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[Mad Max]

Where are are the dust filters?

Radiators work pretty well as dust collectors, so I don't think he needs them.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Could someone more knowledgable build me a badass Intel gaming rig that'll allow me to max out games for the foreseeable future? My budget would be around £1200 and I absolutely need an SSD at least 256GB in capacity. Secondary storage of 2TB HDD would be great.

http://pcpartpicker.com/

 

[InternHertz]

Mh, been since October or November that my CG went black on me and that I can only run my desktop PC with it disabled (yay for 800x600).
So instead of just changing the CG, I'm thinking of a completely new pc instead. I had a lot of heating problems too at the end so just swapping CGs would not solve anything.

I still don't know yet what I'm going to do about it, but I have the budget for an "Excellent" or "Enthusiast" one like in the OP. Though I absolutely want Watercooling so that's going to add a bunch of problems into the equation.
At this point in time, I haven't built any of my past PCs using WC so I'm still very much lost as to how best do things.

I guess I better start now so I lose the least amount of time once I decide to begin ordering things. Whenever that is.

 

[Addnan]

Could someone more knowledgable build me a badass Intel gaming rig that'll allow me to max out games for the foreseeable future? My budget would be around £1200 and I absolutely need an SSD at least 256GB in capacity. Secondary storage of 2TB HDD would be great.

http://pcpartpicker.com/

Fill out the stuff in the OP.


Do you need anything with it, keyboard/mouse/monitor? or £1200 for just the computer?

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Fill out the stuff in the OP.


Do you need anything with it, keyboard/mouse/monitor? or £1200 for just the computer?

Yes, need everything with it. Windows 7 too. The best gaming computer £1200 can buy. Would prefer Intel, assuming their processors are better for rendering HD video (to which I intend to do to a lesser extent)

 

[kharma45]

Could someone more knowledgable build me a badass Intel gaming rig that'll allow me to max out games for the foreseeable future? My budget would be around £1200 and I absolutely need an SSD at least 256GB in capacity. Secondary storage of 2TB HDD would be great.

http://pcpartpicker.com/

Define max out? 120fps at 2560x1440p? Means different things to different people.

What will you be rendering video with? Premiere, Vegas?

 

[GoldenChicken]

Sorry for the cross post, but I thought I might have more luck finding a solution here (OT moves too fast)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=377301&page=99

Hoping someone here can help me fix my PC. I was watching some Youtube video yesterday and my PC suddenly crashed. When I try to restart it all the fans will start spinning fairly quickly, but it won't boot up. Things I've tried already...

-reconnecting all the power supply cables
-cleaning the dust out specifically the CPU fan, although there wasn't much dust to begin with
-switching the RAM to different slots

There are some LEDs on the motherboard(orange) and GFX card (red) that turn on inside when trying to boot up, not sure if that's normal or not. I don't have too much experience messing with stuff inside the PC. I've replaced the GFX card, power supply, and RAM about 2-3 years ago. The rest is standard dell stuff about 5-6 years old.

Would greatly appreciate any help or advice... hopefully its not something that's too expensive to fix.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Define max out? 120fps at 2560x1440p? Means different things to different people.

What will you be rendering video with? Premiere, Vegas?

Probably Vegas. I'm saying "max" with no idea what I'm actually talking about. I'm the equivalent of a soccer mom who thinks a PC means Microsoft Word, or Internet means email. Treat me as such please.

I want to play on the max settings for pretty much any game now and in the near future.

Is that feasible within my budget?

 

[kharma45]

Probably Vegas. I'm saying "max" with no idea what I'm actually talking about. I'm the equivalent of a soccer mom who thinks a PC means Microsoft Word, or Internet means email. Treat me as such please.

I want to play on the max settings for pretty much any game now and in the near future.

Is that feasible within my budget?

It will be yeah. I'll play around and see what I can come up with for you Meus.

 

[Addnan]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£171.97 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.40 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£93.60 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£63.25 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£148.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£71.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£339.99 @ Dabs)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case (£79.99 @ Dabs)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£105.28 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1166.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 23:28 BST+0100)


and this is Haswell.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£191.66 @ Dabs)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.40 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£122.47 @ Dabs)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£63.25 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£148.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£72.18 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£339.99 @ Dabs)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.58 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£105.28 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1211.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 23:28 BST+0100)


Gonna check for slightly better prices on some stuff. These are without k/m/monitor, so that would be breaking budget.

edit: That PSU added is too much, let me edit that quickly!

