maximumpc.com aug 2019 MAXIMUMPC 73
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As we’ve sAid, we’re not particularly concerned about costs
with this build, which gives us plenty of scope when it comes
to picking the individual components. We wanted to make sure
that we weren’t holding the GPU back, so enlisted the help of
the Core i9-9900K for the main grunt work. Until we see how
Ryzen 3000-series CPUs actually perform, this is the go-to
option in the mainstream space for performance junkies.
The Core i9-9900K was still locked under a waterblock in our
Dream Machine 2019, unfortunately, so in order to use it here,
we had to strip down that beast, which involved a fair amount
of foul language, a reasonable number of spillages, plenty of
scratches and bruises, and bright red hands at the end of it all.
With the GPU and CPU selected, the choice of motherboard
went to MSI’s MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC, because it was
fresh in the office for review, and in terms of memory, we
went for 32GB of HyperX Predator DDR4-3000 RAM—this
should be more than enough for what we’ve got in mind for
this build. Storage-wise, we’ve gone for a speedy 1TB 970 Evo
M.2 drive, which is fast without being prohibitively expensive.
We’ve paired that with 12TB of spinning platter storage,
giving us plenty of space for work and play.
When you’ve got such great hardware beating away at the
heart of the machine, it makes sense to show it off, which is
why we turned to the new Define S2 Vision RGB from Fractal
Design. This is a vibrant and spacious case, with plenty of
support for cooling options, which is good, because we’re
also using the Corsair Hydro H115i Pro all-in-one. It’s is a
hefty piece of cooling, but we had some interesting plans for
how to install it. So, let’s get building....To mAke sure that the core components were working,
we slotted the CPU into the motherboard, connected the
cooler, added the RAM and M.2 SSD, then connected
the power, with it all on top of the mobo box. We hooked
up a screen, then shorted the two pins on the front panel
block that normally connect to the power button. This
core was detected, and it booted without fuss. It’s worth
holding the cooler so air can flow freely through it. Once
done, we disconnected the power supply and cooler, and
started prepping the case. The smoked-glass side panels
pop off once the thumbscrews have been removed, while
a button at the top of the back panel releases the glass
panel roof. We could remove the PSU shroud as well, but
didn’t feel this was necessary for what we had in mind.The define s 2 vision’s main chamber offers little in
the way of resistance to installing a motherboard, but
the PSU shroud made things feel tight on the bottom
edge. Maybe we should have removed it after all. Don’t
forget to slide the I/O plate into place before putting the
motherboard in, and ensure the clips sit on top of the
ports, not in them—which is what happened to us. Luckily,
we spotted this before turning it on, so managed to avoid
causing damage to the ports. With the motherboard and
plate in place, it’s simply a case of screwing in the eight
screws that hold the board in position. We don’t usually
connect the case cables at this stage, but things were so
tight at the bottom of the case that we felt we needed to
do so here before adding even more cables to the mix.sTArT wiTh The bAsiCs insTAll The moTherboArd
INGREDIENTSpArT sTreepriCeT^Case Fractal Design Define s2 Vision $250motherboard MsI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC ATX $180Cpu Intel Core i9-9900K $485Cpu Cooler Corsair Hydro series H115i Pro
rGB 280mm
$130
Gpu Asus GeForce rTX 2080 Ti roG strix
Gaming oC
$1,270
memory HyperX Predator 32GB
(2x 16GB) DDr4-3000
$205psu Corsair HX1200i 1200W $220os storage samsung 970 Evo 1TB M.2-2280 $215data storage seagate IronWolf 12TB $345os Windows 10 64-bit oEM $100Total $3,400A fACTor of performAnCe