Who doesn’t want the fastest computer possible? I’ve yet to meet such a person. It has been four years since I last updated the guts of my computer and I’ve been researching what it takes to get the speed I desire. Are these the absolute fastest options? No, my piggy bank is only so big and these are probably stretching it a bit. I will include links to purchase at Amazon for which I receive a commission. I wish I got all of these for free, but I’ll have to buy them like everyone else.

The CPU

There are processors with 18 cores and 36 threads. That’s crazy fast and it takes a lot of power. It is also insanely expensive. Therefore I tried to find a better balance and chose the Intel Core i7-7820X processor. My current CPU has 4 cores with 8 threads and the i7-7820X doubles that with 8 cores and 16 threads. If everything else were equal, that would be twice as much power. The maximum speed of each core is faster than my current processor, but we still aren’t comparing two equal parts. Numerous other changes have taken place in the time between their release. I can’t make an exact speed comparison between the two other than it will be a lot faster!

The Motherboard

Once a CPU has been chosen, the next step is finding a good motherboard. I’ve been a big fan of ASUS motherboards so I looked through their lineup. There are far more expensive options than the ASUS TUF X299 Mark 2 I selected. I didn’t see any “must have” features in the more expensive motherboards so this was the best option for my needs.

The RAM

One of the coolest part of the motherboard is that it provides eight slots for RAM. Eight! I currently have 16 GB and it is not uncommon that I’m using 70-80% of it most of the time. So I definitely want to get at least 32 GB in my next computer. If I get two sets of the chosen Patriot Viper 4 Series 16GB Kit, then I’ll have the desired 32 GB. Of course I could have a moment of madness and get 4 kits and a full 64 GB of RAM. Not only would this give me more RAM, it is faster than my current RAM.

The Video Card

I recently upgraded my monitor to the one described in Prices of 43″ 4K Monitors Dropping, LG Has Great Option. My current video card is powerful enough to push around all of those pixels. If I wanted to save a few bucks in the short term, I could stick with what I have and then upgrade the video card at a later time. I may choose that strategy. But if I have to pick one now, I’d go with the EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti. While not the most powerful card available, it is near the top. Having 8 GB of onboard RAM is certainly helpful for handling a high-resolution monitor with room to spare.

The Bill

When I added up all the parts, I have to admit it is a little more than I wanted to spend. For now, I’m going to continue looking for possible alternatives. In another month or so, I’ll make a final decision and get the upgrade started.