THE max-spec-everything mini PC.

Discovering My New PC Build

I never imagined that upgrading my PC could reveal such surprising performance gains and trade-offs, as I pitted my latest creation against my reliable old machine to see just how much faster and efficient it really is.

I recently assembled what I believe is my fastest gaming PC yet, a compact air-cooled build featuring a 5090 GPU and a 9800 X3D CPU, and decided to compare it directly with my current liquid-cooled setup that has a 4090 and 7800 X3D. On the surface, they look almost identical, but inside, the differences are significant, from the upgraded components to the cooling methods. I was curious not just about speed, but also about noise and heat, as these could make or break my daily use.

One of the first changes I made was swapping to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM at 6400 CL32, ensuring everything runs at max spec for heavy multitasking. I removed the heat spreaders to fit it under the CPU cooler, risking the warranty but gaining the ability to run programs like Resolve, After Effects, Blender, and Photoshop simultaneously without issues. Storage got a massive boost too, with a total of 8 TB, including a 4 TB Samsung 990 Pro as the boot drive, which I borrowed from my old machine for now.

I also customized the cables for that clean, factory look, which was trickier this time due to the power supply's small plugs—I had to depin the original cables as a reference. Additionally, I 3D-printed cooling vents and shrouds to direct airflow better, but surprisingly, they only improved GPU temperatures by about one degree, which was mind-blowing given the effort. This compact design already channels air efficiently, so the fans at the top handle most of the work without much extra help.

For testing, I focused on tasks I use often, starting with video editing in Da Vinci Resolve. I had a 6-minute timeline with color-graded, noisy footage that required denoising, which my 4090 PC struggled with, dropping to around 24 FPS. The new 5090 build handled it smoothly at 30 FPS with no dropped frames, a clear win. Export times improved by about 30%, building on the 40-50% gain I saw from my previous 3090 setup.

Next, I turned to Blender for animations and renders, where both GPU and CPU get fully loaded. The 5090 system was about 28% faster than the 4090 one, shaving off 40 seconds per render—which adds up to hours for longer animations. Even my old 3090 build held its own, thanks to its stronger CPU threads, making me question if my 8-core setup is holding me back in some scenarios.

Gaming tests were more selective, with Cyberpunk at 4K fully ray-traced showing over a 30% frame rate increase to 93 FPS, making it noticeably smoother. However, in Overwatch 2 at 1080p and 480 Hz, the gains were minimal, possibly because the GPU wasn't pushed hard enough. One downside was clear: the new build runs hotter, peaking at 70 degrees compared to 60 on the liquid-cooled 4090, and it's louder too, even after tweaks like a 75% power limit and overclock.

After all the tests, I'm convinced the upgrades justify the switch, though the cooling shortcomings remind me that efficiency matters as much as raw power. A liquid-cooled setup like my old one might be in my future to balance everything out.

Reflecting on this build, I've learned that even small changes can lead to big surprises in performance, pushing me to think more about heat management in future projects. The real takeaway is how incremental upgrades compound over time, making everyday tasks not just faster, but more enjoyable overall.

Key Takeaways

• The new PC with 5090 and 9800 X3D offers significant speed boosts in video editing and rendering, up to 30% faster than the previous build.

• Despite upgrades like high-speed RAM and custom cables, cooling efficiency lags behind the liquid-cooled model, resulting in higher temperatures and noise.

• Gaming saw solid gains in demanding titles, but minimal improvements in esports scenarios, highlighting the importance of testing real-use cases.