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ROGBot
After more than a year of research (and saving up) I have finally built my first PC...
Well, that's only half true. I actually built it about 3 weeks ago, but then some family stuff came up and I had to leave my just-finished Baby for a whole F-ing month... 😞
But oh well, I took pictures through most of the process... Please forgive my sh*tty photo taking... Some of the pics were taken with my iPhone 3G, but most were taken with my dad's camera (I think it's a Nikon), but it took me quite a few shots to get the hang of it. 😛 😛
First off, though, a quick pic of my old setup (the Alienware with the GPU upgrade):
Anyway, on to business.
BUILD NAME: Construct (as in a noun, not a verb)
COMPONENTS:
INITIAL PLAN:
Well...
Jan. 1st: I ordered the Case first because when I was looking for the best price, I noticed that there were barely any available from any of the major etailers. Amazon: Out Of Stock. 😞 Newegg: Out Of Stock. 😞 NCIX: 1 left in stock. 😞 So I kind of panicked a little and bought the last FT02 that NCIX had in stock.
Jan. 9th: Eight days later... It arrives!
I was excited. The only Case-like thing I ever got before was my Alienware desktop that I was using since '09.
I opened it immediately to make sure it had arrived intact.
Everything looked in perfect condition, no dents, scratches, or any other shipping-induced damage.
So I wrapped the case back in the plastic bag and put it under my desk to wait until I save enough to bulk-buy all the other components...
Jan. 29th: I order all the internal components (except for the GPU, which I bought as an upgrade from my old 4870X2 in my Alienware last November in order to play the Crysis 3 Alpha :p, and the ODD, which I bought a $10 generic which I later decided to return :p) I ordered most of the stuff from Amazon (2 day shipping with Prime), except for the Mobo which I ordered from Newegg for $30 less than the sellers on Amazon... Three day shipping... Oh well. 🙂
Jan. 31st: Two days later most of the components (except for the Crosshair and some PK-1 thermal paste which I bought just in case) arrive!
Now just to wait for the Motherboard and then the "fun" can begin. 🙂
Finding those boxes on the doorstep was great! befor that the only component I ever got before was a Sapphire ATI Radeon HD3620 back in 2008... 😛
Feb. 1st: The Motherboard finally arrives (it was only one day, but to me it felt like ages)!
Newegg sure do know how to label their boxes, don't they? "May Contain Awesome" sums it up perfectly in my opinion! 🙂
Now I had all of the components! Now to wait for the weekend!
Feb. 3rd: Time to start building, starting with opening the boxes!
First up, the H80i and AX760i:
Next up, the Crosshair V Formula-Z:
Next... CPU obviously:
Now time for an out-of-case assembly.
CPU in the socket first:
Next the Beasts and the H80i go on (sorry for the spots on the lens :p):
The Radeon and the Gentle Typhoons go on next, and then plug everything to the PSU:
Pressed the Start button and ran it for about a minute while holding the Gentle Typhoons on to the radiator because I didn't want to screw them into the rad yet... Man those things are quiet.
Well, that's only half true. I actually built it about 3 weeks ago, but then some family stuff came up and I had to leave my just-finished Baby for a whole F-ing month... 😞
But oh well, I took pictures through most of the process... Please forgive my sh*tty photo taking... Some of the pics were taken with my iPhone 3G, but most were taken with my dad's camera (I think it's a Nikon), but it took me quite a few shots to get the hang of it. 😛 😛
First off, though, a quick pic of my old setup (the Alienware with the GPU upgrade):
Anyway, on to business.
