<![CDATA[HR Forums - Pictures/specs of your newly built PC]]>

<![CDATA[HR Forums - Pictures/specs of your newly built PC]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/ Thu, 17 May 2012 15:26:33 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[My first build with pics (tier 2)]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2882 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:53:16 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2882
CPU
Intel Core i5-2400 3.1-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core($190)

Motherboard
BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel ($95)

Ram
G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz($23)

Videocard
Radeon HD 6870 1GB($160)

Storage*
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB SATA III($85)

*Currently has a temporary 80gb hard drive after my original 500gb was found to be faulty ($3 Tongue

)

Optical Drive
LG SATA 22X DVD Burner($16)

Power Supply
Silverstone 500W 80PLUS($60)

Case
NZXT Guardian Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Case 921RB-BL ($70)

[Image: comp2bh.png]

]]>
CPU
Intel Core i5-2400 3.1-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core($190)

Motherboard
BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel ($95)

Ram
G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz($23)

Videocard
Radeon HD 6870 1GB($160)

Storage*
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB SATA III($85)

*Currently has a temporary 80gb hard drive after my original 500gb was found to be faulty ($3 Tongue

)

Optical Drive
LG SATA 22X DVD Burner($16)

Power Supply
Silverstone 500W 80PLUS($60)

Case
NZXT Guardian Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Case 921RB-BL ($70)

[Image: comp2bh.png]

]]> <![CDATA[New Tier 5ish Build]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2839 Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:53:24 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2839
The build went pretty smoothly until I went to boot and got no response. It ended up being my case fan connection and it was troubleshooted within an hour thanks to Mathieu.

Anyways on to the specs and pics:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k (stock clock speed)
Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3
GPU: Sapphire Radeon 6870 (en route)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive Modular 550w
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Optical: Asus DVD RW
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 1TB
Case: Antec 300 Illusion
Monitor: TBD, currently using my 32" LG HDTV

Pics:

*Pardon the cable management, that's another weekend's project.

[Image: DSCN0077.jpg]

]]>
The build went pretty smoothly until I went to boot and got no response. It ended up being my case fan connection and it was troubleshooted within an hour thanks to Mathieu.

Anyways on to the specs and pics:

CPU: Intel i5 2500k (stock clock speed)
Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3
GPU: Sapphire Radeon 6870 (en route)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive Modular 550w
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB
Optical: Asus DVD RW
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 1TB
Case: Antec 300 Illusion
Monitor: TBD, currently using my 32" LG HDTV

Pics:

*Pardon the cable management, that's another weekend's project.

[Image: DSCN0077.jpg]

]]> <![CDATA[Tier 4 build (Updated with completed pics)]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2805 Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:30:55 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2805
Contents::Cost
i5-2500K 3.3 GHz :: 179.99
Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 :: 99.99
Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600MHz :: 51.84
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 Ti :: 199.99
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120 GB SSD :: 127.99
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB HDD :: 85.99
LG SATA 22X DVDRW :: 17.99
Antec Earthwatts GREEN 650W v2.3 :: 59.99
Cooler Master 922 HAF :: 81.99
Corsair A50 CPU cooler :: 24.99
ASUS Xonar 5.1 Sound Card :: 26.99

Total Cost: $957.74

[Image: iz3YYl.jpg]

Not pictured/reusing:
ACER S231HL Monitor
Razer Lycosa Keyboard
Logitec MX Revolution

I'll make sure to get pictures once it's all put together. Which will hopefully be within a few weeks.

And yes: that is an upside-down lampshade in the background.

[Image: SMRhkl.jpg]

Since I built this rig for Diablo 3, I've since tested it within the game and am happy to report that I experience absolutely NO LAG! SO HAPPY!

Mathieu, Thank you SO MUCH for this awesome website. It made putting together a computer so much easier than buying a "combo" at Newegg and hoping for the best.]]> <![CDATA[Just specified parts for a build for Dad]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2777 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:51:36 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2777
LIAN LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K9B Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PNY VCGGT5201XPB GeForce GT 520 (Fermi) 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2012

Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

The total for hardware is $794.91 with additional for the software he wants upgraded. He already has new antivirus software.

