The build begins!

Finally! If you have been waiting for this build thread to actually get started, you’ve come to the right place. My first components to arrive are as follows: 

• MOTHERBOARD: Asus ROG STRIX Z390-I GAMING $198.44, eBay

• CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K $199.69, Amazon

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition $604.99, Amazon

• STORAGE: Intel Solid State Drive 660P Series, 1 TB $129.99, Amazon

• POWER SUPPLY: Corsair SF Series SF600 80+ Gold $134.99, Amazon

Luckily enough, some of my major parts had arrived early on, via Amazon Prime and eBay. I received my Motherboard [from here on referenced as MB], CPU, GPU, and storage chip all on the same day. This gave me a chance between my responsibilities at work and school to start piecing together some parts, even without the computer case delivered yet. I really have to take this time to praise Amazon and eBay on delivery of these items. I ordered the CPU, GPU, and storage on a Tuesday, and they were delivered on the same Friday. I originally ordered the MB on Amazon as well, but saw my order seemed to be backlogged quite a bit. I lucked out and found the same MB on eBay for $29 cheaper; ordered it on that Thursday, and received it that Friday. 

The ability to receive these components quickly meant I was able to get started on building two major parts of the computer without the case: the CPU and the storage. Coming from working on Mac computers, having these two components being completely modular, and replaceable down the line, means I can extend the overall life of the computer. A major positive if a singular part fails down the line!

I got started right away installing the CPU and the storage. The CPU installation was as easy as lining up the chip correctly with the die of the motherboard and levering it into place. This particular CPU, an Intel Core i5-9600k, did NOT come with an integrated cooler however, and soon realized I would need to look for something to keep this component cool. I wanted something efficient and small, able to fit into a smaller-sized computer case, but of high quality and effectiveness. I thought this would be a great time to research more about cooling effectiveness for CPU’s, considering I would want to overclock this chip down the line [being an unlocked chip]. More on that to come however, as I got my first two pieces together and was ready to put the storage in! 

M.2 storage is not only easy to install, but is also much faster than traditional SATA storage, being readily available right on the motherboard. This particular MB actually has two available m.2 NVMe slots, but for this build for now, the 1TB size should be plenty for me. Installing this was just as easy as the CPU: Setting the chip into the connector, and fastening down with the included screw from the MB. The MB even included a heat sink for this chip to ensure cooling would be effective.

With those components in, I started on my research to find the best cooler for this build, with consideration on how it may transform down the line. Hop over to my next post to continue with delivery of the RAM, graphics card, and cooler!