After my NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti ASUS Prime post, many of you asked for a 9070 XT build, and I said I would…

Apologies, but being a husband, dad, and having work take priority pushed it back. But it’s finally here. I’m doing the last fitment checks, and she’s about 80% of the way there.

Hopefully, my brother likes his wedding present. It was also a good excuse to get the 9070 XT so I could do the build because, believe it or not, they aren’t 1:1 in scale. Shocker, I know.

And yes, I had to take a jab at the power connector. 🔥

Last year, I upgraded my main rig (A4-H20) to a more powerful system with the following specs:

• Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WiFi
• CPU: Ryzen 7 9700X
• GPU: ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend
• RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64GB (2x32GB) 6000MHz (bought them for $200, but now they cost $1.2k in my country, wtfff.)
• Cooler: DeepCool LE240 V2
• PSU: Corsair SF850
• Storage: 4TB SSD

This upgrade left me with a few extra components: an RTX 2070 (which I gave to a friend), a Ryzen 5 3600, a B450I motherboard, 32GB of DDR4 RAM (3000MHz), and a 1TB SSD. These parts have been sitting around collecting dust for the last year and a half.

Recently, I realized that ever since I upgraded my main rig, I haven't actually enjoyed gaming on it very much. It sits at my desk, where I already spend all day working. I much prefer lying on my couch and playing games on the living room TV. However, I can't move my main rig to the living room. For one, I still need it for work. But more importantly, even the A4-H20 (11L) is too big for my liking next to the TV—I'm very particular about my interior design 😅.

I also spent a couple of months using local streaming (Sunshine/Moonlight), but the tiny bit of latency always bugged me. One thing led to another, and I ended up building a smaller sibling to my main rig using my leftover parts plus a few extra purchases:

• CPU + Motherboard + RAM + Storage: Technically "free"
• Case: M34—only 5.2L (AliExpress, $40)
• GPU: Asus Dual 3060 Ti Mini v2 (Used, $220)
• PSU: Some Chinese 500W Flex PSU ($45). A bit sketchy for a PSU, but it has worked fine so far, and the stock fan isn't too loud either.
• CPU Cooler: ID-COOLING IS-37-XT + a random Noctua fan I had lying around ($17)
• Chassis Fan: ID-COOLING TF-9215 x2 ($8)
• Total: $330

This setup worked out beautifully, and I've been enjoying gaming a lot more recently. I can play everything I want at reasonable settings at 1080p, and honestly, that's all I need. The case is tiny enough that I can hide it behind decor or furniture, making it almost invisible. After undervolting and tuning, everything runs pretty cool under full load, too. It's literally the best impulse purchase I've made recently, lol.

As a bonus benefit, I realized this build makes things even more worthwhile when I travel. I visit my parents (a 2-hour flight away) a few times a year for weeks or a month at a time. I almost always drop games during this time because I can't play them for weeks. When I return home, I've forgotten the controls or where I left off, get frustrated, and abandon the game completely. It happened with God of War, Black Myth: Wukong, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc. I bought a ROG Ally, but it can't really run AAA titles at reasonable settings, so now that's collecting dust too 😅. So this little build ended up being the ultimate fix: clean enough in the living room, handles my games properly, and is small enough to travel with.

​Wanted to share my living room PC setup! It blends right into the entertainment console alongside the toddler toys and books.

​The Backstory:

I’m a working dad, so my primary gaming time is late at night after my son goes to sleep. Since I work from home, spending my evening staring at the exact same desk I sat at all day was the last thing I wanted to do if I wanted to game.

​To fix that, I built a secondary living room PC. The Meshroom D fits into the shelf space ridiculously well, almost looking like a piece of home audio gear (especially with the wood front panel trim).

​I also added dual exhaust fans mounted to the top of the media console right above the case to pull hot air straight out of the shelf compartment so thermals stay under control.

