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[JetBlackPanda]

So now my rig will boot and run all fans and the mobo displays a 55 on the led, this is not a bios code is it CPU temp??

Is it normal for it to just run with no ram and no beeps?

Lol

Granted i don't get anything on the monitor because it's not even getting to post.

 

[Chris R]

Finally got my case doors on, just hoping I covered all the extra molex/pcie/ect connectors with electrical tape properly to prevent arcing since everything is very tight behind the motherboard tray.

Now to find try to find a local machine shop to cut a nice hole into one of my doors that wont rip me off. Tried cutting my own window once... lets just say it didn't go too well.

 

[mkenyon]

Interesting that i'm not seeing any Gigabyte motherboard mentions in here.

Are they not good?

As a guy who has bought nothing but ASUS boards outside of a single Sapphire ITX board (between workstations, servers, and all my projects, I'm talking a *lot* of motherboards), I recently just bought a Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2. I'm actually quite enamored with it. Posted a pic of it a page or two back.

When it comes to the more mainstream stuff, Gigabyte had a fairly serious issue that cropped up enough to limit an OP mention with P67/Z68. Haz only puts stuff in there that has been through the ringer without any major issues, while being very affordable. ASUS, ASRock, and (new to making the cut with Z77) Biostar seem to be doing really well.

Finally got my case doors on, just hoping I covered all the extra molex/pcie/ect connectors with electrical tape properly to prevent arcing since everything is very tight behind the motherboard tray.

Now to find try to find a local machine shop to cut a nice hole into one of my doors that wont rip me off. Tried cutting my own window once... lets just say it didn't go too well.

Jigsaw + lots of sanding. Finally bought one for my 600T cutting to fit in watercooling stuff, the thing was amazing to use. If I were more accurate with my lines, would have turned out nearly perfect.

So now my rig will boot and run all fans and the mobo displays a 55 on the led, this is not a bios code is it CPU temp??

Is it normal for it to just run with no ram and no beeps?

Lol

Granted i don't get anything on the monitor because it's not even getting to post.

You don't have RAM in, there's literally no point in even trying to turn it on.

 

[mr stroke]

Can anyone tell me how hard it is to switch out a CPU? I have done GPU's, power supplies, but never attempted to change a CPU. Is it hard? Does it require going into the bios?

 

[Chris R]

Jigsaw + lots of sanding. Finally bought one for my 600T cutting to fit in watercooling stuff, the thing was amazing to use. If I were more accurate with my lines, would have turned out nearly perfect.

I had a SKIL saw but it still didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped. Wouldn't mind paying some shop $20 for them to punch a hole in my door so at least everything is level and the corner radiuses are equal.

After the hole is made everything else is easy though. Just want this looking good and professional since I plan on using it for at least a few years.

 

[mkenyon]

Can anyone tell me how hard it is to switch out a CPU? I have done GPU's, power supplies, but never attempted to change a CPU. Is it hard? Does it require going into the bios?

Fairly easy, depending on the cooler you have installed. More or less -

1) Remove heatsink
2) Release the retention system for whatever kind of CPU you have.
3) Pull out old CPU.
4) Put in new CPU.
5) Engage the retention system.
6) Clean TIM off of heatsink with isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher) or a product designed for the job like Indigo Extreme Cleaner.
7) Put TIM on new CPU.
8) Secure heatsink.
9) Go into BIOS and overclock.

 

[Hawk269]

YGPM!

To answer some of your questions:

1) This is directly tied to tubing and preference. I like barbs because they're a lot cleaner and super easy to work with. Done properly, you essentially bond the plastic to the fitting. Doesn't come off unless you take a blade to it.

2) Not even close. I'd lean towards 2x360mm and 1x240 at the minimum. The rad you listed has pretty limited cooling potential, with low FPI and a thin profile. Aside from the Alphacool Nexxos rads, the general rule of thumb is - High fin density thin radiators = low fin density thick radiators, but you need to use high RPM fans to get there. Low FPI means that a slower moving fan will be able to cool more since there is less resistance. When you have low FPI on a thin radiator, you severely limit cooling potential.