I had to go with the extreme4 motherboard to get a USB3 header on the motherboard since the extreme3 did not have the USB3 header. There was a motherboard in the middle of those two, but it was out of stock and we wanted to go with one supplier.

I love it when someone wants me to build a PC, because I obviously can't build one for myself every month, LOL!

Ordered the parts. The total, including shipping, was $1130.10 with about $380 of it being software he wanted.]]>
LIAN LI Lancool First Knight Series PC-K9B Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PNY VCGGT5201XPB GeForce GT 520 (Fermi) 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT

Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2012

Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

The total for hardware is $794.91 with additional for the software he wants upgraded. He already has new antivirus software.

I had to go with the extreme4 motherboard to get a USB3 header on the motherboard since the extreme3 did not have the USB3 header. There was a motherboard in the middle of those two, but it was out of stock and we wanted to go with one supplier.

I love it when someone wants me to build a PC, because I obviously can't build one for myself every month, LOL!

Ordered the parts. The total, including shipping, was $1130.10 with about $380 of it being software he wanted.]]> <![CDATA[Just ordered my parts!]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2766 Sun, 08 Apr 2012 01:09:26 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2766 Here's what I'll be building over the next couple of weeks. I can't help but write it up, because I'm psyched!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Quad Core 3.3Ghz
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (SATA III / USB 3.0)
Memory: G. Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Storage: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB SATA III SSD
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200rpm HDD
Optical: LG 22x DVD-RW
Sound: Xonar DG 5.1 Audio
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Red ("It looks like a Ferrari!" commented my wife)
PSU: Rosewill HIVE 550W Modular 80 Plus Bronze
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus

Monitor: ASUS VE248H 24" 1080p LED Backlit
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4
Mouse: Logitech MX 518
Speakers: Logitech S-220 2.1 System
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit]]> Here's what I'll be building over the next couple of weeks. I can't help but write it up, because I'm psyched!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Quad Core 3.3Ghz
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 (SATA III / USB 3.0)
Memory: G. Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Storage: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB SATA III SSD
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200rpm HDD
Optical: LG 22x DVD-RW
Sound: Xonar DG 5.1 Audio
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Red ("It looks like a Ferrari!" commented my wife)
PSU: Rosewill HIVE 550W Modular 80 Plus Bronze
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus

Monitor: ASUS VE248H 24" 1080p LED Backlit
Keyboard: Microsoft Sidewinder X4
Mouse: Logitech MX 518
Speakers: Logitech S-220 2.1 System
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit]]> <![CDATA[Tier 2 Build (lots of pics!)]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2745 Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:29:15 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2745

Here are some pics:

Bought 2 extra LED fans, but didn't notice they don't come with 3pin to molex adapters, so I didn't install those yet.

The micro atx board looks so funny inside the CM 690 II Tongue

Cable management before:

and after:

All done

Bought 2 extra LED fans, but didn't notice they don't come with 3pin to molex adapters, so I didn't install those yet.

The micro atx board looks so funny inside the CM 690 II Tongue

Cable management before:

and after:

All done

Thanks to MB!

PS: I highly recommend Newegg TV's series of how to build videos, especially part 2 (putting it together). I did an external build and was happy I did. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls]]> <![CDATA[My Tier 9 build w/pics]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2735 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:00:43 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2735
Anyway thanks again to all who helped me out and a special thanks to MathieuB for having available a site like this to help us with any questions.
I had no problems at all (surprisingly)There were moments that I wasn't sure if something is right or not but it turned out good. I took a few photos....sorry they are not that great .

As far as running Flight simulator X on this thing I am amazed how well it runs now even loaded with some 15-20 or so addons. Wink

The only thing I would change next time is get a bigger SSD. I had to re install Flight sim on The hdd with 2TB. 180 GB not enough for th OS and FSX. But I installed the Adobe Master Suite on there and the speed now is awsome.

