Summary

Chapter 13 — Course Summary & What's Next

Build Complete — Dev Workstation on Intel LGA1700

i7-13700K · 64GB DDR4-3600 · Gen 4 NVMe · RTX 3050 LP · 3 Monitors · 3.15TB total storage

16C / 24T

CPU threads

64 GB

DDR4-3600

7,400 MB/s

NVMe read

3 screens

incl. 165Hz

~3.2×

faster compiles

5 yr

PSU warranty

Complete Parts List — Buy vs Keep

Motherboard — MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4

LGA1700, ATX, PCIe 5.0, 3× M.2, 2.5GbE, WiFi 6E · Recommended DDR4 variant

£150 – £185

CPU — Intel Core i7-13700K

16C/24T (8P+8E), 5.4GHz boost, 30MB L3, LGA1700, 125W TDP

£280 – £340

CPU Cooler — Noctua NH-D15 G2

Dual-tower, 2× 150mm NF-A15 G2 PWM fans, 330W TDP, 167mm height · NH-D15 G2 LBC variant if RAM clearance tight

£95 – £115

NVMe SSD — Samsung 990 Pro 2TB (or equiv. Gen 4)

PCIe 4.0 × 4, 7,450/6,900 MB/s seq R/W, 1,200 TBW, 5yr warranty, DRAM cache

£100 – £140

Case — Fractal Design Define 7

ATX/E-ATX, 3× 140mm fans included, 2× 5.25" bays, 185mm cooler clearance, acoustic dampening

£120 – £145

Thermalright LGA1700 Contact Frame (optional)

Replaces Intel ILM, corrects PCB bowing, 5–10°C temperature reduction

£8 – £12

GPU — GeForce RTX 3050 LP 6G OC

3× DP 1.4 + 1× HDMI 2.1, drives all 3 monitors incl. 165Hz, ~75W TDP, NVDEC AV1

£0

PSU — Corsair TX550M 550W 80+ Gold

Semi-modular, 140mm HDB fan, ~73% peak load with this build, 5yr warranty

£0

RAM — Corsair Vengeance RGB RS 64GB DDR4-3600 C18

2× 32GB, A2+B2 dual channel, XMP Profile 1, ~54 GB/s bandwidth, 10ns true latency

£0

Samsung 870 EVO 2TB SATA SSD

2,400 TBW, DRAM cache, D: drive for archives + VMs + large data

£0

WD Blue SA510 1TB SATA SSD

E: drive for personal files + downloads + local backup

£0

External HDDs — 10TB + 5TB + 5TB

Cold storage + system backup — no case or PSU changes needed

£0

Configuration	New Spend	Notes
Budget (AK620 cooler, 1TB NVMe, no contact frame)	~£600 – £700	Solid build. AK620 handles i7-13700K at PL1 without issue.
Recommended (NH-D15 G2, 2TB NVMe, contact frame)	~£760 – £900	The configuration this course optimises for throughout.
Premium (DDR5 board + 64GB DDR5-6000, 2TB NVMe)	~£970 – £1,200	Marginal real-world gain over DDR4 path for dev workloads.

Old Machine vs New Machine — Full Spec Sheet

CPU

Intel Core i5-10400

Intel Core i7-13700K

Cores / Threads

6C / 12T (all P-cores)

16C / 24T (8P + 8E)

Max Boost Clock

4.3 GHz

5.4 GHz

CPU Generation / IPC

Comet Lake (2020)

Raptor Lake (+25% IPC)

L3 Cache

12 MB

30 MB (2.5×)

CPU Socket / Platform

LGA1200 (dead end)

LGA1700 (12th–13th gen)

Motherboard Chipset

MSI B560M PRO-E (mATX)

MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK (ATX)

PCIe Generation (CPU)

PCIe 3.0

PCIe 5.0

M.2 NVMe Slots

1 (PCIe 3.0)

3 (PCIe 4.0 / 3.0)

RAM

64GB DDR4 (likely 2666 at JEDEC)

64GB DDR4-3600 XMP (same kit)

RAM Bandwidth

~35 GB/s (est.)

~54 GB/s (+54%)

Boot Drive

Unknown (likely SATA or PCIe 3.0)

Gen 4 NVMe — 7,400 MB/s

GPU

RTX 3050 LP 6G

RTX 3050 LP 6G (unchanged)

Display Outputs

3× DP + 1× HDMI

3× DP + 1× HDMI (unchanged)

Network

1GbE (B560M)

2.5GbE + WiFi 6E

Case

Kolink Citadel Mesh (mATX)

Fractal Define 7 (ATX)

5.25" Optical Bay

None

2× 5.25"

CPU Cooler

Stock (Intel box cooler)

Noctua NH-D15 G2

PSU

TX550M 550W Gold

TX550M 550W Gold (unchanged)

Total Storage

3.15TB internal + 20TB ext.

