We are now official in the double-digits. Wow.
This is where we currently are:
2 x Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm Fan (~$50)
3 x Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan (~$65)
Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Fan (~$23)
Asus Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer (~$60)
Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW 23" Monitor (Purchased)
Logitech G500 Laser Mouse (Purchased)
Thermaltake Meka G1 Keyboard (Purchased)
Windows 8 Professional (64-bit) (Purchased)
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (Purchased)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB (Purchased)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium (Purchased)
Gelid GC-Extreme (Purchased)
ASRock Z87 Fatal1ty Killer Motherboard (Purchased)
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD (Purchased)
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD (Purchased)
Corsair H100i Liquid CPU Cooler (Purchased)
Kingston Blu Red 2x8GB DDR3 1600 RAM (Purchased)
NZXT Phantom Enthusiast (White/Red) ATX Case (Purchased)
NZXT FS-200RB Red LED Case Fan (Purchased)
Antec HCG-750M 750W Semi-modular Power Supply (Purchased)
BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Fan (Purchased)
Intel Core i5-4670K Processor (Purchased)
We are waiting for packages to arrive. All I have left are replacement case fans, a Blu Ray drive and some cables if we need them for hooking this all up. Oh, yeah... I'm still missing a VIDEO CARD!
The AMD cards are still impossible to come by for any kind of reasonable price. the 30-60% mark up still exists for everything that is available. I am still mulling over my choice for a GTX 770 or GTX 780. I've had some of my parts for almost a month now. I am itching to get it all put together. I know that I can use my HD 6870 until I get a card, but I know that I'll yearn for a card the whole time. Most of my games will perform the same, since I'll be reusing the card. The SSD and better CPU should help a little.
I have enlisted the help of my brother to take some photos and videos of the build process. I want to document it so that I can put it up. I'll post a link to a gallery here. Put it on imgur. Get it up on Reddit. And... put it up on the website that I am going to work on this year. With my brother and a couple of friends I plan to tackle a bit of webpwning. I've registered a domain, got hosting, got some people on board and I am wanting to unveil my PC build there. Woo!
I can't wait to wrap this project up and get down to some gaming!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Ten
Phase One complete?
I've received the motherboard, CPU, RAM and SSDs. I've knocked out some of the key components. I have plenty of other parts and pieces to collect. I've gone over my future choices over and over again and I think I want to make some changes. The more I consider the changes, the more I wonder why I want to make them. There is a reason why so many builds are so similar, because it just works. A lot of people have the same component list because those are the ones that are the best and they know they are reliable.
Next on the list is the case, PSU, another stick of RAM and a CPU cooler. The NZXT Phantom in White with black and red accents should look great! I'll be picking up an NZXT HALE82 700w PSU, too. I've never used or owned an NZXT case or PSU. I am hoping that they are both satisfactory. Both products seem to have overall positive reviews and no glaring defects that drive me away from them. I am hoping these unique products and their design can shake up my boring black and blue LED'd monolithic case theme that I've had for nearly a decade. I need to grab another stick of RAM, because I'm a big, dumb idiot.
The cooler is something that I am still very concerned about. I've never done water cooling. I've always wanted to, but never had the patience or money. Over the last 5 or so years a lot has changed and AIO CLCs (all-in-one closed-loop cooler) have become very popular. They are also rather easy. I am quite smitten with one in particular, the Corsair H100i. I hear the Link software blows and people constantly say that the gargantuan air coolers are better. I don't really want a huge slab of metal hanging off of my motherboard anymore, I'd like to try something different.
I'm really trying to move outside of my comfort zone here. I'm proud of my component list, but I've been at this so long I feel like I need to really give new stuff a try. I'm trying new things and new brands. I'm hoping the experience is good...
Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB DDR3-1600
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W Fully-Modular Power Supply
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i Liquid CPU Cooler
Total: ~ $550
Once we are done with that, I will need to pick up case fans, a Blu-Ray reader, and... a video card. Hopefully we have more choices for video cards by the time we get around to that! I have ranked my video cards as follows ASUS > MSI > Gigabyte > EVGA/XFX, this is for both AMD and nVidia. The ASUS cooling solution is very good. The quality and craftsmanship of the MSI cards (Twin Frozr) are excellent. Gigabyte's Windforce is very good, but can get pretty loud, too. EVGA and XFX have warranties that prove that they stand behind their products... and if they don't you can at least get another one with relative ease.
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Fan
Case Fan: NZXT FS-200RB-RLED 200mm Fan
Case Fan: 2 x Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Fan
Optical Drive: Asus Blu-Ray Reader/DVD/CD Writer
Total: ~ $175
Video Card: UNKNOWN!
Total: ~ $325 - $550
I've received the motherboard, CPU, RAM and SSDs. I've knocked out some of the key components. I have plenty of other parts and pieces to collect. I've gone over my future choices over and over again and I think I want to make some changes. The more I consider the changes, the more I wonder why I want to make them. There is a reason why so many builds are so similar, because it just works. A lot of people have the same component list because those are the ones that are the best and they know they are reliable.
Next on the list is the case, PSU, another stick of RAM and a CPU cooler. The NZXT Phantom in White with black and red accents should look great! I'll be picking up an NZXT HALE82 700w PSU, too. I've never used or owned an NZXT case or PSU. I am hoping that they are both satisfactory. Both products seem to have overall positive reviews and no glaring defects that drive me away from them. I am hoping these unique products and their design can shake up my boring black and blue LED'd monolithic case theme that I've had for nearly a decade. I need to grab another stick of RAM, because I'm a big, dumb idiot.
The cooler is something that I am still very concerned about. I've never done water cooling. I've always wanted to, but never had the patience or money. Over the last 5 or so years a lot has changed and AIO CLCs (all-in-one closed-loop cooler) have become very popular. They are also rather easy. I am quite smitten with one in particular, the Corsair H100i. I hear the Link software blows and people constantly say that the gargantuan air coolers are better. I don't really want a huge slab of metal hanging off of my motherboard anymore, I'd like to try something different.
I'm really trying to move outside of my comfort zone here. I'm proud of my component list, but I've been at this so long I feel like I need to really give new stuff a try. I'm trying new things and new brands. I'm hoping the experience is good...
Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB DDR3-1600
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W Fully-Modular Power Supply
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i Liquid CPU Cooler
Total: ~ $550
Once we are done with that, I will need to pick up case fans, a Blu-Ray reader, and... a video card. Hopefully we have more choices for video cards by the time we get around to that! I have ranked my video cards as follows ASUS > MSI > Gigabyte > EVGA/XFX, this is for both AMD and nVidia. The ASUS cooling solution is very good. The quality and craftsmanship of the MSI cards (Twin Frozr) are excellent. Gigabyte's Windforce is very good, but can get pretty loud, too. EVGA and XFX have warranties that prove that they stand behind their products... and if they don't you can at least get another one with relative ease.
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Fan
Case Fan: NZXT FS-200RB-RLED 200mm Fan
Case Fan: 2 x Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Fan
Optical Drive: Asus Blu-Ray Reader/DVD/CD Writer
Total: ~ $175
Video Card: UNKNOWN!
Total: ~ $325 - $550
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Nine
With orders placed and other getting ready to be placed, I feel like I can finally now down what this build will contain.
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer
Memory: 2 x Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (64-bit)
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka G1 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW
I did some looking and I decided on this case. The NZXT Phantom. It has some very nice features and THIS one looks amazing. I may have to do some modifying to get a 200/230mm fan in the side, but I'm okay with that. It has a built-in fan controller and plenty of space. It is easier to find than the Azza 9000, too. Both cases are great. I'm trying to break out and try some different things. I've been doing black cases with windows and blue lights for a pretty long time now. I need a change.
I'm going to throw in some Noctua fans to make everything flow the right way. I might even toss a couple on my heatsink eventually. I'm not a huge fan of Kingston, but I'll give their RAM a shot since I wasn't able to cancel more order and I'm getting some anyway. LAWLZ.
