06/06/2025
HUGE shoutout to ASUS Republic of Gamers ASUS and Patriot for sponsoring this build! ππ
Check out my review below! π
For more detailed reviews per product consider viewing some of my other posts, additionally a PCPartpicker link is included at the bottom!
Chassis:
ASUS A31 ATX
https://www.asus.com/.../asus/asus-a31-case/where-to-buy/
Motherboard:
ASUS ROG STRIX X870-A Gaming WIFI
https://rog.asus.com/.../rog-strix-x870-a-gaming-wifi/wtb/
Graphics Card:
ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition
https://rog.asus.com/.../rog-astral-rtx5090-o32g-gaming/wtb/
CPU AiO Cooler:
ASUS ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme White Edition
https://rog.asus.com/.../rog-ryujin-iii-360-argb.../wtb/
Power Supply:
ASUS TUF GAMING 1000w Gold White Edition
https://www.asus.com/.../tuf-gaming-1000g/where-to-buy/
Fans:
ASUS TUF GAMING TR120 ARGB, White
https://www.asus.com/.../tuf-gaming-tr120-argb-fan.../
ASUS TUF GAMING TR120 ARGB Reverse Blade, White
https://www.asus.com/.../tuf-gaming-tr120-argb-reverse.../
RGB Fan Hub:
ASUS TUF Gaming ARGB PWM Fan Hub
https://www.asus.com/us/motherboards-components/cooling/tuf-gaming/tuf-gaming-argb-pwm-fan-hub/where-to-buy/
RAM:
Patriot Elite 5 RGB DDR5 Memory 48GB (2x24GB) 6000MT/s CL30
https://viper.patriotmemory.com/products/elite5-ddr5-performance-ram
SSD:
Patriot Viper VP4300 Lite M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 Gaming SSD Read/write speeds up to 7,400MB/s, 6,400MB/s
https://viper.patriotmemory.com/products/viper-vp4300lite-pcie-m-2-gen4x4-solid-state-drive
**Functionality:
The overall system connectivity and function is ample though I mainly use the quick charging ports for my external devices and USB ports for thumb drives. The ROG Strix motherboard is loaded with all the features one could need, although ideally it should have a Q-code panel it's not the end of the world. The ASUS Astral 5090 graphics card has connections for my three monitors and the use of certain ASUS software like GPU Tweak III, AI Overclocking, and AI Cooling II allows me to easily adjust system parameters.
The ASUS GPU Tweak III software is the big one here as it provides the ability to monitor the ASUS Astral's 12vHpwr per-pin power delivery which is phenomenal for peace of mind. Finally, the ASUS Ryujin's LCD brought the build to life with the ability to monitor system temps and diagnostics.
**Performance:
System performance and cooling was superb and on-par with what I had expected. Gaming performance was outstanding, thermals were great and the system checked nearly every box for a modern high-end system. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D really hits a sweet spot for me in gaming, and content creation for editing videos. Had I only been using this system for gaming I would have just ended up with a AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
While the totality of the system was pushing close to my 1000-watt power supply limit I briefly overclocked the ASUS Astral RTX 5090 OC Edition to 2.9 MHz stable. The TUF Gaming TR120 fans performed well and the reverse fans come very close to performance from the standard fan, something most manufacturers have yet to achieve.
The 48GB's of Patriot DDR5 memory ran buttery smooth using AMD Expo with quick boot times and passed a long MemTest 86 test without errors. The Patriot M.2 SSD was snappy and hit close to advertised speeds in CrystalDiskMark while the ASUS ROG motherboards heatsink keeps the SSD temps in check. And who can forget the ASUS Ryujin powerhouse of a CPU cooler providing great system temps and a customizable LCD screen for real time monitoring!
**Aesthetics:
ASUS goodness throughout from the modern case to the stylish motherboard and sleek graphics card; I'm pleased with how this build turned out. The ASUS A31 case provides a showcase appearance with its frameless design and 8-degree angled PSU shroud blasting air and fan RGB onto the GPU. The graphics card has style of its own from its striking RGB strip to its quad fan design, full metal shroud, and two-tone grey color scheme.
The ASUS ROG Strix x870 motherboards white and silver color scheme goes well with the build, as does it's subtle RGB lighting. The motherboards completely white PCB is also something I appreciate and really helps tie in color coordinated build projects. The TUF Gaming TR120 fans have stylish side lighting patterns and overall vivid RGB lighting.
The ASUS Ryujin's fancy customizable LCD screen is super slick and easily controlled, I tossed an animation of my logo onto it for fun! The only thing I would change in this build is using an ASUS Astral White Edition for obvious reasons and possibly the fans. I truly regret not using the included ASUS Ryujin fans as they're very premium in aesthetics, performance and functionality. Untimely it came down to a system design choice. I'm excited to see what future products are added to the ASUS portfolio.
**Cable Management:
While I suspected I could smash the cable management in this build, honestly, I underestimated the number of wires coming from the TUF Gaming TR120 fans. I was kidding myself thinking I could pull off a cleaner build using the TUF Gaming RGB/Fan hub; unfortunately, it didn't help much. Adding the white-grey PSU cable extensions just made matters worse.
The included ASUS TUF Gaming PSU comes with quality cables but I wanted to tie in the color scheme using PSU extensions to match the grey toned Astral GPU. While the ASUS A31 chassis has ample cable management space this was one of those instances where you close the back panel and forget it. It's mint if you squint.
**Conclusion:
I find value in the ASUS Astral RTX 5090 for its 12vHpwr power delivery monitoring, and honestly this should be a huge selling point for clients and consumers. I wholeheartedly think the price is worth its premium when comparing to other AiB GPU selections. Consider also the beefy GPU cooling shroud, software and performance it's easy to see why.
The ASUS ROG STRIX X870-A motherboard has a beautiful design with its white PCB and visual appearance. Hefty heatsinks keep thermals at bay and connectivity is abundant with this board. The price is competitive, UEFI BIOS is easy to navigate and software functions like AI Overclocking adds value. Having used this motherboard several times now in different PC builds and explored all it has to offer I think it's a good buy for clients and consumers alike.
The Ryujin 360mm AiO while seemingly expensive is not that far off from other high end AiO price points considering the unit is coupled with a quality LCD, software and fans helps put it near the top end of the AiO market segment. Currently its being offered with a great retail promotion; including a free game (DOOM: The Dark Ages) and a year subscription to Aida64 for monitoring the system. The ASUS TUF Gaming 1000w PSU is also a wonderful deal and typically can be found at a good price point, the included custom cables really add value to the package.
While I dogged on the TUF Gaming TR120 fans a bit their price to performance for what you get cannot be ignored! And finally, to conclude the ASUS ecosystem, the ASUS A31 case is the real value king here and typically can be found under $80. The DDR5 RAM and SSD provided by Patriot can also be found at good price points and certainly worth considering when building your next system. Also, have a look at some of the deals Patriot has on their 32GB DRAM models!
Overall, the system is quite pricy but there are choices one might make to cut cost such as a GPU like the ASUS TUF Gaming model, a B Series motherboard, and a cheaper AiO. Considering I'm coming from an AMD Ryzen 5950x CPU and an AMD Radeon 6900XT GPU this PC was a welcomed upgrade to my personal space!
PCPartpicker Link: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Hcpcv4
