Project Monolith – My 2025 Dual-Boot PC

• Introduction
• Why “Monolith”?
• CPU
• CPU Cooling
• Motherboard
• Graphics Card
• Power Supply
• Case
• Fans
• Disk Drives
• Peripherals
• Memory
• How to Install a Windows/Linux Dual-Boot Setup
• CPU Performance
• GPU Performance
• Conclusion

Introduction

I have built three “main” PCs for myself over the past 15 years. The first was in 2011, and the second in 2018, which continued to work perfectly well until May of this year, 2025, when it unexpectedly would not power on. Instead of spending countless hours troubleshooting the cause, I accelerated my already in-motion plans to build my third main PC.

While I have also built several “one-off” computers for myself and friends, only a handful, three have been built to be the core of my personal computer ecosystem.

Before proceeding, it is worth noting my prior machine from 2018, with the arguable G.O.A.T from Nvidia, the GTX 1080 Ti, along with an Intel 8700k overclocked to 5.0 GHz, was still perfectly adequate in the mid 2020s. I only truly noticed its age in retrospect when I started using this new PC, the subject of this article.

Why “Monolith”?

I like to name all of my computers, and I chose “monolith” for this latest as the Fractal North XL case is reminiscent of the monolith obelisk in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odessey.

CPU

I went with all AMD for both the CPU and GPU, which seems like a no-brainer in 2025. As an IT Professional who also does image/photography editing along with games, the Ryzen 9 9950x3d felt like the best and premier choice, acting as a de facto Ryzen 7 9800x3d while gaming and then leveraging the high core count for computational-intensive tasks.

I especially like that AMD sockets are comfortably future-proofed. A few years ago, I looked into upgrading the CPU in my 2018 build, only to find that my Intel motherboard, housing an 8th gen Intel CPU, could at most upgrade to a 9th gen. My hope is that in 4-5 years, if it makes sense, that upgrading for the AM5 socket will be a viable option (and assuming no CMOS battery issues).

CPU Cooling

I decided to go air cooling with the Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC. I used the G1 version of this cooler in my 2011 build and it was completely fine. Later in this article, I will summarize my experiences with the CPU’s performance and temperature so far for the undoubtedly demanding 9950x3d.

Motherboard

I chose the Gigabyte X870E AORUS PRO ATX AM5 Motherboard. I primarily went with the “Pro” over the lower-tier models to ensure I have amble USB ports, for future expansion needs or even the occasional ad hoc need to plug devices into the back of the PC when the case’s front USB ports will not suffice.

This motherboard is amazing with all of its flip-pin latches to secure things in place. However, there is one MAJOR issue that forces me to NOT recommend this motherboard, a problem I only realized after I purchase it. The CMOS battery is hidden under a heat sink and there seems to be no way to get at this battery without unscrewing the heat sink from the BACK of the motherboard. I have no idea why it was done like this, but if there is truly no way to replace the battery without the apparent need for de facto major surgery on your PC, this is a horrible design. Generally, it is acceptable to have to remove the graphics card to replace the CMOS battery, but with Gigabyte’s design, replacing the battery is going to require disassembling the entire PC. The motherboard must be removed, and all the cables disconnected, from the case to unscrew the heat sink from the back of the motherboard, to get at and replace the CMOS battery.

CMOS batteries usually last about 3-4 years. Perhaps by then, someone will figure out an easy hack to replace the battery, but this may, by 2029-2030, simply force me to build a new PC for all the hassle it will require, and I will not be going with Gigabyte again!

Graphics Card

I did not choose the Gigabyte OC Radeon RX 9070 XT so much as it chose me; given the tight supply in March/April 2025, I had a few cards in mind and this one was the first I was able to check out in time before the stock vanished again.

(As I write this article in September 2025, supply is plentiful it seems, as was ultimately expected. If you are looking for a 9070 XT, now is your chance!)

For the record, I paid straight MSRP for both the 9950x3d and 9070 XT. If it wasn’t for the economic uncertainty in the first half of this year, along with my old PC breaking down, I would have deferred all of these purchases and waited for a more opportune time when supply caught up with demand. I neither intended nor ever will pay scalper markups.