I've been looking into some case badges, because I'd like to keep with the theme here. Hoping to find some correctly color coded badges for the case. I'm totally getting a Jumpman (Jordan) logo for this beast, too. CPU showed up today, the motherboard, RAM and CPU cooler should be here by the end of the week to meet and greet with the hard drives. I am excite.
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer
Memory: 2 x Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional (64-bit)
Keyboard: Thermaltake eSPORTS Meka G1 Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW
I did some looking and I decided on this case. The NZXT Phantom. It has some very nice features and THIS one looks amazing. I may have to do some modifying to get a 200/230mm fan in the side, but I'm okay with that. It has a built-in fan controller and plenty of space. It is easier to find than the Azza 9000, too. Both cases are great. I'm trying to break out and try some different things. I've been doing black cases with windows and blue lights for a pretty long time now. I need a change.
I'm going to throw in some Noctua fans to make everything flow the right way. I might even toss a couple on my heatsink eventually. I'm not a huge fan of Kingston, but I'll give their RAM a shot since I wasn't able to cancel more order and I'm getting some anyway. LAWLZ.
I've been looking into some case badges, because I'd like to keep with the theme here. Hoping to find some correctly color coded badges for the case. I'm totally getting a Jumpman (Jordan) logo for this beast, too. CPU showed up today, the motherboard, RAM and CPU cooler should be here by the end of the week to meet and greet with the hard drives. I am excite.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Eight
For real?
The guy who had the deal on a computer and monitor sold it. Well, he traded it for a PS4. Good for him. That just means that I've actually got to put something together myself and quit being such a lazy bastard. Apparently he got a PS4 with BF4 AND 400 bucks. That's a hell of a deal for him.
I started ordering my parts as soon as I confirmed this happened. I ordered the 4670K. It is now confirmed as my build CPU. I ordered the ASRock Z87 Fatal1ty Killer motherboard. I also ordered, like an idiot, the wrong RAM. I wanted to order Mushkin Stealth, but it was out of stock... because when I want something it is always out of stock. I scrolled down and selected one of the similar products, checked the specs and added to the order. Once I ordered I was inspecting the form and realized that I ordered only ONE stick of RAM. So, I ordered ONE stick of DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX Red RAM. At least it is 8GB. I was trying to save a little cash up front and was going to go with a 2x4GB package. My second choice was the G.Skill Aegis RAM, which I will still try to get if I am able to cancel this order.
I've changed up some of my preferences based on some issues I've run into. I've left out parts that I haven't decided on or are not in stock. My ASUS 780 Direct CU II I wanted? Yeah, it's outta stock. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO is even out of stock. WOW! Le sigh.
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 156.3 CFM 230mm Fan
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan
Case Fan: NZXT FX-140LB 98.3 CFM 140mm Fan
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Other: NZXT Hue
I've already got the SSD drives and ordered some other essentials. I look forward to getting started with these for now. I hope to continue fleshing it out slowly. I plan to pick up the Case, cooler and PSU next. Then again, I'm sure something will change again. =P
The guy who had the deal on a computer and monitor sold it. Well, he traded it for a PS4. Good for him. That just means that I've actually got to put something together myself and quit being such a lazy bastard. Apparently he got a PS4 with BF4 AND 400 bucks. That's a hell of a deal for him.
I started ordering my parts as soon as I confirmed this happened. I ordered the 4670K. It is now confirmed as my build CPU. I ordered the ASRock Z87 Fatal1ty Killer motherboard. I also ordered, like an idiot, the wrong RAM. I wanted to order Mushkin Stealth, but it was out of stock... because when I want something it is always out of stock. I scrolled down and selected one of the similar products, checked the specs and added to the order. Once I ordered I was inspecting the form and realized that I ordered only ONE stick of RAM. So, I ordered ONE stick of DDR3 1600 Kingston HyperX Red RAM. At least it is 8GB. I was trying to save a little cash up front and was going to go with a 2x4GB package. My second choice was the G.Skill Aegis RAM, which I will still try to get if I am able to cancel this order.