[Image: Newbuild.jpg]

]]>
Anyway thanks again to all who helped me out and a special thanks to MathieuB for having available a site like this to help us with any questions.
I had no problems at all (surprisingly)There were moments that I wasn't sure if something is right or not but it turned out good. I took a few photos....sorry they are not that great .

As far as running Flight simulator X on this thing I am amazed how well it runs now even loaded with some 15-20 or so addons. Wink

]]> <![CDATA[pics. of a first build]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2691 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:49:01 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2691 <![CDATA[My Upgradable Build (with pics!)]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2679 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:56:21 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2679
I usually have terrible luck with computers and I spent at least 2 weeks wasting my work days browsing forums and articles and analyzing solutions to every possible problem I could encounter, but in the end everything came together with very few hiccups.

Here is my build list:
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySav...D=26598888

If you want to see all the build pics go here: http://s1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg57...r%20Build/ (Forums only let you upload 10 Angry

)

-Core i5 2500k
-ASRock Extreme3 Gen3
-G.skill 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
-Mushkin 120 GB SSD
-2x 200mm Cooler Master blue LED fans
-Cooler Master HAF 912 case
-Cooler Master 212 EVO CPU cooler
-MSI Radeon 6450 (ugh)
-OCZ 600W PSU
-Some cheap LG ODD
-Rosewill Wireles Card (for gaming at friends houses/different rooms mostly bought becuase it was $9 heh)
-Windows 7 Home 64 bit

I chose that crappy gfx card because after rebates I picked it up for $17 and I needed to keep my build as close to $800 as possible. I plan on upgrading the GFX card to either a 560 ti or 6870 as well as adding a HDD by mid April then it will really be complete!

Here are all the parts:
[Image: IMG_0118.jpg]

Removed the extra 3.5 and 2.5 HDD bays for more room.
Installed 200mm fans @ front and top & ODD installed and front panel is done:
[Image: IMG_0117.jpg]

Finally starting on the motherboard. Moved into our tiny dining room to avoid carpet (girlfriend loved that! Big Grin

) Notice the anti-static wrist band. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone doing their first build as well. Don't buy some of the crap online for $17. I got that at Radioshack for $4.
[Image: IMG_0120.jpg]

CPU and fan are already installed. The aftermarket CPU cooler was definitely the toughest part. In theory I wanted to balance the MB between two boxes for the back plate but I couldn't see so ended up having to stand the MB on the side resting on the back panel connectors using the cardboard boxes to stabilize and that made it a bit easier

*NOTE also the 212 EVO fan did end up slightly blocking the closest RAM slot with the g.skill heat spreaders but I just moved the fan up barely half an inch so no big problem

External test boot was a success got it into the case (see the album) and its BIOS time...
[Image: IMG_0127.jpg]

QUESTION: All the tutorials online showed there being a "release" lever on the PCI-E slots to remove a card, but I believe they were all ASUS mobos. I know there is a little slider on the right side to kind of hold it in place, but is there any type of eject tab or do I just pull it out? I pulled out the gfx card on the text build after not finding any tabs and its still working so I guess not but it feels weird just ripping it out the of PCI-E slot...

Another question...
[Image: IMG_0129.jpg]

Will this be a problem? The case has connectors for HD audio and PC '97 the HD audio is connected so the PC '97, which occupies the same connector, seems pretty worthless but is is ok to leave is still on the PSU like that or should I tie it up? I'm not sure how hot the PSU will get when really running the machine.

Last question (I swear)
I have a stray 4 pin connector since my current crappy gfx card doesn't need one. I ended up moving it back to the front a bit, but should I be worried if this wire gets too close to any metal or hardware? The PSU is only semi-modular so I can't remove it unfortunately.

Here is the finished work running:
[Image: IMG_0135.jpg]

Not the best cable routing, but not terrible for my first build I'd say. Of course things never go as smoothly as planned the MB power connectors ended up being much shorter than I anticipated and with the 200mm top fan I couldn't route them behind the MB. I also wanted to power the ODD and SDD on the same SATA power connector, but they ended up being too far apart after removing the middle 3.5 HDD bay. Oh well, more flexibility when adding my HDD I guess.

