Custom AMD Ryzen 9 5950x Battle Rig
June 11, 2021As with servers, IT Creations can also put together custom gaming rigs! At its heart is an AMD Ryzen 5950X (SHOP HERE) Desktop Processor with 16 cores and 32 threads. This is the best gaming CPU that AMD has released, but that’s not all. To compliment that AMD 5950x processor, we’ve also got an Asus Prime X570-Pro motherboard. Everything is going in a CORSAIR iCUE 4000X RGB case with transparent side panel to highlight an MSI 3080 GPU.
These AMD Ryzen 9 family processors, are not just good for gaming. They are also great for developers and digital artists, 3D animators, architects and engineers, plus anything else where you need powerful graphic performance and speed. This AMD Ryzen 5950x, which was released at the end of 2020, features AMD’s Zen3 architecture. We will be pairing that CPU with a GeForce RTX 3080 GPU from MSI, for a kick ass gaming experience. So yes, benchmarks are forthcoming, but let’s check out the guts of this system.
The ASUS Prime X-570-Pro is a great little single socket motherboard. It supports all the new AMD Ryzen processor features including PCIe 4.0 and SLI for use with Nvidia graphics cards. It also offers Crossfire support, which is AMD’s version multi-GPU technology. What’s even better is that this board can support DDR4 4400MHz memory! With 4x DIMM sockets and 2x memory channels it will max out at 128GB with 32GB modules in each socket.
It also has a nice little feature with a one-click 5-Way Optimization to automatically optimize overclocks and intelligent cooling for both CPU and GPU-centric tasks. Aura Sync RGB, gives you control of RGB lighting effects supported by the various components. There are several addressable headers for connecting additional RGB components like LED lighting strips. In the lower right, next to the Chipset fan, 6x SATA 6Gb storage connectors support basic RAID levels. If you want to add additional fans, there are plenty of headers for that too!
There are quite a few utilities that come with the ASUS Prime X-570-Pro to ensure you get the most out of your system, including Armory Crate for centralized account management plus management of the Lighting effects. It also offers an easy-to-use UEFI BIOS for more granular control over critical settings with an EZ Mode for beginners and an Advanced Mode when you feel more confident.
The AMD Ryzen 5950X processor has 16 cores, 32 threads and a base clock speed of 3400MHz, or 3.4GHz. GHz! It can boost to 4.9GHz and only consumes 105W of power while delivering the best gaming experience. The CPU supports DDR4 memory modules, but only up to 3200MHz. Remember, the board can support up to 4400MHz DDR4 memory. Is it VR ready for use with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Windows Mixed-Reality Premium head-mounted displays? Yes, it is!
Again, plenty of heatsinks on this board with one for the chipset and the adjacent M.2 socket. There are actually two M.2 PCIe 4.0 compatible slots just one without the heatsink provided by ASUS.
The ASUS Prime X-570-Pro board has a bunch of ports in back, including 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, 4x 3.2 Gen 2 ports, with a display port and HDMI port squeezed in between. Then you have a 1Gb/s LAN port, more USB ports and 8-Channel audio. There’s a mix of PCIe 4.0 slots on the system board. Depending on what processor you install and how you configure the system, only certain slots are available. With the AMD Ryzen 5000 Series we will have use of 2 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The AMD X570 chipset provides four more PCIe ports including 1x x16 slot with a x4 electrical lane and 3x x4 slots with a x1 electrical lane. The board will support up to 3x AMD cards using Crossfire X technology or a 2-way SLI connection with dual NVIDIA cards and an SLI bridge.
As you can see from those specifications, you will need a Thermal Solution, which is not included. Providing the thermal answer is the Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU cooler. If you want to achieve those max boost levels, you will need more than adequate cooling for that CPU. This little baby does the job with a 240mm radiator, plus two CORSAIR ML120 PWM fans. Not to mention the additional fans and the GPU fans. LED RGB lighting effects for the fans can be controlled from the iCUE software utility. You can use it to control the lighting effects on other Corsair products too. Our Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 32GB memory modules use the Ballistix MOD application for lighting effects, which otherwise have a matt black finish.
The CORSAIR iCUE 4000X RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX case will house the ASUS Prime X-570-Pro board and has a transparent side panel. The control panel is on top of the chassis towards the front for easy access. This includes the power on button plus a combo headphone microphone jack and a few USB ports. Another excellent feature are the integrated dust filters on the bottom, top, and side to limit invasive dust bunnies and causing it to overheat.
With the 4000x you get three Corsair AirGuide RGB fans with lightening Node Core and iCUE software for control of the RGB lighting colors and effects. The fans are included with the kit and connect to the motherboard from the lightening Node Core via a USB connector. You can add a few more fans too, and plug into one of the available headers on the Asus X570 motherboard. These Corsair fans are quite silent, even operating at 4K under full bore.
This case also comes in white with grey accents, but we settled for basic black with silver accents to match the motherboard. The transparent panel is tinted for slightly subdued lighting. With the Rapid-Mount cable routing system you get a few Velcro straps to neatly connect all those cables together behind the motherboard ensuring a very clean look. If you would rather highlight your cabling the side panels on the iCUE case are interchangeable.
Two SSD mounts are located on the back of the motherboard mounting panel. The drive brackets can also be moved, and placed on top of the power supply. Another HD cage at the bottom supports two 3.5-inch drives and can be repositioned or even removed, depending on your setup. You can even mount your GPU vertically using a PCIe 3.0 extension cable, sold separately. Our MSI GeForce RTX 3080 was too fat for that, so we mounted it directly into the top PCIe slot.
For the main boot drive we have a 1TB Corsair Force Series Gen 4.0 NVMe M.2 drive. This one is the MP600. This little unit can and will take advantage of those PCIe 4.0 speeds this board and processor support. In other words, a sequential read of 4,950MB/s and sequential write of up to 4,250MB/s with an endurance rating of 1800 Terabytes written. It also has its very own heat sink. We will be adding another SSD to the mix just for more Terabytes of storage.
Power is provided by a Seasonic PRIME GX-1000 PSU, offering 1000 watts of 80+ Gold rated power! It’s a modular unit that will pop right into our case and offers plenty of power connectors. That PSU will be more than sufficient to meet the needs of that MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X TRIO 10GB GPU. That GPU requires up to 340W of dedicated juice. It also has integrated RGB lights. The GPU uses the MSI Mystic control panel to control the lighting effects, and you can make them sync with the other lighting effects applications. We can also snap in some LED lighting wherever we want with next-generation addressable RGB lighting strips that plug into the 4-pin RGB Header connectors on the board. With a few lighting strips inside the case, music can be synced or pulse to whatever is happening in the game.
The GeForce RTX 3080 is one of the hottest GPUs for gamers at the moment, offering incredible performance at a fairly reasonable price. So obligatory benchmarks are required…
Benchmarks and some additional commentary, which we need to see the benchmarks to say anything…
There you have it, the latest from AMDs CPU foundries plus an MSI GeForce RTX 3080 GPU. And with all those RGB LEDs, this system looks as good as it performs! Just look at the numbers on those benchmarks!
It’s an impressive system for both work and play, but this one we built specifically for play. We can build one for your too! Remember, IT Creations is a Custom integrator of AMD products. We build custom workstations for use in special effects, 3D animation, and other entertainment related applications. We can definitely build you a custom gaming system or provide you with the components for your own build.
If you’re interested in purchasing this server, click here! Or, if you’re interested in other servers or components, click here for IT Creations’ homepage.