3.15TB+ internal + 20TB ext.

Cinebench R23 Multi

~9,000

~31,000 (+3.4×)

Compile speed (relative)

1×

~3× faster

Idle power draw (est. wall)

~85W

~70–80W (more efficient)

What stayed the same: GPU, PSU, all three drives, and external HDDs were reused with zero modification. The 64GB DDR4 kit now runs at its rated DDR4-3600 speed (it likely ran at DDR4-2133 on the old machine without XMP being set). Total storage capacity is unchanged — the new build is faster access to the same data.

Upgrade Roadmap — When and What

This build is deliberately sized to last 4–6 years without major changes. The i7-13700K has headroom well beyond typical dev workloads, and 64GB of RAM handles Docker + IDE + browser + X2GO simultaneously without paging. These are the genuine triggers that would warrant an upgrade:

Trigger: If idle CPU temps are above 45°C or load temps consistently above 85°C with the NH-D15 G2, the LGA1700 ILM bowing issue is contributing. The contact frame costs £8–12 and takes 15 minutes to install — worth doing as a first diagnostic before remounting the cooler.

What: Thermalright LGA1700 Contact Frame (~£8–12). Replaces the Intel retention bracket, eliminates PCB bowing, improves thermal contact by 5–10°C. No cooler disassembly required — fits around the existing cooler mounting hardware.

Trigger any of: You start running local LLMs and 6GB VRAM limits model selection. You start gaming and find the 3050 LP inadequate at 1440p. You want AV1 hardware encode for screen recording. You add a 4th monitor and need a 4th output. None of these apply today.

What: RTX 4060 (~£240–270, 8GB VRAM, AV1 encode) covers gaming + light AI. RTX 4060 Ti 16GB (~£380–420) if VRAM for local models is the priority. Both fit in the Define 7 and work with the TX550M (RTX 4060 Ti at 165W keeps total system under 440W — within safe headroom).

Trigger: C: NVMe reaches ~70–80% capacity (Docker disk image + WSL2 virtual disk are the main growth drivers). At that point, either prune Docker images (docker system prune -a) or add a second NVMe for overflow.

What: Any Gen 4 2TB NVMe in the B760's second M.2 slot (~£65–100). Move Docker data root or WSL2 virtual disk to D: (870 EVO) as a free alternative — slower but still SATA, sufficient for image storage.

Trigger: GPU upgrade to RTX 4070 (200W TDP) or above. Combined with i7-13700K at PL2, total peak exceeds 550W. RTX 4060 Ti (165W) is the highest GPU safely supported by the TX550M — anything above that needs a new PSU first.

What: Corsair RM750x (750W, 80+ Gold, fully modular, 10yr warranty, ~£110–130) or Corsair RM850x if planning for RTX 4080 territory. Both are direct drop-in replacements — same form factor, same ATX connectors.

Trigger: Only relevant when moving to a new platform (Intel LGA1851 / Arrow Lake, or AM5). DDR4 and DDR5 are not interchangeable — there is no upgrade to DDR5 while keeping the B760 board. The current DDR4-3600 kit at ~54 GB/s bandwidth is not a bottleneck for any realistic dev workload.

What: Not worth doing mid-platform. When the next CPU upgrade happens (probably 3–5 years from now), build the whole new platform around DDR5. The 64GB DDR4-3600 kit can be sold at that point.

Why not: The i7-13700K is the performance sweet spot of the LGA1700 platform. The only step up is the i9-13900K (24C/32T, ~£400+) which runs hotter, draws significantly more power, and has documented instability issues. The i7-13700K will remain more than adequate for dev work until the platform reaches end of life.

Skip: 14th gen K-series (documented voltage degradation issues). i9-13900K (marginal gain, higher thermals, significantly higher cost). When the CPU genuinely becomes a bottleneck, upgrade the whole platform rather than the CPU alone.

Maintenance Schedule

MAINTENANCE AT A GLANCE Monthly → CrystalDiskInfo health check (30 seconds) 3-Monthly → Dust filter clean, fan speed check in HWiNFO 6-Monthly → Full internal dust clean, BIOS update check Annually → Fan bearing check, NVMe health + TBW report 2-3 Years → Thermal paste replacement on CPU 5+ Years → Assess cooler fan replacement (bearing wear)

Monthly — 5 minutes

Drive Health Check

Open CrystalDiskInfo — all drives show "Good"
Note any reallocated sector count increases
Check NVMe temperature (target: <55°C daily use)
Run docker system df — prune if disk image over 60GB

