[cameraman]

I built the PC over Christmas break. When I was shooting professional sports as a second job/hobby I would build a new PC every three years. I haven't shot sports for many years so it has been 8 years since my last build. Since retired I didn't need to do the build over Christmas break but old habits die hard. I still do a lot of photography and some video and the recent introduction of AI in many of my editing programs and ever increasing file sizes, my old PC just wasn't up to the task.

I had always used Intel CPU's and only after I bought a 14th generation Intel CPU did I learn of some stability problems. I think with the latest motherboard BIOS, the issues have been resolved. For my previous two builds I used a Cooler Master HAF X case. They were large and easy to work with and I loved them. I wanted faster USB connections for file transfer so opted for the current Cooler Master HAF series model, the 700 EVO. I was not prepared for all the LED bling and not sure how I feel about it. Hopefully I'll get used to the changing waves of color. Who knew fan blades would evolve to this. I have a redundant file system; I keep most files on my main workstation for quick access, copies and all archives on a NAS, and copies up to the time I transitioned to the new PC are still stored on the old PC. I'm well over 20Tb's and growing of archived and stock photos and videos.

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO motherboard, Intel Core i9-14900KF, iCUE H170i ELITE CAPELLIX XT, ASUS GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER TUF, G.SKILL Trident Z5 Royal Series (Intel XMP 3.0) DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6400MT/s CL32-39-39-102 1.35V, Samsung 4TB 990 PRO PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 Internal SSD (3 ea.), 8TB Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2.5” SSD, 4TB Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2.5” SSD (repurposed), WD 16TB Gold SATA III 3.5" HDD, AXi1600i Power Supply, Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO case, Dell 6K U3224KB Monitor, NEC MultiSync PA272W Monitor, Windows 11 Pro 64.

[Zuman]

Very cool. Have you ever thought about building an audio-specific server? The Taiko Extreme costs about $30k and their Olympus is more than twice that, yet many owners proclaim them the single biggest improvement in their entire hifi system. I bought a demo Pachanko Mini SE server to replace my previous NAD M50.2 player/server (running Roon), and I can affirm that the audible improvements are shockingly large.
Pachanko's site notes that they utilize "high-End components, fully optimized OS....The MINI SE is equiped with a Intel CPU with 4 core and 8 GB RAM module for best latency and data transfer. Clock-less (No TCXO, OCXO...), Fanless design, no noise, the OS is a custom Windows heavily tweaked to reach the lowest latency possible."
It looks like you may have the knowledge to do this yourself!

[nlitworld]

That is one hell of a workstation you built there.  IF you don't have epileptic seizures from the lit up fans, having that much air movement is pretty nice. Everything is just loafing along rather than spooling up and being super noisy. Good stuff!

[cameraman]

Very cool. Have you ever thought about building an audio-specific server? The Taiko Extreme costs about $30k and their Olympus is more than twice that, yet many owners proclaim them the single biggest improvement in their entire hifi system. I bought a demo Pachanko Mini SE server to replace my previous NAD M50.2 player/server (running Roon), and I can affirm that the audible improvements are shockingly large.
Pachanko's site notes that they utilize "high-End components, fully optimized OS....The MINI SE is equiped with a Intel CPU with 4 core and 8 GB RAM module for best latency and data transfer. Clock-less (No TCXO, OCXO...), Fanless design, no noise, the OS is a custom Windows heavily tweaked to reach the lowest latency possible."
It looks like you may have the knowledge to do this yourself!

Those look interesting but not something I am interested in. The only streaming I do is from my own burned CD's though my wife subscribes to Spotify. Four or five years ago I rekindled my love of playing good old fashion records. Something about the tactile engagement and unique sound characteristic and analog nature of vinyl. I still play plenty of digital music but usually as a playlist. When I want to listen to an album I prefer putting on a record. Thanks.

[cameraman]

That is one hell of a workstation you built there.  IF you don't have epileptic seizures from the lit up fans, having that much air movement is pretty nice. Everything is just loafing along rather than spooling up and being super noisy. Good stuff!

I was a bit taken aback by the bling but the LED light show is starting to grow on me. I'm debating whether to install the Cooler Master software to control the case fans lights and speed and the Corsair software for the liquid cooling fans but I prefer as little bloatware as possible. The case is completely silent. Not a whisper. I'm interested to hear how it responds when I do some large AI batch photo editing and video rendering. Thanks.