This is a fairly high-end Intel build based on their 10th generation Core i9-10900K. It’s a powerful CPU with plenty of cores that allow for excellent performance in just about any scenario you could think of. It’s also paired with an enthusiast motherboard with plenty of advanced capabilities and a great VRM section, as well as 16GB of RAM and a high-end GPU. To add to this, you have both an SSD and an optional hard drive, and everything is powered by a great PSU, and packed in a nice looking case with RGB LED fans.
Build Components:
 | CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K 10 core, 12 thread 10th generation CPU by Intel, comes with plenty of overclocking capabilities |
 | Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490 Excellent high-end motherboard with an LGA1200 socket, Wi-Fi and excellent VRM |
 | GPU: Asus GeForce RTX 2070 Super OC 8GB GDDR6 GPU with two fans and great performance in 1440p gaming, with ray tracing |
 | RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 16GB 3600MHz Dual-channel (2x8GB) kit that works on a high frequency and has great timings |
 | SSD: Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSDA high performance SSD with plenty of room at a reasonable price |
 | HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB (optional) Reliable and high-quality hard drive for your data |
 | PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 G5 (650W) High-quality PSU with 650W of power and an 80+ Gold rating |
 | Case: MUSETEX Phantom Black Great looking case with plenty of expansion and cable management options, with RGB, LED fans included |
Overview
CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K
When it comes to Intel’s 10th generation processors, the i9-10900K is the top of the line model. It comes with 10 cores and 20 threads, which makes it perfect for just about any task, from gaming to heavier, more intensive workloads.
It’s not just the core counts here – the CPU sits at a base clock of 3.7GHz, which is rather high. But when you push it hard, it won’t blink before it boosts up to a maximum of 5.3GHz, thanks to a combination of Intel Turbo Boost Max 3.0 and Thermal Velocity Boost. And that’s without any overclocking. Given that this is a K-series chip, you can easily overclock it to even higher frequencies if necessary.
Aside from this, the CPU comes with a TDP of 125W. While there is no cooling solution included, if you aren’t going to be overclocking, you should be able to do with a decent air cooler, or even better, a liquid solution, but more on that later.
There is also dual-channel memory support and 20MB of Intel’s Smart Cache, which is nice. Overall, this is an excellent high-end CPU for enthusiasts who don’t mind spending a bit more.
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490
A high-end build deserves a motherboard that comes with all the nice things the Z490 chipset brings, and the ROG Maximus XII Hero by ASUS is a great choice. It has everything you might need, and then some, and tops it all out with an excellent VRM section and passive cooling all around the motherboard.
To begin with, this is an LGA1200 socket made for 10th gen Intel processors, and with it being the Z490 chipset, you’re looking at a bit of overclocking potential, too. There are a pretty robust power solution and a ProCool II power connector, which will keep power delivery to your CPU constant and without any issues. This is crucial when overclocking and is a nice addition.
There is plenty of connectivity options, too, from the three M.2 slots to the USB Type-C connections for your front panel, and six SATA III ports, too. Four DIMM slots support dual-channel memory, and up to 128GB of it, so you have quite a lot of room for future upgrades.
Add to this excellent audio and networking sections, and you’ll see why this is our top recommendation for a 10th gen Intel build.
GPU: ASUS GeForce RTX 2070 Super Overclocked
Even though Nvidia might release new GPUs in some time, you can get one of their Turing refresh cards – the RTX 2070 Super is a great card for people who don’t want to spring for a 2080 or higher, yet want to get excellent performance in just about any gaming scenario.
It’s based on the Turing architecture and has a maximum boost clock of 1845 MHz when in OC mode. Add to this the 2560 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory, and you’ll see that this is a very powerful GPU. You can easily push games at high settings when gaming at 1440p, without any problems.
Then, there are the things that ASUS did to this card to give it its own flavor. You’ve got two Axial-Tech 0db fans which will significantly increase airflow, and the GPU has an IP5X dust resistance, so it won’t get bogged down by dust in your system. The backplate will prevent any flexing on the PCB and will reduce sag.
Last but not least, you get GPU Tweak II, which is a software that allows you to monitor performance in any scenario – a great addition to the hardware.
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 16GB 3600MHz
G.Skill has been at the top of the memory game for a good while now, and the Trident Z Neo is a great choice for a new Intel build. Aside from the performance, you also get a rather nice design and RGB lights, which makes this a great choice from an aesthetic standpoint, too.
To begin with, this is a kit that comes with two 8GB sticks, for a total of 16GB of memory. The sticks have been tested to work together, so you’ll get no problems with compatibility whatsoever. You’re looking at a frequency of 3600MHz, which is rather high. While AMD somewhat demands high-frequency RAM, with Intel this is just a nice bonus, but it’s a nice thing in any case. The timings are great, too. You’re looking at 16-19-19-39, which is great for a high-performance kit, and the voltage is 1.35V.
Then there’s the aesthetic. The RGB lights are excellent, and the heatsink is still rather low profile so you won’t have issues when you’re choosing a CPU cooler. It’s an excellent kit overall, and one you will love in your system.
SSD: Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD
The Sabrent Rocket is one of the fastest storage options you can get on the market nowadays. It checks a lot of boxes for an SSD suited for this Intel i9-10900K PC Build. Since this is a high-end build, it only makes sense to go for a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD.