Power Supply

My most conscious price/performance choice was the NZXT C1200 80+ Gold PSU. 1200 Watts should be more than sufficient to power this CPU and GPU combo. Here, I looked at part and manufacturer ratings to make a best-guest purchase on what type of reliable power solution was sufficient without spending several hundred dollars more for a Platinum Plus+ 1300 Watts+ which, ultimately, would probably be completely unnecessary even for my 2025 high-end build, and for the life of this PC. I decided to spend and build out in other, more impactful areas, which are explained below.

Case

The Fractal Design North XL matches the aesthetics I wanted for my home office, with an emphasis on air flow provided by eight 140mm Noctua fans, and hence the mesh version of this case (there is also a tempered glass version). My last build was all RGB, and it looked great, but this time around I wanted to focus on function and cooling rather than have a personal light show. And not having an extra set of wires in the case was an extra bonus in my decision to go non-RGB.

I debated between the North XL and standard North, as I did not really want too large of a case. Ultimately, I did not want to risk not being able to fit the air cooler as well as take advantage of the North family’s unique side fan setup, for maximum cooling in this air-cool build. With the XL I already knew on paper I would have more than ample space for all of the components, with the added benefit of space for one extra 140mm intake fan.

I especially like the Fractal North XL’s unique side fan tray, which allows for two fans to blow air directly onto the graphics card.

Fans

For the fans I purchased eight of the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP 91.6 CFM 140 mm, four purchases of their 2-pack set. Noctua says the sold pairs are slightly offset on their RPMs to minimize vibration, the same concept of why soldiers do not march across bridges in unison. These are definitely premium fans and the quietest, smoothest I have ever had in a PC.

I configured the eight 140 mm fans as follows in the Fractal case:

• Three intake on the front
• Two intake on the side tray, which blow directly onto the Radeon graphics card
• Two outtake on the top
• One outtake on the rear

The Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC CPU cooler also has two 140mm Noctua fans, and the Radeon card has three of its own fans, plus the one fan on the PSU, so there are a total of 14 fans installed in my PC.

Disk Drives

My choice of a 4 TB M.2 is likely overkill for most use cases still in 2025, but I had nearly this amount of disk space spread across multiple drives in my 2018 PC, so at worst I am future proofing for times to come. I also have a 2 TB M.2 which is my Linux disk. I have had Linux distros installed on and off for the past six years and this is the first opportunity I have had to build a new PC with Linux in mind.

This may be a minor and silly point, but I deliberately went with two different SSD manufacturers so I can distinguish them in the boot menu. I know that the Samsung SSD is for Windows and the Acer Predator SSD will be for Linux (although interestingly, in practice, the Gigabyte boot menu labels the Linux M2. as “Fedora”).

Memory

Speaking of future proofing, 64 GB is likely unnecessary right now, but it gives me sufficient space for running practically any programs I want in either Windows or Linux, and/or techy things like playing around with memory setups and virtual machines. I chose G.Skill Flare X5 RAM chips due to their relatively low height so they can fit below the Noctua cooler. The X5 have a stated height of 33m and the Noctua documentation recommends a max clearance of 32mm, so I had to move the rightmost fan up slightly, as Noctua recommends.

Peripherals

Worth noting is that this is purely a “box” upgrade, for which I did a “plug and play” with this new case, leaving all other peripherals in place. Since my 2018 build I have refreshed my monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The only remaining 2018 components are my Logitech Z625 200 W 2.1-Channel speakers, which can be easily swapped out later if the need arises.

How to Install a Windows/Linux Dual-Boot Setup

If you want to have a dual-boot PC with Windows and a Linux distro on separate physical disk drives, you will want to follow the process that I did. Otherwise, you may run into a messy interaction between Linux and Windows which will only cause you headaches down the road.

The issue is that if you install Linux onto a second disk drive while the Windows disk is attached/installed to the PC, the Linux installer will likely redo the boot partition of your Windows drive, specifically by installing GRUB onto it. In times long past, this may have been necessary in order to have a menu to choose which operating system to load, but it is more of an annoyance now because GRUB is Linux centric and will always default to Linux unless you dig into GRUB to modify its behavior.

