After looking at everyone's awesome sophisticated builds (read: threads with 5 star ratings) I felt like it wasn't even worth posting my basic build
😛 However, I told the people that answered my questions in my other thread in the Build Advice forums
here that I would.
So it's pretty late here and I'm just copy-pasting the build process from my blog so excuse any idiosyncrasies:
Remember to click pictures for a large version.
Parts used:
Case: Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower
Motherboard: Asus Maximus V Formula
CPU: Intel i7 3770k Ivy Bridge X4 @ 4.5 Ghz
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 (SE2011 for 4pin fans)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW
RAM: G.Skill Trident X 16GB @ 2400
PSU: Corsair 850HX 80 Plus Gold
SSD: Intel 330 Series Maple Crest 120 GB — OS/Main Programs
HDD1: 1TB WD Caviar Black — Secondary Programs/Projects
HDD2: 1TB Hitachi GST Deskstar HD31000 — Media Drive
HDD3: 2TB WD Caviar Black — Game Repository
Let's start off with a picture to keep people interested. Here's a shot of the previous system and what it looked like, note that the PSU and GPU are part of the new build:
Before the questions arrive, that bottle is 99% isopropyl alcohol.After taking apart the old system and some wires (taking a system apart can be a PITA...) that are not needed I decided to start with something simple. Like mounting the SSD:
Btw, I'm covering up the serial, not pointing at anything. Normally I do an external build to make sure everything POSTs okay, but I didn't feel like maneuvering the entire massive CPU fan in the case once installed so I took my chances. Here's the motherboard waiting for it's fellow friends to join it. I decided to run the CPU 8 and 4 pin cables behind the mobo this time instead of through the cable management holes. It was a more direct route (which means I didn't have to use an extender and it still kept it very tidy:
The CPU brackets are set up for a bottom-up config, I fixed that later.Up until this point it was pretty smooth sailing but of course nothing can ever just work correctly. See the top fins of the RAM I purchased was supposed to be removable. This mattered because otherwise it wouldn't clear the massive cooler needed for the CPU.
DON'T STOP ME NOWWW 'CAUSE I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME, HAVING A GOOD TIME! Aha! But as you can see above I found a way to get the fins off of the RAM. Now bear in mind that it was supposed to be as easily as taking off the screws and sliding the fins off. What ended up happening? Blunt force. But it worked. After this abominable demonstration of strength, it was time to stop for a lunch break:
LIKE A TIGER DEFYING THE LAWS OF GRAVITYYY!After that amazing boost of energy I got everything together. Something I'd like to say is that Noctua knows how to build a cooler. Not only for its performance but for its ease of installation. Compared to the D14, the Hyper212+ is the most complicated thing to install. Something else I'd like to say about Noctua is that, like T-Mobile, their 'chosen' color is horrible. Seriously, these fans might perform amazing but they're hideous.
It's as if we performed heart surgery on my CPU. That cooler does NOT go with those jeans.The moment of truth was upon us. Should I have done an external build? Is a part non functioning? Will the fan look itself in the mirror and be so depressed it doesn't work? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Spoiler Alert: Everything was okay.The very first thing that greets you is the UEFI. Oh, the UEFI. After a decade of dealing with BIOS' and permanently seeing blue everywhere I went it was such a relief. It's one thing to see an EFI in screenshots and such but it's another thing all together to USE one.
Anyway, everything after here was pretty boring, installing Windows, dealing with drivers, fixing small software things, moving programs around, almost going insane. Just routine stuff.
Then I spent today getting a decent performing overclock, here's a screenshot:
Decent chip, if I say so myself.I didn't actually push the i7 3770k that much (well some might say 1Ghz for OC is pretty big leap) but I don't feel like I need to. On idle I get around 38ºC and I could definitely make that a lot better but I don't want to increase idle computer noise that much. My build is literally almost 100% silent right now when idling and as for load temps in the screenshot, that's the worst case scenario, when gaming I get temps in around the 50ºC. Oh and the VCore is at 1.135 for a 4.5Ghz overclock on an average of 70ºC on full load, for those of you searching about temps in Google and such but every chip is different.
All around I'm pretty content with the OC but nowhere near as happy as I am with the entire system. Everything just plays so nicely with everything else. I didn't get a chance to run any benchmarks but playing both Borderlands 2 on high everything gives me a solid 60FPS (vSync ON) when previously it would drop to the 20s in massive combat areas. It was definitely my CPU bottlenecking me before.
Skyrim is the same story, every single overhaul mod you can think of PLUS an ENB series shader and on the biggest most intense area I still get a solid 60 FPS. It is amazing.