Change PSU in that list to this. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/530w...us-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx Can't find it in PC partpicker website.

 

[HammerOfThor]

So whats the recommended security software now a days?

 

[Horse Detective]

My bootup speed is absolutely ridiculous. I havent timed it exactly, but I swear it feels like less that 12 seconds.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Thank you Addnan and Kharma

My bootup speed is absolutely ridiculous. I havent timed it exactly, but I swear it feels like less that 12 seconds.

Bootups generally are quick after fresh installs but deteriorate after a while. Is this the case also with SSDs?

 

[Addnan]

So whats the recommended security software now a days?

I've been using Microsoft security essentials for a while now.

 

[kharma45]

There is also this Meus but it takes you £100 over budget but gives you a socket 2011 build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£234.54 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.40 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard (£259.51 @ Dabs)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£83.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£128.94 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (£311.11 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.58 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Power supply: Be Quiet! CM BQT L8-630W PSU Pure Power (£70.00)
Total: £1304.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 23:37 BST+0100)

 

[Addnan]

^ Think he needs monitor etc with it too, so 2011 would really be breaking the budget.

 

[kharma45]

Bollocks, I thought I'd done aright £200 over then even if you just went for this...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008F7GVZS/

Could cut the 7970 to a 7950 I suppose, would still be plenty potent and have great performance for Sony Vegas with OpenCL. Could shave off a fair chunk too by swapping the mobo to this but would need mkenyon to chime in as I'm not 100% clued up on X79 http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-p...4_1370731277_2fbfd3066e9b3dbb03bdf27e1d8bb5a0, saves around £80.

£1160 then

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£234.54 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.40 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 LE ATX LGA2011 Motherboard (£177.27 @ Dabs)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£83.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£128.94 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card (£249.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.58 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Other: Be Quiet! CM BQT L8-630W PSU Pure Power (£70.00)
Total: £1160.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 23:45 BST+0100)

 

[Willectro]

I think Im all set. Fixed my SSD issue, ran some tests to make sure everything was good, worked on cable management a bit. Very happy with it.
Now its time to transfer all my old stuff to the new hardware.

I see you used 2 separate wires from your PSU to power your GPU. Is it fine to use 1 Y shaped connector instead?

 

[hemtae]

My friend would like a small PC for some gaming at 720p. Before he orders all his stuff, is this good?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.51 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case ($109.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $879.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 18:49 EDT-0400)

 

[TooDrizy]

Ordered me a bunch of new stuff, 3770k, hydro 780, first wc build, and this account got passed not too long ago, just want to say thanks to everyone in this thread!

 

[TheD]

I've been using Microsoft security essentials for a while now.

I would avoid it, stupid pile of crap once called an ISO a threat (because it had "hack tools" in it), I told it to ignore it but instead of doing that it just kept on reading it and writing parts of it to a temp file. I did not notice it for a day or so, it would not shut down and when I rebooted the PC it started doing it again!
Had to uninstall the fucker to get it to stop.

 

[sazabirules]

This thread has been great for me. Thanks to the poster or two who looked at my parts list and the others who told me to put the standoffs in when I was having issues booting.

 

[Horse Detective]

I see you used 2 separate wires from your PSU to power your GPU. Is it fine to use 1 Y shaped connector instead?

This thing was the only way I could get mine to live.

I used two connectors of some sort though.

 

[VE3TRO]

I've figured out my issue with SLI and the flickering but I need help on how to fix it.

Basically I calibrated my monitor a few weeks back when using a single 680. So now everytime I boot up it uses that color profile.

On the second 680 it still uses the original color profile so when using SLI its mixing both profiles together and with one being more better in contrast it looks like this.

Is it possible to use some program to or within Windows to assign the same color profile to both cards?

I can't show an exact shot but this is the effect created in PS.