Most modern motherboards will have a boot key you can press on startup to choose which disk to boot from; this was a requirement for my own motherboard and a reason why I went with the Gigabyte X870E. I merely have to press the F12 key at boot to choose which operating system I want to run.

Here is the general procedure for installing Windows on one disk and a Linux distro on a second disk. This is ideally done while you are still building the machine. In my case (no pun intended), I did all this before I installed the graphics card. I used the motherboard’s HDMI port and the CPU’s onboard graphics to work with the computer for these steps.

1. Install the Windows disk into your PC (do NOT install the Linux disk)
2. Boot up the PC and install WIndows
3. Once the initial installation of Windows is done, log out and shut down the computer, and disconnect the power
4. Remove the Windows disk drive from the PC, yes physically detach and take the drive out of the PC case, and specifically here, I removed the Windows M.2 SSD
5. Install the LInux disk, in my case the 2TB M.2 SSD, into its own socket
6. Power up the PC and install your Linux distribution
7. Log off and power down the PC
8. Re-install the Windows disk drive into the PC
9. Turn the PC back on, using the motherboard’s BIOS boot selection to ensure both operating systems can load without issue

This video from ExplainingComputers provides a good visual explanation of the process.

For my PC, I installed Windows 11 Pro as my default operating system. For Linux, I initially went with Nobara, but was having a few issues with it, so I went back a step in the Fedora branch and installed Fedora 42 directly.

Both Windows and Fedora boot perfectly and do not interfere with each other.

CPU Performance

I tweaked the CPU settings extensively in the BIOS. At the BIOS screen my Ryzen 9 9950x3d idles at about 42-44 degrees Celsius. Within Windows 11 it will idle around 50-51 C. With my settings below, running Cinebench will get the CPU up to between 74 and 76 Celsius. While running intensive games the CPU’s actual temperature will vary depending on the CPU demand, but I have observed the gaming load to be in the range of 56-72 Celsius.

Please note, for both my CPU and GPU settings, that these settings are specific to my PC configuration and specific physical chips. No two PCs will perform exactly the same even with identical parts.

• PPT Limit: 200 W
• TDC Limit: 160 W
• EDC Limit: 225 W
• Precision Boost Overdrive Scalar: x5
• CCD 0 Curve Optimizer: -25
• CCD 1 Curve Optimizer: -20
• Curve Shaper non-Auto settings:
  • Med Freq Med Temp: -10
  • Med Freq Max Temp: -5
  • High Freq Low Temp: -5
  • High Freq Med Temp: -10
  • High Freq High Temp: -5
  • Max Freq Med Temp: -10
  • Max Freq High Temp: -5

With these settings my Cinebench 2024 score for CPU Multi-Core is about 2405, with the CPU’s max clock runs around 5.25 GHz.

GPU Performance

I extensively tweaked my Radeon RX 9070 XT’s settings via AMD’s Adrenaline Software in Windows 11, and then applied equivalent settings to Linux via LACT.

• Voltage Offset: -60 mV
• Power Limit: -18%
• VRAM Max Frequency: 2614 MHz (which translates to an effective max frequency of 2600 MHz)

Here are the equivalent settings in Linux Fedora via LACT:

With these settings, particularly the power limit and voltage offset, the GPU pulls a maximum of 270 Watts while gaming, which I translated to 272 W in LACT, just to give a small margin for error.

While gaming, the Radeon’s temperature is usually around 64 Celsius, running at about 3.1-3.2 GHz, and voltage about 1.08 V. The GPU’s memory temperatures at load are usually around 85-86 Celsius, and I have seen the memory temperature as high as 92 (playing God of War on max graphics settings).

Conclusion

I have been using my new PC for three months, and so far, its performance has been fantastic. The case and fans are quiet, even on load when they spin up. The PC “just works” for anything I use it for, both in Windows and Linux, though the Linux side is still a bit of a hassle to maintain, so I have as of late defaulted to Windows 11 for most of my uses.

For reference, I created a version of this article at PCPartPicker.com, I great resource site which I used while planning my PC build. My “completed build” has a detailed list of all the parts I bought, and I uploaded additional photographs from the build process not shown here.

If you have questions about my build or how I configured and built my PC, either on the above content or topics I did not cover, please leave a comment below!