BUILD NAME: Construct (as in a noun, not a verb)
COMPONENTS:
INITIAL PLAN:
- CASE: Silverstone FT02 Black, Windowed, USB 3.0
- Motherboard: Crosshair V Formula-Z (Duh)
- CPU: AMD FX-8350
- CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i + 2 Sythe Gentle Typhoons instead of the stock fans
- PSU: Corsair AX760i
- RAM: 16GB Kingston HyperX Beast 2,133MHz (2x8GB)
- GPU: XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition
- SSD: Samsung 840 250GB
- HDD: WD Caviar Black 1TB
- ODD: Silverstone Slim DVD Drive + Silverstone Slot-Loading Optical Drive and 4 2.5" Drive Bay
- OS: Windows 8 Pro
- Monitor #1: ViewSonic VX2250wm 1080p 22"
- Monitor #2: Dell S199WFP (Rotated 90o) 900x1440 19"
- Mouse: Logitech G9X
Well...
Jan. 1st: I ordered the Case first because when I was looking for the best price, I noticed that there were barely any available from any of the major etailers. Amazon: Out Of Stock. 😞 Newegg: Out Of Stock. 😞 NCIX: 1 left in stock. 😞 So I kind of panicked a little and bought the last FT02 that NCIX had in stock.
Jan. 9th: Eight days later... It arrives!
I was excited. The only Case-like thing I ever got before was my Alienware desktop that I was using since '09.
I opened it immediately to make sure it had arrived intact.
Everything looked in perfect condition, no dents, scratches, or any other shipping-induced damage.
So I wrapped the case back in the plastic bag and put it under my desk to wait until I save enough to bulk-buy all the other components...
Jan. 29th: I order all the internal components (except for the GPU, which I bought as an upgrade from my old 4870X2 in my Alienware last November in order to play the Crysis 3 Alpha :p, and the ODD, which I bought a $10 generic which I later decided to return :p) I ordered most of the stuff from Amazon (2 day shipping with Prime), except for the Mobo which I ordered from Newegg for $30 less than the sellers on Amazon... Three day shipping... Oh well. 🙂
Jan. 31st: Two days later most of the components (except for the Crosshair and some PK-1 thermal paste which I bought just in case) arrive!
Now just to wait for the Motherboard and then the "fun" can begin. 🙂
Finding those boxes on the doorstep was great! befor that the only component I ever got before was a Sapphire ATI Radeon HD3620 back in 2008... 😛
Feb. 1st: The Motherboard finally arrives (it was only one day, but to me it felt like ages)!
Newegg sure do know how to label their boxes, don't they? "May Contain Awesome" sums it up perfectly in my opinion! 🙂
Now I had all of the components! Now to wait for the weekend!
Feb. 3rd: Time to start building, starting with opening the boxes!
First up, the H80i and AX760i:
Next up, the Crosshair V Formula-Z:
Next... CPU obviously:
Now time for an out-of-case assembly.
CPU in the socket first:
Next the Beasts and the H80i go on (sorry for the spots on the lens :p):
The Radeon and the Gentle Typhoons go on next, and then plug everything to the PSU:
Pressed the Start button and ran it for about a minute while holding the Gentle Typhoons on to the radiator because I didn't want to screw them into the rad yet... Man those things are quiet.
Now for the real build... 🙂
I installed the PSU first, but I forgot to take any pictures. 😞
So then I installed the Samsung SSD to it's bracket and mounted it to the back of the 5.25" rack (again, sorry for the spots):
I/O Shield in... Check!
Next I mounted the CVFZ... It was pretty hard to do it with the H80 already attached... but I didn't drop it, so I guess that counts for something... 🙂 😛
Now for the hardest part (imo), mounting the H80's radiator to the roof of the case... Without help or putting the case on it's side. But I managed... After about 10 minutes... 😛
Second fan? Check.
Now for the Graphics Card:
Now it was time for the part that took me two days... Two words: Cable. Management. *cringe*
After two days, everything was properly wired up, more-or-less, and it was ready to boot up...
But then I get my first taste of problems...
I boot up and go to the UEFI, and after about 12 seconds, the system shuts down, just like that. Less than 12 seconds if I try to boot a few times in a row.
