New PC case and Desk Layout

[redhat]

Have been wanting to downsize my computer case for some time here. I have a 2nd-gen AMD Ryzen workstation, built in a Corsair iCUE 220T case. Specs are as follows:

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 6-core
MSI B450M Mortar Titanium
16GB Patriot VIPER RGB memory
6GB MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660ti
500GB WD SN750 NVMe SSD
1TB SanDisk Ultra SATA 3 SSD
Corsair SF600 SFX PSU (50amps on the 12V rail - good little unit!)
CoolerMaster 212 RGB CPU Cooler

The iCUE 220T case is nice, but HEAVY with the glass side panel and larger than needed. The case can fit a full-ATX mobo and I truly only need Micro-ATX sizing.

I found the ASUS Prime AP201 case and really liked it design. Ordered it via Newegg, it arrived Friday, and rebuilt my system. New thermal paste, cleaning, dusting, etc. I have also been wanting more storage, so I added a matching 4TB SanDisk Ultra SATA 3 SSD. 5.5TB of SSD storage should serve this rig well.

I tried to use as much velco straps as possible, but some areas I had to use some small zip-ties (size constraints). Not the prettiest, but decently enough cable managed. Some 2-sided foam tape helps mount the fan-hub and RGB hub to case metal. The PSU sits up front in that shroud. It is an SFX Corsair PSU with a SFX to ATX bracket, then mounted in the shroud. I have (2) x 140MM CoolerMaster RGB fans exhausting at the top, (1) x 120MM CoolerMaster RGB fan exhausting at the back, a 120mm CoolerMaster AirPressure RGB fan on the 212 Cooler, and a 120MM ASUS Prime fan at the bottom as an intake.

After surveying the landscape of current-gen hardware, WOW, my rig is pretty old! But it still works well.

I really enjoy my RGB lighting. With this case being entirely mesh panels, the RGB lighting is very visible through the mesh as a sort of "pixel-esque" effect. It looks great and is very unique.

Next up, I wanted a dual-screen setup. I found at my local Best Buy a 27" Acer IPS gaming monitor with 240Hz refresh rate. It looks almost similar to my current 27" Acer 144Hz panel. It was an open-box deal that I got for a good price. Mounted both displays on a dual-monitor arm mount from Amazon. It came out very nice.

Beyond my Ryzen-PC, I also have a ThunderBolt dock for my daily-driver MacBook Pro. It is very nice having the 27" monitors connected to the Mac.

My desk is actually an old library table. It has got to be all of 50-years old at this point. Years back, a guy was selling these for $40 a piece. What a steal -- you will not find a heavier, sturdier table anywhere. It beats anything else for a desk. It has a sticker on the bottom that says "NY Mental Health Office". Can only imagine what this table has seen! Nice thing about the caliber of these tables is that the monitor arm mount to these is super sturdy and it literally does not go anywhere.

I then installed a dimmer bulb in my desk lamp and now have a perfect area to relax and enjoy my system. Think I had a 60w in there before, too bright!

Pleased with everything, now time to get some time in on some old favorites. Was going to get Unreal Tournament GOTY, Age of Empires II and Dungeon Siege I & II installed. Also got a taste for a few rounds of CS:GO with an XM104. Fun to run through the classics.

 

[oggb]

After surveying the landscape of current-gen hardware, WOW, my rig is pretty old! But it still works well.

Nothing wrong with a 2600x and a 1660ti. I'm still rocking an Intel i5-6500 (non-K overclocked to 4.3ghz) and a Radeon 5700XT and I rarely find things I can't do with it. Still plays Dirt Rally 2.0 in VR with every setting maxed out and that's about all I can ask for.

My wife's computer is a 3700x/1650 Super and she loves it plus it has a great upgrade path. I'll probably upgrade it to a 5600x/2060KO or 2070 Super if she ever needs more.

 

[redhat]

Nothing wrong with a 2600x and a 1660ti. I'm still rocking an Intel i5-6500 (non-K overclocked to 4.3ghz) and a Radeon 5700XT and I rarely find things I can't do with it. Still plays Dirt Rally 2.0 in VR with every setting maxed out and that's about all I can ask for.

My wife's computer is a 3700x/1650 Super and she loves it plus it has a great upgrade path. I'll probably upgrade it to a 5600x/2060KO or 2070 Super if she ever needs more.

You have a couple of nice units also. Doing some looking, I can go up to a 5-series Ryzen. Maybe in a year or so I'll upgrade the chip, maybe a GPU and throw another 16GB of memory in there. That would max the system out until an eventual new build all together.

I also have not found anything I cannot play yet.

Which reminds me... I think it would help my scatterbrain if I kept a log or mark of all games I've played and completed. Have a lot of campaigns I'd like to run through.

 

[Pew]

That ASUS case is really nice. It would have been perfect if I saw that before the TT V21 I purchased for my last setup. It seems like a lot of mATX cases are so big that you might as well buy a regular ATX case.

 

[Dave Hess]

Nice system.

 

[redhat]

That ASUS case is really nice. It would have been perfect if I saw that before the TT V21 I purchased for my last setup. It seems like a lot of mATX cases are so big that you might as well buy a regular ATX case.

Those were my exact thoughts. If I needed/wanted a Full-ATX case, I'd get one. But my ideal size is Micro-ATX. I do like Mini-ITX, but sometimes certain features I want are not available.