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Description
I use this build as a Plex Server and sometimes for games. I was worried that the H500i wouldn't fit this massive board but I wanted a small case that looked good. Turns out you can completely remove the cable cover and without that, the case has plenty of room for wide motherboards.
I will udpate when I receive my PCI-e extension cable and vertically mount the gpu as well as when I get some AIO liquid coolers for the CPUS.
Part Reviews
CPU
2x E5-2670 is a great deal and from the CPU Mark scores (Single: 1776, Multi: 19593) seems to perform around the level of a ThreadRipper 1920x. The Single Core score may be a bit low, but for under $85 each these are a steal!
Motherboard
This board is really big and pretty finnicky . It doesn't always boot up right away and may require a few reboots. There are guides online that can help you set the bios up a bit better (https://github.com/bravegag/z9pe-d8_ws-optimization-guide). I am happy though that the board can support the V2 Xeons, so that leaves me with a bit of an upgrade path for the future.
Memory
Works at 1600MHZ as advertised. The heatspreaders are a nice metallic blue color. It's not DDR4 but I don't know how much of a difference that would really make.
Storage
I had this lying around from my last Plex Server so I tossed it in this one. I've had it for 2 years and it stil works great. It may not be NVMe but it's fast enough for the OS to feel responsive.
Storage
Stores files. Have had no issues with it. Have had it for 2-3 years.
Storage
Stores files. Have had it for 6-7 years. No issues at all. I keep my least important data on this drive because it is getting older and I do worry it may one day fail.
Storage
This is my newest drive and it has been working well for about a year. No issues with it.
Video Card
Had this thing lying around and love the way it looks. I ordered a PCI-e extension cable to vertically mount this. WIll update when it arrives. It's about as fast as a GTX 1060 in most games.
Case
This case is an incredible value. Only $129 and it comes with 2 RGB LED strips, a smart hub / fan controller thing, room for 3x 3.5" drives and 2x 2.5" drives (though you could fit 4x if you has 2 more of the little drive caddies it comes with) and it looks really good. It was a joy to build in and it will even fit my massive SSI EEB motherboard with minimal modifications (only 5/9 screw holes matched up). I wanted the white one but it was not in stock anywhere, overall though I am happy with the black. Either way it is a great looking case
Power Supply
Had this lying around. Semi modular and has 2x 8 pin cpu connectors. Works really well with this build. I'll take off one star because the 24 pin and one of the 8pin connectors have exposed colored wires and are not especially nice to look at, but that is pretty minor.
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