Post ai rig from scratch

Author: Jordi Fierro

_posts/2025-06-15-ai-rig-from-scratch-1.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title:  "Building my first AI rig from scratch I"
+date:   2025-06-15 20:00:00 +0100
+categories: development
+comments: true
+---
+
+![AI rig](/assets/images/rig_aio_2.jpg)
+
+# Building my first AI rig from scratch
+
+I've recently started my journey into the world of Artificial Intelligence,
+and it didn't take long for my curiosity to shift towards the hardware.
+I wanted to understand how to set up and run powerful models locally.
+My current laptop, a trusty but aging machine, was definitely not up to the task.
+This led me to investigate how I could get my hands on capable hardware at a reasonable price.
+
+## Defining the requirements
+
+When you're new to a field, defining your exact needs can be challenging.
+I decided to start with a solid, minimum-viable setup that I could upgrade later if needed 
+(after all, renting GPU time in the cloud is always an option).
+
+My research indicated that **16GB of VRAM** was a great starting point,
+capable of running and even training a wide variety of models.
+This became my core requirement.
+
+I also knew that building a desktop computer from individual parts
+is generally cheaper than buying a pre-assembled one with the same specs.
+Plus, the idea of building it myself was a challenge that really appealed to me.
+
+And so, the decision was made: I was going to plan and build my very own AI rig.
+
+I was heavily inspired by [this fantastic video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayWcs5FbxGY)
+from **Sourish Kundu**, which shows the end-to-end process of building a machine learning server.
+It was exactly what I wanted to do, though I aimed to be a bit more budget-conscious.
+
+## The shopping list
+
+I'm not a hardware expert, so I focused my search on NVIDIA GPUs to ensure compatibility with CUDA.
+I landed on the **Asus Dual RTX 5060 Ti 16GB**.
+As a recent-generation GPU, it offered the best of both worlds:
+a more affordable price point but with the crucial 16GB of VRAM I was looking for.
+It seemed like the perfect foundation for all the main AI tasks I had in mind.
+
+With the GPU selected, I turned to ChatGPT and Gemini for help picking the other components.
+My goal was to balance price and performance, and I found that second-generation parts often hit that sweet spot.
+
+The case was another critical decision. I love compact, small-form-factor (SFF) builds,
+so my choice of the **Cooler Master NR200P V2** influenced the rest of the parts,
+requiring an ITX motherboard and an All-In-One (AIO) liquid cooler.
+
+After a couple of weeks of hunting for deals on Spanish online stores, this was my final component list:
+
+| Component        | Model                                           | Price (EUR) |
+|------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------|
+| **GPU**          | Nvidia Asus Dual RTX 5060 Ti 16GB               | 420         |
+| **CPU**          | AMD Ryzen 7 7700                                | 164         |
+| **PSU**          | Corsair SF750 80 PLUS Platinum                  | 155         |
+| **Motherboard**  | ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi                     | 167         |
+| **Case**         | Cooler Master NR200P V2                         | 120         |
+| **RAM**          | Patriot Viper Venom DDR5 (2x16GB) 6000MT/s      | 93          |
+| **SSD**          | Kingston NV3 1TB                                | 57          |
+| **CPU Cooler**   | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Lite             | 58          |
+| **Fan**          | Arctic P12 Slim                                 | 10          |
+|                  |                                                 |             |
+| **TOTAL**        |                                                 | 1244        |
+
+One week later, all the parts had arrived. The party was about to begin!
+
+![Parts](/assets/images/rig_unboxed_1.jpg)
+
+## The assembly process
+
+### Step 1: Prepping the case
+
+The first thing I did was unbox the Cooler Master case and disassemble it.
+I had read many good reviews,
+but I was still thoroughly impressed with the quality of its materials and thoughtful design.
+
+![NR200P V2 case](/assets/images/rig_case_1.jpg)
+
+### Step 2: The motherboard assembly
+
+With the case ready, it was time to build the heart of the machine.
+I started by installing the **AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU**,
+the **Patriot Viper Venom 32GB DDR5 RAM**,
+and the **Kingston 1TB NVMe SSD** onto the **ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi** motherboard.
+
+The motherboard even included a heatsink for the primary NVMe drive.
+Here’s how it looked all together:
+
+![Asrock B650I](/assets/images/rig_motherboard_1.jpg)
+
+After securing it in the case with just four screws,
+I connected the front panel cables:
+the power button, USB-A, USB-C, the audio jack, and the pre-installed bottom fan.
+
+![Motherboard assembled](/assets/images/rig_motherboard_2.jpg)
+
+### Step 3: Powering it up with the PSU
+
+I selected the **Corsair SF750** for its compact SFX format,
+excellent reviews, and Platinum efficiency rating.
+Being fully modular was also a huge plus for cable management in a small case.
+I attached the essential cables (CPU, motherboard, and PCIe for the GPU) before mounting it.
+
+A lesson learned: CPU and GPU power cables are not interchangeable!
+Fortunately, I figured this out before damaging anything.
+After connecting the power to the motherboard and CPU,
+I did my best to route the cables neatly to avoid a mess later on.
+
+![PSU assembled](/assets/images/rig_psu_1.jpg)
+
+### Step 4: Keeping it cool
+
+Given the compact case, a liquid cooler was the most practical choice.
+I first mounted the fans onto the radiator and attached the AM5 bracket to the pump.
+The build quality of the cooler felt great for the price, but the plastic tubes were quite rigid.
+This forced me to mount the radiator in a slightly unconventional position.
+It wasn't a problem, just something to work around.
+
+![Cpu cooler assembled](/assets/images/rig_aio_1.jpg)
+
+With a bean-sized drop of thermal paste on the CPU,
+I screwed the radiator to the top of the case and secured the pump over the CPU.
+Finally, I connected the pump and fan cables to the motherboard headers, making sure to keep the cables tidy.
+
+![Cooler cables back](/assets/images/rig_back_2.jpg)
+
+### Step 5: The star of the show
+
+And now, for the queen of the kingdom!
+The **Asus Dual RTX 5060 Ti 16GB** was my key to unlocking the world of AI.
+
+Mounting the GPU was straightforward.
+I removed the necessary PCIe slot covers from the case,
+slid the GPU into place, and screwed it in securely.
+Then, I connected the PSU power cable and the short PCI riser cable
+(conveniently included with the case!) to the motherboard.
+
+![Asus Dual RTX 5060 ti 16gb gpu](/assets/images/rig_gpu_1.jpg)
+
+After some final cable management, it was done!
+
+Tadaaaaa!
+
+![AI rig from scratch](/assets/images/rig_finished_1.jpg)
+
+All that was left was to connect the main power supply, attach the WiFi antennas,
+and plug in a temporary screen and keyboard to install Ubuntu Server.
+
+### Bonus: An extra fan for peace of mind
+
+After installing the OS and running some thermal tests (more on that in the next post!),
+I noticed that one of the SSD sensors was reporting high temperatures.
+To improve airflow, I decided to add another slim fan to the bottom of the case.
+
+The magnetic dust filter on the bottom made this incredibly easy.
+The Arctic P12 Slim fan even came with a Y-splitter cable, making the connection straightforward.
+I did have to briefly remove the GPU to access the fan header, but it was no big deal.
+
+![Second bottom fan](/assets/images/rig_second_fan_1.jpg)