PC BUILD

I Finally Built It...

For the longest time, I was using this old laptop that couldn’t even stream properly. OBS would crash, the CPU would max out, and I'd get like 25-30 fps at best, with constant lag. Eventually I ended up deep diving into the Custom PC world, its really addicting. I wanted something that could handle literally anything I threw at it—streaming, editing, emulators, even AI stuff later down the road. 

The white-themed setup from scratch was something of a unique look I was going for. Went all out with custom parts, RGB, and matched everything from the cables to the fans. I followed a YouTube build guide and many reddit posts, which helped with some of the routing and cooler placement.

Parts List

Motherboard: ROG Maximus Z690 Formula

GPU: STRIX RTX 3090 White Edition

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K

AIO: NZXT Kraken Z73 360mm (White)

RAM: 64GB (4x16GB) Corsair Dominator DDR5 @ 5400 MHz

Storage: 1TB Samsung 980 Pro NVMe

PSU: Cooler Master V850 White Edition

Case: Lian Li O11D Mini Snow Edition

Fans: 6x 120mm + 2x 140mm Lian Li SL Infinity (All White)

Cables: Custom CableMod fabric set with GPU support bracket

Working Results

Before this setup, I’d drop 40% of frames trying to stream Apex at 720p. Now I’m easily pulling 165 fps at 1440p on ultra while streaming, no stutter, no heat spikes, nothing. Even rendering videos in the background doesn’t slow things down.

With this build, I’ve tested games like Warzone, Cyberpunk, and Elden Ring at high/ultra settings and they all run buttery smooth. I’ll try to get some benchmark screenshots up soon but based on similar builds, 3DMark Time Spy scores are around 19,000 and Cinebench multi-core scores are about 27,000.

Mistakes I Made

I routed one of the front panel USB cables under the GPU and had to re-do the entire bottom section. I also installed some fans in the wrong orientation at first because with all-white gear, it's hard to see airflow arrows unless you look really close. The AIO was also a tight fit in this case. It works, but you don’t have much room to spare. The fabric cables looked amazing but they were stiff and not easy to bend cleanly.

What I Learned

I realized that when you're not an expert in something, it’s often better to just pay someone to handle it for you. Not because I couldn’t figure it out, but because it cost me hours that could’ve gone into the stuff I’m actually good at. I’d still do it again for fun, but if I’m ever building a high-end rig during crunch time, I’d rather trust a pro and save myself the stress.