The First Intel $5,000 Extreme Tech Upgrade Ever!
### Article: Transforming a Media Setup: Anthony’s $5,000 Tech Makeover
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#### **Introduction**
In today’s video, we kicked off an exciting new series sponsored by Intel called *Intel Extreme Tech Upgrade*. The premise is simple: each team member gets a $5,000 budget to completely revamp their personal tech space. Anthony took on the challenge first, and his journey of transforming his media setup was nothing short of fascinating. From gaming PCs to soundbars, Anthony’s choices reveal how one can maximize a tech upgrade while balancing practicality and personal preferences.
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#### **Anthony’s Tech Upgrade Journey**
Anthony began by reflecting on his past struggles with weight gain due to stress and the lack of cooking facilities during his move to British Columbia. He turned to food as a coping mechanism but decided this was an opportunity to adopt healthier habits, including gaming-ified exercise using the HTC VIVE. However, the VR setup had been delayed, leaving Anthony eager to finally get it up and running.
The tech upgrade centered around transforming his media setup, which included:
1. **New TV**: Anthony opted for the *Vizio P-Series QuantumX* (75-inch), which boasts four HDMI 2.1 ports, eARC, auto-game mode with quick response times, and a native panel speed of 120Hz with variable refresh rates.
2. **New Soundbar**: He chose the *Samsung HW-Q90R*, which supports Dolby Atmos and comes with a subwoofer and satellites.
3. **VR Gaming PC**: Anthony’s gaming PC is powered by an Intel Core i5-10600K, 16GB of DDR4 3200 C16 RAM, and an RTX 2080 SUPER for high-end VR performance.
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#### **Tech Choices: Practicality Over Aesthetics**
Anthony’s choices were driven by practicality rather than aesthetics. He opted for a *Phantex P400 case* and a *Noctua NH-U12S air cooler*, prioritizing noise control and performance. The decision to go with a black Noctua cooler was a splurge, adding about $10 to the cost. For power supply, he chose a *RMx 2018 650W modular PSU* for better cable management.
Anthony’s build highlights his focus on functionality over RGB lighting and unnecessary features. He emphasized that this setup would reside in his living room, where minimizing distractions was key.
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#### **Setup Process: Challenges and Solutions**
The installation process was no small feat. Anthony faced challenges like fitting the 75-inch TV in a cramped basement apartment. The team eventually decided to build a custom stand to accommodate the TV’s size. Meanwhile, Anthony’s desk had to be disassembled temporarily, showcasing the extent of the overhaul.
The soundbar setup required careful planning, with satellites and rear speakers needing strategic placement for optimal acoustics. Anthony also incorporated a *UPS* (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to protect his gear from frequent power outages in his area.
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#### **Retro Gaming and Accessories**
Anthony’s setup wasn’t just about new technology—it also included retro gaming elements. He had multiple Super Nintendos and an Open Source Scan Converter to handle older consoles and games. The HDMI switch and mCable Gaming ensured seamless upscaling for retro content, making his collection of classic consoles a centerpiece.
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#### **Conclusion: A Transformative Experience**
Anthony’s $5,000 tech upgrade was a mix of necessity, personal growth, and excitement for new technology. From transforming his media setup to embracing healthier habits through gaming-ified exercise, this project was more than just hardware upgrades—it was about creating a space that fosters productivity, entertainment, and well-being.
As Intel continues to support their team with such opportunities, it’s clear that tech upgrades can make a significant difference in how we live, work, and play. Stay tuned for the next episode of *Intel Extreme Tech Upgrade*, where another team member will get their chance to transform their space!