 

[InternHertz]

If I use pcpartpicker, just to have a list of parts and not worry about prices nor where I buy it for now (being in Europe and all), I got something like this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($163.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1420.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 19:23 EDT-0400)

That setup does not include Watercooling and it's something I really want.
Anyone has any advice on the better kits/systems for WC using a setup like this?

Any part I picked where another Manufacturer is preferred?

 

[Hazaro]

PCGaf I'm buying a new desktop after 5 years with a laptop and I'd really appreciate some feedback.

I wanna spend 1250€ including a 22-24' screen.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/147cc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/147cc/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/147cc/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($92.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.97 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card ($298.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $874.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-07 21:22 EDT-0400)

Which source and case do you recommend? What would you guys change? I'd love to get the 770 for the extra 100€ if it's worh it.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Swap the Extreme 4 to an ASUS LK.
Green 1TB to a Blue 1TB.
You can spend more on graphics to a 7970/770 for a nice boost, though a 7950/660Ti are both stupid fast.

Source? I buy everything from Amazon. Less hassle than newegg on returns.
Cases: See OP list. All are very solid.

It's a glorious Saturday morning here in London but I'm not going to see much of the sun today thanks to an early delivery of my components.

Thanks again for the help in decision making over the last few weeks, I'm looking forwards to start the build on this beast and will hopefully be able to pop back later with some pictures and a success story.

A lot of my build is similar to Sothpaw (who is having trouble with his build) so hopefully I might be able to shed some light on his situation once I get started.

Super nice!

This was probably beat to death but I havent seen it spoken in the last few pages, whats the general consensus on ati 7970 vs gtx 770?

I have always used ati cards in the past but I hate its software and its supersampling options but its attracting me because of the 3gb ram, the free games is a nice touch as well.

GTX 770 4GB then. 7970 is the better value, but if you toss in 99th percentiles the margins shrink. All those free games and lower price are super nice though.

So why does Intel insist on changing their socket standard all the time?

I was expecting my 3770 ivy bridge to last a good many years seeing as the console cpus a not close to it. but it seems I will also be stuck with the same logic board as well for that time. :/

Because $$$$$$$$

I think Im all set. Fixed my SSD issue, ran some tests to make sure everything was good, worked on cable management a bit. Very happy with it.
Now its time to transfer all my old stuff to the new hardware.

Looking great

Black feet installed. Fans installed on radiator. Radiators installed. PSU cover removed.

At this point, waiting on Primochill to start selling their acrylic compression rings, and I'll place an order. Also waiting on an RMA'd PSU and sleeved cables from mkenyon/Seasonic. I'm traveling this week, though, so at least I won't be getting anxious. Still not positive how I want to mount my pump/res... Though I'm really liking how things are coming together. Hope it... you know... actually works.

That case would take up half my room. Looks amazing though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Gonna check for slightly better prices on some stuff. These are without k/m/monitor, so that would be breaking budget.

edit: That PSU added is too much, let me edit that quickly!

Change PSU in that list to this. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/530w...us-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx Can't find it in PC partpicker website.

Go Ivy or go LGA 2011.

My friend would like a small PC for some gaming at 720p. Before he orders all his stuff, is this good?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($117.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.51 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case ($109.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($38.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $879.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 18:49 EDT-0400)

Solid, I'd look at a BP550 or CX430M for modular. Need that free space.

Ordered me a bunch of new stuff, 3770k, hydro 780, first wc build, and this account got passed not too long ago, just want to say thanks to everyone in this thread!

Welcome

 

[kharma45]

If I use pcpartpicker, just to have a list of parts and not worry about prices nor where I buy it for now (being in Europe and all), I got something like this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($163.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1420.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 19:23 EDT-0400)

That setup does not include Watercooling and it's something I really want.
Anyone has any advice on the better kits/systems for WC using a setup like this?

Any part I picked where another Manufacturer is preferred?

There is stuff like fr.pcpartpicker.com if that is any good? don't know if there is one specifically for Belgium.

Anyway, change that Seasonic to the G 550.

 

[Colin.]

For anyone buying parts from Dabs, remember to use the PAYPAL20 discount code for £20 off a £200+ spend. One use code, but I suppose you could use it multiple times from friends and families accounts . Thought it was worth mentioning, since the PC parts lists some of you posted have items from them in there.

