Log First PC Build - Fractal Terra

AuriOh

What's an ITX?
Original poster
New User
Oct 15, 2023
1
3
Hi all! I've been playing on a prebuilt with a i5-9400F and a GTX 1660 since I switched over to PC gaming 5 years ago, and I finally got around to upgrading just recently. I wanted to build my own PC and I saw the Terra case and knew I had to go with it. Did a fair bit of research and settled on this - I went with Intel + Nvidia for reliability and because of some software I prefer.

CPU: i5-13600K
Cooler: Scythe Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B760-I
RAM: Crucial Pro 2x16GB DDR5-5600 CL46
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe M.2 2280SS
GPU: RTX 4070 Founder's Edition
Case: Fractal Terra (Silver)
PSU: Corsair SF750

I also got a Thermalright contact frame for the CPU and a Noctua NF-A12x25 fan (with a grill to protect PSU cables) to exhaust at the bottom of the case. Works great so far, although CPU thermals are a bit concerning - it was hitting 100°C just booting Overwatch 2 on the first boot. I've set the P1/P2 to 120/140W as well as a 0.125V undervolt, although it now stays at around 80°C under load, 50-60°C while gaming, and 30°C idle. Spine is set to about 1.5, which gives the CPU cooler plenty of clearance with pretty much no noise profile issues from either side of the case even with the fans ramped up. I'm worried I may have applied too much thermal paste, although I don't know if that would be causing any problems temperature-wise. GPU is only hitting 65°C under load and is mostly staying under 55°C when gaming, although I haven't upgraded my monitor from 1080p/144Hz yet. Cable management was quite difficult with the stock SF750 cables on the Motherboard/PSU side, but overall the build itself went much smoother than I expected for my first go at PC building.