Welp, I've got all the parts together, paid for, and shipped to my house. They'll be arriving this friday.
Case: NZKT Phantom: Full Case. Newegg exclusive version
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Pro with SSD caching
CPU: Intel i5 2500K 3.3 Ghz processor
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2X4). Clocked at 1600 Mhz
Solid State Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SATA III. Fastest SSD on the market as of this post.
Hard Drive: Segate Barracuda 1TB SATA III [X2] (I know this doesn't improve performance but it was on sale so I just snatched it up).
Fan: Thermaltake Frio.
GPU: ASUS Radeon HD 6950 2GB [X2]. Clocked in at 810 Mhz.
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 850W V2. Non modular.
I'm also getting a Razor Black Widow Blue Cherry mechanical keyboard and two 23'' ASUS monitors, but that wasn't a part of the PC obviously.
Everything all wrapped together comes at $2,385. This is my first build and I hope everything fits in okay (I tried to plan all the different size requirements as best I could). Me and my girlfriend are going to work together on it over the weekend and boot MS-DOS as the test OS.
Very excited.
Subtly_in_your_Mind on
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
edited July 2011
The Phantom is really huge, internally, size is really not going to be a problem for you.
I currently have a 750W OCZ Fatal1ty that OCZ RMA'd to me (they gave me a new on BTW) which should be over kill for anything I stick in this case.
Also I don't have enough for a new GPU so I'm using my old ATI HD4870 1GB for now. And I'm reusing a 1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD for this build.
I ordered the motherboard seperate because newegg doesn't have it so I have a day or two to find coolant for the CPU
I'm new to water cooling so what should be the best coolant to use?
proyebat on
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
I currently have a 750W OCZ Fatal1ty that OCZ RMA'd to me (they gave me a new on BTW) which should be over kill for anything I stick in this case.
Also I don't have enough for a new GPU so I'm using my old ATI HD4870 1GB for now. And I'm reusing a 1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD for this build.
I ordered the motherboard seperate because newegg doesn't have it so I have a day or two to find coolant for the CPU
I'm new to water cooling so what should be the best coolant to use?
The Corsair H-series coolers are closed loop coolers, the coolant is already in there. Your list is fine. You'll probably have to set the cooler up as a top exhaust.
I almost bit on an SSD due to the SSD caching with the Z68 chipset, but I figured that is something I can wait a few months on to see how SSD drives come down in price even more.
Alrighty, thread! It's time to not laugh at me when I ask for some advice about upgrading my ~5 year old computer. Before I list what I'm buying, though, here's what I already have that I plan on reusing:
Antec Sonata
Hard drives
Monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.
8800 GTX
I also, for complicated reasons, have an i3-2120. This is why I am upgrading now: to put the CPU to use.
The RAM is on sale, which is why it's what I'm looking at. The mobo is Z68, which I want (I do video encoding) and it's cheap, so that's nice. I also have an IDE DVD drive right now ( ) so I'll probably just buy the cheapest DVD drive on Newegg.
Thoughts? I know it's not OMG SO FAST like all these computers you guys are building, but frankly an i3-2120 is a really fast processor and I can always swap out the 8800 GTX if it's too slow for me.
OK this isn't technically a build question but I didn't want to start a new thread.
I'm moving house soon and the only phone socket available is going to be downstairs and I keep my PC upstairs.
Am I right in thinking that it would be better to have the router downstairs next to the phone socket and have a 10-15m ethernet cable running to my PC rather than having a phone extension cable running upstairs to where my router would be?
Alrighty, thread! It's time to not laugh at me when I ask for some advice about upgrading my ~5 year old computer. Before I list what I'm buying, though, here's what I already have that I plan on reusing:
Antec Sonata
Hard drives
Monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.
8800 GTX
I also, for complicated reasons, have an i3-2120. This is why I am upgrading now: to put the CPU to use.
The RAM is on sale, which is why it's what I'm looking at. The mobo is Z68, which I want (I do video encoding) and it's cheap, so that's nice. I also have an IDE DVD drive right now ( ) so I'll probably just buy the cheapest DVD drive on Newegg.