Here is the desktop it replaced...
[Image: IMG_0136.jpg]

Pentium 4 woohoo!

Now I just need a new desk, monitor, keyboard, mouse... *sigh* at least the biggest part is complete! Looks so bad on that cardboard box but it will make do. I have the PSI facing down so I didn't want it sitting on the carpet.
[Image: IMG_0140.jpg]

Removed the extra 3.5 and 2.5 HDD bays for more room.
Installed 200mm fans @ front and top & ODD installed and front panel is done:
[Image: IMG_0117.jpg]

Finally starting on the motherboard. Moved into our tiny dining room to avoid carpet (girlfriend loved that! Big Grin

It extremely fast I have 2 instances of EVE online running and the CPU hasn't slowed down at all. I just can't wait to get a decent graphics card and start playing some new games I've missed out on the past 3-4 years!

Again, thanks for all the help I checked the forums daily for the past two weeks while I was conceptualizing my build. Let me know what you guys think! Any recommendations are welcome as well.]]> <![CDATA[Just got my Parts! ...build complete!]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2649 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:05:37 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2649
Also going to get Windows 7 for $70 student discount, waiting on that, keyboard, mouse, and speakers but il start building before i can get those in.

Pics below....]]>
Also going to get Windows 7 for $70 student discount, waiting on that, keyboard, mouse, and speakers but il start building before i can get those in.

Pics below....]]> <![CDATA[My very first build]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2640 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:27:01 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2640 Everything went pretty much flawless and the results are simply amazing. Flight simulator never looked so alive........EVER!
My FPS actually drops down to 12-14 when I fly over Manhattan with the Aerosoft addon with settings maxed out where with my old machine I would get 5-8 fps with low settings (pretty much
unplayable) and now the graphics are so sharp. I will get you more detailed information after I install my Adobe Master suite and some more games as I get them...oh yeah and photos are coming soon.

Tier 9 orange

cpu - i7-2600K
cpu - cooler Thermalright Silver
mobo - AsRock P67E4G3
Video Card - Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I
PSU - Sliverstone ATX-12v 1000W
RAM - Corsair 16 GB Vengeance Blue
Storage - Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 2TB SATA
Boot Drive- Corsair Force GT 180 GB SATA III/6G SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5"
Case - Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower]]> Everything went pretty much flawless and the results are simply amazing. Flight simulator never looked so alive........EVER!
My FPS actually drops down to 12-14 when I fly over Manhattan with the Aerosoft addon with settings maxed out where with my old machine I would get 5-8 fps with low settings (pretty much
unplayable) and now the graphics are so sharp. I will get you more detailed information after I install my Adobe Master suite and some more games as I get them...oh yeah and photos are coming soon.

Tier 9 orange

cpu - i7-2600K
cpu - cooler Thermalright Silver
mobo - AsRock P67E4G3
Video Card - Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I
PSU - Sliverstone ATX-12v 1000W
RAM - Corsair 16 GB Vengeance Blue
Storage - Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 2TB SATA
Boot Drive- Corsair Force GT 180 GB SATA III/6G SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5"
Case - Cooler Master HAF X Full Tower]]> <![CDATA[Finished my first build]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2448 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:37:42 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2448
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3
i5 2400
G Skill Ripjaws 4gb
Radeon 6870
Enermax 450W
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
Rosewell Challenger case

I'm thinking of investing in an aftermarket cooler for the i5 to be safe. This site was super helpful in choosing and installing my parts.]]>
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3
i5 2400
G Skill Ripjaws 4gb
Radeon 6870
Enermax 450W
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
Rosewell Challenger case

I'm thinking of investing in an aftermarket cooler for the i5 to be safe. This site was super helpful in choosing and installing my parts.]]> <![CDATA[My Current Build COMPLETE sortof..]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2435 Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:15:36 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2435 [Image: photo0060s.th.jpg]

the Arrival...