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This article captures Anthony’s journey in full detail, showcasing his thoughtful choices, challenges, and the final result of his $5,000 tech makeover.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Even I'm tired ofwatching me upgrade the TVin my living room at this point,which is why today'svideo is very exciting.This is the very first inwhat I'm planning to bea very long runningseries sponsored by Intel.I'm calling it Intel Extreme Tech Upgrade,and the premise is simple.One by one each of my team membersis gonna get a 5,000 U.S dollar budgetto tech makeover their space.First up, Anthony.Let's see how he spent it.(upbeat electronic music)Now you might be thinking, $5,000?With that, you could buy themost balling gaming PC ever,but the PC is only onepart of a setup upgrade.So Anthony had to make some tough choices.- An obvious path wouldhave been to just builda top of the line gamingPC courtesy of Inteland call it a day.But I already have apretty sweet gaming setup,and this is an opportunityto splurge on somethingI wouldn't normally buy for myself.Now, I've never been thin.And while I lost a fair amount of weightbefore moving to BC, theearly days of the movecaused a shift in my habits,no pots and no pans meant no cooking.So the solution was often toeat out, but it became a habit.And while my job isn'tstressful in and of itself,my mind still finds ways tomake it that way sometimes.And when I'm stressed,the thing I've alwaysturned to has been food.So one of my plans was to use the HTC VIVEthat Linus lent me so thatI could game-ify exercisea little bit as part of a planthat I had to be more active.But the VIVE is still in the bin.Not for lack of trying,I'd been putting together alittle ITX rig piece by piece,it just hasn't happened yet.I managed to lose some of what I gained,even though I haven't been using the VIVE,but it's not happening fast enough,and I fear I've plateaued.So my tech upgrade isgoing to revolve aroundtransforming my media setup.I'm talking new TV, newstand, new soundbar.And of course finally installinga sick new VR gaming PC,powered by Intel of course.- The gaming PC is still atthe heart of the setup here.So, Anthony, do you wanna walk me throughsome of your parts choices here?Starting of course, with the CPU.So you've gone with a Core i5-10600K.- I chose the Intel Core i5-10600Kfor its high clock speeds,which should help in VR.- For RAM, you've gone with16 gigs of DDR4 3200 C16,I noticed there's no RGB,not only on the RAM, butanywhere in this system.- Yeah, if it's gonna be a living room PC,I don't especially need RGBand I don't really want it either.I don't really need lightsdistracting me from the TVor anything else I might bedoing in the living room.- That makes sense and I can actually seethose aesthetic choicesthroughout the build here.So if you wanna un-box the caseand maybe get the power supply installed,I'll take this over here.Then we don't have towear these annoying masks.- The Phantex P400 is actuallyfrom what I can gathera really good case fornoise to performance ratio.- And the same can be saidfor the Noctua NH-U12S.This is a compact air cooler,but still gives up very littlein terms of performance.I'm expecting the CPU tobe running at max turboall the time with a cooler like this one.- I really appreciate theunderstated look of this case.And the fact that the frontmesh here is extremely fine.So what this allows me to do ishave the machine set up in the living roomwith good air flow, so thefans don't have to ramp up.I'm just checking to see ifI've got enough fan headersto run these fans without usingthe internal fan controller,that could save me fromrunning an additional cablefrom the power supply.One fan header here.This one is for AIO pump,I don't think that can be used for a fan.- I'm a big fan. (laughs)Sorry, of having fan headersalong this edge of the board,but this is a more value oriented Z490,so, you don't have anything,unfortunately, along this edge.I think you missed one though,there's actually two at the bottom,chassis fan two and three are down here.- Oh, I did miss one.- Then you wouldn't have to fool aroundwith any of the profiling nonsense.You could just go one, two, three,and use all chassis fan headers.- These fan cables are very short though.