I thought I was off a bit...hmmm...

Well, I guess I need to rethink things then.

And for clarification, being that it is 2 GPU's and CPU I would need more than one rad? Or would a high quality RAD that I can put 3x120mm fans or 3x140mm fans on it be enough?

 

[mkenyon]

So, you have 4 GPUs, not two. That's a really important distinction because you'll need to be able dissipate pretty close to the same watts someone would have with 4x680s.

You will want *at least* TWO 360mm rads AND a 240mm rad to get the job done well. Taking a gander at the Elysium, it's a possibility, but will most likely require giving up most of your HDD and optical bay space. Generally though, when you get to that kind of cooling, you need a case specifically designed for it unless you want to completely mod your case with lots of dremel/jigsaw work. Think Caselabs, Mountain Mods, Little Devil, or Danger Den.

 

[Hawk269]

So, you have 4 GPUs, not two. That's a really important distinction because you'll need to be able dissipate pretty close to the same watts someone would have with 4x680s.

You will want *at least* TWO 360mm rads AND a 240mm rad to get the job done well. Taking a gander at the Elysium, it's a possibility, but will most likely require giving up most of your HDD and optical bay space. Generally though, when you get to that kind of cooling, you need a case specifically designed for it unless you want to completely mod your case with lots of dremel/jigsaw work. Think Caselabs, Mountain Mods, Little Devil, or Danger Den.

Hmmm..damn. I think this will be too much for me then. I thought it would be pretty simple, but it sounds like it will take a lot to get this done properly. I was thinking that it would be something that perhaps 2 rads would be able to accomplish, but from what you are saying it seems like that is not the case at all. Kind of glad I asked cause this would of been a total train wreck...lol

 

[alternade]

So when booting up for the first time do I install windows first or the bios/drivers for the mobo, gpu etc?

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

I think I want to go "real" water cooling for my rig. I have been doing some reading and looking into some stuff and just need to get some feedback on how easy it is to do and if I am selecting apropriate parts or if I am missing something. Here is what I got so far, with links if any can please check it out for me.

Radiator:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...or_-_11_FPI_-_Black_HX-360HL_No_Nozzles_.html

Reservoir/Pump Combo Unit:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._Reservoir_-_w_D5_Variant_Pump_Installed.html

Cpu Block:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...5_1156_1366_2011_939_940_754_AM2_AM2_AM3.html

Tubing:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...lamps_Tube_Cutter_12ID_x_34OD_-_Clear_UV.html

Coolant:
http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=0_58&product_id=489

GPU Block:
http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2059

I know I need fittings that connect to the parts, but kind of unclear on which ones I need. There are some called barbs and nozzles, which look the same, but unsure.

Thanks to anyone that is willing to help..this will be my first water anything other than using a H100. Also wondering if what I listed above is enough to water cool both the CPU and 2xGPU's.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?202394-Information-Guides-amp-Reviews-Tests-amp-Galleries&

 

[JetBlackPanda]

thanks again for all the help.

I should not have any problems installing windows 8 preview as my only os correct? I burned the ISO from the consumer build.

I should not need to install win7 first??

 

[clav]

So when booting up for the first time do I install windows first or the bios/drivers for the mobo, gpu etc?

Windows. Otherwise, there is no operating system to install drivers.

thanks again for all the help.

I should not have any problems installing windows 8 preview as my only os correct? I burned the ISO from the consumer build.

I should not need to install win7 first??

Nope. Just Windows 8.

thank you!

one more quick question. I am waiting for my ram to come in the mail tomorrow so my entire computer is built without any ram. I know it wont post but should it give me error beeps??

when I use the power button the fans spin for a second then just go off.

thanks.

If the speaker is plugged in, yes the computer will beep when there is no RAM.

 

[mkenyon]

Hmmm..damn. I think this will be too much for me then. I thought it would be pretty simple, but it sounds like it will take a lot to get this done properly. I was thinking that it would be something that perhaps 2 rads would be able to accomplish, but from what you are saying it seems like that is not the case at all. Kind of glad I asked cause this would of been a total train wreck...lol

What I'd suggest is to start small. Build a loop for your CPU to get your feet wet and get the hang of things. If you find modding/benching/building to be fun and engaging, its really the only place you can go at this point with the hardware you have.

