New : Business Time - Moonrunner - WoW - Guild Hosting

Tassager · Posted: 2012/08/30 1:27 Post subject:

Thanks guys! I am very pleased with how it turned out. Will be building my own from here on out.

The case (Corsair 500R) was actually one of the last decisions I made. Decided to just go with the stock CPU heatsink fan, and spend that additional money instead on a case with some giant airflow and features I really wanted. I'm pleased with that decision. Since I'm not OC'ing, my CPU temps have held nice and low. Plus, the case just looks great. :-)

GDPR#2621198 · Posted: 2012/08/26 20:44 Post subject: GDPR#2621198

GDPR#2621198

Zierlyn · Posted: 2012/08/26 20:31 Post subject:

That is one sweet case. Jealous, I am it.

Tassager · Posted: 2012/08/26 20:29 Post subject:

So... Again, thank you all for your help! I'm 100% up and running, and just need one more damned adapter (seriously, lesson one from a first time computer builder... the cords and the adapters will be the end of you), and then it's DONE. Thought I'd share some pics.

Parts:

First test run with two monitors... main monitor there isn't the one I ended up with as my second. Actually got one larger. Now I'm at one 23", and one 21". Love it. Case fan LED's have an on/off switch (was a must have for me) there on the front panel.
Forum Image

Front of case:
Forum Image

Guts:

Vosskah · Posted: 2012/07/22 20:22 Post subject:

I agree with Mer. After having had problems with MSI, gigabyte, etc. I always buy Asus now and it's really worth it. I especially love the military grade ones not too costly but really damn good.

Meraxiss · Posted: 2012/07/22 19:29 Post subject:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521

The link I meant, its performance/features IMO edge the 560 GTX (not the 560 Ti though). As for the GPU nvidia vs. AMD debate, AMD has stepped up the game in this field (sadly not so much in cpus though). The driver updates and tuning tools are just flat out better than nvidia and the cards themselves are better priced with many having better performance as well.

Memory go with something like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

As for MoBo my opinion as a builder is: Know whats compatible (Intel LGA 1155/LGA 1156), Size for your case (micro or full size board), know what features you need/want (Pci express 3.0X16 and number of slots, SATA3, USB3 number of slots and locations), and finally what features are important to you (xfire/SLI, military spec, UEFI, etc.) Once you know what you need and want you can look at manufacturers. Personally I would spring the extra few bucks for a Gigabyte or Asus board, and I would avoid Foxcon, biostar or MSI like the plague. ASrock is reviewed well, and Supp seems happy with his so that's your call. But after several builds of my own and for others I strongly advise going for the quality board, nothing is a bigger pain in the ass than replacing a mobo.

GDPR#2621198 · Posted: 2012/07/21 20:15 Post subject: GDPR#2621198

GDPR#2621198

Tassager · Posted: 2012/07/21 13:43 Post subject:

Carlctrl wrote:

I'll add regarding your desire for the computer to last 5 years: The most expensive upgrades will usually be the video card and processor. I don't think upgrading your processor is very likely as the next round of Intel chip (probably coming out next June) will use a different socket (meaning you'll need a different Motherboard). But there is no way around that now and really you can get 5 years out of that processor for your needs.

Would this be an argument in favor of perhaps spending a bit more today on a processor than the one I've got on the list? Or is the one on the list likely to get me comfortably through 5 years?

Vosskah wrote:

I haven't checked your list but I would advise to get a power supply with removable cables. Just used one for Vid's last upgrade and they're a charm to work with and leave your case looking very neat. It's also good for airflow.

Yeah, I'd imagine so. I do have this sort of power supply on my purchase list, and put it there after watching some build videos. Seems absolutely worth the few extra bucks for the build simplicity and cooling I can get from it.

SuppliciumSC wrote:

c: I know not everyone is a fan of AsRock but I've never had any problems with them in the past. I'm currently using the same board and haven't had any problems with it, but there may be alternatives out there for a similar price that offer you more which may be more appealing.

Why isn't everyone a fan of AsRock? What would be other good alternatives? Anyone else here have experiences or thoughts on choosing a mobo? At this point, I'm inclined to follow in Supp's footsteps and pick this one up unless there are good reasons not to? His testimony is good, reviews look good, it fits all the parts I'm looking at, and it's got the PCIx3.0 that Jake mentioned.

SuppliciumSC wrote:

d: Are you going to put any other games or programs on your SSD? Currently, I'm using the 90GB version from Kingston and I have Win7, WoW and SC2 on it with ~22GB free still. I personally want ~20% overhead for caching which is far more than necessary, so I could still fit Diablo III on there as well. I ask because you can shave off $40 by downgrading to the 90GB version and you can put that money elsewhere.

