it working, but the VM using the
pass-through kept stuttering and
crashing. Setting it up as a dual-boot
system was a pain as well – I ended
up with two drives for UnRAID and
virtual machines, and then two
drives for the single Windows cold
boot and a lot of partition drives.
I’m sick to death of creating RAID
arrays, then deleting them to get the
right balance!
How long did it take you to
complete this build?
Richi: I wouldn’t like to guess the
number of hours, but I did start
planning it properly over a year
ago – the pandemic had a big effect
on the time, though, as it’s not easy
to mod (even with a shed in the
garden) with a four-year-old (now
five) at home.
Are you completely happy
with the end result?
Richi: I love the end result. The
only part I would change if it was
possible would be a bigger case. The
motherboard fills all but maybe 2in
or so to the right of the inside of the
case if you look at it from the side – it
was tough getting all the gear into
the case with three radiators and
fans on them, but then that’s the fun
of modding I suppose.
connected to the motherboard via
a Bitspower DRGB hub.
The GPU backplate, CPU block,
MOSFET block and two front
window lights are connected to
a Razer Chroma ARGB controller,
which of course allows individual
LED colour choices.
This helps with the GPU
backplate, as it allows me to select
the LEDs under the panel to match
the colour of the actual images
with which they line up, enabling
them to pop a bit more.
What specs did you
use, and can the PC actually
run Cyberpunk 2077 at
decent settings?
Richi: There’s a 28-core Xeon with
two GeForce RTX 2080 Ti cards and
a GeForce GTX 1650 Super. And yes,
it plays great with ray tracing at
decent settings. The settings are
toned down slightly for the dual-
system mode, but it still runs great.
Did you come across
any difficulties?
Richi: Setting up an UnRAID
system to run two virtual gaming
machines was pretty tough, as
I was a noob to it all. I tried the
GPU pass-through route and got
Corsair Hydro X Series XD3
RGB Pump/Reservoir C
Corsair Hydro X Series XC7
RGB CPU Water Block
Corsair Hydro X Series XR5
240mm Radiator
To enter your rig for possible inclusion in Readers’ Drives,
your build needs to be fully working and, ideally, based in
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isn’t the only prize; you’ll also get your hands on some
fabulous prizes, courtesy of Corsair.
WIN CORSAIR HYDRO X
WATERCOOLING GEAR
WORTH
The Corsair Hydro X Series XD3 RGB Pump/ £151£151
Reservoir Combo features a high-
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It has a high-performance Xylem DDC
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16 individually addressable RGB LEDs, which light up the
pump head to produce stunning, customisable lighting
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The Corsair Hydro X Series XC7
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The Corsair Hydro X Series XR5
240mm Water Cooling Radiator
delivers extreme custom cooling
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thickness and premium copper core. Its
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WORTH
£70
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£55
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££££ 77700
or
e. Its
de are readyfo
WORTH
£ 55
I start with a bigger piece than I need, get
the bend as tight as possible, then cut it
down before finishing it off