Going off your list, I'd sub in Mayhem's coolant/dye/concentrates if you want some color for fluid. Its the only stuff out there that wont gunk up. If you dont want dye, use distilled water and a silver kill coil.

Swap the koolance rad for an alphacool 45/60 nexxos 360mm.

Swap the tubing for primochill 7/16 ID tubing, clear if you want dye, or the color of your choice if you dont.

Grab some alphacool, bitspowe, or xspc 1/2" barbs. You would need 6, two each for rad, res, and CPU block.

As far as angle adapters go, you would want to plan out your loop. Any time you need to make a 90 or 45 degree turn, get a bitspower rotary adapter for it.

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Windows. Otherwise, there is no operating system to install drivers.




Nope. Just Windows 8.




If the speaker is plugged in, yes the computer will beep when there is no RAM.

thank you!!!

 

[clav]

Hm a question for thought.

Would it be worth upgrading a graphics card for lower temperatures?

The 9800 GT in my system is running at 68 degrees Celsius under load. Changed out the thermal paste and added a 120mm fan, too.

I don't feel like spending $40-$50 for an aftermarket cooler on an old card.

I wonder if it's worth purchasing a HD 7770.

I suppose I'll hold out.

 

[ProXimity]

Yes, specifically this tool. You can use your existing license and an ISO of the same version of Windows (get the one that includes SP1, though) from Digital River (google it).


If you never run out of ram in your workflow, don't waste money on anything you wont use.

What is Digital River? DigitalRiver.com doesn't turn up any results for Windows 7.

 

[clav]

What is Digital River? DigitalRiver.com doesn't turn up any results for Windows 7.

Digital River is a distribution service that Microsoft uses to distributes its online purchased Windows 7 ISOs.

Sites around the Internet have them hotlinked.

Just be sure to download the right one for the key you purchased. 64-bit and 32-bit versions work with the same key.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/

Tip: If you delete the ei.cfg file that's in the "Support" folder on any Windows Vista/7 install USB disk after using the Windows 7 USB tool, the setup installer will ask you which version to install. This allows you to have a "Master" installation disk in the event that you need an alternative version for reinstallation for multiple computers.

 

[Ledsen]

As a guy who has bought nothing but ASUS boards outside of a single Sapphire ITX board (between workstations, servers, and all my projects, I'm talking a *lot* of motherboards), I recently just bought a Gigabyte G1.Assassin 2. I'm actually quite enamored with it. Posted a pic of it a page or two back.

When it comes to the more mainstream stuff, Gigabyte had a fairly serious issue that cropped up enough to limit an OP mention with P67/Z68. Haz only puts stuff in there that has been through the ringer without any major issues, while being very affordable. ASUS, ASRock, and (new to making the cut with Z77) Biostar seem to be doing really well.

What issue? I don't see anything about it in the OP, and I own a Z68 Gigabyte MB that works perfectly.

 

[Hawk269]

What I'd suggest is to start small. Build a loop for your CPU to get your feet wet and get the hang of things. If you find modding/benching/building to be fun and engaging, its really the only place you can go at this point with the hardware you have.

Going off your list, I'd sub in Mayhem's coolant/dye/concentrates if you want some color for fluid. Its the only stuff out there that wont gunk up. If you dont want dye, use distilled water and a silver kill coil.

Swap the koolance rad for an alphacool 45/60 nexxos 360mm.

Swap the tubing for primochill 7/16 ID tubing, clear if you want dye, or the color of your choice if you dont.

Grab some alphacool, bitspowe, or xspc 1/2" barbs. You would need 6, two each for rad, res, and CPU block.

As far as angle adapters go, you would want to plan out your loop. Any time you need to make a 90 or 45 degree turn, get a bitspower rotary adapter for it.