So I spend another day troubleshooting. In the end, it turns out that something was wrong with the H80i... Apparently, when I booted, the CPU temperature started at about 30-35oC and then rocketed up to 51oC where the system proceeded to shut down.
http://s951.beta.photobucket.com/user/Earendur_/media/Construct/February2013008_zps7f2c4ab3.mp4.html
So I contact Amazon, and request a replacement for a defective pump in the H80, I then have to wait until the next Monday, so I clean off the 8350 with some 99% Isopropyl alcohol that I got from school and pop on the stock cooler until I get the replacement. The stock cooler does work and I proceed do a clean install of Windows 8 Pro, which I got for $15 from Microsoft when I bought an HP laptop running Win7 last spring. Before I pack up the defective H80 though, I do a quick test and plug it into another fan header on my motherboard, just to see if I can hear/feel if the pump works... Turns out the pump did work after all. so I have no idea what was wrong with it... :confused:
So after I finished it, I had to re-install Win8 because when I installed it the first time, I didn't have the computer connected to the internet, so it couldn't activate Windows during the installation, and when I tried to activate it after the fact, it said that my key was already in use... :confused: so I did another fresh install while connected to the internet and it activated no problem! 🙂
Monday finally arrived, and brought the replacement H80i with it! I removed the stock cooler, cleaned the CPU again, let it dry, and then re-installed the H80i and the Gentle Typhoons. Booted up and guess what? It crashed again!
Just kidding. It didn't crash. In fact, it ran perfectly, and 15oC cooler to boot! 🙂 🙂 🙂
While I was building I decided that I didn't really want the generic $10 ODD that I ordered initially. It didn't match the FT02 aesthetically, and the FT02 has some clearance issues with standard ODDs and the end of the PCIe expansion slots if placed in the top 2.25" bay. So I returned it and ordered the Slim DVD Drive and the Bay from NCIX. And then waited a week... 😞 In the meantime I also decided to get myself a new mouse. I have rather slight hands (for a dude) and I also play the Bass and the Piano, so I wanted a better mouse than the generic Logitech that came with the Alienware. So I decided on the G9x because it has great reviews and also because one of the YouTube reviewers that I watch semi-regularly (Linus Tech Tips) has rather hands to mine (by the looks of it) and he often recommends the G9... So I decided on the G9x. I actually got the MW3 edition because it was only $40 on Amazon instead of $80 for the normal version. Now I don't play CoD games, and am not particularly interested in starting, but that mouse is so F-ing comfortable! An d you don't see the game branding when you're using it anyway! 😛
I got the Silverstone ODD the next week, but I also some family stuff came up and I had to leave town three days later, so I didn't get a chance to take any pictures... 😞
I also didn't get a chance to get Crysis 3 either... And I can't really install it on my laptop unless I want to play it at 6 Frames Per Second... 😛 But I'm hoping that the Never Settle: Reloaded bundle will still be going on at the end of the month when I get back home and I'll buy a second 7950 and CrossFireX it with my current one.
OK. I'm done. Thanks for going through the whole thing, and sorry for being so long winded... 🙂
I'll end this extremely long post with a few glamour shots of that build.
Thanks to everyone on the Forum for all the help and support during the planning process!
Cheers!
4Strings
A few glamour Shots:
I installed the PSU first, but I forgot to take any pictures. 😞
So then I installed the Samsung SSD to it's bracket and mounted it to the back of the 5.25" rack (again, sorry for the spots):
I/O Shield in... Check!
Next I mounted the CVFZ... It was pretty hard to do it with the H80 already attached... but I didn't drop it, so I guess that counts for something... 🙂 😛
Now for the hardest part (imo), mounting the H80's radiator to the roof of the case... Without help or putting the case on it's side. But I managed... After about 10 minutes... 😛
Second fan? Check.
Now for the Graphics Card:
Now it was time for the part that took me two days... Two words: Cable. Management. *cringe*
After two days, everything was properly wired up, more-or-less, and it was ready to boot up...
But then I get my first taste of problems...
I boot up and go to the UEFI, and after about 12 seconds, the system shuts down, just like that. Less than 12 seconds if I try to boot a few times in a row.