Thoughts? I know it's not OMG SO FAST like all these computers you guys are building, but frankly an i3-2120 is a really fast processor and I can always swap out the 8800 GTX if it's too slow for me.
Those are solid choices. The only other things you may want to consider are a new HDD and PSU. I'm assuming your HDD is also IDE. If you have an installable copy of your OS, that'd be < $50 well spent.
And after 5 years, a new PSU wouldn't be a bad idea. You'd only need like 450W-500W, and you can get either an XFX Core Ed PRO450WOCZ ModXStream 500W, or Silverstone ST50F-ES 500W all for < $60. Depending on what you have now, that might not be completely necessary, but it's something to think about.
Nah, my hard drives are all SATA, and one is only a year old. My PSU is a 500W OCZ one that's a little more than a year old (old PSU died. Should have mentioned my PSU in my original post though).
Does anybody have a recommendation on a new mouse? I currently use a Logitech G7, but I think the right click is starting to get finicky (itll register the click, but if I hold it down sometimes it gives up and then registers a new click).
Well, I guess before I go and blow $75-100 on a new mouse, is there any way for me to check to see if the mouse is actually registering the click the entire time?
I'm getting a RAT 7. But then again, I'm an idiot.
hey
I have a RAT 7 and I am no idiot. I also happen to like it a lot (this after using an MX518 for nearly a year)
I've always been intrigued by the RAT 7 because I figured that there's no way they would make it look that completely ridiculous unless it was in order to make it feel really good.
OK this isn't technically a build question but I didn't want to start a new thread.
I'm moving house soon and the only phone socket available is going to be downstairs and I keep my PC upstairs.
Am I right in thinking that it would be better to have the router downstairs next to the phone socket and have a 10-15m ethernet cable running to my PC rather than having a phone extension cable running upstairs to where my router would be?
I'm not actually sure on the technical details of doing it, but I'd assume yeah, do it that way or save the hassle and just get a wireless adapter if you can live with the slightly slower speeds.
Xeddicus on
"For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men. Not women. Not beasts...this you can trust."
I have a Roccat Kone+ and really like it. Before that I was using an MXsomething-or-other. I wouldn't recommend it, though it was very comfortable. As a mousing experience I thought it was just kind of lacking, it didn't feel very smooth. Now that I'm thinking about it, it may have been because of my old cloth mouse pad.
Before that I was using a 510, which is basically a 518 in red. It was pretty sweet. The Kone+ feels like an upgraded version, which I think was best mouse I've used previously.
Hey guys, I ended up getting the MSI 6950 Twin Frozr II for my build. I spend maybe 2 hours mounting everything else into the case and when I finally get to the GPU, I pull it out of the bag and see that it's noticeably bowed. I install it anyway and it looks as if it's been in someone else's computer for a while in order to sag that much. I've begun the RMA process with newegg but here's the thing: this card had a $25 MIR with MSI good for a purchase in June.
- Will the MIR still work if I RMA the card?
- Will all GPUs eventually sag anyway?
- Does sag affect performance?
I don't know how to hide an image in a spoiler so here are some pictures I have so far of my stalled build. =[
limitbreakerx on
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
edited July 2011
To me it looks like the heatsink cover is a little bent, that's all. That shouldn't affect anything.
To me it looks like the heatsink cover is a little bent, that's all. That shouldn't affect anything.
The whole thing is bent, including the PCB. I'm fine with it if my "brand new card that was completely straight when I got it" eventually sags like this, but I don't think it's fair for me to pay 260 bucks for a card which I think was pre-owned. I can understand if you think I'm overreacting, though.
limitbreakerx on
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
To me it looks like the heatsink cover is a little bent, that's all. That shouldn't affect anything.
The whole thing is bent, including the PCB. I'm fine with it if my "brand new card that was completely straight when I got it" eventually sags like this, but I don't think it's fair for me to pay 260 bucks for a card which I think was pre-owned. I can understand if you think I'm overreacting, though.
Depending on the cooler and the PCB, sagging is a definite long-term possibility.
MSI has a pretty generous RMA policy, but they might just take a look at the card, test it, determine that it works fine, and send it back. If you can get a refund from Newegg, that would be your best bet.