 

[flotsam]

Well, it's been a long day but I got there eventually and you can't beat that feeling when you first press that power button and you see the BIOS load correctly...

In the end the cable management was a dream and the whole system is incredibly quiet, meaning that I'm going to bed a happy chappy.

I did a quick check with RealTemp and I'm getting idle temperatures around 28-31 so it looks like the heatsink and thermal compound application went as well as can be expected. More testing tomorrow under load.

Lots more to do on the software side tomorrow but today has been thorougly enjoyable and I urge anyone who is undecided on whether or not to build their own system to go ahead and give it a shot!

 

[falastini]

Anybody have experience with the Fractal Design R4 case? I wasn't planning on building for a few more weeks, but the $30 off at Newegg seems like a good deal.

Is the airflow good with the front cover closed? I like the look of the case, but it's ruined if I'm going to have to leave the front cover open.

 

[kennah]

Anybody have experience with the Fractal Design R4 case? I wasn't planning on building for a few more weeks, but the $30 off at Newegg seems like a good deal.

Is the airflow good with the front cover closed? I like the look of the case, but it's ruined if I'm going to have to leave the front cover open.

See those little grills on the sides near the front? That is where your airflow comes from. Once you get your hands on the case... Incredible

 

[flotsam]

Anybody have experience with the Fractal Design R4 case? I wasn't planning on building for a few more weeks, but the $30 off at Newegg seems like a good deal.

Is the airflow good with the front cover closed? I like the look of the case, but it's ruined if I'm going to have to leave the front cover open.

That case just above your post is the R4 and so far, I'm loving it. The quality of the case really shows with the cable management and accessibility, not to mention it doesn't look as if the parts were cut up by a blind lumberjack as my previous cases have...

As you can see from the picture, the fans take their airflow from the grill around the side of the front plate so I doubt you would have to leave the front open.

 

[Colin.]

Well, it's been a long day but I got there eventually and you can't beat that feeling when you first press that power button and you see the BIOS load correctly...

In the end the cable management was a dream and the whole system is incredibly quiet, meaning that I'm going to bed a happy chappy.

Looks good man! Exactly why I always tell people to opt for cable management in their cases. Looks great and makes for smooth airflow. I'm keeping my Cooler Master 690 II for my next system, but I think I will improve upon my initial cabling after seeing this.

 

[falastini]

That case just above your post is the R4 and so far, I'm loving it. The quality of the case really shows with the cable management and accessibility, not to mention it doesn't look as if the parts were cut up by a blind lumberjack as my previous cases have...

As you can see from the picture, the fans take their airflow from the grill around the side of the front plate so I doubt you would have to leave the front open.

That's good to know. Guess I'll pick one up. I was busy on my phone and noticed your post right after I submitted mine.

 

[musicjunkie]

This question was basically asked a few pages back but wasn't given a answer I really understand.

Looking to get this MSI Lightning 770 card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127742
it appears to need two 8pin power connectors.

The PSU I was looking at SeaSonic M12II http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095
only appears to come with one 6 pin and one 8 pin.

Do you just take one of the 6 to 8 pin converters that comes with the GPU and plug it into the 6pin on my PSU or there another way to go about this?

 

[brentech]

That's good to know. Guess I'll pick one up. I was busy on my phone and noticed your post right after I submitted mine.

yeah, I have it too. the airflow comes into the side vents that you can see in that picture. so it doesn't stay open. I have (2) 120mm fans in the front. love it.

 

[Giggzy]

My room gets extremely dusty due to where I live so I need to dust my pc at least once a month. Well I've neglected it for about 6 months and the dust bunnies are going crazy in there. It's so congested that an air compressor barely does anything to it. Any better ways at getting the dust out?

I've read about using a blow dryer or a vacuum. Is that safe?

 

[PoweredBySoy]

Well, it's been a long day but I got there eventually and you can't beat that feeling when you first press that power button and you see the BIOS load correctly...

Nice, clean build. Atta boy. Although you kind of have your harddrives in backwards. Turn them around for an even cleaner look.

 

[Foxyone]

Does anyone happen to know screen dimensions / number of pixels in 3k resolution?

