The Hardware I Thought I Knew (Until It Blew Up)
What matters after the specs—and how one failure changed my entire approach to building.
Previously in this series: Building my first PC was a journey full of trial, error, and valuable lessons, driven by the need for more power to support my growing passion for photography and video editing. Despite setbacks—such as a destroyed hard drive, bent CPU pins, and a miswired power button—each mistake became a stepping stone toward greater technical understanding and confidence. In the end, the build wasn’t just about faster performance; it changed how I approach challenges, showing that persistence and curiosity are often the best tools you can have.
(Part 1: “Building My First PC: A Journey Through Mistakes and Learning”)
You can watch every review, read spec sheets until your eyes glaze over, and still not know how your gear will hold up until you’ve lived with it.
I learned that the hard way—when my first build blew up.
This is what I thought I understood, and this is what I now know to be true.
Custom-built PC, showing internal components.
The Setup That Taught Me Everything
I started with good intentions and solid parts:
CPU: Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard: ASUS X570 TUF Gaming
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB
Storage: Samsung 980 PRO NVMe SSD
Use Case: Photography, video editing, and some gaming
On paper, everything looked great. And for a while, it was fine.
But spec sheets don’t tell you when a power supply has poorly labeled cables that can fry a hard drive. They won’t warn you that a PSU failure might also damage your motherboard. Or, if your sleek RGB fans require a voltage converter, you’ll use it once and forget about it.
That’s the kind of stuff you only learn the hard way.
PC parts laid out, including Ryzen 7 CPU and Gigabyte X570S AORUS Master motherboard.
Lessons Burned Into Silicon
These weren’t just technical issues. They were hard-earned scars etched into every boot cycle.
🔌 The PSU: Your System’s Insurance Policy
What I used: ARESGAME 850W, modular, 80+ Gold
What went wrong: Poor cable labeling → fried a hard drive. The PSU later failed, taking the motherboard with it.
What I learned: Never cheap out on power. Saving $50 on a PSU can cost you hundreds in damage and downtime.
🧠 The CPU: Fragile Power
What I used: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
What went wrong: Nothing in performance, but the AM4 socket has fragile pins. One bad install and you’re toast.
What I learned: Even top-tier gear needs careful handling. Physical damage doesn’t care how good the specs are.
🧱 The Motherboard: Compatibility > Features
What I used: ASUS X570 TUF Gaming
What went wrong: LED headers didn’t match my fans. I ignored the lighting specs as long as the fans spun, I was good.
What I learned: Features mean nothing if you can’t connect safely. Triple-check headers, voltages, and cable types before powering on.
🌈 RGB and Fans: Looks Can Lie
What I used: Cooler Master ML240L AIO + MUSETEX case with six ARGB fans
What went wrong: Mismatched voltage between RGB headers and fans. I got a converter, had them running for a week, and haven’t bothered with them since.
What I learned: The lights were never the point. I only planned to hook them up because I’d never used RGB before. Cool to try, but not worth the hassle. Compatibility still matters—even for features you may not use.
PC featuring AORUS motherboard and GTX 1660 GPU.
The Rebuild That Finally Worked
After the first system self-destructed, I rebuilt with stability as my top priority.
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570S AORUS Master
Power Supply: Corsair RM1200x Shift – rock-solid, quiet, clearly labeled
GPU: Upgraded to GTX 1660 – a huge step up from the hand-me-down GTX 960
The CPU, RAM, and SSD stayed. But everything else? Better built. Better connected. And for the first time, totally stable.
The numbers tell part of the story. But the real upgrade? Workflow.
I could open Lightroom, Chrome, and OBS simultaneously, start editing, and keep everything running without a hitch. No more waiting. No more random crashes. Just perform, and let me create.
Coming Soon: The GPU Jump
Next up? A major GPU upgrade.
I’ve got my eye on the EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB—a monster for 3D work, video editing, and high-end rendering. It’s more than I technically need, and that’s the point. I want headroom, not limitations.
That said, if a solid deal on an RTX 3060 shows up, I might grab it as a stepping stone. It’d still be a significant bump from the 1660—and easier on the wallet.
Either way, the next chapter is already loading.
Future Upgrades: The Wishlist
These aren’t just spec chases. Each one is aimed at solving a real problem or unlocking a creative edge.
💾 Corsair Vengeance LPX 128GB DDR4 3200
For big edits, 3D renders, and seamless multitasking. Max RAM = max breathing room.🖊️ XPPen Artist 22R Pro Drawing Tablet
A 22" pen display that makes retouching, illustrating, and color grading smoother and more precise.🧠 AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12 cores of raw power. Same socket, no rebuild needed—drop in and go.🚀 Samsung 990 PRO 4TB NVMe SSD
Blazing-fast Gen4 storage. No more shuffling files across drives or waiting on load bars.
Moving FORWARD
This build taught me how to stop relying on specifications and start understanding systems. It wasn’t about buying better—it was about building smarter.
I don’t need a machine that looks good on paper.
I need one that works when it counts.
And now? I’ve got it.
“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”
— Oscar Wilde
Next Up: My Canon R10 Learning to See Differently
The hardware is finally where I need it to be. Stable. Fast. Quiet. It no longer slows me down or gets in my way.
Now comes the real work: learning to harness that power to tell more compelling stories.
Next, I'll be digging into what it means to see through a new lens—literally. From testing the limits of my Canon R10 to experimenting with the autofocus system, I'm back in the space where growth happens, where something special could happen at any moment.
There will be missed shots, new menus, and gear that doesn't perform as expected.
Get uncomfortable. Make mistakes. Solve the problem of why.
About This Series
Learning to See Through Another’s Lens is an ongoing exploration of falling into photography through borrowed gear, failed experiments, and the kind of stubborn curiosity that turns frustration into creative momentum.
Whether it's building a system from scratch, fumbling through a new camera body, or rethinking how to shoot the same subject for the tenth time, this is about learning by doing, messing up, and doing it better next time.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re late to the game, missing the right gear, or just not “technical enough” to create great work, this series is for you.
Because I’ve been there, I’m probably still there.
And the only way forward is through.