To get the MIR, though, you'll need a proof of purchase, which may require cutting off the serial number sticker on your box. I'd make sure you have a satisfactory card before sending in for it.
The most freaking ridiculous downdraft cooler in the history of freaking ridiculousness.
My theory is that Noctua actually makes most of its money contracting out to motherboard manufacturers, providing weight testing to figure out how much heatsink you can mount on a vertically oriented motherboard before the thing buckles like a cracker.
I think Notcua may be my favorite heatsink manufacturing because they appear to be crazy. Plus, their fans are supposed to be really quite. Super expensive, but quiet.
Planning on getting an SSD, I'm choosing between the £170 OCZ Agility 3 and the £200 OCZ Vertex 3 (120GB versions). Neither puts me over-budget, but while the Vertex performs better will I actually notice that in everyday usage? I imagine either would be blisteringly fast compared with a normal HD.
Shen on
3DS: 2234-8122-8398 | Battle.net (EU): Ladi#2485
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
did... did they take the fans off my dual-slot GPU and put it on top of a heatsink?
No, because if they did that cooler would be way smaller. That radiator area is almost like hanging a 240 rad off your motherboard, secured only by heatpipes and a backplate.
did... did they take the fans off my dual-slot GPU and put it on top of a heatsink?
No, because if they did that cooler would be way smaller. That radiator area is almost like hanging a 240 rad off your motherboard, secured only by heatpipes and a backplate.
Just put a new mobo in my PC and I am getting a BSOD when when Windows intializes.
I'm using this mobo, and my HDDs are 3gb/s, so I made sure not to put them into the 6gb/s SATA slots. BIOS recognizes all my HDDs, and the one with Windows OS on it in the nice GUI this mobo has. Boot order is fine. I don't know what "hot plugs" are, but they were disabled and I enabled them for my OS HDD.
Right when that Win7 (starting Windows) icon occurs after the BIOS does its thing, there is, like, a BSOD for .2 seconds, and the PC restarts. I'm really at a loss here. Could my HDD be bad even though the BIOS recognizes it? It was working last night before the new mobo ...
So it POSTS ok? Then try switching out HDD's. Reinstall Windows. If that doesn't work and you still have the old mobo and it worked put it back in and see what happens.
Xeddicus on
"For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men. Not women. Not beasts...this you can trust."
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
Don't reinstall Windows until you figure out what that BSOD error is. Disable automatic restarting on system failure in the F8 bootup menu (just keep pressing F8 before the "Starting Windows" screen appears). It might provide a clue into what's wrong.
My new graphics card arrived today and it's phenomenal compared to what I had before, games that were previously unplayable (<10 fps) now run at a steady 60 fps at the highest settings with vsync. Thank you Computer Build Thread, particularly Alecthar!
A new motherboard almost always requires a fresh OS install. You didn't mention doing that, though.
Oh, I didn't even notice that. In that case, you should be able to install Windows on top of itself so that all of your programs will still work without reinstalling everything.
A new motherboard almost always requires a fresh OS install. You didn't mention doing that, though.
Oh, I didn't even notice that. In that case, you should be able to install Windows on top of itself so that all of your programs will still work without reinstalling everything.
What does "Windows 7 cd keys are tied to your motherboard" effectively mean? If I have installed Windows 7 (student upgrade version) on my current computer, will I be unable to install it on my new computer or will I just be violating the EULA?
And what does V-sync actually do? It just locks your computer at 30/60fps right? If thats all it does, then why do it?
What does "Windows 7 cd keys are tied to your motherboard" effectively mean? If I have installed Windows 7 (student upgrade version) on my current computer, will I be unable to install it on my new computer or will I just be violating the EULA?
And what does V-sync actually do? It just locks your computer at 30/60fps right? If thats all it does, then why do it?
VSync fixes tearing. If you've never noticed tearing then you don't need to fix it.
What does "Windows 7 cd keys are tied to your motherboard" effectively mean? If I have installed Windows 7 (student upgrade version) on my current computer, will I be unable to install it on my new computer or will I just be violating the EULA?
It won't let you activate Windows by default. I just went through with this myself. You just need to call Microsoft and be nice, and they'll let you activate it clean and fresh.