- Only one way to findout, here you go, boss.So far, everything you've chosenhas been purely practical.It's amazing how the choices changeonce they're spendingtheir own money, right?The one exception is the all black versionof the Noctua cooler thatcosts about an extra 10 bucks.But I also noticed that your power supply,you went with a modular modelinstead of just a fixed cable one,what would be the rationale behind that.- Cable management.I mean, to be fair, a semi-modularwould be perfectly finebecause everybody needs the ATX 24 pin,at least until the ATX12-volt becomes a thing.But-- Oh, you know we haveone of those, right?- Oh.- I got a board and power supply.So, guys get subscribed,you're gonna see a videoon the new motherboard power standard.Carry on.- The reason I went with theRMx 2018 650 watt actually,is because I don't need that much power.And it's one of the betterrated power supplieson our forum thread, the PSU tier list.They're actually consideredone of the best in class.Okay, I think this is ajob for your tiny fingers.- I did prove thatI'm a faster PC builderthan Anthony.Oh yeah, and better gamer.- I don't know about that.But the RTX 2080 SUPER is basically,I think the best value forlike high end VR right now.Since I'm going to beusing it with a VIVE,it's a probably not actuallyeven going to be usedto its full potential.So with it, I should beable to handle anythingthat I throw at it.- Oh yeah.I'm gonna plug in his case RGB.Just gotta get, yep, okay, sh.- Hey, Anthony.- That's it, right?- Yeah, I guess so.We don't necessarily needto cable manage the back,I can do that later.- That looks about as cablemanaged as I would make it.- Yeah, the best cable managedas you would make it.- Yeah, yeah.- Now, my basement apartmentisn't exactly in great shapeand it's pretty cramped too.So that informed a lotof my decision making.Because I don't have muchspace for high end audio,a good soundbar is what I was after.While I wanted to use the Sonos Arcas a standalone bar, I justcouldn't get one in time.So I went for the Samsung HW-Q90R.Which comes with asubwoofer and satellites.Reviews place it among the best soundbarsthat can handle Dolby Atmos right now.And while I'm not sure ifit's strictly an upgradein terms of sound qualityover my AudioengineA5+ bookshelf speakers.In terms of sound stage, itshould be a huge step up.The TV is rather special.I originally was looking at the LG NANO90but it lacked some featuresthat I really wanted,like multiple HDMI 2.1 portsand more than 32 dimming zones.And then Vizio launched their 2021 lineupand their new P-series QuantumX ticked all the boxes.Four HDMI 2.1 ports, eARC,480 local dimming zones,auto-game mode with quick response time,120 hertz native panel speedwith variable refresh ratefrom 48 to 120 hertz.I mean, basically for myuse case of mixed gamingand content streaming it's perfect.The only problem is it's not for sale yet.So we managed to geta pre-production modelstraight from Vizio themselves.- All right, buddy, got yourdelivery, where you want it?- Oh, well that's rude.That's a very good question.- This is kindof a lot of stuff here.Like is this TV even gonna fit?- No.- Tell you what, whydon't we build the standand see where that gets us?- Okay.- This is going faster thanit was that's for sure.I still have my doubts aboutwhether anyone's gonna beable to get past this standif it's installed here.So we may have no choice,but to go with our backup TVlocation plan there, Anthony.Why don't we leave the VR space here then?- Okay.- What I might do though,is take off that mountand do it this cornerto that corner though,because that way you could actually goall the way from here,all the way over to here.If you wanted to play likea bigger game like GORNis a ton of fun to playwith a little bit of roomto move around so you can punch guys.It's like a physics based arena brawler.My location here is actually really goodto watch this whole space here.Little bit tighty tighten there.There we go.While Matthias finishes up the TV stand,I think what you and I needto do is clear some space.Apparently we're takingit one step furtherand we are disassembling the desk.Now I'm really glad Idon't have to be partof that conversation.Even if we're gonna make it betterafter we temporarily destroythis home office setup.It's worth pointing out by the way,Intel's not just givingus special treatment.They've been helpingtheir staff transitionto working from home, withbudget for tools, equipment,and resources so thatthey can keep workingthrough these tough times as well.And where the crap am Isupposed to put this exactly?