Whether it’s a new GPU, CPU, an SSD, a custom loop, or the cleanest cable run you’ve ever pulled off, we want to see it.
Share photos, part lists, performance jumps, or even the “oops” moments (we’ve all been there). This is the place for builders, tuners, and tinkerers to compare gear and swap tips.
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Back in July of this year, I pulled the older AMD components out of my original ‘Purrfection’ build and put them into a new Lian Li Lancool 207 Digital case that I found at Microcenter. This new case has a cool LCD panel on the front of the case, and I just couldn’t resist. Now I recently built ‘Purrfection-II’, using the old cat carrier case, and that’s already posted here in these forums. So in this case, the upgrade was the case itself.
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After 10 years of 1440p / 60 hertz, I’ve finally ascended to 4K and high refresh rate thanks to Black Friday deals. Now I feel I can fully appreciate the money I spent building my new all AMD rig with a proper monitor to enjoy it with
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Gratz @H0thTr0n ! I’m sure the display is FreeSync ready, right?
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My latest upgrade was a little over a year ago, but still…
I added a Ryzen 9 9900X, a Gigabyte RX 9070 XT with a 330-watt Total Board Power, and a 4TB Gen4 second SSD for game installs to compliment the 2TB Gen5 SSD I had that was getting full.
All in here:
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I want to see more computer upgrades posted here. I know prices for RAM and storage have doubled and even tripled, but the CPUs and other components are still good deals in 2026. What about a new GPU?
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I mean, GPU performance hasn’t really gone anywhere in years, but I’ll play.
My upstairs media mini PC in an old Wesena case with a pico PSU was getting a bit glitchy, so I did my first console style PC as an upgrade to AM5.
For the case, I picked up the ThorZone Tetra-R. Motherboard is the ASUS Strix B650E-I which I found for a much better deal than the B850 variant. For the CPU, I chose the Ryzen 7 7800X3D as it was quite a bit cheaper than the 9000 series and generates quite a bit less heat.
For the CPU cooler, I chose the ThermalRight AXP120-X67, because it is compatible with any RAM height, and also compatible with the case I chose. I already had some Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000 available, and this is where the build ran into some trouble.
Yes, the AXP120-X67 is compatible with the ThorZone Tetra-R and yes, it can be turned so the heat pipes head over the IO shield allow for taller RAM, but those things are not true together.
The ThorZone Tetra-R routes the PSU cable out the back of the case, in a way that prevents the AXP120-X67 cooler from being turned that direction. Meaning the cooler will only install when oriented towards the RAM, so RAM is limited to 42mm in height with that cooler, less than the RAM I had available.
Thankfully, I did have short (Crucial) DDR5 RAM in another system and was able to swap the two sets. But ThorZone should have an asterix by the CPU cooler. I also swapped out the stock ThermalRight fan with a Noctua NF-A12x15 fan and used an identical fan as an exhaust fan. I also swapped out the default CPU bracket with the ThermalRight AM5 secure frame.
Speaking of the PSU, I chose a Corsair SF1000, my first SFX format PSU.
For the GPU I went with a Powercolor 9070XT Hellhound.
The system is up and running now in the living room and so far, everything is great. It has been paired with a Clevetura CLVX 1 as a keyboard mouse combo that works quite well.
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It would be interesting to see inside that case as things must be a tight fit. Component choices sound good.
It was my first build that used more of a rail system. Case volume is about 12.75L. There is also a 9L version called the Tetra-S.
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Interesting layout. I guess you were forced to use a PCIe extender. Did you get a PCIe 5.0 version? Sometimes these extenders can cause operating problems for the video card.
I did get the PCIe 5.0 cable for this build. I think it would have been better to get a thicker 9070XT. The intake fans are further from perforations on the case wall because the Hellhound is rather thin. A Nitro + would probably have been better.
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This is my first DIY Water-cooled PC. This has become a major labor of love for me. It has taken me over a year to complete. As you can see i am a MAJOR Detroit Red Wings Fan. I am very proud of this and wanted to show you all, what i did, and get your opinions on how i did and what i could possibly do different next time. Below are the parts and pieces i used to complete this build.
Motherboard Asrock X870 Pro RS
CPU AMD AM5 Ryzen 9 7900X 12-core 4.7ghz
Memory Corsair Vengenance 64gb (32x2) DDR5 5200 (PCS 41600)
Graphics card Sapphire-nitro Radeon 7900 XTX 24gb
Case Thermaltake V71 Tempered glass RGB edition
Radiator Thermaltake Pacific 420 radiator
Fans Thermaltake Toughfan 14 RGB High-Static Pressure radiator fans
Pump Thermaltake Pacific PR12-D5 plus pump
Power supply Corsair RM 1000e Fully modular
HDD Western digital WD_Black 2TB SN850X NVME drive
Glass Etching was completed by Tom Sawarynski of the company Detroit Laser company. He did an awesome job!! Would recommend him any day. https://www.detroitlaserco.com/
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I really like it. Great Post!
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I just picked up a PowerColor RX 9070XT GPU for $630 this afternoon. I’m thinking about building a new computer with the coming Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, but with RAM and storage prices so bloody high, I might just put this lovely GPU into one of my computers that is running an RX 5700XT instead. We’ll see in a few weeks.
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I found a 32GB DDR4 kit at 3200 CAS18 for $186 on Amazon. It is just a bare PCB with no heat spreader, but a good value. That isn’t too bad, IMO. Hoping you can build a new system, but that RX 9070 XT will be a good upgrade either way. 
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A mouse arrived today and I have a be quiet! PSU (1KW) coming tomorrow. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D was released today but sold out almost immediately. Microcenter still apparently has some in their bundle deals, but I think the price is too high for what you get in the bundle. I’m leaning towards the Ryzen 5 7600X3D or perhaps the Ryzen 7 7800X3D for my next build with that RX 9070 XT GPU. I’m not sure, so I’m waiting. There might be some sales coming up for the July 4th holiday.
Ok, I bought the rest of the part for what I’m calling my ‘Fractal-X3D’ build. The processor is the AMD 7600X3D. I have one 16GB stick of DDR5 on hand and another ordered from Newegg to give me 32GB in total. I spent $350 on the Samsung 9100 2-TB SSD gen 5 to have a fast storage solution. All the parts, except for the case from Fractal Design (Mystify C Mid-Tower) that I received for free is here in the picture. This should be a lovely gaming computer when I start assembling it on 28 June 2026. I spent $2,136 on the build, not including the 34" gaming monitor I will use from an earlier build. Hey, it’s only money!
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Looks good!
With the pricing of the 5800X3D, it really only makes sense to buy if you are already on AM4 and swapping out only the CPU from Zen, Zen+ or Zen2.
I do have my old X370 motherboard and some DDR4 RAM and was thinking of resurrecting those with a 5800X3D. Or my parents have older AM4 systems with more dated processors in them that could possibly use a boost.
Well, I got ‘Fractal-X3D’ built on Sunday (28 June 2026). I had a small problem with an error light for the VGA, but after reseating the GPU it got past that and booted up. Here’s the first game I played on it last night (World of Tanks - Blitz). Unfortunately, after installing a bunch more software, like the Gigabyte suite, now I have an issue and Windows Settings won’t come up. I’ll be looking into that and maybe uninstalling some stuff in Windows Safe mode until it works again. The machine is fast and was working great until this software problem appeared.
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