did you take these shots with?

"Sulit" (adj.) something that is worth it

i7 8700K 4.8Ghz delidded / Corsair H100i V2 / Asus Strix Z370-F / G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB 3200 / EVGA GTX 1080Ti FTW3 / ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q

Samsung 850 EVO 500GB & 250GB - Crucial MX300 M.2 525GB / Fractal Design Define S / Corsair K70 MX Reds / Logitech G502 / Beyerdynamic DT770 250Ohm

SMSL SD793II AMP/DAC - Schiit Magni 3 / PCPP

Old Rig

i5 2500k 4.5Ghz | Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P | Zotac GTX 980 AMP! Extreme | Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB 1866MHz

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12 minutes ago, SeanAngelo said:

fantastic build and amazing photos! :D what setup did you take these shots with?

Thanks man I appreciate it :D

Mostly a Canon 6D and a combination of lenses. A 28 1.8, 100mm 2.8 L macro, 70-200 2.8 IS II and a 17-40 (maybe a 50mm shot in there somewhere too! :P )

Freelance Photographer & Videographer// VR Enthusiast // Purple Reign  - 7700K @5Ghz, Asus Strix 1080Ti, Asus Strix 1070, Corsair Dominator Platinum LE (chrome) 32GB RAM, Corsair 450D, Corsair H115i AIO, Corsair AX860i, Corsair Maglev fans, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Corsair Metallic Graphite cables, MNPCtech Aluminium cable combs.  

 

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