Every 3 Months — 15 minutes

Dust Filters & Fan Check

Remove and wash front, top, and bottom mesh filters
Let dry completely before reinstalling
Check HWiNFO fan RPM — all fans spinning at expected speed
Verify CPU idle temp still under 40°C

Every 6 Months — 30 minutes

Internal Clean & BIOS

Compressed air blast of NH-D15 G2 fins (case open)
Compressed air on GPU heatsink and PCIe slot area
Check MSI/ASUS board page for BIOS updates — install if stability-related
Run MemTest86 if any unexplained crashes occurred

Every 2–3 Years

Thermal Paste Refresh

Remove NH-D15 G2, clean IHS with isopropyl alcohol
Clean cooler base with isopropyl alcohol
Apply fresh Noctua NT-H2 (pea-size centre dot)
Remount, re-run Prime95 to verify temps unchanged
Sign: if idle temps creep 5°C+ above baseline, paste is due

Annually

Full System Audit

Run Cinebench R23 multi — compare to your baseline score
CrystalDiskMark NVMe — confirm still above 6,500 MB/s read
Check TBW remaining on 990 Pro in Samsung Magician
Review C: drive usage — prune unused Docker images, old VMs
Check fan bearings — any grinding/clicking means replacement soon

After 5+ Years

Component Longevity

Noctua fans rated 150,000 hours — likely outlast the platform
Define 7 case: no moving parts except fans — indefinite lifespan
TX550M: 5yr warranty, expect 7–10yr real lifespan at this load
Samsung 870 EVO: 2,400 TBW endurance — many years at typical use
CMOS battery (CR2032): replace if BIOS loses settings after power cut

Course Index — All 13 Chapters

Introduction & Platform Decision

Why LGA1200 is dead, why LGA1700 vs AM5, DDR4 vs DDR5 decision framework.

Tools & Safety

Anti-static precautions, screwdriver types, magnetic tips, thermal paste safety, workspace setup.

The Motherboard

B760 vs Z790, DDR4 vs DDR5 board choice, VRM quality, 14 spec cards, board recommendations.

The CPU

i7-13700K deep dive, P-core vs E-core, Intel 14th gen warning, CPU installation, thermal paste.

CPU Cooling

Air vs AIO, NH-D15 G2 recommendation, LGA1700 ILM bowing, Thermalright frame, fan direction.

Memory (RAM)

XMP explained, true latency formula, dual-channel slots, DDR4-3600 keep decision, MemTest86.

Storage

Gen 4 NVMe recommendation, three-drive strategy, Docker data root, NVMe heatsink install.

Graphics Card (GPU)

RTX 3050 LP keep decision, 3-monitor compatibility confirmed, LP bracket in ATX case, FurMark test.

Power Supply (PSU)

TX550M keep decision, power budget (73% peak), 80+ Gold efficiency, cable guide, paperclip test.

Case & Airflow

Fractal Define 7, positive pressure airflow, fan layout, 9-phase build sequence, cable management.

First Boot & BIOS Setup

POST sequence, XMP first, PL1=125W, VT-x/VT-d, AHCI, fTPM, fan curves, Q-LED diagnosis.

Software Setup

Windows 11 clean install, driver order, WSL2 .wslconfig limits, Docker Desktop, benchmarks.

Summary & What's Next

Complete parts list, full spec comparison, upgrade roadmap, maintenance schedule.

What This Build Does Well

This machine was designed for one thing: getting out of your way while you work. That means enough CPU cores that a full Docker build doesn't stall the IDE, enough RAM that you never see paging during a multi-container dev environment, an NVMe fast enough that VS Code opens instantly and WSL2 filesystem operations don't drag, and three monitors running at their native resolutions and refresh rates without compromise.

The i7-13700K's 8 Efficient cores handle background tasks (Windows Update, antivirus scans, browser garbage collection) while the 8 Performance cores are free for the build job that just started. That's a qualitative change from a 6-core machine where everything competed for the same cores.

Reusing six existing components kept the build cost under £900 for the recommended configuration — a fraction of buying a comparable pre-built. The PSU, GPU, two SATA SSDs, external HDDs, and RAM all transferred cleanly. The DDR4-3600 kit that may have been running at 2133 MHz for years is now fully active, delivering 54 GB/s of memory bandwidth to a CPU with the IPC headroom to use it.

The single thing most likely to make a difference immediately: XMP. If the old machine was running DDR4-2133 (the JEDEC default when XMP isn't enabled), the RAM bandwidth jump alone will be noticeable in compile times and large Docker builds — before accounting for the extra cores and higher IPC.

Course complete. You now have a documented, well-understood machine — every component chosen deliberately, every critical setting recorded, every benchmark giving you a reference baseline. When something changes (temperatures creep up, a drive shows a health warning, a Docker build starts taking longer), you have the knowledge to diagnose it.