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Sayem Ahmed is the Subscription Editor at Tom's Hardware. He covers a broad range of deep dives into hardware both new and old, including the CPUs,\u00a0GPUs, and everything else that uses a semiconductor. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-19/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Sayem Ahmed Social Links Navigation Subscription Editor Sayem Ahmed is the Subscription Editor at Tom's Hardware. He covers a broad range of deep dives into hardware both new and old, including the CPUs, GPUs, and everything else that uses a semiconductor.
dhbusy z690, 14700k, eCores & HT off, pCores 5.7, ringbus 5.2 DDR4-4000 @ 16-19-19-39, 8ns first word latency cs3150 2t directly on the CPU lanes, ~28us latency 3080ti FE stock settings Most core components were used/refurbed; with the case, PSU, and AIO coming in the CoolerMaster TD500 MAX combo to get the ~11mm thicker radiator. Display is a venerable Asus VG248QE with the NVIDIA G-SYNC DIY kit applied ca. ~2014 Reply
TerryLaze dhbusy said: z690, 14700k, eCores & HT off, pCores 5.7, ringbus 5.2 DDR4-4000 @ 16-19-19-39, 8ns first word latency cs3150 2t directly on the CPU lanes, ~28us latency 3080ti FE stock settings Most core components were used/refurbed; with the case, PSU, and AIO coming in the CoolerMaster TD500 MAX combo to get the ~11mm thicker radiator. Display is a venerable Asus VG248QE with the NVIDIA G-SYNC DIY kit applied ca. ~2014 I'm pretty sure that the whole point of this is to have a pic of the setup because that's what everybody else does and also that's what's interesting to other people. No fault of yours either way, since they don't say anything about pics. Reply
Anesthetic Alienware AL3423DWF 1440p UWQHD ultrawide QD OLED monitor Asus Strix B850 Aa/tuoYfSnRyzen 7800X3D 32GB (16GB x2) Patriot Viper DDR5 6000Mt/s white CL30 ram Asrock Radeon 9070XT Steel Legend 16GB Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Digital RGB CPU Cooler Western Digital SN850 1TB NVME PCie 4×4 main drive Team Group MP34 4TB NVME PCIe 3×4 secondary drive Lian Li 011D Evo RGB white MSI 750w gold rated PSU 3x 140mm Arctic p14 pro reverse blade intake fans on bottom 3x 140mm Arctic p14 pro reverse blade intake fans on side 3x 140mm Thermalright TL-C14CW-S exhaust fans on top 1x 120mm Thermalright TL-C12CW-S exhaust fan on back Razer Blackwidow V3 keyboard Razer Basilisk V3 mouse I chose the parts I did because I wanted the white rgb snow globe look. I saw someone selling a 9070xt near me on facebook in Feb for $650 and couldn't pass it up. He offered me a 7800X3D for another $250 and I couldnt pass that up either. Everything else fell into place pretty quick after that. I got the wd nvme the next day for a bargain at $75, the razer mouse and keyboard together used for $50, the monitor for $400, and the ram for $300. Mobo was $140 used on fb. I already had the 4TB teamgroup drive from a laptop before prices went crazy. The psu I got from a guy on fb for $50. The case and fans I bought on amazon for retail prices. Cpu cooler was on clearance on amazon for $40. All told I got the whole setup for $2100 with taxes, and I feel like i got away with highway robbery during the rampocolypse. Reply
Baeloro1481 I took a break from PCs from 2016 to 2020. My PC prior to that was a Q9650 paired with a STRIX GTX 960 4GB. When I got back into PCs in 2020, I picked up right where I left off with a 4690k and a STRIX GTX 980 4GB. That got me by for awhile and since 2020 I have been slowly building and enjoying this: CPU: Intel Core i7 11700F MOBO: MSI Z590 Tomahawk WIFI RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16GB 3200mhz DDR4 GPU: RTX 3070 FE Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black RGB edition Storage: WD Black SN770 500GB – Windows 10 Pro(yeah I know) WD Black SN850x 1TB – Games and stuff. PSU: Corsair RM750e 3.1 ATX (refreshed) Riser Cable: Cooler Master Vertical riser V3 Fans: Corsair Elite 2x 140mm (top intake/exhaust) Corsair Elite 1x 120mm (rear exhaust) Corsair Elite 1x 120mm (bottom Intake) Corsair Static Pressure 2x 140mm (front intake, borrowed from 2015 120mm AIO) Case: NZXT H5 Flow (2024 refresh) Monitors: 2x LG 24GN650-b 144hz IPS Peripherals: Logi hero 502/Dierya DK61 silver gateron 60% keyboard Logi C922 webcam/Blue Yeti Mic/Logi Z407 speakers/Logi G435 headset 8Bitdo Ultimate 2.4ghz controller (original)/Vari desk 48" pro plus Desk Riser a/qmIJVAf It's not the best PC out there but it's mine and 1080p/144hz is pretty attainable across the board. Reply