​Console-Like Experience:

My goal was to make this operate seamlessly like a regular console:

• ​Controller Setup: I strictly use a Steam Controller.
• ​OS & Boot: Running Windows 11 configured to bypass the login password screen and launch straight into Steam Big Picture Mode on startup.
• ​Remote Powering: I integrated a smart plug paired with Google Home and motherboard BIOS settings (Restore on AC Power Loss) so I can turn the PC on hands-free without getting up to press the power button.

​(I’ve thought about making a quick video guide on setting up the auto-login and smart switch integration, but between work and family time, filming and editing isn't in the cards right now! Here is an old video I filmedhttps://youtube.com/shorts/UEOpZOdLcnc?is=ABP8_6TIYkZEZOEQ )

​Thermals:

Since I target 4K at 60Hz on the TV, the system barely breaks a sweat:

• ​CPU: 50°C – 57°C (rarely hits 60°C)
• ​GPU: 50°C – 60°C depending on the game

​Specs:

• ​Case: SSUPD Meshroom D
• ​CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• ​Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi
• ​Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 (Exhaust configuration)
• ​GPU: ASUS RTX 5070 Ti

​Hopefully this gives some inspiration to anyone looking to set up a stealthy living room gaming rig!

AIO tubes gave me hell, might just be a little dumb. Not a good cable management job, but it’s done. Haven’t tested thermals, will likely have to relocate the rear mounted NVME. Pretty happy, came from a 4000D then NR200.

Intel 270K Plus
Strix B860-I
Corsair Vengeance 32GB 6000
1 TB 970 Evo
2 TB 990 Evo
SF850
Nautilus 240 RS

Wanted to do something a little more understated this time — a compact all-black gaming PC with absolutely no RGB.

The build is based around the Okinos MiniArt 4, a small mATX case that still has enough room for some fairly powerful hardware.

Inside I went with a Ryzen 7 7700X + ASUS TUF RTX 5070 OC, paired with the ASUS TUF B850M-E WiFi. Cooling is handled by a be quiet! Pure Loop 3 240mm.

Specs:

• Okinos MiniArt 4
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5070 OC
• ASUS TUF Gaming B850M-E WiFi
• be quiet! Pure Loop 3 240mm
• G.SKILL Flare X5 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30
• Kingston NV3 1TB
• darkFlash PMT850

I really like how the MiniArt 4 works with an all-black No RGB setup. It's compact without making the hardware feel completely crammed inside, and the TUF components fit the overall industrial look pretty well.

Personally, builds like this are a nice change from filling every available fan and component with RGB.

No RGB or full RGB — which would you choose for a compact build like this?

Full build video: https://youtu.be/kr58DRsRXz0?si=wn6cTgIbt8AW59Y_ 

After a Steam Deck, Ally X and Legion Go 2 I decided to sell all of them and pull the plug on my first built.

Went with the Fractal Terra as I live in a small one bedroom apartment and the PC was going to be in living room, didnt want to mess with the aesthetics of the living room too much.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
GPU: PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper 16GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte B850I AORUS PRO
RAM: KLEVV FIT V 32GB (2×16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30
SSD: Crucial T705 1TB NVMe
CPU Cooler: Thermalright AXP120
Case: Fractal Design Terra — Jade
PSU: Corsair SF1000
Case Fan: Noctua 120mm
OS: Bazzite
Controller: 8BitDo Ultimate 3-Mode Xbox Controller — Jade

The building process was nerve wrecking but fun, this is my first time doing it so I spent a long time on each part. Would say the process took around 6 hours to build and 2 hours to troubleshoot shoot. Ran into a few troubleshooting headaches during the build, including using the wrong motherboard pins at first, intermittent no-signal/BIOS issues, and the GPU repeatedly powering on and off before I finally got everything stable.

My mind was blown coming from a Steam Deck and then seeing Onimusha Way of the Sword demo running at 120fps 4k ultra uncapped, I capped it at 60 cause my tv is on 60hz.

