Happy New Year! If you are a student, it's your New Year's gift; if you are a working adult, it's your winter bonus. The end of the year and the beginning of the new year tend to loosen the purse strings, don't they? If you are a gamer, you may want to buy a new game console, device, or even a whole new PC! I'm sure there are those who want to buy a new game console, device, or even a whole new PC! This time, we would like to introduce you to a " home-built PC " that may accelerate your spending even more.
Let's try to build a home-built PC with "BTF" technology!
Even in Japan, a country that has long been known for its home video game consoles, demand for gaming PCs has been expanding in recent years. Although a little expensive to buy as a birthday present, the market is becoming more and more open for students to have access to high-spec PCs.
However, the market for desktop PCs has been growing! Desktop PCs, in particular, are difficult to select and buy because there are tens of thousands of combinations of motherboards, CPUs, and many other parts. The options for purchasing a gaming PC are...
- "Ready-to-Use" models, pre-configured and assembled by the manufacturer or distributor.
- BTO", assembled by the manufacturer or distributor with parts selected by the buyer
- Home-built", in which the purchaser assembles the purchased parts by himself/herself.
These are the three major types. Each has its own merits and demerits, but this time we will introduce a configuration (at the time of writing) that can only be realized by self-production! Let's build a home-built PC with a focus on ASUS'Back-To-The-Future (BTF) wiring design.
Start to build your own PC!
- Case: TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB WHITE
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-BTF WIFI
- CPU: Intel Core i7-14700K
- CPU Cooler: ASUS ROG RYUJIN III 360 ARGB White Edition
- Graphics Board: ASUS TUF-RTX4070TIS-O16G-BTF-WHITE
- Memory: CORSAIR CMK64GX5M2B5200C40W 32GB x 2 White
- Storage: WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD WDS200T2X0E
- Power Supply: ASUS TUF-GAMING-1000G-WHITE
As you can see, the configuration is as shown here. I'd like to make a pretty PC with a white base color if I can!
Parts installed on the motherboard!
The motherboard that will serve as the foundation of the PC is the ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-BTF WIFI. Directly placing the motherboard on a hard table may damage the terminals and other parts.
CPU " Intel Core i7-14700K " is installed in the socket. Be careful of the direction!
SSD is " WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD WDS200T2X0E " and memory is " CORSAIR CMK64GX5M2B5200C40W 32GB x 2 White ".
The SSD is installed in the M.2 slot! Insert the SSD at an angle and secure it with the tabs on the motherboard.
The heatsink of the SSD has a sticker on the thermal pad. As it says "REMOVE" on the heatsink, remember to remove it otherwise the SSD will not be able to dissipate heat properly, which may lead to malfunction!
Insert the memory into the slot by opening the tabs and pushing it in vertically. It is a little stiff, but once the tabs close with a clicking sound, you are done!
CPU cooler is " ASUS ROG RYUJIN III 360 ARGB White Edition ", so called water cooler. The tubes and fan are white and cute!
The base for fixing the CPU cooler is installed. The main unit will be installed later!
Motherboard and fans are installed in the case!
The PC case is the " TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB WHITE ", a large case that can accommodate an E-ATX or BTF motherboard, a 360mm cooler, and a 407mm graphics board. The tempered glass panel makes the inside of the PC beautiful and attractive!
Lay the PC case on its side and install the motherboard mentioned earlier.
Since the case is BTF compatible, there is a perfect space for the terminals on the back of the motherboard. If you want to build your own PC with BTF, you need to check the compatibility of your PC case in advance.
Power supply is " ASUS TUF-GAMING-1000G-WHITE ".
In many cases, grease is applied to a new CPU cooler in advance. This time, since we purchased grease alone, which is sold separately, we wipe it off.
The grease used is " AINEX Nano Diamond Grease DX1 ". I also used " Platinum Paint Meijin Kit " because I was curious about it.
Masking stickers and cards are used to apply the paint neatly. Platinum Paint Meijin Kit " is a real powerhouse!
CPU fan and cooler are installed. Cables should be put out the back side in advance for smooth wiring.
This is where BTF really shines. If you do the wiring roughly just because it is back wiring, the panel of the PC case will not close.
The problem was that the USB 5Gbps header (U5G_78) cable was too thick to close the panel of the PC case. We solved this problem by splitting the cables in two directions, but is this really the right solution...?
Finally, the graphics board " ASUS TUF-RTX4070TIS-O16G-BTF-WHITE " is installed. The BTF-compatible graphics board has a unique terminal called "GC-HPWR Gold Finger" that supplies power via a cable on the back.
The white-based BTF home-built PC is completed!
Finally, the PC was completed! The white color scheme is beautiful, and the back wiring makes the inside of the case so much cleaner.
Checking if each part is recognized after booting up!
Do not let your guard down even after you have finished assembling your home-built PC. Let's check if the PC is booted up and each parts are recognized.
After the power is safely turned on, start the BIOS...
First of all, we will enable "X.M.P." at least. The BIOS also displays information about CPU and memory, so it seems to be OK.
This time we will install Windows 11 Pro. If you follow the steps one by one, there should be no confusion.
After booting Windows, check the CPU and memory values again from Task Manager. It was safely recognized!
...So, although it was a rush, I assembled my own PC for BTF. All wiring is completed in the back, and there is no auxiliary power cable for the graphics board, so I would rather recommend the BTF standard to beginners in home-building. At the time of writing, the number of compatible products is small and the price is relatively high compared to normal products with the same specifications. However, it is also true that we can expect an increase in the number of products and further evolution after 2025. Why don't you support BTF by purchasing parts, hoping that it will spread as a new standard in the industry?