Please rate my build from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest and please provide any reasoning you may have with your score.
Let's get to it. This is my first PERSONAL build. The three aspects for the build I wanted to achieve were:
1. PORTABILITY AND SPACE MANAGEMENT. Don't get me wrong, I like the big bulky cases that can flaunt their big side window and show off their bright lights to bring shock and awe to everyone and their mother, but I wanted to keep the size and portability of my build to its fullest potential. It needed to be portable so I could take it with me to the LAN parties and not struggle to carry it through the doorway or fit it into my car. I wanted to keep the look of the case very subtle so if I were to open the case to show someone the goods, they would be even more surprised.
2. COMPATIBILITY FOR FUTURE COMPONENTS. It needed to be capable of blending in with the future of PC building. I did not want to build a rig of my dreams and find out within the next 365 days, my build would be so obsolete that I would have to fork out the cash to keep up with the times. In the PC world, there is nothing more irritating than buying your component you have lusted after for so long and then finding out a newer, better version was released the following Wednesday.
3. BEAST MODE. This one should have been obvious right? I mean come on, don't we all want that satisfaction of reaching a million frames per second and more? In my build, I wanted to have top of the line parts. It needed to match and sync together for the best performance possible. It needed that coooool look that would make people say "I want that." That is why I went with Republic of Gamers parts.
SPECS:
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB: This case was exactly what I was looking for. Subtle look, portability, space management and awesome cable management at that.
Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair V Formula-Z: I went with this motherboard because I knew that with the price and being made by AMD, it would be able to keep up with the times. (Don't worry Intel fan boys, I love Intel as well.) I just like the fact that AMD usually keeps the same socket size on their CPU/Motherboards so I don't always have to buy a new motherboard to fit a new CPU.
Processor: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition: I chose this processor due to the fact it has 8 cores and very, very easy to overclock given the right cooling. It handles everything I have thrown at it so far running at 4.8Ghz.
CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Seidon 240m Water Cooler: Like I said in the beginning, everything had to match. I went with this cooler because 1: My case is a Cooler Master (duh) and 2: It fit PERFECTLY in the front of my case. I run between an awesome 8 and 11 degrees Celsius at idle and never go over 45 under load. I am using Cougar fans in a push pull configuration. They are very quiet are efficient at moving air through my radiator and case.
Memory: AMD RADEON RG2133 Gamer Series 16GB RAM: This RAM is simply amazing. The red and black look of the sticks match the board and ROG theme pefectly. I also had no idea how smooth this RAM was going to run. I had Corsair Vengeance 2133 RAM sitting around and I tested the difference. They say with the AMD RAM it gives you more frames while gaming. Well, they weren't lying folks! I noticed a difference in smoothness and I gained a couple more frames while using the AMD vs the Corsair. Do I have proof? Nah, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Video Card: Asus ROG Matrix 7970 Platinum Edition: Here's the bread and butter of it all right? This GPU is what you would call "Beast Mode." Taking up three slots and forcing me to remove one fan from my push-pull configuration off the radiator, it was definitely worth it. This card does it all folks. Looks, power, cooling, power, it's quiet and makes people say "I want that." So should I just stick with one of these beasts? Obviously the answer is NO! In the near, near future, there will be a second beast enclosed in its small portable cage for a little Crossfire action.
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro SSD 128GB: Obviously not purchased for the size, but for the speed of loading the OS and making the computer feel more "alive" if you will. It really did make everything feel more "snappy" and quick to load applications. I asked myself "Why didn't I get one of these sooner?" Then I remembered I'm poor.
Storage Continued: Western Digital 1TB HDD: I sure hope I don't have to explain this one...
Power Supply: Thermaltake Partial Modular 850 Watt: And this one...
Peripherals: Asus ROG GX950 Gaming Mouse and Asus ROG Orion Pro Gaming Headset (Which sound amazing by the way.) Waiting on Asus ROG Armor Gaming Keyboard to be released later this year.
For The Future:
Additional Matrix 7970 Platinum.
A FULL Modular power supply with more wattage and braided cables that match my color scheme.
Asus ROG Armor Gaming Keyboard.
MAYBE the new ROG RAIDR SSD 😉
Well, there you have it. My first build. I feel it runs very stable and I haven't had any issues with it so far. I am definitely open to any comments/thoughts you may have.
Please rate my build from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest and please provide any reasoning you may have with your score.
Do not worry, you will not hurt my feelings. This is a forum after all 🙂