I've changed up some of my preferences based on some issues I've run into. I've left out parts that I haven't decided on or are not in stock. My ASUS 780 Direct CU II I wanted? Yeah, it's outta stock. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO is even out of stock. WOW! Le sigh.
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Case: NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower Case
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 156.3 CFM 230mm Fan
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan
Case Fan: NZXT FX-140LB 98.3 CFM 140mm Fan
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Other: NZXT Hue
I've already got the SSD drives and ordered some other essentials. I look forward to getting started with these for now. I hope to continue fleshing it out slowly. I plan to pick up the Case, cooler and PSU next. Then again, I'm sure something will change again. =P
Friday, January 10, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Seven
Money woes.
I think that as a human being that if you SEE money that you want to SPEND money. You see there is a little extra and you think "Oh, this 8 dollars isn't that big of a deal", then after 12 of those "no big deals" later, you end up down 100 bucks and wondering where it all went. That has been the state of my PC building fund. I didn't want to evacuate the money from my account, but just seeing it caused us to spend a little more than I'd like of it. Cutting out some of the massive OT I was working will result in a smaller check than I anticipated and may result in me having to push back the building of the rig. My original plan was to buy in stages, but this has gone horribly wrong.
Thankfully my next check will include a topped-out bonus from work, so it shouldn't hurt too bad. This is just another setback. The motherboard is still out of stock and so are the video cards. No one seems to know when they will be coming back. A lot of "we think it will be..." and "maybe around...." is all I can seem to find. It's kind of sad. I was ready to get this started, but was unable to spend the money... and now a portion of it is gone. Don't get me wrong I made sure that all of my bills got paid and my son and wife got gifts for his (and my) birthday.
The guy with the 900 dollar system may have it sold, but I won't know until someone shows up to check it out over the weekend. I know I won't be able to pull off a whole system and I was really hoping to have it knocked out by the end of January. Hopefully they don't drag their feet too much and I can file my taxes for my wife and I get whatever shitty return I can back from the government.
I am not faced with a couple of options...
1. Buy some of it now
Before I manage to squander more money I can buy some of it now. I know for sure that my budget currently includes enough to pick up a CPU, motherboard, heatsink and fan and RAM. I can pick up the "essentials" right now. I can put it together, make sure it works and all that jazz. I already have a solid PSU and I know my current case would easily support any board and cooling solution that I choose.
2. Buy a nice nVidia card
The AMD cards are sold out. They are incredibly popular among the mining community and I am not sure when they will be back. I've seen some reports that suggest they are basically bought out through most outlets for a while, due to the insane popularity and willingness of people to throw money at distributors. I do not know how long it will take to get a new card, but I'd like one before Spring. nVidia has dropped their price and have some very attractive cards. I am considering the ASUS Direct CU II GTX 780. Supposedly lower heat and noise, along with great performance. I don't know how much longer I would want to play with an HD6870.
3. Save for a rainy day
Save up my funds. Maybe that dude won't sell his 900 dollar rig. Maybe I can save up some money and throw it at him at the end of the month for a sweet new rig. Maybe I can suck it up and dump a fuckload more OT in and just replenish my stacks and burn them on a killer system.
Ultimately, I don't know what to do. I don't have the time right now to game properly, but in the near future I will. I look forward to having a great time and doing it on a sick new PC. I worked hard and I deserve it, dammit! Hopefully something will break my way and it will turn out alright.
I think that as a human being that if you SEE money that you want to SPEND money. You see there is a little extra and you think "Oh, this 8 dollars isn't that big of a deal", then after 12 of those "no big deals" later, you end up down 100 bucks and wondering where it all went. That has been the state of my PC building fund. I didn't want to evacuate the money from my account, but just seeing it caused us to spend a little more than I'd like of it. Cutting out some of the massive OT I was working will result in a smaller check than I anticipated and may result in me having to push back the building of the rig. My original plan was to buy in stages, but this has gone horribly wrong.