 

[Flaxh]

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£171.97 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£101.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£75.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£353.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£84.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£61.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £900.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-09 03:30 BST+0100)


Thanks to all the feedback you've been giving I've updated my build. Any suggestions?

I'm looking for a good 22-24' screen between 150 and 200€ to play at 1080p and also connect my xbox.

 

[Hazaro]

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/14suo/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£171.97 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£101.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£75.29 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£353.99 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£84.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£61.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £900.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-09 03:30 BST+0100)


Thanks to all the feedback you've been giving I've updated my build. Any suggestions?

I'm looking for a good 22-24' screen between 150 and 200€ to play at 1080p and also connect my xbox.

Get an ASUS LK or MSI board.
Change PSU to an XFX 550W or Seasonic 550W.

 

[kennah]

I came up with two brilliant ideas today about my upcoming builds.

1. Compact Splash is going to have yellow accenting like the WRX STI does.

2. My mATX Case is going to be partially made of vacu-formed plastic. Essentially a home-brew Sabertooth shroud over the motherboard. Imagine Golden Age Sci-Fi with transparent domes featuring parts and primary colours.

 

[toastyToast]

Quick question. My CPU is running at full tilt and not downclocking like it did before, I'm not sure what I did to change that but anyway, is there a problem with it running at full speed (4.5Ghz 1.3V) constantly if the temperatures are still low?

 

[Hazaro]

Quick question. My CPU is running at full tilt and not downclocking like it did before, I'm not sure what I did to change that but anyway, is there a problem with it running at full speed (4.5Ghz 1.3V) constantly if the temperatures are still low?

Nope.

You disabled SpeedStep / C1E I'm guessing.

 

[toastyToast]

Nope.

You disabled SpeedStep / C1E I'm guessing.

Yeah, you're right. Checked C1E and it was on auto like always but it wasn't kicking in. I set it to enabled and now its downclocking again. Strange

 

[Dave_6]

The R4 is an awesome case. Period!

 

[Addnan]

Well, it's been a long day but I got there eventually and you can't beat that feeling when you first press that power button and you see the BIOS load correctly...

In the end the cable management was a dream and the whole system is incredibly quiet, meaning that I'm going to bed a happy chappy.

I did a quick check with RealTemp and I'm getting idle temperatures around 28-31 so it looks like the heatsink and thermal compound application went as well as can be expected. More testing tomorrow under load.

Lots more to do on the software side tomorrow but today has been thorougly enjoyable and I urge anyone who is undecided on whether or not to build their own system to go ahead and give it a shot!

That looks great. Small suggestion. Stick the HDD in one the of the bottom 3 and take out the whole top cage, let some more air in!

 

[flotsam]

That looks great. Small suggestion. Stick the HDD in one the of the bottom 3 and take out the whole top cage, let some more air in!

Nice, clean build. Atta boy. Although you kind of have your harddrives in backwards. Turn them around for an even cleaner look.

Advice acknowledged and implemented.

To make the most of the new airflow potential, I also moved the front facing fan up one slot so it is now right in front of the space we just made by removing the upper cage.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Knowing there's a great community here who give a shit about other people's builds has made the process twice as enjoyable and made me want to stick around to share my (admittedly pretty limited) experience with others.

 

[Baleoce]

How difficult is a case transplant? (going for something with more efficient airflow design, I guess it depends on the case) When I get around to doing it, I want to change the PSU for something beefier at the same time.

 

[Mad1723]

How difficult is a case transplant? (going for something with more efficient airflow design, I guess it depends on the case) When I get around to doing it, I want to change the PSU for something beefier at the same time.

It is not that difficult. You can get away simply removing the expansion cards (PCI and PCIE-E), unplugging all the cable and leaving the CPU cooler on if you lift when the computer is flat. (if the cooler is enormous and puts pressure by its weight, then remove it and reinstall it when you install in the new case to avoid bending or damaging the motherboard)

Then remove all the screws on your motherboard and leave it on the table. Get the rest of the components out, without the screws as the new cases comes with screws.

Install the I/O backplate of your motherbord first on the new case, you'll thank me later

Make sure the spacers are installed on the motherboard tray of the new case after that, and reverse process. PSU is usually one of the last component to install.

Hope that clears it up a bit