(PLEASE EXCUSE MY CABLE MANAGEMENT lol its a learning process)

Decided to migrate to am5 from my 11th gen intel which is now used as server for HA factorio headless etc.

Gpu: radeon 7900xt 20gb

Cpu: ryzen 7 7800x3d

Ram: ddr5 32gb

Cooler: deepcool assassin IV

Psu: corsair 850w

Costum psu cables from xtia

*keyboard is wireless charybdis by BastardKB

After owning a Steam Deck and Legion Go 2, I caught the PC gaming bug and finally decided to invest in more power (before AI makes it impossible). A fun personal goal crossed off the list!

Specs:
Case: DeepCool CH160 Plus
CPU: AMD 9800X3D
Motherboard: MSI MPG B850M EDGE TI MAX WiFi
Ram: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 64GB
PSU: Corsair RM1000e
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 4TB (SteamOS) + Samsung 990 Pro 1TB (Windows)
GPU: Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 9070XT
AIO: TRYX Panorama SE 240mm + NZXT F240 RGB Core
Fans: TRYX ROTA PRO 120mm

This was 2-3 months of exhaustive research, Amazon returns, staking out Facebook Marketplace, and tinkering. I had the GPU already for an eGPU setup, but it took a lot of smushing to get it to fit with the front fan. The GPU is currently in direct contact with the back of the front fan, but there doesn’t appear to be any noise or temperature issues—knocking on wood here! CPU, SSDs, RAM, and case were all resale through Marketplace or eBay. Cable management was pretty rough with a full-size PSU, but I think it ended up pretty clean!

Very satisfied with performance here on both SteamOS and Windows. I’m getting at least 4K 60fps on everything at high and even ultra settings, which is my personal benchmark. Tomorrow my AW3926QW 5K2K monitor arrives, so eager to see how the 9070XT can drive it!

SteamOS works pretty good here, outside of finicky RGB and Panorama screen controls. I finally solved them yesterday though, handling a lot of it through proprietary software in Windows. I’m also tinkering with the PC as a host for Sunshine/Apollo and Moonlight on my iPad Pro.

What I haven’t solved, however, is HDMI CEC: While I’m able to sleep/wake both SteamOS and my LG 4K TV just fine using my Steam Controller, both my PC and TV wake up on their own shortly after going to sleep. I’m unable to get a persistent sleep, so when I’m done with a session I’ll just turn the whole thing off.

Thank you to r/sffpc and r/SteamOS for all the help!

I've had a KXRORS S300 SFFPC for ~3 years, which has been great. But I fell in love with the Jonsbo N10, and decided to make the switch. At $70, it was a great deal.

I watched part of a video of a guy building in one, and realized that the Seasonic SGX-650 wasn't going to fit, so I added a $50 Apevia 500W ITX PSU to the order. This build has a 5600G, AM4, and no dedicated GPU, so it doesn't really need a lot.

As I began migrating to the new case, I was impressed with the build quality, and found it easy to build in, despite being the smallest case I've ever had. It feels like something from Apple, which is pretty cool. I was testing it out and planning to button things up, then realized the ID-COOLING IS-55 was protruding from the side of the case. Low-profile is a relative term, clearly.

A quick search turned up suggestions for the Thermalright AXP90 X36, so I ordered one of those for $25. It arrived today and after bit of fiddling around due to terrible instructions, the case buttoned up nicely.

The current total is $145, and I like the looks and size more than the S300, so I have no regrets. I'm sure many of you who build SFFPCs regularly are not surprised at all by any of this, and may have similar stories.

And it could have been so much worse - I might have needed RAM!

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to move my current PC into the SFFtime U-ITX and wanted to confirm compatibility.

SFFtime told me:

“For your motherboard, if you want to use it you will have to remove the plastic I/O shroud.”