Corsair Carbide Series 400R
Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-650
Intel Core i5-2500
CORSAIR XMS3 16GB
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2

Soundcard will arrive friday..
ASUS Xonar 5.1

had 1 issue...i dumped out the stuff from the Hyper 212 infront of me and was goin to install it and there was no back plate...so i used the stock heatsink/fan..then installed w7 and such and went to clean up and the backplate was stuck inside the box,SO i took it apart and installed it!! argh!! i was soo mad lol

Right now its runnin awesome and installin SW:TOR atm :-)]]> [Image: photo0060s.th.jpg]

Right now its runnin awesome and installin SW:TOR atm :-)]]> <![CDATA[Newly built 0.75 Tier Gaming PC]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2376 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:21:23 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2376
Happy to say everything went smoothly with no problems at all!

Specs:
Intel G860 3ghz cpu
Asrock H61M u3s3 motherboard
G.skill 8gb ram
Seagate barracude 500 gb hard drive
Asus 24x dvd burner
ENERMAX NAXN 350W power supply
NZXT Gamma Classic 1 case
Windows 7 Home Premium 64

.jpg

IMG-20120202-00047 (2).jpg (Size: 127.71 KB / Downloads: 72)

EDIT: Added the XFX Radeon 6770 and things are running smoothly!

Love the forums and reading all the suggested builds- thanks for the help!]]>
Happy to say everything went smoothly with no problems at all!

Specs:
Intel G860 3ghz cpu
Asrock H61M u3s3 motherboard
G.skill 8gb ram
Seagate barracude 500 gb hard drive
Asus 24x dvd burner
ENERMAX NAXN 350W power supply
NZXT Gamma Classic 1 case
Windows 7 Home Premium 64

.jpg

IMG-20120202-00047 (2).jpg (Size: 127.71 KB / Downloads: 72)

EDIT: Added the XFX Radeon 6770 and things are running smoothly!

Love the forums and reading all the suggested builds- thanks for the help!]]> <![CDATA[3 new builds]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2295 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:07:02 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2295
One low budget computer for the office, the new Tier 2 Entry-Level Workstation for a friend and a Mainstream HTPC.

******************************************************
First the office computer. I had a price limit and it had to be quickly done. Build is basically the Tier 2 Budget Gaming PC with no added video card:

MB: ASRock H61M
CPU: i3-2120
RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Case: Rosewill Destroyer
PSU: Rosewill HIVE 550W
Onboard video and included CPU fan.
Total Cost: $500 (CDN)

The limit was $500 (without taxes) and still have some room for future upgrades if needed. The thing was very easy to build (not much to install!) and it supports two monitors out of the MB's dvi, vga or hdmi.

Only con I have is on the MB: the VGA connector is very soft/flimsy.. feels like I'm going to break it every time I try to plug in the cable. Will get an old PCIe card in there before someone damages it. Also, eventually I'll get a better cooling fan.. the included CPU one isn't very subtle.

Other notes:seems like the MB settings will not automatically recognize the RAM'S speed and puts the slowest one as default, had to set it manually in the BIOS settings. Also the power-led cable from the case was a three pins adapter (although only two are used) while the MB only accepts 2 pins.. had to change the connection in the adapted so that it fits.

Here are some pics:

.jpg

Work_in_s.jpg (Size: 144.96 KB / Downloads: 39)

.jpg

Work_side_s.jpg (Size: 149.82 KB / Downloads: 34)

************************************************
Now the Workstation was a lot more fun to build! Tier 2 Entry Workstation + some options:

MB: ASRock P67 Extreme 4 Gen 3
CPU: i7-2600
RAM: Corsair 4x4GB 1600
HDD: 2 x 1GB, Both Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM SATA Gbps
SSD: 64GB Cricial M4
Video: 2 x Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GT520 (needed for 4 monitors)
PSU: SeaSonic M1211 620W
Case: Corsair 600T
Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212
Total Cost: $1600 (CDN) including MW7 Pro

I had previously used the Corsair 600T case which I liked a lot for the tons of options for cable management. Everything was pretty easy to install although the 6pin CPU power cable is a bit tight as you can see in the pic bellow. The 600T case comes with a front UBS3 port, which we plugged in the USB3 bracket included with the MB inside (if not you have to get the cable out of the case and plug it in the back ports of the MB)

Installed on the SSD is Windows 7 pro which you have to take out a few options to make smaller (normal installation is 35GB.. tweaking comes down to 12GB) as well as other programs that will be used often. Photoshop will load completely within 3 seconds and any MS Office program basically doesn't have a loading time!!