The 1TB capacity is quite high and should be more than sufficient to store your operating system, the apps you use daily, and a few of your favorite games. And yes, this remains true even when you factor in larger games of today.
Lastly, this SSD can go up to 3200 MB/s read and 2000 MB/s write. Which is plenty fast and should allow your system, applications, and games to load extremely fast.
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB (optional)
Even though people seem to insist on using only SSDs in their builds, sometimes you just need a lot of storage, and you don’t care about whether it’s fast or not. In this kind of scenario, Western Digital Blue is the hard drive you want. Being a traditional mechanical hard drive, it’s not going to wow you with speeds, but its price is rather cheap, and it’s very reliable.
The WD Blue comes in a 1TB capacity and a 3.5-inch form factor. You should be able to fit it in just about any PC case that has a 3.5” slot. It uses a SATA 3.0 interface, and you have a few available ports on the motherboard so no issues there. At 7200RPM, this is far from a slow HDD.
The main thing about it is reliability – Western Digital has been making these for a while now, and they’re some of the most reliable drives out there. You can easily use this for years to come, and your data will remain safe and sound, without any issues. You also get the WD Edition of the Acronis True Image cloning software, which is a nice addition.
PSU: EVGA Supernova 650 G5
EVGA has been making PSUs for a good while now, and for conventional systems that aren’t extremely demanding, their Supernova is a great choice. The 650 G5 is a 650W PSU from the fifth generation of Supernova PSUs and comes with excellent performance.
To add to this, you also have a fully modular design. This means that when you’re building, you only use the cables you need and don’t have a mess of cables hanging inside your case – just remove them. It’s a great addition when it comes to cable management.
The efficiency rating here is great, too, as you’re looking at an 80+ Gold certified PSU. This means that under typical loads, you’ll get at least 91% efficiency or higher, which is great. The Japanese capacitors inside and the active clamp DC converter are designed to improve stability and work great.
Last but not least, you’re looking at a fluid dynamic bearing fan which is extremely quiet, and comes with EVGA’s eco mode that both keeps things silent, and significantly improves the lifespan of the fan itself. And you get a 10-year warranty, which is great.
Case: MUSETEX Phantom Black
Glass seems to be the way to go when it comes to PC cases, and the MUSETEX Phantom Black has plenty of it. You’ve got a tempered glass front panel, as well as a tempered glass side panel, which allows you to showcase everything that’s going on inside your build rather easily.
It fits just about any sized motherboard, and it has room for both 2.5” and 3.5” storage drives. You can have up to a 360mm radiator at the front, which should keep your CPU cool. The case does come with six RGB fans that are preinstalled, so you should be rather set in this regard. They also look pretty cool, too.
In terms of cable management, the case is designed very well. There is a PSU shroud at the bottom which helps hide your cables, and there is plenty of room at the back, too, so you can manage everything well.
Cooling and airflow are rather nice, the front panel does have perforated sides so air can get inside well, and the top panel has a magnetic dust filter if you want to use the top as intakes, too. A great case overall.
Optional extras
Windows 10 Home
Every build needs an operating system, and if you want to be using this for gaming, nothing beats Microsoft’s Windows 10. It’s an excellent OS that checks all the boxes, and gives you plenty of security, too.
Windows 10 is pretty much the go-to OS at this point, and most of the software, and pretty much any game you can imagine work with it. There are also mixed reality capabilities, too, so you can use the high-end hardware you have for VR gaming if you want to.
There is also the secure login system, Windows Hello. If you have a Windows Hello-compatible webcam or a fingerprint reader, you can securely log into your computer with biometrics instead of typing in a password every time.
Last but not least, we recommend that you go for the Home edition instead of the Pro unless you explicitly need the virtualization features that come with Pro. This allows you to save quite a lot because the price difference between the two is far from insignificant, but you won’t be missing out on any features that will make a difference when you’re gaming.
DEEPCOOL Castle 360EX
Since the Core i9-10900K doesn’t come with an included cooling solution, you should be providing your own. And for such a high-end CPU, it only makes sense to go for a liquid cooler that will allow you to push the thermal limits to its maximum. The DEEPCOOL Castle 360EX is a great pick, and it’s priced very reasonably for what you get.
This is a 360mm radiator, with three TF120S fans included, which push quite a lot of air and have PWM capabilities. You also get vibration dampening, so even under full load, they’re rather quiet. They’re also specially tuned for the radiator, which is nice.
The cooler itself comes with an excellent large copper base that has compatibility with a lot of sockets, including Intel’s LGA1200. It also has addressable RGB lights, which you can control through your motherboard, or with a cable controller, as is more convenient. With an anti-leak technology, there are no worries about potential leaks whatsoever. This is one of those coolers that you just install in your build and leave it there, without any concerns.
All things considered, the DEEPCOOL Castle 360EX is a great way to add a 360mm AiO cooler to your CPU and overclock it to its limits without worrying about temperatures.
Build capabilities:
- Excellent for 1440p gaming at high details
- Great for streaming at 1080p, or 1440p at lower details
- Excellent for heavier workloads such as development, video editing, and 3D modeling, graphic design, etc.