What does "Windows 7 cd keys are tied to your motherboard" effectively mean? If I have installed Windows 7 (student upgrade version) on my current computer, will I be unable to install it on my new computer or will I just be violating the EULA?
It won't let you activate Windows by default. I just went through with this myself. You just need to call Microsoft and be nice, and they'll let you activate it clean and fresh.
Awesome. I kinda feel like I had to do that not too long ago despite not changing any hardware...
A new motherboard almost always requires a fresh OS install. You didn't mention doing that, though.
Oh, I didn't even notice that. In that case, you should be able to install Windows on top of itself so that all of your programs will still work without reinstalling everything.
Really, how well does this work with Windows 7?
I actually just had to do this because of a SP1 updating problem. I'd say it works moderately well. For the actual OS everything seemed very straightforward, it fixed my updating problem, and I have thus far not had any problems going forward. For my programs, about a third were pretty much boned, and I ended up just reinstalling them. There may have been some simple fix for the programs, but it wasn't obvious after several hours of looking, and I just wanted to be done. All in all I'm not sure it's worth it considering it wouldn't have taken much longer to just do a fresh install, which is probably a cleaner solution.
Jebus314 on
"The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
Posts
Case: NZKT Phantom: Full Case. Newegg exclusive version
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Pro with SSD caching
CPU: Intel i5 2500K 3.3 Ghz processor
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2X4). Clocked at 1600 Mhz
Solid State Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SATA III. Fastest SSD on the market as of this post.
Hard Drive: Segate Barracuda 1TB SATA III [X2] (I know this doesn't improve performance but it was on sale so I just snatched it up).
Fan: Thermaltake Frio.
GPU: ASUS Radeon HD 6950 2GB [X2]. Clocked in at 810 Mhz.
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series 850W V2. Non modular.
I'm also getting a Razor Black Widow Blue Cherry mechanical keyboard and two 23'' ASUS monitors, but that wasn't a part of the PC obviously.
Everything all wrapped together comes at $2,385. This is my first build and I hope everything fits in okay (I tried to plan all the different size requirements as best I could). Me and my girlfriend are going to work together on it over the weekend and boot MS-DOS as the test OS.
Very excited.
Battle.net
CASE: NZXT Vulcan Micro ATX
CPU: Intel Core-i5 2500k
Mthb: ASUS P8P67-M PRO
Cooler: CORSAIR H60 Water Cooler
RAM: CORSAIR XMS 4GB 1333MHz
I currently have a 750W OCZ Fatal1ty that OCZ RMA'd to me (they gave me a new on BTW) which should be over kill for anything I stick in this case.
Also I don't have enough for a new GPU so I'm using my old ATI HD4870 1GB for now. And I'm reusing a 1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD for this build.
I ordered the motherboard seperate because newegg doesn't have it so I have a day or two to find coolant for the CPU
I'm new to water cooling so what should be the best coolant to use?
The Corsair H-series coolers are closed loop coolers, the coolant is already in there. Your list is fine. You'll probably have to set the cooler up as a top exhaust.
Battle.net
As for the best coolant, D.I. water + water wetter (IMO).
I went with
Intel Core i5-2500k
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3P-B3
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866
I almost bit on an SSD due to the SSD caching with the Z68 chipset, but I figured that is something I can wait a few months on to see how SSD drives come down in price even more.
Antec Sonata
Hard drives
Monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.
8800 GTX
I also, for complicated reasons, have an i3-2120. This is why I am upgrading now: to put the CPU to use.
Here's what I'm thinking of:
ASRock Z68 PRO3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
The RAM is on sale, which is why it's what I'm looking at. The mobo is Z68, which I want (I do video encoding) and it's cheap, so that's nice. I also have an IDE DVD drive right now (
Thoughts? I know it's not OMG SO FAST like all these computers you guys are building, but frankly an i3-2120 is a really fast processor and I can always swap out the 8800 GTX if it's too slow for me.
I'm moving house soon and the only phone socket available is going to be downstairs and I keep my PC upstairs.
Am I right in thinking that it would be better to have the router downstairs next to the phone socket and have a 10-15m ethernet cable running to my PC rather than having a phone extension cable running upstairs to where my router would be?