One pic here. As you can see, cable management options are very nice.

.jpg

Workstation_s.jpg (Size: 149.85 KB / Downloads: 34)

(Thought I'd separate in two post.. this one is a bit longer)

Now the HTPC was new for me. The build is from the Mainstream HTPC page:

MB: BIOSTAR TH61ITX+RCH mini ITX
CPU: i3-2120
Video: Radeon 6570
RAM: GSkill 2x4GB
HDD: 500GB Sansung F3EG
Drive: Samsung 12X blu-ray
Case: Silverstone Black Aluminum / Grandia Series
PSU: Silverstone 450W SFX 80
Cooling: Cooler Master Vortex
Total cost around: $700 (CDN)

So this was a bit more complicated to build as everything has to fit:

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First off the case is bigger than I thought.. so a mini-ITX might have been a bit small for no reason. When installed, the CPU fan is VERY close to the video card as can be seen here:

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So I couldn't use the second clamp to hold down the fan to its assy and used a tie-wrap instead. I hear you ask why didn't I just turn the fan 90deg.. I actually tried that but later when I tried to install the bluray drive, the fan was in the way by about 1cm. Even turned in the right direction, the Sata cable from the drive is pushing on the top of the CPU fan! You can see it here:

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Next issue was the PSU cables. Not many of them was expected.. but they were also very short. Since the video card is in the way, most cables going to the MB needs to go around or over it. I ended up getting an extension for the 24pin power cable as it was way to short (even if I took the video card out) as well as for the disk drive power cable extension: only one comes out of the PSU and it was to short to make both the bluray and HDD. Wiring was thus a bit complicated and also very close to the CPU fan.. solid attachments are needed!

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So with that case I would suggest getting a bigger MB as well as a bigger PSU. There's tons of room in it (4 possible expansion slots) and ventilation is very good with fans on both sides.

When done I think it looks pretty good and the remote that comes with it is actually very nice (needs activation it in the BIOS). Middle button (looks a lot like the Xbox one) brings up Media Center and it works out of the box for bluray drive and sound. Next step is the set up with the TV and cable!

Here's the thing finished.

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One low budget computer for the office, the new Tier 2 Entry-Level Workstation for a friend and a Mainstream HTPC.

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First the office computer. I had a price limit and it had to be quickly done. Build is basically the Tier 2 Budget Gaming PC with no added video card:

MB: ASRock H61M
CPU: i3-2120
RAM: G.Skill 2x4GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Case: Rosewill Destroyer
PSU: Rosewill HIVE 550W
Onboard video and included CPU fan.
Total Cost: $500 (CDN)

The limit was $500 (without taxes) and still have some room for future upgrades if needed. The thing was very easy to build (not much to install!) and it supports two monitors out of the MB's dvi, vga or hdmi.

Only con I have is on the MB: the VGA connector is very soft/flimsy.. feels like I'm going to break it every time I try to plug in the cable. Will get an old PCIe card in there before someone damages it. Also, eventually I'll get a better cooling fan.. the included CPU one isn't very subtle.

Other notes:seems like the MB settings will not automatically recognize the RAM'S speed and puts the slowest one as default, had to set it manually in the BIOS settings. Also the power-led cable from the case was a three pins adapter (although only two are used) while the MB only accepts 2 pins.. had to change the connection in the adapted so that it fits.

