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Back-to-school PC Build |
blog/pc |
After a long and successful summer at Amazon Lab126, I've justified both building a PC and getting a Vive. I was blown away by the VR experience offered by the Vive over the summer, after Henry (another intern) also built a rig and bought a Vive.
I'd been eager to build a PC for the learning experience for a couple years now, so deciding to jump on the VR bandwagon was the perfect excuse.
In all seriousness, building the PC and crash-coursing all the information needed to do so (shoutout to PC Part Picker, r/buildapc, and mostly both Henry and Richard for helping me get to the final parts list) has been a great learning experience. And, as a CS student, I'm sure to find some use for the extra processing power and RAM I now have. Current plans include working with and training neural nets for personal projects, and getting into VR development. More on that as these plans develop into something more concrete.
So far, it's worked amazingly well. Installing Windows 10 was a breeze. It looks beautiful. The case could use some LED strips for vanity's sake (but what case doesn't?). And showing off the Vive to friends has been a ton of fun. VR is the future, mark my words.
Here are the specs of all the parts that I purchased for this build (and links to them [1]). I had already previously bought a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
- Coolor: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
- Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
- Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
- Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card
- Case: Corsair Carbide 400C ATX Mid Tower Case
- Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G2 Power Supply
I took a few pictures throughout the building process, starting with everything boxed and ending with a final desk shot. Also, Cindy having fun with the Vive.
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[1] In order of being listed, here are links to all parts: CPU, Cooler, Motherboard, Memory, Storage, Graphics Card, Case, Power Supply