Thanks..I actually was thinking that as well....but I had another thought. As you may know or don't know, I game on a 1080p 3dHDTV and having 2x690's at 1080p is complete overkill and while it is cool to have, it really is not doing too much for me. While I have not decided what to do, I am thinking of selling off one of the 690's...

With that in mind, I am still wanting to water cool the cpu and 690 still, but looking for what would be best and not require modding my case or too many rads. Of course, I want it to be efficient as that is the whole point.

 

[mkenyon]

What issue? I don't see anything about it in the OP, and I own a Z68 Gigabyte MB that works perfectly.

Cold boot bug. Its not universal, but anecdotally is seemingly common as far as reported issues go.

 

[Ledsen]

Cold boot bug. Its not universal, but anecdotally is seemingly common as far as reported issues go.

What's the bug do?

 

[Ty4on]

Would it be worth upgrading a graphics card for lower temperatures?

The 9800 GT in my system is running at 68 degrees Celsius under load. Changed out the thermal paste and added a 120mm fan, too.

The 9800 GT is rated at a max temp of 105C, yours is almost too cold. In the Guru3D review of the 7770 it hit 70C at load.


Dunno if it means anything, but my 8600

Spoiler

m

has hit *90+ quite a lot in its life and it still lives 4 years later without any problems. It's a good thing to keep parts as cold as possible, but I don't understand the huge fear of 70-80C at the highest possible load unless you live in a dust house.

*Before I got a cooling pad the CPU kept overheating in gaming, I knew that happened because the FPS went off a cliff when the CPU underclocked to prevent overheating. That's important because the GPU used the same cooler. That model was known for overheating and some weren't as lucky as me with a burned GPU, but remember we're talking about 95C in gaming.

 

[_woLf]

My EVGA GTX 670 FTW just arrived today. With it, my Ivy Bridge build is 100% complete, and it freaking rocks.

It's slaughtered everything I've thrown at it. BF3, Crysis 2, Skyrim with high-rez textures and tons of mods, etc, etc. This is awesome.

 

[KillerAJD]

Need somebody to help with this if possible. Helped a buddy a country away from me pick out parts for a rig. Got a i5 3570k and the mobo is an Asus P8Z68-V LX. For the most part, I thought we picked pretty smart for his price range and without having everything shipped (He's in Canada, so it's easier for him just to go to the Canada Computers store near him). It helped that except for the CPU and GPU, everything was the same from another buddies build from a month ago. However, when he got all the stuff together (with help from me over Skype video chat, haha), the thing wouldn't post, and would spit out 4 beeps. I couldn't find anything online about 4 short beeps, only different combinations or 5 short beeps. I had him take everything apart and start over, and still nothing.

Still bummed it didn't work, I've been taking the past hour or so and looking online some more, and I think I've found the problem. The CPU we got is a 3rd gen CPU, but the mobo is z68, which needs a bios update for it to work. That's great, but we have no older CPU to run to get to the point of updating. I just want to make sure I've got that down correctly. So I need him to take that mobo back and get one with a z77 chipset, correct? That, or find somebody with a 2500k or something to update the bios, yeah? I feel like such a moron for not catching that sooner, especially when we had discussed what the differences between the z77 and z68 were. We thought it was something not to worry about...guess it was, haha.

Anyways, I'm having him return that and get one of these three:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

My only concern is the second one is z77m in the description, and I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not. Any and all help is appreciated! And if you have a better suggestion mobo wise, it needs to be not more than $10 more than $114 (which was the original mobo price) and be available at the Ajax location on the Canadacomputers.com website. Thanks guys!

 

[n0n44m]

I think I want to go "real" water cooling for my rig. I have been doing some reading and looking into some stuff and just need to get some feedback on how easy it is to do and if I am selecting apropriate parts or if I am missing something. Here is what I got so far, with links if any can please check it out for me.