Here are some pics:

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HTPC_finished_s.jpg (Size: 139.82 KB / Downloads: 37) ]]> <![CDATA[Another one under the belt]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2279 Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:01:14 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2279
Photo Album

[Image: n5GIu.jpg]

Asus P8Z68
Intel Core i5-2500K
8GB G.Skill RAM
OCZ ModXStream 500W PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Crucial M4 60GB SSD
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB HDD
Samsung Spinpoint 2TB HDD]]>
Photo Album

[Image: n5GIu.jpg]

Asus P8Z68
Intel Core i5-2500K
8GB G.Skill RAM
OCZ ModXStream 500W PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Crucial M4 60GB SSD
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB HDD
Samsung Spinpoint 2TB HDD]]> <![CDATA[New completed build with pictures]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2196 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:52:10 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2196 [Image: boxed-goodies.jpg]

Unfortunately, when the moment of truth came to turn it on, nothing happened. Sad

I had a friend look at it who does this sort of thing for a living, and she concluded that according to her meters, the PSU is working, so either the CPU or mobo must be defective. So I RMA'd those two and got replacements a couple weeks later.

Then I tried to turn it on again and was horrified to see that again, nothing happened. Angry

Now mind you, at this point, I was going through all the articles on this and other sites about what the causes could be. Then I tried using a spare PSU from another system* and found that when I flipped the switch, the fans started running! Cool

So clearly the PSU was defective this whole time.

I didn't want to waste any more time with replacement RMAs so I just sent that in for a refund instead. Then I went to my local Best Buy and picked up whatever they had, which ironically happened to be the same PSU I was looking at in the very beginning when I was researching this build.

Anyway, this is what my area looked like before I put what I'm now calling The Beast in.
[Image: old-layout.jpg]

This was the old interior set up of the computer before I discovered that the power supply was defective.
[Image: old-psu-interior.jpg]

After everything had been replaced and installed, I was nervous to turn it on and find it not working for a third time. But fortunately, the fans whirled to life and the lights came on! I did a happy dance. Big Grin

After these last two pictures were taken, I discovered that the backed up data (which you can see as the green box sitting on the desk, WD Essential 3TB external drive) did not include things like my browser's bookmarks and other files that I wanted access to. So I installed my old computer's harddrive into this system. Thankfully, it happened to be a SATA drive, and when I put it in, it worked perfectly with no hitches. So now I have a total of 3 drives I'm working with: the 90Gb SSD, the 1Tb storage drive, and my old machine's 320Gb HDD.

And finally, after everything was put together and arranged..
[Image: new-layout.jpg]

Unfortunately, when the moment of truth came to turn it on, nothing happened. Sad

This was the old interior set up of the computer before I discovered that the power supply was defective.
[Image: old-psu-interior.jpg]

*I don't know why, but for some strange reason, Newegg decided to include a free case and 400W PSU. This was in addition to the case and PSU I had ordered. This spare PSU was not powerful enough to provide enough juice for the whole system, but was sufficient to allow me to find out the PSU I ordered was funked up.]]> <![CDATA[My New Computer Finished!!]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2136 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:38:10 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2136

CASE:LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W

CPU:Intel Core i3-2120

MOTHERBAORD:ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

PSU:SeaSonic S12II 520W

RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

OPTICAL DRIVE:SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner

HDD:WD 250GB. was a gift.

VIDEO CARD: GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD. should have it by the 27th.

[Image: 2hh0i2s.jpg]

]]>

CASE:LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W

CPU:Intel Core i3-2120

MOTHERBAORD:ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3

PSU:SeaSonic S12II 520W

RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB)

OPTICAL DRIVE:SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner

HDD:WD 250GB. was a gift.

VIDEO CARD: GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD. should have it by the 27th.

