New Gaming PC Build

Project "Godzilla": A Prodigal Coder Returns to the World of Windows & Gaming Glory

Alright folks, confession time. For the last few years, my gaming life has been...dormant. Shackled to the glorious (but game-light) world of Macbook Pros and the lean, mean coding machines of Linux, I’ve traded frame rates for frameworks, and fragging for function calls. But the siren song of PC gaming, the allure of ray-traced explosions and the promise of conquering virtual worlds in unparalleled detail, finally proved too strong to resist.

So, I dusted off my ancient PC-building knowledge (which, let's be honest, felt like deciphering hieroglyphics), dove headfirst into the world of Windows (a world I haven't navigated regularly in years), and embarked on Project "Godzilla" - a quest to build a gaming rig so powerful, it would make my Macbook Pro weep in shame.

From Terminal to Titans: Why I Returned to the Fold

My Macbook Pro has been amazing for work. My linux boxes are fantastic for compiling code, running servers, and other techy fun. But deep down, a part of me missed the visceral thrill of gaming. I longed to immerse myself in the unforgiving landscapes of Escape From Tarkov, to become a digital deity in Civilization 7 (yes, the hype is real!), and to witness the breathtaking beauty of Cyberpunk 2077 with every graphical bell and whistle maxed out. I've always wanted to be able to play all of the Total War games, and enjoy games like World of Warcraft, FF14, and many more. The sheer scale of my game library demanded a beast that could handle anything I threw at it. World of Warcraft raids? No problem. Hours of crafting in FF14? Bring it on. Masterful park creation in Planet Zoo and Coaster 2? Child's play. Total War campaigns on a ridiculous scale? Absolutely. Commanding a squad in Arma Reforger with photorealistic fidelity? You know it. Dominating the leaderboards in POE2? I can taste the victory. Manipulating dynasties in Crusader Kings 3 and Stellaris? My computer better be powerful enough to handle the complex machinations of my digital empires!

I needed something that would handle modern games at max settings without breaking a sweat, a true return to form. The answer? A monster machine rocking these specs:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D – Back in my day, CPUs were just CPUs. This thing? This is a next-level processing god. That 3D V-Cache sounded like pure black magic to my coding brain, but I’m sold.
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero – I vividly remembered ASUS being an amazing brand, and this ROG board looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. The BIOS looked completely different from what I remembered. I'm gonna have to spend some time learning about the features.
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 – Holy moly. This is the GPU they warned you about. I had to double-check that my power supply could actually handle this behemoth and there is no way to get a 5090 today, so 4090 it is.
• RAM: 64GB Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5 6000MHz – More RAM than I've ever had in my coding setups! Just in case I wanted to run a Minecraft server in the background.
• Storage:
  • 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSD (Operating System & Key Games) – I've lived in the land of SSDs for a while now, but these NVMe drives are on a whole different level. Boot times are a joke.
  • 2TB WD Black SN850X NVMe SSD (Game Storage) – Two SSD's for the cost of one HDD from 10 years ago...
  • 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD (Media & Overflow) – For those nostalgia videos I plan to take and make about how awesome this computer is.
• Cooling:
  • NZXT Kraken Elite RGB 360 AIO Cooler – Okay, I admit it. The customizable LCD screen sold me. Keeping the CPU cool is important, but looking cool while doing it? Priceless.
  • 7 x Lian Li UNI Fan SL-Infinity 120mm Fans – RGB everywhere. These are some cool fans.
• Power Supply: Corsair HX1500i 1500W 80+ Platinum – A beast. I did not want to risk ruining my fancy computer by putting too much stress on the power supply.
• Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO – This case has so much room to do whatever I want with it.

The Build: From Bash to BIOS

Let me tell you, jumping back into PC building after a few years of Linux and Mac was...an experience. It was like trying to remember a foreign language I hadn't spoken in years.

The physical build itself was surprisingly straightforward. Modern components are generally much easier to install than I remembered. However, my previous cable management tricks were outdated.

Then, I got to the software side of things... Windows! I'm used to doing everything from the terminal. And this was different. It was like learning a new operating system.

The Payoff: From Fails to Frags

After wrestling with cables, drivers, and the occasional existential crisis about my PC-building abilities, I finally hit the power button. And to my immense relief, it POSTed!

Then came the moment of truth: gaming.

• Escape From Tarkov: Could not play on Macbook Pro. Now? Buttery smooth.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Could not play on Macbook Pro. Now? I can run it with ray tracing cranked up and still get a solid framerate.
• Civilization 7 (eventually): The only limitation on my digital empire's size is my own imagination. This I could play on Macbook Pro but man does it run better here.
• World of Warcraft & FF14: These games look better and run smoother than I ever imagined.
• Planet Zoo and Coaster 2: Building big just got easier. Again, could not play on Macbook Pro
• Total War Series: The new computer handles this like a champ. These are some of the few games I could play on Macbook Pro but boy do they play so much better on this machine.
• Arma Reforger: I have been loving this game because of the graphics! Again, not possible on Macbook Pro.
• POE2: I've been smashing through the game. Not very good performance on Macbook Pro.
• Crusader Kings 3 & Stellaris: Now the late game performance will be great. These did run okay on Macbook Pro, but so much better now, especially in late game.

The Verdict: A Coder Converted (Back) to Gaming

Project "Godzilla" was more than just building a PC; it was a journey back to a passion I'd almost forgotten. It was a reminder that sometimes, you need to step away from the command line and immerse yourself in a virtual world.

Yes, Windows is still...Windows. And yes, I might need to re-learn a few things about PC hardware. But the feeling of playing my favorite games on this beast of a machine? Worth every hour of effort.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world to conquer. Game on!