So I spend another day troubleshooting. In the end, it turns out that something was wrong with the H80i... Apparently, when I booted, the CPU temperature started at about 30-35oC and then rocketed up to 51oC where the system proceeded to shut down.
http://s951.beta.photobucket.com/user/Earendur_/media/Construct/February2013008_zps7f2c4ab3.mp4.html
So I contact Amazon, and request a replacement for a defective pump in the H80, I then have to wait until the next Monday, so I clean off the 8350 with some 99% Isopropyl alcohol that I got from school and pop on the stock cooler until I get the replacement. The stock cooler does work and I proceed do a clean install of Windows 8 Pro, which I got for $15 from Microsoft when I bought an HP laptop running Win7 last spring. Before I pack up the defective H80 though, I do a quick test and plug it into another fan header on my motherboard, just to see if I can hear/feel if the pump works... Turns out the pump did work after all. so I have no idea what was wrong with it... :confused:
So after I finished it, I had to re-install Win8 because when I installed it the first time, I didn't have the computer connected to the internet, so it couldn't activate Windows during the installation, and when I tried to activate it after the fact, it said that my key was already in use... :confused: so I did another fresh install while connected to the internet and it activated no problem! 🙂
Monday finally arrived, and brought the replacement H80i with it! I removed the stock cooler, cleaned the CPU again, let it dry, and then re-installed the H80i and the Gentle Typhoons. Booted up and guess what? It crashed again!
Just kidding. It didn't crash. In fact, it ran perfectly, and 15oC cooler to boot! 🙂 🙂 🙂
While I was building I decided that I didn't really want the generic $10 ODD that I ordered initially. It didn't match the FT02 aesthetically, and the FT02 has some clearance issues with standard ODDs and the end of the PCIe expansion slots if placed in the top 2.25" bay. So I returned it and ordered the Slim DVD Drive and the Bay from NCIX. And then waited a week... 😞 In the meantime I also decided to get myself a new mouse. I have rather slight hands (for a dude) and I also play the Bass and the Piano, so I wanted a better mouse than the generic Logitech that came with the Alienware. So I decided on the G9x because it has great reviews and also because one of the YouTube reviewers that I watch semi-regularly (Linus Tech Tips) has rather hands to mine (by the looks of it) and he often recommends the G9... So I decided on the G9x. I actually got the MW3 edition because it was only $40 on Amazon instead of $80 for the normal version. Now I don't play CoD games, and am not particularly interested in starting, but that mouse is so F-ing comfortable! An d you don't see the game branding when you're using it anyway! 😛
I got the Silverstone ODD the next week, but I also some family stuff came up and I had to leave town three days later, so I didn't get a chance to take any pictures... 😞
I also didn't get a chance to get Crysis 3 either... And I can't really install it on my laptop unless I want to play it at 6 Frames Per Second... 😛 But I'm hoping that the Never Settle: Reloaded bundle will still be going on at the end of the month when I get back home and I'll buy a second 7950 and CrossFireX it with my current one.
OK. I'm done. Thanks for going through the whole thing, and sorry for being so long winded... 🙂
I'll end this extremely long post with a few glamour shots of that build.
Thanks to everyone on the Forum for all the help and support during the planning process!
Cheers!
4Strings
A few glamour Shots:
Thanks Myk!
Thanks Chino!
I wish I was at home right now... 😞 Can't wait 'till the end of the month. 🙂
I wish I was at home right now... 😞 Can't wait 'till the end of the month. 🙂
Looks nice, 4Strings, now enjoy it! :cool: (hope, you can get near it faster then a month!)
Zka17 wrote:
Looks nice, 4Strings, now enjoy it! :cool: (hope, you can get near it faster then a month!)
Thanks Man! 🙂
I hope I can get home sooner too... But it's probably unlikely... 😞
kkn wrote:
nice rig 4strings!!!
Thanks kkn!
I miss it so much... 😞 😛