[Image: 2hh0i2s.jpg]

]]> <![CDATA[build completed]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2094 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:13:33 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2094
a lot of my build was purchased during the week of blackfriday and with the help of forum members, this site and the internet i was able to put together a really nice setup that was affordable.
My antec case, seasonic 620watt PSU and 1tb samsung spin point was purchased back at the end of summer as a upgrade to my old PC.
Then during the week of black Friday I purchased the following items: an Intel 2500k CPU, A70 CPU cooler, ASrock z68 gen3 extreme3 motherboard, 8 GIGS ripjaw ram, ATI 5870 GPU. My cd/dvd burner is reused from my prior PC. I also had an extra windows 7 key from a family pack of 3 that I had purchased awhile back. Any ways here are some quick pics. http://s1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd509/scottr025/

as you can see the 5870 has just enough room, I knew this card was really big when I ordered it but wow it just clears the HDD cage. I was able to overclock my CPU to 4.4 GHZ stable in the bios with the ASrock presets, the higher presets 4.6 wasn't stable and I didn't try 4.8, I think the actual motherboard is holding the CPU back for higher OC's but that's fine as I knew that when I ordered it. Amazing that the OC presets going that high are even an option, great and super easy for a newb like myself to use. Again I wanted to thank this site for helping me piece everything together Big Grin

please add comments and tell me what you think!]]>
a lot of my build was purchased during the week of blackfriday and with the help of forum members, this site and the internet i was able to put together a really nice setup that was affordable.
My antec case, seasonic 620watt PSU and 1tb samsung spin point was purchased back at the end of summer as a upgrade to my old PC.
Then during the week of black Friday I purchased the following items: an Intel 2500k CPU, A70 CPU cooler, ASrock z68 gen3 extreme3 motherboard, 8 GIGS ripjaw ram, ATI 5870 GPU. My cd/dvd burner is reused from my prior PC. I also had an extra windows 7 key from a family pack of 3 that I had purchased awhile back. Any ways here are some quick pics. http://s1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd509/scottr025/

as you can see the 5870 has just enough room, I knew this card was really big when I ordered it but wow it just clears the HDD cage. I was able to overclock my CPU to 4.4 GHZ stable in the bios with the ASrock presets, the higher presets 4.6 wasn't stable and I didn't try 4.8, I think the actual motherboard is holding the CPU back for higher OC's but that's fine as I knew that when I ordered it. Amazing that the OC presets going that high are even an option, great and super easy for a newb like myself to use. Again I wanted to thank this site for helping me piece everything together Big Grin

please add comments and tell me what you think!]]> <![CDATA[Completed Build!]]> http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2066 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:27:48 +0000 http://forums.hardware-revolution.com/showthread.php?tid=2066
Happy to say my build went very smooth with a few small scary moments and uncertainties about how the things worked. My main thing was that I always heard the rule is "don't force it". Yet there were a few times where I felt like putting any more pressure than a firm bump was breaking this rule and stopped to see if I was doing it wrong. But for the most part I just needed to apply more pressure. My biggest issue was right at the beginning putting the latch back down on top of the CPU in the motherboard. I really had to pull that lever down to get it in, it freaked me out. And putting together the Silver Arrow as the most difficult part. After that it was just cable routing and management.

Overall it was awesome. I started Friday night with an out of box test. Then started putting everything in Saturday morning, took a break for Frisbee and finished it a few hours after. And have spent this Sunday morning installing everything. Appreciate all the help you guys have given me and it's been a lot of fun researching and building. I probably won't visit the site as much anymore but I will definitely keep following the updates. Here are the pictures.

[Image: 047.jpg]

]]>
Happy to say my build went very smooth with a few small scary moments and uncertainties about how the things worked. My main thing was that I always heard the rule is "don't force it". Yet there were a few times where I felt like putting any more pressure than a firm bump was breaking this rule and stopped to see if I was doing it wrong. But for the most part I just needed to apply more pressure. My biggest issue was right at the beginning putting the latch back down on top of the CPU in the motherboard. I really had to pull that lever down to get it in, it freaked me out. And putting together the Silver Arrow as the most difficult part. After that it was just cable routing and management.

Overall it was awesome. I started Friday night with an out of box test. Then started putting everything in Saturday morning, took a break for Frisbee and finished it a few hours after. And have spent this Sunday morning installing everything. Appreciate all the help you guys have given me and it's been a lot of fun researching and building. I probably won't visit the site as much anymore but I will definitely keep following the updates. Here are the pictures.

[Image: 047.jpg]

]]>