Unlike the Lian Li x AMD build, this PC can at least boot without a dedicated GPU! (We still have one on hand anyway.)
PCWorld
Today’s Best Tech Deals
Picked by PCWorld’s Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect’s Editors
Back in December, we built a spectacular RGB PC using Lian Li’s O11 Dynamic Mini and Unifans, along with a bunch of AMD parts. It looked great, and thanks to those modular Unifans, had an extremely clean look. Normally when you pack six RGB fans into a case, you end up with a mess of cables to route.
Getting the parts needed to replicate that Lian Li x AMD PC is rough going at the moment, though. And between that and another intriguing set of modular fans on the market—InWin’s Saturn line—we decided to do a mirror universe version of the build. Inside will be a 10th-gen Core i7-10700K and a Z490 board, and we even found a case that’s a near duplicate of the O11 Dynamic (not a Mini version, alas, but close enough).
You can catch us putting it all together on Wednesday, March 31st at 11am Pacific on our YouTube channel:
Like all trips to an alternate universe, this build is set up for tension and intrigue. Because of the parts available in our lab, we’ll be using an NZXT Z490 motherboard…which, as you know, is a closed system for RGB. The Saturn fans, on the other hand, work with open systems tied to motherboard vendors like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock. So I can’t plug the fans into the NZXT mobo.
Instead, I’ll be gambling to see if I can daisy chain the two RGB controllers that come with the Saturn fans, then connect them to the Phanteks case itself, which is compatible with the same types of RGB systems and has its own RGB controls built in. It’s a calculated risk, but one that will result in zero rainbow lights if it fails to work as I’ve envisioned it. Wish me luck.
As for the full parts list, here’s everything we’ll be using:
- CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K
- CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken X63 Liquid CPU Cooler
- CPU cooler fans: InWin Saturn 140mm 3-pack
- Motherboard: NZXT N7 Z490 ATX LGA1200
- RAM: Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16
- GPU: Asus Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card
- Storage: Western Digital SN750 1TB M.2 NVME SSD
- PSU: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX
- Case fans: InWin Saturn 120mm 3-pack (x2)
- Case: MetallicGear NEO Qube ATX Mid-Tower
To keep the build moving along faster and leave more time to troubleshoot any RGB cabling woes, some parts of the PC will already be assembled when we start. You’ve all seen a CPU drop into its socket a million times anyway, right?
Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.