Description
4K couch gaming and sublime madVR...
This was my first PC build in 5 years. I'd been wanting to build a 1080 Ti system for the last couple, but the inflated prices kept me at bay. But for some reason, I didn't mind paying the same amount as long as it was MSRP. Go figure.
Note, this was my first ITX build, my first liquid cooled build, and my first high-end video card build, so I had to research basic questions like, "which way should the fans blow?"
In the end, I got a blower-style video card, because the airflow in this case isn't great. I love the aesthetic of the case, but it really needs a rear fan outlet.
Gaming is smooth on Ultra 4k settings to my 55-inch LG OLED, but under load, the decibels can jump to 40. Fans are barely audible during web browsing. If you open the side (top, in the vertical position) panel, the thermals are better.
The Strix motherboard is over a year old, but still seems to be top of its class. But it has a glued CMOS battery (which was loose upon purchase) and lacks USB 3.1 gen 2 (rear). It has a gen 2 internal port, but the Evolv Shift does not have connectivity for that IO. Also, I read some reports of bad bluetooth on Amazon, so I ordered and installed a replacement wireless card.
The Silverstone was the biggest, quietest PSU that I could fit in the case, but a 500 W PSU would have starved an 8700K/2080Ti setup, so I opted for the 8600 (non-K). It turbos to 4.3 GHz on 6 cores, and only draws 65 W max.
The NZXT cooler has the CPU between 30-40 C when not gaming, and upper 60's when under load. But I'm not a big fan (haha) of the CAM software as it will freeze during benchmarking, doesn't start minimized, and always wants me to login. Also, the CPU block lights stay on after the system shuts down, and the included mini-USB2 cable sticks out over a heatsink. They should have designed the USB connectivity so it could be hidden.
HDR on Windows (even 1809, which I just installed) is still alpha. If I use Kodi to launch MPC-BE (and HDR is triggered), when I close MPC-BE, Kodi has weird display issues. If HDR isn't triggered, there's no display issue. If I launch an HDR file directly in MPC-BE, the video looks great, but the Windows background belongs to the Lorax. I've had the system video output lock up a couple times, when going between HDR/non-HDR, and had to reboot.
I installed the Dolby Atmos codec on my Xbox, and it transferred over. It's not necessary when you bitstream a movie, but games and Netflix show as Dolby Atmos. Dolby Vision still isn't available.
Overall, I'm happy with the build, and am looking forward to seeing reflected fire in the eyes of my foes when ray tracing becomes a thing.
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