I’ll attach a reference image and highlight the part I think they’re referring to. Is that the correct part?

If anyone has this motherboard in the U-ITX:

- Did you have to remove it?

- Is it just screwed on and easily removable?

- Any downsides to removing it?

My current PC specs:

CPU: Ryzen 7 7700X

GPU: ASUS Dual RTX 5070 Gaming OC — 249 × 126 × 50.6 mm, 2.53-slot

Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX B850-I Gaming WiFi

RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6000 (CMH32GX5M2F6000Z36)

PSU: Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W

Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM5 — 37 mm

Storage: 512GB Colorful NVMe

Thanks!

Snagged an RTX 5070 on a suspiciously good deal last month, so I finally retired my trusty 3080 and gave the whole rig a deep, much-needed clean. After a little tweaking, the 5070 is chilling below 70°C while gaming, and my 5800X3D is refusing to break a sweat, maxing out at an icy 65°C.
It’s almost too perfect. Naturally, I’m paranoid. I need the collective wisdom (and inevitable roasting) of this sub on a few things:

1) Is my AIO secretly planning to assassinate my CPU? I’ve been rocking a Cooler Master ML240 for nearly four years. It’s keeping things perfectly frosty right now, but what’s the actual lifespan on these? Do they slowly fade into retirement with a gentle, warning gurgle, or is the pump going to suddenly snap one Tuesday and unleash thermal throttling hell? Should I preemptively replace it, or ride it out?

2) Thoughts on bottom intake fans? I do plan to inevitably succumb to upgrading to an RTX 5080 when I hate having money again. Will a couple of low profile fans help if I end up upgrading to a 5080?

3) My 980 Pro is literally trying to smelt itself. I slapped a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro in the M.2 slot on the back of the motherboard. It sits at 90°C on idle and aggressively blasts past 100°C under load. For context, my old Gen 3 drive in that exact same dark, airless cavern never broke 60°C. Did I get a cursed dud, or do Gen 4 drives banished to the backside of the mobo just embrace the Sahara lifestyle? I tried wedging a heatsink back there, but the clearance is basically non-existent. I might try slapping a low profile one later.

Specs:
Case: NR 200P
MB: GB X570 AORUS PRO WIFI
CPU: 5800X3D with a 240 AIO
GPU: Zotac 5070 solid
PSU: Cooler master V850
M.2 1: KC3000 1TB
M.2 2: Samsung 980 Pro 2TB

I've been running a Ryzen 7 9700X in my fractal terra with a Noctua NH-L9A cooler for around 7 months and I've noticed that it runs pretty hot under load at about 90C and only goes down to 70C idle. I looked it up and found that indeed the cooler is not the best fit for the CPU though I don't know which cooler I should switch to? I've got my terra spine set to 4 to accommodate my GPU and while I could maybe push it to 3 it runs at such good temps I don't wanna accidentally mess up anything by moving it around. What is a good cpu cooler that could go in at spine 4 and is there anything else I might need to think about with upgrading like heatsink clearance with my RAM?

Thanks!

I have a tiny little low power 5650GE that needs a home, no GPU even needed. ITX board, I have a sfx psu but i can get a flex if needed (not interested in pico psu and all that stuff).

I'm having trouble finding a case that is literally just a solid tube with intake in front and exhaust out rear, nothing else. I want a single opening for dust to go in. Heat is really not a concern at all here. I probably don't even need a single intake fan, but I will have one just to keep positive pressure in the case.

Everything I find is a mesh box. What other options are there? Surely someone makes a little dell office machine-like case that fits this.

Edit: Just to be clear, Inwin chopin-like cases won't work as there is no way to keep positive pressure without at least one case fan on the intake. This is going to be in a fairly dusty (but not like a woodshop) area and it's important to find a case that is basically just a tube, with a mesh on one end and exhaust on the other where all intake/holes are very controlled.