Those are solid choices. The only other things you may want to consider are a new HDD and PSU. I'm assuming your HDD is also IDE. If you have an installable copy of your OS, that'd be < $50 well spent.
And after 5 years, a new PSU wouldn't be a bad idea. You'd only need like 450W-500W, and you can get either an XFX Core Ed PRO450W OCZ ModXStream 500W, or Silverstone ST50F-ES 500W all for < $60. Depending on what you have now, that might not be completely necessary, but it's something to think about.
hey
I have a RAT 7 and I am no idiot. I also happen to like it a lot (this after using an MX518 for nearly a year)
I'm not actually sure on the technical details of doing it, but I'd assume yeah, do it that way or save the hassle and just get a wireless adapter if you can live with the slightly slower speeds.
Before that I was using a 510, which is basically a 518 in red. It was pretty sweet. The Kone+ feels like an upgraded version, which I think was best mouse I've used previously.
- Will the MIR still work if I RMA the card?
- Will all GPUs eventually sag anyway?
- Does sag affect performance?
I don't know how to hide an image in a spoiler so here are some pictures I have so far of my stalled build. =[
The whole thing is bent, including the PCB. I'm fine with it if my "brand new card that was completely straight when I got it" eventually sags like this, but I don't think it's fair for me to pay 260 bucks for a card which I think was pre-owned. I can understand if you think I'm overreacting, though.
Depending on the cooler and the PCB, sagging is a definite long-term possibility.
MSI has a pretty generous RMA policy, but they might just take a look at the card, test it, determine that it works fine, and send it back. If you can get a refund from Newegg, that would be your best bet.
To get the MIR, though, you'll need a proof of purchase, which may require cutting off the serial number sticker on your box. I'd make sure you have a satisfactory card before sending in for it.
Battle.net
Noctua at CES:
Kind of a 120mm fan version of the NH-D14
Battle.net
That looks pretty good - much better RAM clearance for people with the big heatsinks, or even RAM fans.
Doesn't seem to be hugely different from the current model.
wut.
No really, what?
What the shit? Just get a fucking refrigerator, put your computer in the refrigerator, and be done with it.
No, because if they did that cooler would be way smaller. That radiator area is almost like hanging a 240 rad off your motherboard, secured only by heatpipes and a backplate.
Battle.net
Like I said, crazy. I wonder if it works well...
Just put a new mobo in my PC and I am getting a BSOD when when Windows intializes.
I'm using this mobo, and my HDDs are 3gb/s, so I made sure not to put them into the 6gb/s SATA slots. BIOS recognizes all my HDDs, and the one with Windows OS on it in the nice GUI this mobo has. Boot order is fine. I don't know what "hot plugs" are, but they were disabled and I enabled them for my OS HDD.
Right when that Win7 (starting Windows) icon occurs after the BIOS does its thing, there is, like, a BSOD for .2 seconds, and the PC restarts. I'm really at a loss here. Could my HDD be bad even though the BIOS recognizes it? It was working last night before the new mobo ...
Battle.net
3DS friend code: 4811-7214-5053
Oh, I didn't even notice that. In that case, you should be able to install Windows on top of itself so that all of your programs will still work without reinstalling everything.
Really, how well does this work with Windows 7?
And what does V-sync actually do? It just locks your computer at 30/60fps right? If thats all it does, then why do it?
VSync fixes tearing. If you've never noticed tearing then you don't need to fix it.
It won't let you activate Windows by default. I just went through with this myself. You just need to call Microsoft and be nice, and they'll let you activate it clean and fresh.
Awesome. I kinda feel like I had to do that not too long ago despite not changing any hardware...
I actually just had to do this because of a SP1 updating problem. I'd say it works moderately well. For the actual OS everything seemed very straightforward, it fixed my updating problem, and I have thus far not had any problems going forward. For my programs, about a third were pretty much boned, and I ended up just reinstalling them. There may have been some simple fix for the programs, but it wasn't obvious after several hours of looking, and I just wanted to be done. All in all I'm not sure it's worth it considering it wouldn't have taken much longer to just do a fresh install, which is probably a cleaner solution.