Well, guys, it's time to bring an update to the ASUS Fest build!
I've made some real progress on this build over the past few days so let's go over the specs and the plan for this build;
The first post teased what this system will be about and some of the hardware to be used. The case is the Lian Li 011 Dynamic XL ROG Edition, a case that, well, pretty much everyone at this point has built in!. Now I have finally got my hands on one for the ASUS Fest build, I have to say I am impressed and can see why so many people are choosing this for their builds. It offers plenty of room for custom layouts so after it arrived I spent some time planning what to do with it.
The thing with all the 011 builds is that to some extent, they all look the same, so I want to go in a slightly different direction. Rather than just slapping in 3 rads or a distro on the back wall, I want to use the top and bottom of the case for Alphacool ST30 White radiators. the rear panel where the distro normally sits will be getting a custom laser cut panel to act as a bulkhead.
This panel will have a mirror finish with a 250mm Alphacool reservoir mounted to the front and passthrough fittings for a rear-mounted Alphacool VPP775 Pump. The mirror finish will act to distribute light around the case, hopefully making it feel airy. ASUS Fest is Miami / summer themed so this will help with that feeling and I hope it will give some cool angled reflections of the reservoir too.
The heart of the build is based around the ASUS ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming Wifi, paired with the current Intel flagship CPU, the Intel Core i9 11900K. This board not only fits the theme with its silver finish but provides a high-quality platform, comprehensive VRM and Chipset cooling, and great connectivity. Further, it provides Gen 4 PCIe storage for fast loading times, with another two M.2 slots at Gen 3 speeds serving for further expansion. Memory is provided by TeamGroup, 16GB of their Xtreeem at 3600MHz, and in white, of course
For storage, we need to keep cable management to a minimum so there's no external-based storage, everything is motherboard-based NVME, using both a TeamGroup Cardea Zero Z440 1TB, and a TeamGroup Cardea Zero Z330 1TB NVME. Plenty of room then for a Steam library then under the metal motherboard heatsinks.
It's ok having a games library but in order to play your favorite latest and greatest titles you need a half-decent GPU, ASUS has got you covered here again with the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080Ti taking care of frame rates above and beyond what mere mortals will ever need. On air, it's an awesome-looking card, I've always loved the design of the Strix line up, the axial fans and 12GB of GDDR6X memory make this a great choice for any build. But, block and water-cool the card and well, there will be even more frames to be had while staying frosty for those longer gaming sessions.
Keeping both the CPU and GPU cool are Alphacool blocks, chrome fittings and to keep things airy, Lian Li AL120 White fans, 6 in total. Yes, everyone uses them, yes, they look pretty, but again this was function orientated rather than aesthetics, keeping wiring once again to a minimum. If you have seen my other builds then you know I'm an Alphacool fan, their components are well made and offer great cooling. If it ain't broke, don't fix it right? The Alphacool pump fits snugly to the rear of the case with the drain port using the 011 access panel for really easy maintenance. It's mounted by drilling 4 holes into the bottom of the case and simply bolts into position. The Lian Li fan hub also fits in the back quite well, mounting to the case too.
Finally, power will be delivered by an ASUS ROG Strix 850G White Edition, 80 Plus Gold rated and fully modular. The included white cables are being thrown out though, we are going with a custom set to match the Miami Sunset ASUS Fest vibe once again. It's a gorgeous unit, and a shame to hide it away around the back of the case, 10-year warranty too, so ASUS are really confident in their PSUs!
So the build is now at a point where I am ready to install the mirrored panel, hard-line fittings and get it all piped up. Il be dropping the next update really soon so that you can see it all coming together!