- Wherever it fits.- Okay.And...That's where it goes.- We'll figureout the clean up afterwards.- Yeah, that's not my problem, I guess.Not my problem, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun.The good news is we're making progress.Matthias, are we readyfor me to unbox the TVso we can put it on this mount?How close are you?- Believe we are quite close.Looking pretty good.Oh.Oh (beeps)- Oh.- Did I catch it?All good, everything's fine.I stomped on the back of the packagingand that bought enoughtime for Anthony and Davidto get over and stop it fromwhacking on the counter.Cool.Now all we need to do isactually mount the TV to it.This whole assembly isgonna weigh like 150 poundsby the time we're done.Should we center it a bit?Yeah, that would be better.- That is massive. (chuckles)Yeah.Wow.- (giggles) Okay.Ooh, not bad, okay.- There's a lot of range ofmotion on that amount actually.- A do-do.Oh yeah.Gaming rig time.A UPS isn't the most glamorouspiece of hardware ever.You know, leave it toAnthony to pick smart thingsto spend his budget on.It's a great idea whenyou have unstable powerand apparently they getfrequent brownouts here.So this is just a wonderfulway to protect the gearthat's attached to it.So how heavy is this puppy?- It's pretty heavy, I don'tthink you're gonna lift it.it's in three pieces.Probably best to like, kind of-- yeah, sure, okay, here we go.(Linus groans)- Oh, whoa, hang on.- Oh boy, it'splugged in, isn't it?- Yep.- You know you must be at Anthony's house,when under the couch youmight find normal thingslike popcorn debris, butalso a key cap puller.we can run power for thecouch off the island now,which means all we gotta dois kinda shove these bad boys under here,and cable managed.- Now that's a tech tip.- That's a free tech tip for you.- Tech tip,if you can't see them,they're managed.- That's right, that's management.For a soundbar, this thingis pretty crazy town.It's all Atmos-y andall that, so it's 7.1.4.And basically that means you've got likefour channels up top, one subwoofer,and then seven eithervirtual or true channels.The soundbar itself, whichAnthony has over there,the subwoofer, and then this right hereis a couple of rear satellitesthat we're planning to puton these speaker stands.I've got three things thatI just brought over herethat need to plug into the wall.Both of the rear satellites.And then I've also gotthat VIVE lighthouse.Unfortunately, I thinkthat means this shelfhas gotta kind of shovel off a little bitaway from the wall, so, here we go.Oh boy.Here we go again.Ooh boy.Oh, okay.I'll try not to break your PS3.- That's a first model too, it's got PS2.- Ooh.- And the card reader and stuff.- Yeah, I really gotta be carefulnot to break that one then.- I've repaired it myselfand I'm very proud of that.- Yep, there we go, oh, yep.if it's back here and wecan't see it, then it's good.Okay there, bud.It's TV AF.- You ever seen a TV as TV as this TV?- Nah, this is theTV-est TV I ever TV'ed.- I've got the subwoofer packedback here behind the couch.I know that's not ideal for acoustics,but Anthony preferredit in terms of looks.So we're gonna at least give it a shot.The soundbar itself, Ihaven't actually pluggedinto the eARC port on the TV yet,but I'll do that in just a moment.And I was just about toplug in power to the UPS.I did move a networkswitch over here though,so we should be good to go for networkingfor all the gear that Anthonyis about to cart over.- If you have electronicsthat take five volts,get one of these things,USB to barrel plug,plug it into a USB port somewhereand you can power these things.So you don't have as many wallboardsand it's a lot more efficient.- I'm accepting all theterms and conditions.Your life is now signed away to Vizio.- Sounds good.I am gonna use literallynone of its smart functions,I'm pretty sure.- Anthony, why do youhave three Super Nintendos.- I don't, those are Luke's.- Why do you have threeof Luke's Super Nintendos?- I don't, I have four.(David laughs)One of them is in pieces in a bag,and yeah, basically hewanted me to fix them up,but I haven't ever really gotten aroundto setting up my soldering station.