index.mdx

---
title: Building a small, but powerful, gaming machine
tags:
  - blog
  - computers
image: ./IMG_4540.jpg
---

import { Image } from "astro:assets";
import image1 from "./IMG_4637.jpg";
import image2 from "./IMG_4641.jpg";
import image3 from "./IMG_4540.jpg";
import { gallery } from "./styles.module.scss";
import LightboxGallery from "components/LightboxGallery.astro";

Have you ever wanted a computer that is fast and powerful but also small, sleek, and sexy? Surely such a combination
cannot exist! Well, prepare to feast your eyes upon this beautiful build I recently completed.

<LightboxGallery class={gallery} selector="img">
  <figure class="small right">
    <Image src={image1} alt="small PC all set up" data-src={image1.src} />
    <div>
      <Image src={image2} alt="inside PC with AIO cooler installed" height={100} data-src={image2.src} />
      <Image src={image3} alt="inside PC with CPU fan installed" height={100} data-src={image3.src} />
    </div>
  </figure>
</LightboxGallery>

About the size of an Xbox but with computing power to spare this sweet little package was born out of necessity. I
turned off my old desktop computer a few weeks ago when leaving for a business trip and arrived home only to find that
it had given up the ghost never to be turned on again (bad motherboard). I salvaged the parts I could while using the
opportunity to upgrade some others and eventually ended up with the build we see here in its final form.

Make no mistake, its creation was not without struggle. Blood, sweat, tears, and possibly a few curse words were
included in the process of making everything fit into this small technological carapace.

If you would like more details on what's included or details on how to make your own (and possibly avoid some pitfalls
and/or bloodshed), I documented some of the complications as well as included a build list with all the parts involved
at [PCPartPicker.com](https://pcpartpicker.com/b/DV29TW).

<table class="table table-striped">
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>CPU</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mr2rxr/intel-core-i5-8600k-36ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i58600k"
        >
          Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>CPU Cooler</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TDdFf7/cooler-master-masterliquid-lite-120-667-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-mlw-d12m-a20pw-r1"
        >
          Cooler Master - MasterLiquid Lite 120 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Motherboard</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VRjWGX/asus-rog-strix-z370-i-gaming-mini-itx-lga1151-motherboard-strix-z370-i-gaming"
        >
          Asus - ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Memory</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/gWM323/corsair-vengeance-rgb-32gb-2-x-16gb-ddr4-3333-memory-cmr32gx4m2c3333c16"
        >
          Corsair - Vengeance RGB 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3333 Memory
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Storage</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FcGj4D/samsung-960-pro-20tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-mz-v6p2t0bw"
        >
          Samsung - 960 Pro 2TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Video Card</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vtqhP6/asus-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-11gb-turbo-video-card-turbo-rtx2080ti-11g"
        >
          Asus - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Turbo Video Card
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Case</td>
      <td>
        <a
          target="_blank"
          href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RgVBD3/silverstone-rvz03b-mini-itx-desktop-case-rvz03b"
        >
          Silverstone - RVZ03B Mini ITX Desktop Case
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Power Supply</td>
      <td>
        <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151190">
          Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-850PX 850W 80+ Platinum ATX12V
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Case Fan</td>
      <td>
        <a target="_blank" href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4QzZxr/silverstone-case-fan-fw121">
          Silverstone - FW121 32.6 CFM 120mm Fan
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Monitor</td>
      <td>
        <a target="_blank" href="https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rtJkcf/acer-monitor-xb270hubprz">
          Acer - XB270HU bprz 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor
        </a>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>