Thankfully my next check will include a topped-out bonus from work, so it shouldn't hurt too bad. This is just another setback. The motherboard is still out of stock and so are the video cards. No one seems to know when they will be coming back. A lot of "we think it will be..." and "maybe around...." is all I can seem to find. It's kind of sad. I was ready to get this started, but was unable to spend the money... and now a portion of it is gone. Don't get me wrong I made sure that all of my bills got paid and my son and wife got gifts for his (and my) birthday.
The guy with the 900 dollar system may have it sold, but I won't know until someone shows up to check it out over the weekend. I know I won't be able to pull off a whole system and I was really hoping to have it knocked out by the end of January. Hopefully they don't drag their feet too much and I can file my taxes for my wife and I get whatever shitty return I can back from the government.
I am not faced with a couple of options...
1. Buy some of it now
Before I manage to squander more money I can buy some of it now. I know for sure that my budget currently includes enough to pick up a CPU, motherboard, heatsink and fan and RAM. I can pick up the "essentials" right now. I can put it together, make sure it works and all that jazz. I already have a solid PSU and I know my current case would easily support any board and cooling solution that I choose.
2. Buy a nice nVidia card
The AMD cards are sold out. They are incredibly popular among the mining community and I am not sure when they will be back. I've seen some reports that suggest they are basically bought out through most outlets for a while, due to the insane popularity and willingness of people to throw money at distributors. I do not know how long it will take to get a new card, but I'd like one before Spring. nVidia has dropped their price and have some very attractive cards. I am considering the ASUS Direct CU II GTX 780. Supposedly lower heat and noise, along with great performance. I don't know how much longer I would want to play with an HD6870.
3. Save for a rainy day
Save up my funds. Maybe that dude won't sell his 900 dollar rig. Maybe I can save up some money and throw it at him at the end of the month for a sweet new rig. Maybe I can suck it up and dump a fuckload more OT in and just replenish my stacks and burn them on a killer system.
Ultimately, I don't know what to do. I don't have the time right now to game properly, but in the near future I will. I look forward to having a great time and doing it on a sick new PC. I worked hard and I deserve it, dammit! Hopefully something will break my way and it will turn out alright.
Monday, January 6, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Six
Why?!
It's been two weeks since I started this process. I was hoping to have parts in. I was hoping to be building now. I was hoping that everything would go well. Well, it hasn't.
So far I've managed to get.... SSDs. Granted SSDs are the only thing missing from my rig right now. I could technically grab a better video card and rock the shit out of it, but that isn't what I want!
The motherboard I want is still out of stock. The CPU has come back down in price, but I really wish I would have been able to get that 4770K for 115 bucks! The AMD cards are still out of stock with no end to that plight in sight. I put together a build with a 780 and the price difference between it and the 280X makes me kind of sad. The case that I want showed up and had to be sent back due to an issue with the tray that holds the motherboard. I'm glad I noticed before putting a fucking motherboard in it. Thankfully I hadn't ordered the fans yet.
I have discussed with my brother the idea of picking up the 900 dollar pre-built system that is a couple generations behind, but less than a year old. It'd save me some coin and provide me with a better gaming experience right now. I'm getting burnt out on the process already. LOL.
I did use this anxious energy to take my current PC out to my garage and give it a good blow. I blew out some dust and grime that has been bothering me for a bit. It was probably overdue for a cleaning, but after about two or three months of constant overtime and never seeing the PC it was awful. The clear side fine is now clear. It is also now very fucking loud, I probably didn't notice with all the shit it had caked to it. I changed out the Blade Master 120 that was going out on my Hyper 212 with a new one while I was in there. Pulled the video card and PSU and gave it a pretty good cleaning. I did miss one fan, but I think I'll let that slide for now (I've got 6 120mm fans in my case, not including the one on my Hyper 212).
I'm wondering when I'll actually get this thing put together or if I'll end up putting it off until after taxes...
It's been two weeks since I started this process. I was hoping to have parts in. I was hoping to be building now. I was hoping that everything would go well. Well, it hasn't.