My first PC and it's a mini itx

Specs:

- SKTC A07 4.3L case

- Ryzen 5600GT

- RTX 4060TI palit single fan

- ROG STRIX B550i ITX Motherboard

- Thermalright AXP90-36

- 32GB DDR4 RAM (rarer than diamond these days!)

- 1512GB SSD

- FlexATX Power Supply SilverStone FX600z Platinum

Used for Fps games (apex, Val, rivals), Genshin, ArcGis

I should've gotten a better CPU but I can't find anything for under 200 dollars, is selling my current cpu and buying something else worthit?

Since this is my first PC I still don't understand when to upgrade and what to upgrade any tips?

Edit: After hearing everyone I just sold my 5600GT for 100 bucks Should I get a new 5600xt for the same price new (100 bucks) Or 5700x new for (130 bucks)

I'm currently planning to build a mini gaming pc primarily for cpu heavy games like the new Transport fever 3 and other more casual games.

For the case I really fell in love with the teenage engineering computer one case.
Because this case only fits a 180mm GPU the best option would be to put in a RTX 5060.

But then I heard about the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT low profile with 16GB vram which comes in the MINISFORUM 895D7. But I can't find it anywhere to buy standalone.

Does anyone know where I can buy one?

Hi guys, I recently ran into an annoying issue with my Fractal Ridge. Whenever I wanted to properly clean the CPU cooler fan, I basically had to remove the whole cooler, clean it, then reinstall it again. It worked, but it felt like way too much effort just to clean a fan.
So I started looking for a way to modify the side panel and create a cutout around the CPU cooler. In the end, I bought a DIY dust filter from Amazon for around £10 and cut it myself as cleanly as I could.
Now the CPU fan sits outside the case, so it’s much easier to access and clean. I also moved the original CPU-side panel over to the GPU side, which seems to have improved airflow there as well.
The temperature improvements have actually been much better than I expected. Before the mod, I had to manually limit my Ryzen 7 7700X to around 75W to keep temperatures under control, and it would usually boost to around 5.2GHz max. My RAM was also reaching around 70°C, while the AMD PCH was sitting around 75–80°C.
After the mod, I’m now running the CPU at stock power settings again. The 7700X is boosting up to around 5.5GHz, RAM temperatures have dropped to around 60°C, and the PCH is now around 65°C.
Thought I’d share it in case anyone else with a Fractal Ridge is dealing with the same cleaning or airflow problem.

Build with mostly used parts.

- Shiny Snake L300

- Ryzen 5500

- Gigabyte a520i

- Rx 6600XT

- SF600 Platinum

- 1TB M.2 Orico

- Axp90-x53 Full Copper with Noctua a9x14

- 2x Noctua A12X15

RGB off and super silent :)

Hi everyone

I am selling my LZMOD a24 v5 build and I have removed the front Nvme SSD and only have a gen 4 Samsung Evo 2tb nvme on the back of the asrock b650i motherboard.

Which operating system should I have for the buyer to use windows 11 or Bazzite? as I will be advertising as a Small form factor PC for gaming with dual boot option and potential for front Nvme drive option.

Thank you

I think this is the smallest case for a XFX Swift 9070 XT (Big Ass Gpu)

5700x3d is a little hot at 75-80 undervolted but the X47 Full Cooper is doing a really good job

The GPU is at 70 or less

So if this GPU fits in here, yours probably does too

Inside a Jonsbo TK-0:

- MSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi

- Ryzen 5 7600 (got that used for 90$)

- TR Peerless Assassin 120 Mini CPU Cooler

- Corsair Vengeance 32GB RAM CL38 6000

- 1TB Crucial P310 nvme SSD

- Gigabyte RTX 5060Ti Windforce 8GB (new, still paid less than for a 5060 non Ti)

- Lian Li SP Platinum 850 PSU

- 2x TR TL-P9W exhaust Fans

- 2x Corsair RS140 intake (left & right)