Radiator:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...or_-_11_FPI_-_Black_HX-360HL_No_Nozzles_.html

Reservoir/Pump Combo Unit:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._Reservoir_-_w_D5_Variant_Pump_Installed.html

Cpu Block:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...5_1156_1366_2011_939_940_754_AM2_AM2_AM3.html

Tubing:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...lamps_Tube_Cutter_12ID_x_34OD_-_Clear_UV.html

Coolant:
http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=0_58&product_id=489

GPU Block:
http://koolance.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2059

I know I need fittings that connect to the parts, but kind of unclear on which ones I need. There are some called barbs and nozzles, which look the same, but unsure.

Thanks to anyone that is willing to help..this will be my first water anything other than using a H100. Also wondering if what I listed above is enough to water cool both the CPU and 2xGPU's.

1. different radiator like mkenyon said. http://martinsliquidlab.org/ is the best place to read up on parts at the moment. GTX690 doesn't get that hot, 2011 six core does, so with 2 good 2*120 radiators you should be able to pull it off I guess (assuming one GTX690)
2. bayres with integrated pump can be potentially noisy; if you have to space just put the pump somewhere you can isolate the vibrations better
3. that tubing is pretty thick ... 3/8 - 1/2 is what I use myself, and I would go for 3/8 - 5/8 if I would start over again (for some extra bending without anti-kink coils)
4. I advise compression fittings and a tube cutter. Nothing can go wrong as long as you're patient and pay attention ALWAYS get compression fittings in the same size that your tubing is. Also I'd avoid rotary/angled fittings as much as possible. I had three in my loop and they worked well, but regular tubing and fittings will always be more reliable. If you do put them in, always make sure there is not much tension on them through the tubes

Hmmm..damn. I think this will be too much for me then. I thought it would be pretty simple, but it sounds like it will take a lot to get this done properly. I was thinking that it would be something that perhaps 2 rads would be able to accomplish, but from what you are saying it seems like that is not the case at all. Kind of glad I asked cause this would of been a total train wreck...lol

if you have little space for radiators and but have enough space in your room (and don't move the rig allll the time) ... http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._-_Black_Powder_Coat_22120.html?tl=g30c95s667

this is the one I'm using, there's also 9*120 and 4*180 (which perform the same) that also should be more than adequate. You just have these somewhere next to your case (buy feet seperately) and connect them using the Koolance Quick Disconnect fittings that you place on the back of your case. http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g30/c405/list/p1/Liquid_Cooling-Fittings-Quick_Disconnects.html. Even with Intel Burn Test and Furmark at the same time water would not go more than 5c over ambient at 900 rpm

Need somebody to help with this if possible. Helped a buddy a country away from me pick out parts for a rig. Got a i5 3570k and the mobo is an Asus P8Z68-V LX. For the most part, I thought we picked pretty smart for his price range and without having everything shipped (He's in Canada, so it's easier for him just to go to the Canada Computers store near him). It helped that except for the CPU and GPU, everything was the same from another buddies build from a month ago. However, when he got all the stuff together (with help from me over Skype video chat, haha), the thing wouldn't post, and would spit out 4 beeps. I couldn't find anything online about 4 short beeps, only different combinations or 5 short beeps. I had him take everything apart and start over, and still nothing.

Still bummed it didn't work, I've been taking the past hour or so and looking online some more, and I think I've found the problem. The CPU we got is a 3rd gen CPU, but the mobo is z68, which needs a bios update for it to work. That's great, but we have no older CPU to run to get to the point of updating. I just want to make sure I've got that down correctly. So I need him to take that mobo back and get one with a z77 chipset, correct? That, or find somebody with a 2500k or something to update the bios, yeah? I feel like such a moron for not catching that sooner, especially when we had discussed what the differences between the z77 and z68 were. We thought it was something not to worry about...guess it was, haha.

Anyways, I'm having him return that and get one of these three:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

My only concern is the second one is z77m in the description, and I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not. Any and all help is appreciated! And if you have a better suggestion mobo wise, it needs to be not more than $10 more than $114 (which was the original mobo price) and be available at the Ajax location on the Canadacomputers.com website. Thanks guys!

yeah that is most likely the issue. Weird that the store didn't tell him that when he bought it though ... can't they update the bios for them? you should at least expect some service when you're still buying at a brick&mortar store right

If you must get another board, I've heard pretty good things about the #3 (Asrock) board... Z77M for the #2 is just the name of the board, the chipset should still be Z77

 

[Hagi]

Hey guys i was going to purchase an X51 but thought for the same price i could build myself something better. Could you look at this and see if i've made the right choice.

Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail
Asus P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Titanium Grey
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003)
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B)
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM)
Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-500CXUKV2)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 PCI Sound Card with built in Headphone Amp - OEM

All this come's to £814 including shipping which i think is pretty good. The X51 was going to net me £799 alone.

 

[papercut]

Couple of related questions:

If I get a video card with an open cooler design (like the asus 670 directcu), will it raise the temps on my CPU since it's dumping air into the case and not out the back? I plan to overclock my 3570k and I'm wary of handicapping myself. I mostly want this card because I want to avoid that whirry fan noise that's been reported with the reference 670 coolers.

Also, will turning off the iGPU lower temps at all?

Thanks!

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

Right, even after installing a brand new CPU fan, Speedfan tells me the temp is hovering around 80C and AUX at 60.

The hell is going on? Sensor broke?

 

[Rufus]

Try Coretemp.

 

[Sethos]

RealTemp seems to be the community favorite, try that.

 

[K' Dash]

Hey guys i was going to purchase an X51 but thought for the same price i could build myself something better. Could you look at this and see if i've made the right choice.

Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail
Asus P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Titanium Grey
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003)
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B)
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM)
Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-500CXUKV2)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 PCI Sound Card with built in Headphone Amp - OEM

All this come's to £814 including shipping which i think is pretty good. The X51 was going to net me £799 alone.

Get the P8Z77 V LK, you're buying a i5 2500K and with that MoBo you can't overclock, get a caviar black 1TB HDD and a 256GB SSD.

Edit: it would be nice if you get a low profile corsair RAM too, takes much less space.

 

[TheExodu5]

Get the P8Z77 LV K, you're buying a i5 2500K and with that MoBo you can't overclock, I'd go with onboard sound and put the money of that sound card on a better video card, 7850 is great but you can get better with those extra $200 and onboard sound is great, also, get a caviar black HDD or F3 spinpoint.

F3 Spinpoints are currently rebadged Seagates.

 

[BackwardsSuggestions]

Better. Showing as 35ish now. Stupid Speedfan.

 

[MrBig]

Hey guys i was going to purchase an X51 but thought for the same price i could build myself something better. Could you look at this and see if i've made the right choice.

Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail
Asus P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Fractal Design Define R3 Midi Tower Case - Titanium Grey
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003)
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9B)
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM / 16x DVD±RW Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (OEM)
Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-500CXUKV2)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 PCI Sound Card with built in Headphone Amp - OEM

All this come's to £814 including shipping which i think is pretty good. The X51 was going to net me £799 alone.

Switch the RAM to this.
Switch the mobo as has been said.
Barracudas have a pretty bad rep, get a caviar black or a SSD + a cav green storage HDD.

 

[K' Dash]

F3 Spinpoints are currently rebadged Seagates.

well, a 256 SSD and 1TB Caviar Black sound like the best options, I still think he doesn't need the Xonar, unless he's an audiophile, he can get a very nice Graphics Card with that extra money.

Switch the RAM to this.
Switch the mobo as has been said.
Barracudas have a pretty bad rep, get a caviar black or a SSD + a cav green storage HDD.

Yeah, that's the best RAM you can get, Haz should change that in the OP and offer it as the best option for all builds.

 

[MrBig]

well, a 256 SSD and 1TB Caviar Black sound like the best options, I still think he doesn't need the Xonar, unless he's an audiophile, he can get a very nice Graphics Card with that extra money.

Not really, the 7850 is good, the DG is cheap, and if he has good headphones using onboard on that mobo really isn't an option.

 

[K' Dash]

Not really, the 7850 is good, the DG is cheap, and if he has good headphones using onboard on that mobo really isn't an option.

Yep, true.