No, wasn't planning on anything else, really. This is a good idea. I'll pick up the 90GB instead.

SuppliciumSC wrote:

but honestly I think you may just be better off getting an ATI card. However, you'll have to rely on Mer's knowledge about ATI because I don't know that much about them after they were bought out by AMD.

Mer (anybody?) jump in here. Explain this whole NVIDIA/AMD/ATI thing to me. I feel lost with it. What should I be looking for here?

SuppliciumSC wrote:

Motherboards also come with a chipset, and each chipset has its own features. Examples of chipsets include: H67, P67, Z68, Z69, Z77, etc. Chipsets also require certain CPU types in order to make use of it. In the end, it's mainly a case of researching what chipsets are compatible with your CPU and what features each chipset has.

Generally, Ivy Bridge is going to want Z77 then either Z68 or Z69, again, depending on your needs.

What are important features that I should be looking for in a chipset (aside from it being Z77,

)?

Meraxiss wrote:

The memory you selected is a bad choice. You wont be able to run any faster than 1600 without doing an OC (2300 is what youhave picked out) and the voltage is above what Intel recommends for sandy and ivy bridge go with a 1.5v as for latency the returns for the buck are pretty low so cas 9 is fine.

What memory would you recommend? What've you had good luck with?

Meraxiss wrote:

GPU you could go with a 6870 and get better to comparable performance for less the updates are easy to install and have built interface to fine tune and OC thecard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521. Also has a lifetime warranty

Link didn't work? Would love to see which one you'd recommend.

This is so exciting!! Thank you!

Tassager · Posted: 2012/07/19 19:10 Post subject:

Holy cow, you guys are amazing. I'm totally swamped under work for the next few days, so I'm just exhausted. I'll try to really read through and digest all this and post an intelligent response with more questions over the next few days. :-)

Probably start purchasing pieces next week, too.

Meraxiss · Posted: 2012/07/18 1:06 Post subject:

The memory you selected is a bad choice. You wont be able to run any faster than 1600 without doing an OC (2300 is what youhave picked out) and the voltage is above what Intel recommends for sandy and ivy bridge go with a 1.5v as for latency the returns for the buck are pretty low so cas 9 is fine. As to why you cant recycle your old memory 5 yearold memory is likely incompatible. As Supp pointed out go for a low profile heatsink.

I would also agree with Supp on the aftermarket Cpu cooler, the noise reduction alone is enough reason but the oem coolers tend to be shitty in the cooling and lifespan Dept.

Paste wise AS5 is good shin-etzu isalso very good. The oem cooler is what has the thermal compound preinstalled so you will need something.

GPU you could go with a 6870 and get better to comparable performance for less the updates are easy to install and have built interface to fine tune and OC thecard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521. Also has a lifetime warranty

I 'll post more later its a bit late

GDPR#2621198 · Posted: 2012/07/17 22:45 Post subject: GDPR#2621198

GDPR#2621198

GDPR#2621198 · Posted: 2012/07/17 22:45 Post subject: GDPR#2621198

GDPR#2621198

Vosskah · Posted: 2012/07/17 21:26 Post subject:

I haven't checked your list but I would advise to get a power supply with removable cables. Just used one for Vid's last upgrade and they're a charm to work with and leave your case looking very neat. It's also good for airflow.

Carlctrl · Posted: 2012/07/17 19:51 Post subject:

Carlctrl · Posted: 2012/07/17 19:42 Post subject:

Yeah building a computer is not terribly hard. There are only two things you can easily screw up.
1. Buying parts that are incompatible. You seems to have that under control based on your list.
2. Seating the processor is a bit more touchy than seating a video card or memory. As long as your careful you'll be fine. These days the processors comes with pre-applied thermal paste and since your not looking to create max performance you don't need to worry about getting "high" performance thermal paste like some sites will recommend.

I'll add regarding your desire for the computer to last 5 years: The most expensive upgrades will usually be the video card and processor. I don't think upgrading your processor is very likely as the next round of Intel chip (probably coming out next June) will use a different socket (meaning you'll need a different Motherboard). But there is no way around that now and really you can get 5 years out of that processor for your needs. If Wow and Diablo 3 are the most taxing things you make your computer do than you've got enough power there imo. Most video cards aren't even using the PCIxE 3.0 interface yet and your motherboard has that so your "future-proofed" there. Your PCIxE 2.0 card will be fine for now. You'll probably need to upgrade the vid card before the 5 years is out, but then again maybe not depending on what you want to play 3 years from now. Again, there is no way around that.

What is 14 + 2?