Upgrading My Workspace

Something I have wanted to do for a very long time…

For a number of years now I have been doing my graphic design from my laptop, and by no means is it a bad laptop but it does limit my creativity because the power is far less than a computer so I can’t make as complex designs or edit longer videos etc.

I decided that I would change that this year and make a big investment and buy a quality PC. This is something that I have thought about for a number of years and something I have always wanted, I just never found the space. So I set myself the task of finding the space in my room to fit my vision. After the 2 day clear out I would be able to fit a desk around about 80 x 45 (W x D) which is not much but it is definitely achievable.

Now it was time to fill my brain with knowledge. I did computer science GCSE while I was at school but to be honest I just didn’t really have a clue where to start. The one thing I did know is that building a PC myself would get the best value for money so that is what I set out to do.

I watched countless YouTube videos trying to gain the understanding of what components are the best and what does what. The videos were very helpful and the majority were produced by ‘Linus Tech Tips’.

Once I had gained some sort of understanding of what was good and what was past its best I decided to find a building website to simplify it a little bit and my Dad recommended a site called PC Specialists which is actually what my Dad used a while back to build his. I took my time decided on what components where best and researched all of the graphics cards and drivers to maximize my value for money.

I wasn’t too worried about the cost but I wanted to be absolutely certain that it would be worth it and I was getting the best for what I was paying.

So here it is, the specifications of my new PC:

Case

• PCS P209 RGB MID TOWER CASE

Processor (CPU)

• Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9–9900 (3.1GHz) 16MB Cache

Motherboard

• ASUS® PRIME Z390-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs — RGB Ready!

Memory (RAM)

• 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB)

Graphics Card

• 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER — HDMI, DP — VR Ready!

1st Storage Drive

• 500GB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)

2nd Storage Drive

• 1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

1st M.2 SSD Drive

• 512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)

Power Supply

• CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY

Power Cable

• 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Processor Cooling

• CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition

Thermal Paste

• ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Extra Case Fans

• 1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)

Sound Card

• ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking

• ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz

USB/Thunderbolt Options

• MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Moving on, Due to the small work area that I am working with, I set my sights on finding a desk that would fit. This proved to be a massive struggle! I found one particular style that I liked but it was sold out everywhere and everything else was either too big or just looked awful.

After numerous hours of searching high and low, I came across a desk from Ryman that had only one left in stock and it was the perfect fit for my space and will go really nice in my room.

I am fortunate enough that my Dad has a spare monitor that I can use, even if it is just for a temporary basis, just so I can save some money up again but in the future I am definitely interested in the ultra wide monitors. I also have a wireless mouse I can use and I am going to buy a flat wired keyboard off amazon.

So here it is all put together and ready to go!