 

[1-D_FTW]

7850 is great indeed, it's a matter of priorities I guess, I'd get the best Graphics I can get and go with on board, but that's jus my opinion

To be fair, 30 bucks (Zonar) really isn't going to upgrade your graphics. If you're already buying a mid-range, 30 bucks isn't taking you to the next deal. Not even close. If money were tight, you could probably just wait a week or two, get the 7850 when somebody had it on sale for 30 dollars off, and get both.

 

[K' Dash]

To be fair, 30 bucks (Zonar) really isn't going to upgrade your graphics. If you're already buying a mid-range, 30 bucks isn't taking you to the next deal. Not even close. If money were tight, you could probably just wait a week or two, get the 7850 when somebody had it on sale for 30 dollars off, and get both.

oops, forget what I said, I was thinking of a $180 sound card, carry on.

 

[MisterNoisy]

Anyways, I'm having him return that and get one of these three:

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

My only concern is the second one is z77m in the description, and I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not. Any and all help is appreciated! And if you have a better suggestion mobo wise, it needs to be not more than $10 more than $114 (which was the original mobo price) and be available at the Ajax location on the Canadacomputers.com website. Thanks guys!

Second one is Micro-ATX, hence the 'M' designation.

 

[MooMoo]

So here are a few pictures! Gotta say, I really like the window on the side, although it's kinda hard to see with the reflections in the picture. In the end, it took an entire evening to build and another day or two to stress test/transfer over my files.

 

[Jackben]

That looks great MooMoo. If I remember correctly I think our builds were very similar. Same case at the very least. I hope I can emulate your success this evening when I get off work to put together my build!

Does it hold up all right on your desk? I may put mine up there as well to avoid dust as I have hardwood floors.

Come to think my room is actually really dusty. A disadvantage from living in an older house.

As long as you make sure to wear wool socks and a knitted sweater, hopefully during very humid/stormy weather, nothing can go wrong.

Spoiler

This is in case the sarcasm wasn't apparent

Rule #1 of computer building is to stop being afraid of it. If it isn't gold (fingers on RAM and videocards where they slot in) or the CPU itself, everything is really durable. You aren't going to break it!

Haha, good point. Even if everything doesn't go perfect tonight I've waited long enough, so I'll be tinkering with it on my own when I get home either way.

 

[Fantasmo]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy an i5 quad core machine. The more future proof the better BUT I do not need a fast video card as I'm not using it for gaming. I have a sata1 hard drive, a monitor, mouse and keyboard so I don't need those either.

The primary purpose of this machine will be to have a MS lab machine for MCITP and multiple VMs open simultaneously.

I may upgrade in the future but the video card is not important at this time, thanks!

Important question: Are newer PCs compatible with SATA1 drives?

 

[r4z4]

A question about cooling :

How does room temperature affect air cooling performance? My room gets pretty warm in the summer and I've noticed my fans are having to work a lot harder, was wondering whether water cooling would perform better?

 

[Shawn6661]

Repost from the not so active Race Your PC Thread :

I ve just got a new rig (2500k stock/gtx670/8go@1333mhz).

Here is my 3dmark11 results : http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3493878;jsessionid=1rnuxm37dt89o15dhgb6oetfi8

3DMark Score P8350
Graphics Score 9789
Physics Score 5790
Combined Score 5804

Isnt 5790 a low physics score for a 2500k@stock ?

 

[MisterNoisy]

So here are a few pictures! Gotta say, I really like the window on the side, although it's kinda hard to see with the reflections in the picture. In the end, it took an entire evening to build and another day or two to stress test/transfer over my files.

Congrats! Very nice, and awesome that everything's up and running. My only suggestions:

- The 'preferred' orientation of CPU cooler airflow is front to back, in line with the exhaust fan.

- Cable management - your current situation likely isn't impeding airflow too much, but my personal preference is to hide all the cables from the PSU under the motherboard tray whenever possible, both for aesthetics and ease of maintenance later (you're not fighting a bundle of cables when you open it up to clean, etc.). The EPS/CPU power cable might be a stretch/not reach, but there are extensions that can help with that.

