Building a custom PC is always exciting, especially when you’re aiming for the absolute pinnacle of performance. But let’s be real, the current GPU market with its sky-high prices and limited availability casts a long shadow over the entire PC building landscape. Despite this, we set out to construct the fastest consumer desktop PC money can buy right now, focusing on a balanced build around the powerhouse RTX 5090 and the newly launched AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
The Vision:
Uncompromised Performance for Gaming & Creation Our goal for this build wasn’t just raw gaming power, but also top-tier performance for content creation. This meant choosing components that would deliver across both demanding workloads. While the RTX 5090 is undeniably the fastest GPU for PC gaming today (if you can find one at a reasonable price!), we aimed to balance the rest of the system to avoid overspending on components that wouldn’t contribute proportionally to performance.
For the CPU, we opted for the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. While AMD’s 9800X3D might be the pure gaming king and a few hundred bucks cheaper, the 9950X3D offers double the cores (16 vs. 8), making it a superior choice for a crossover build that excels in both gaming and productivity tasks. Think of it as getting 9950X performance for CPU-intensive tasks and 9800X3D performance for gaming – a truly versatile chip.
The Components:
A Deep Dive into Our High-End Choices Here’s a rundown of the key components that went into this beast:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. As a new launch, it doesn’t come with a stock cooler, which leads us to our next crucial component. CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 Black. This massive 420mm AIO (All-In-One) liquid cooler was chosen for its exceptional cooling performance, especially for a high-end CPU like the 9950X3D. It’s surprisingly affordable at under $100 and features an impeller fan on the pump unit to help cool motherboard VRMs.
Case: ThermalTake Tower 600 (Matcha Green Edition). This unique vertically oriented case offers excellent airflow and ample space. Its modular design and easy-access panels make maintenance a breeze. We maximized cooling with ThermalTake Swafan EX120mm fans throughout the case.
Storage: Lexar NM790 4TB NVMe SSD. While 4TB might seem excessive, it’s incredibly convenient for a high-end build, providing ample space in a single drive. These are high-performance PCIe Gen 4 drives, offering read speeds up to 7,400 MB/s.
Memory: For a system of this caliber, 32GB is considered the bare minimum. We recommend at least a 64GB kit, potentially bumping up to 96GB or even 128GB. For AMD Ryzen systems, look for AMD EXPO compatible DDR5 memory at around 6000 MT/s. Going much higher than 6200-6400 MT/s can negatively impact the Infinity Fabric to memory controller ratio.
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero. While this particular board is an overkill (often retailing for $600+), an X670 or X670E chipset is recommended for maximum connectivity. Just be aware that older motherboards might require a BIOS update to recognize newer CPUs.
Graphics Card: ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5090 (32GB VRAM). The undisputed performance king, though finding one at a reasonable price is the real challenge. It comes with a modest factory overclock and a hefty 32GB of VRAM.
Power Supply: ASUS TUF Gaming 1000W 80 Plus Gold. A 1000W PSU is recommended for the RTX 5090. For Nvidia’s 40-series and 50-series high-end GPUs, an ATX 3.1 compatible power supply with a dedicated 12V-2×6 cable is highly recommended for stable power delivery and peace of mind.
The Build Process: A Smooth Assembly (Mostly!) The Thermal
Take Tower 600 proved to be a joy to build in. Its vertical layout eliminates GPU sag for large cards like the RTX 5090 by allowing it to hang directly from the top-mounted motherboard. This also means you can mount the GPU directly to the motherboard, avoiding riser cables which sometimes cause compatibility issues with 50-series GPUs. The case’s easy access panels and magnetic dust filters also promise simple future maintenance.
We did encounter a minor clearance issue with the massive 420mm AIO radiator and the PSU mount, but a small adjustment of the bracket (and a note to future builders to route CPU power cables first!) quickly resolved it. The case’s front panel I/O is also impressive, featuring a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port and four standard Type-A slots, providing excellent connectivity.
Performance & Aesthetics:
A Powerful and Striking System Once assembled, the system truly shines. The RGB lighting, controlled by ASUS Armory Crate (which, despite its aggressive installation, managed most of the hardware and ThermalTake fans via 5V addressable headers), ties everything together. A blue-to-green gradient in Armory Crate looked particularly striking with the case’s unique matcha green finish.
In terms of performance, the system delivered an overall score of 22,720 in 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, slightly higher than a Founder’s Edition 5090 with a 9800X3D. The 9950X3D’s CPU score was significantly higher due to its 16 cores. Cooling was excellent, with the CPU peaking at around 70.9°C and the GPU at 65.9°C (72°C on memory) under stress.
The Takeaway:
A Dream Build for Those Who Can Yes, this is an expensive build. The challenges of sourcing an RTX 5090 at a reasonable price are real. However, for those with the means to invest in the fastest PC hardware available in 2025, this combination of components offers a balanced, incredibly powerful, and aesthetically pleasing system that excels in both gaming and demanding content creation.
What do you think of this high-end PC build? Is it your dream machine, or do you find the current GPU market too frustrating? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