bobwilmes I started building my rig to edit 8K video back in the spring of 2025. I started with an ASUS X870E Hero motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, ASUS Prime RTX 5080 GPU, 128K of Crucial DDR5 RAM, Water cooler, Blackmagic Design Decklink 8K G2 Pro, and Samsung 990 Pro SSD cards in a Fractal Design case. Wifi 7 on the motherboard connected to my T Mobile fiber internet. Logitech MX Master Keyboard and Mouse. Parallel Displayport 1.4 cables to a Dell 32” inch 8K monitor. I also run 8K video HDMI over a Ruipro fiber cable to a 65” Samsung 8K TV. Windows 11 Pro running Davinci Resolve 20. ai shoot 8K video on a Canon R5C. Reply
Elf_Boy 🎮 My Future-Proof Gaming PC Built for longevity and performance, this rig handles everything from modern AAA titles to classic MMORPGs while doubling as a tech exploration platform. Core Desktop Specs CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D | Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X870E Gaming WiFi | RAM: G.Skill TridentZ 192GB DDR5-6400 | GPU: Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX | Cooling: Corsair H150i Elite AIO | Display: Triple 4K 55" setup with Samsung Odyssey Arc 2 55" as primary Mobile Gaming: Corsair Voyager A1600 (32GB, 4TB RAID 0) – the heavy hitter for gaming on the go Mobile Productivity: ASUS Zenbook Duo (i7-155H, 32GB, 1TB) – dual-screen efficiency with excellent battery life VR Gaming: Meta Quest 3 for immersive experiences Infrastructure & Storage NAS: QNAP 36TB internal + 24TB USB expansion | Network: ASUS RT-BE92U router with VPN configuration, Netgear 16 port 1gb managed Switch, NICGIGA 4\00d72.5Gbe 2\00d710gb Network Switch Philosophy & Usage This multi-tier setup covers every gaming scenario—desktop for maximum performance, Corsair laptop for portable gaming sessions, ASUS for productivity work, and Quest 3 for VR adventures. Recent Mobo, CPU upgrade ensures years of relevance as I transition into retirement. Beyond gaming (Diablo 2 Resurrected, BG3, Secret World), the ecosystem excels at: • Virtual tabletop gaming via Fantasy Grounds and Foundry VTT • VR gaming and experiences with Quest 3 • Mobile gaming with the Voyager A1600's serious specs • Media consumption across multiple streaming platforms • Network administration and tech experimentation Build Evolution Like most enthusiasts, I upgrade incrementally rather than wholesale replacement. This approach maximizes value while maintaining cutting-edge performance across desktop, mobile, and VR platforms. Note : I did use ai to check grammar, spelling, and clarity – I wrote the content myself, just got editing help. Reply
dhbusy TerryLaze said: I'm pretty sure that the whole point of this is to have a pic of the setup because that's what everybody else does and also that's what's interesting to other people. No fault of yours either way, since they don't say anything about pics. For sure — I just happened to be on mobile right then. This forum software doesn't appear to let me upload, and it won't parse a Google Photos link. Reply
Colonialman1776 I start with a AMD Ryzen 9 9950 4.3 GHz 16 core processor, cooled by Arctic liquid Freezer III 360 56.3 cfm liquid CPU cooler, a Gigabyte x870E Works elite wifi7 aorus atx am5 motherboard, g skill Trident Z5 RGB 64 GB 2×32 GB DDR 5-6400 CL 32 memory sticks, Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M,2-2280 Pcie 4.0×4 NVME solid state drive, Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB video card, Antex Flux Pro ATX full tower case,Corsair RM1000x 2024 1000 W fully modular ATX power supply and finish with MS,Windows 11 pro retail USB 64 bit operating system plus,a Gigabyte curved screen monitorG27fca all for around 3k look for deals a good setup for business or gaming imho. Thanks Reply
COLGeek dhbusy said: For sure — I just happened to be on mobile right then. This forum software doesn't appear to let me upload, and it won't parse a Google Photos link. Upload images to a site like imgur.com and then post a link to the image(s) here. Reply
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/pc-building/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/pc-building/win-a-prize-by-entering-your-build-into-the-inaugural-toms-hardware-rig-rundown-submit-a-build-to-get-your-setup-evaluated-by-our-expert-staff#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.