So far I've managed to get.... SSDs. Granted SSDs are the only thing missing from my rig right now. I could technically grab a better video card and rock the shit out of it, but that isn't what I want!
The motherboard I want is still out of stock. The CPU has come back down in price, but I really wish I would have been able to get that 4770K for 115 bucks! The AMD cards are still out of stock with no end to that plight in sight. I put together a build with a 780 and the price difference between it and the 280X makes me kind of sad. The case that I want showed up and had to be sent back due to an issue with the tray that holds the motherboard. I'm glad I noticed before putting a fucking motherboard in it. Thankfully I hadn't ordered the fans yet.
I have discussed with my brother the idea of picking up the 900 dollar pre-built system that is a couple generations behind, but less than a year old. It'd save me some coin and provide me with a better gaming experience right now. I'm getting burnt out on the process already. LOL.
I did use this anxious energy to take my current PC out to my garage and give it a good blow. I blew out some dust and grime that has been bothering me for a bit. It was probably overdue for a cleaning, but after about two or three months of constant overtime and never seeing the PC it was awful. The clear side fine is now clear. It is also now very fucking loud, I probably didn't notice with all the shit it had caked to it. I changed out the Blade Master 120 that was going out on my Hyper 212 with a new one while I was in there. Pulled the video card and PSU and gave it a pretty good cleaning. I did miss one fan, but I think I'll let that slide for now (I've got 6 120mm fans in my case, not including the one on my Hyper 212).
I'm wondering when I'll actually get this thing put together or if I'll end up putting it off until after taxes...
Thursday, January 2, 2014
The Build Saga: Part Five
The Offer.
Someone at work has been trying to sell his "custom gaming system". I asked him about it when I first started building a new PC. He wants 900 bucks for it and I laughed it off at the time, but my recent luck with out of stock or non-shipping parts has began to bother me. The build is less than a year old and according to him has no current issues. The CPU has even been overclocked. The guy is pretty knowledgeable and I take his word for it, mostly. I'd still like to see it in action.
Specs are as follows:
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970
OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256GB
Western Digital Black Drive 500GB
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK ATX Full Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Logitech G700 Mouse
Logitech G15 Keyboard
It's a 2500K. It's two generations behind, but still performs well in almost all circumstances that I'd use it for. I lose out on a die-shrink, some memory tweaks and a whole lot of useless on-board GPU work. I'm sure I would be sacrificing some performance, but I'd be getting a full system that already works AND it comes with a monitor, decent mouse, legit Windows key and a G15 (which might be a steal depending on which one is included).
I am really considering this for two reasons. One, I think I might be able to talk him down 100 bucks. Two because I could literally have the PC delivered to me at work and take it home and play on it THAT DAY.
Patience is a virtue, I never said I was virtuous.
Someone at work has been trying to sell his "custom gaming system". I asked him about it when I first started building a new PC. He wants 900 bucks for it and I laughed it off at the time, but my recent luck with out of stock or non-shipping parts has began to bother me. The build is less than a year old and according to him has no current issues. The CPU has even been overclocked. The guy is pretty knowledgeable and I take his word for it, mostly. I'd still like to see it in action.
Specs are as follows:
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970
OCZ Vector Series VTR1-25SAT3-256GB
Western Digital Black Drive 500GB
NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK ATX Full Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Logitech G700 Mouse
Logitech G15 Keyboard
It's a 2500K. It's two generations behind, but still performs well in almost all circumstances that I'd use it for. I lose out on a die-shrink, some memory tweaks and a whole lot of useless on-board GPU work. I'm sure I would be sacrificing some performance, but I'd be getting a full system that already works AND it comes with a monitor, decent mouse, legit Windows key and a G15 (which might be a steal depending on which one is included).
I am really considering this for two reasons. One, I think I might be able to talk him down 100 bucks. Two because I could literally have the PC delivered to me at work and take it home and play on it THAT DAY.
Patience is a virtue, I never said I was virtuous.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