- I was surprised to see those too,I thought you were a Sega loser.- Well...I was a Sega kid, that doesn'tmean I can't appreciateother things unlike Nintendo fans.- Oh, yeah.Okay, So I need a keyboardand mouse, if you don't mind.- Well, one moment.- Getting all the foxes togetherto cover up those patchedholes in the wall.Hey, wait a minute.Hey, that's not a fox!No, you're done, it's out.- All right.- This one's ugly.- That's a red panda.- Oh, okay.Hey, what the, get outta here, red panda.Deceiving me.Polar bear.Oh.- Well, look, red pandasare called fire foxes.- Nope, they're out.Look at all my friends.This is the closest thing I have to them.Where did that Red Panda go?- Oh, you dropped kicked it.- I take it back, the red Panda can returnand the Pokemon can come back.I need a solution forthe patches on the walls,but like, hey, look at that.- This is something very specialthat I've been waiting for along time to get my hands on.It's the Open Source Scan Converter.And it's not somethingwe've like had a needto cover on the channel.Basically what it does isit takes component videoor European SCART, whichcan either carry a componentor a composite signal,and converts it into HDMI.It can also take a VGA here.And it can line double it.So basically if it's an old gamethat runs at 240p for example,newer TVs don't know what to do with that.So this will line doublethat, output it at 480pand the TV will basicallyjust accept it happily.It also, I think canupscale further than that.And it has open source firmware as well.So it can actually applyother things like filters,different kinds of scanlines, that kind of thing.So I'm looking forward to adding thisand kind of making it the centerpieceof my retro game collectionas I expand upon it.Most of it's still in Newfoundland,but it's a small detail.This HDMI switch, whatI'm gonna use that withis this mCable Gaming on the output end.What that lets it do isany of these four inputscan then be pushed through the mCablewithout having to, youknow, unplug and re-plugand all that kind of stuff.And yeah, so I'll just plug the PS4or Wii U or PS3 or anythinglike that into this,and it'll be upscaled for me.No need to worry about theinternal upscale in the TV.The only problem with this thingis that it's a littlebit like loud color wise.I guess I could likePlasti Dip it or something,I've already put some cappedon tape on the front of thisto kind of take the edgeoff of these lights,they get really bright.So we've got the QuantumX P-series TV from Vizio,75-inch 2021 edition orwhatever they're calling it now.We've got this Samsung Atmos soundbar.We've got all of Anthony'sconsole set up here.He's probably gonna addmore, but you know how it is.And most importantly,we've got the wireless VR set upthat theoretically, Ishould be able to pair now.So do you wanna hold on to that?Have you ever done this before?- Nope.- Okay, cool.So basically how it works is,nope, you don't put that on yet.I know, I know, it's exciting,but you can't yet, you can't.So you just walk around the roomand just draw wherethere's no obstructions.So where the safe space will be.Achievement unlocked, you're ready?- Cool.- Give it a shot, Anthony.Boy's a gamer.- Ah.- But it's harder than looks. (laughs)How's the experiencethough, how's the wireless?- It's good, like I'mnot impeded whatsoever.- You can tell he's got musicin his ears a little loud.We've got the VR working.Do you wanna also experience the soundbar?Maybe throw like some kind of content upon the Apple TV before we go?- Sure.- Okay.Not bad.- Yeah.- All right, well...I'm gonna go ahead andturn it down a little bit.- We're definitely notgonna have it that high.- Yeah, I think the upstairsprobably wouldn'tappreciate that too much,but hey, at least it's got the capability.So...Thanks for letting us destroyand also upgrade your house,and thanks to Intel forsponsoring this episode.Guys, you can always find out moreabout the latest Intel 10th Gen processorsand all their other great technologyat the link down below.Stay tuned, make sure you're subscribed,'cause we're gonna havemore of these coming.And I already know that atleast the next four or fiveare gonna have utterly unique spinsbecause every person atLinus Media Group is,let me just put it this way,they're all a little special.\n"