…yeah, it’s time. I’ve finally found games I actually want to play that require a half-decent machine, I make all my money on the computer, and I regularly do video editing as well. I always keep my machines for a long time, so they need to be as future-proof as possible and I can’t justify saving up for a PC unless it’s going to be good enough for the foreseeable future. So here’s where my head is at, I’d be grateful for any advice.
tl;dr https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xjP3yF for the general idea, but I’m open to other ideas. It’s going to be a linux machine, and all AMD since I hear the drivers work better/are less fiddly. Aesthetically, I like an all-white motif but looks are secondary to pure power and long life. I would like to be able to emulate PS4, Xbox 360, run S&box so my kid can make games, and render my clip shows at high speed. The budget I’m targeting is about £2k. Will mean saving up for a couple months. Parts I’m considering:
CPU
- Ryzen 9 9950X3D (I’m most excited about having a strong CPU, this one appeals to me even though it’s a bit of a splurge)
- Ryzen 9 7950X3D
- Ryzen 9 7900X3D
GPU
Anything AMD, 16gb preferred but at least 12gb. AMD RX 6800XT or higher perhaps. RX 7800 XT or similar would be great.
Memory
16gb preferred, DDR5, not too fussy about brand. Maybe someday another 16gb if it becomes worthwhile.
Storage
1 or 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD, any really who cares. I don’t need a lot of storage, most of my games are lightweight indies or backed up on my server.
Power Supply
Anything 850-1000w, preferably modular? I dunno.
Cooling
Possibly an AIO liquid cooler. I’m iffy on that, would be happy with a fan if it’s more recommended.
Case
Fractal does a nice white wood effect one (North XL), as does Antec (Flux Pro). Happy with anything that matches, but don’t really love showy RGB, prefer understated and clean looks.


https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1724988301/lian-li-fan-shroud-ducts-for-o11d-o11d
This one looks tailor-made for the CPU intake.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4370532434/pc-fan-heat-deflector-fan-airflow
And this is what I meant about routing the CPU heat towards the upper exhaust. That would hopefully keep all the airflow going from bottom to top, yeah?
I dunno about ducts for that case. Anything tailor-made is good though; you could even order that shroud in the earlier post from some “3D printer as a service” type place.
That’s not critical for exhaust, and it would really obstruct flow through the heatsink, if I’m understanding you correctly.
I’d just leave the heatsink exhaust unobstructed. The natural positive pressure and the two top fans will suck the hot air out.
Thanks for the sanity check. I’m really excited about this idea, appreciate all your advice!