 

[MooMoo]

That looks great MooMoo. If I remember correctly I think our builds were very similar. Same case at the very least. I hope I can emulate your success this evening when I get off work to put together my build!

Does it hold up all right on your desk? I may put mine up there as well to avoid dust as I have hardwood floors.

Come to think my room is actually really dusty. The one disadvantange to hardwood floors.

Thanks! It was my first time building and for the most part I'm happy with the way things turned out. Also I hear ya; my room has hardwood floors too and has an unnatural tendency to collect dust. My desktop is actually an inch or two over the edge of the table. Thankfully, the front edge of the rubber feet are safely (i.e. two inches from the ledge) planted on the table. If you're doing a SSD setup and you figure out a way to have the 5" tray to 2.5" converter tray sit securely in the slot (if you look at the picture, you can see the tray sticking out above the HDD) then tell me haha. I figured out how to do it but then it involved using the L-pin SATA connector on the motherboard side and that just didn't work out for me.

Anyways, good luck with your setup tonight!

Congrats! Very nice, and awesome that everything's up and running. My only other suggestions:

- The 'preferred' orientation of CPU cooler airflow is front to back, in line with the exhaust fan.

- Cable management - your current situation likely isn't impeding airflow too much, but my personal preference is to hide all the cables from the PSU under the motherboard tray whenever possible, both for aesthetics and ease of maintenance later (you're not fighting a bundle of cables when you open it up to clean, etc.). The EPS/CPU power cable might be a stretch/not reach, but there are extensions that can help with that.

Thanks! So that means I should turn the CPU cooler 90 degrees counterclockwise? Oh god, I wish I had thought about this earlier. Would have saved me a lot of headaches :3
I'll consider moving the wires around. The only two wires that aren't coming in/out of the motherboard tray are the graphics card ones (it was the last thing I put in and at that point I just kind of wanted to get everything booted ) and the one that's sitting in front of the HDD trays. Actually, about that particular wire, it's one of those 4/4 pin connectors (it's split in half so they kind of move independently of one another). Is that the same wire as a straight up 8pin connector? Or is it entirely different? Because if it's the same I could definitely use it for my graphics card which would cut back on the number of wires I'm using right now. Thanks again for the tips!

 

[MisterNoisy]

Repost from the not so active Race Your PC Thread :

I ve just got a new rig (2500k stock/gtx670/8go@1333mhz).

Here is my 3dmark11 results : http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3493878;jsessionid=1rnuxm37dt89o15dhgb6oetfi8

3DMark Score P8350
Graphics Score 9789
Physics Score 5790
Combined Score 5804

Isnt 5790 a low physics score for a 2500k@stock ?

That does seem low. Was anything else running (even something like automated virus scans, etc.) at the time you ran the bench? It's also possible that your CPU throttled itself due to heat - what's the cooling situation like on your CPU?

Thanks! So that means I should turn the CPU cooler 90 degrees counterclockwise? Oh god, I wish I had thought about this earlier. Would have saved me a lot of headaches :3
I'll consider moving the wires around. The only two wires that aren't coming in/out of the motherboard tray are the graphics card ones (it was the last thing I put in and at that point I just kind of wanted to get everything booted ) and the one that's sitting in front of the HDD trays. Actually, about that particular wire, it's one of those 4/4 pin connectors (it's split in half so they kind of move independently of one another). Is that the same wire as a straight up 8pin connector? Or is it entirely different? Because if it's the same I could definitely use it for my graphics card which would cut back on the number of wires I'm using right now. Thanks again for the tips!

I hear ya on wanting to make sure everything works before stuffing the cables away.

I don't think you're going to torch anything if you don't reorient the CPU cooler (I've got a similar arrangement in my NZXT Vulcan because the cooler wouldn't fit set up front-to-back, but there's two exhaust fans right above it in that case), but in most cases you'll get slightly better results with the horizontal orientation.

The 4+4 line is for your CPU (some motherboards only require a 4-pin connector, while others require 8 pins, hence the split configuration). Leave the PCI-E cables as they are, save for possibly rerouting them under the tray.

 

[MisterNoisy]

Ack: DP