in reviewing the art files for the joust playfield artwork (and seeing how painfully slow it was to maneuver and navigate the document layers), I realized that it was time to bite the bullet once again and update my computer. the one thing that I've found is that no matter how modular everything becomes, it's generally easier to just start fresh and purchase all new components.
as a point of reference, my last computer was built back in 2009 with the following:
- asus P2T2 WS motherboard
- intel I7-950 3.0Ghz processor
- cooler master HAF 922 case
- lg 8x blu-ray burner
- radeon HD 4890 vapor (2GB) video card
and a whopping 6GB of DDR memory (which was a lot at the time)
for this one, I decided to go close to top end on a lot of components again so that I wouldn't have to worry about upgrading for a while
for this one, I chose to go with the following:
- asus maximus hero x wi-fi ac motherboard
- intel i7 8700K, 3.7Ghz processor
- fractal design define R6 blackout case w/ tempered glass window
- samsung 970 pro 512GB m.2 ssd (for the o/s boot drive)
- lg wh16ns40 16x blu-ray/m-disc burner
- evga g-force gtx 1070 ti ultra silent (8GB) video card
- corsair vengeance 32GB DDR4-2666 (2x16GB)
- corsair rm1000x gold 1000w psu
overall, I couldn't be happier with the case and psu. corsair continues to manufacture a really nice modular psu and the case is a dream. easy to get into (all toolless thumbscrews, totally blacked out low fingerprint visibility powder coat finish and plenty of rubber zig-zag holes to punch the cables through close to where they need to plug into the motherboard for a nice, clean look.
in addition to a nice, thick layer of sound deadening material on the top, rear and front panels, I also liked how the front panel could be swapped between a left-hand and right-hand door to access the 5-1/5" slot peripheral inside
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the video card and blu-ray drive arrive today, which will complete the build process