1st Build done!

[C2bcool]

Just wanted to say a thank you to everyone on the forum. I got my 1st build ever done yesterday and so far it is running great. Will be used for a little of everything (work, gaming, and little photo/video editing). Definitely a little overkill, but my budget allowed it.

I ran Prime95 for about an hour w/o a hitch and the highest the CPU reached was a max temp of 47C with a vCore max of 52C. It idles at 32C. So temps seem good. The CM TPC 812 cooler was VERY easy to install and I was able to get it mounted in less then 5 minutes. I like the cooler, but the stock fan on it has a bit of wine/pitch noise (most people probably wouldn't notice it) though. I just ordered a Cougar 120mm PWM fan to replace it with. Down the road I will OC when needed.

I had a few bumps in the road with the build. My 1st mobo (replaced with the same model) had 2 defective ram slots, so dual channel would not work. I also just sent back my Caviar Black b/c I was getting this message from windows that it was about to fail (WD said just to send it to them or Newegg for a replacement). Other than fighting to get the mobo screws in between the thermal armor and my big hands making it difficult to plug some the fans into the fan headers, everything went in w/o a hitch.

The 300r made the install pretty easy and I did spend a good amount of time w/cable management b/c of the nice cutout in the back. The install looks very clean and I even added some grommets (from the 800D) to the cable pass through holes to clean up the look. I did love that the mobo standoffs were already built into the case. The one problem with the case is the HD audio cable is too short to not run directly, but I knew this going in and had an extension ready. Last, I am really glad I spent the extra on a modular PS, as just adding the cables made it easier than dealing with a spider's nest/octopus of cables on a nonmodular PS and a less cluttered install. I should take some pictures and post them later.

Bulid Specs:

i7 3770K
Cooler Master TPC 812
Asus Z77 Sabertooth
Asus DII GTX670
Gskill Ares 1600 CAS8 16GB
256GB Samsung 830 SSD
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black
Corsair 300r
Cougar 140mm fans (added an extra intake & exhaust)
Corsair AX650 Gold PS
Samsung B350HL 24" Monitor

Thanks again for the guidence and the many usefull threads that GREATLY helped me w/my build.

 

[mfenn]

Congrats on the build! I don't remember seeing a build thread from you (I could be wrong though), and think that you definitely overspent on the CPU, mobo, HDD, and PSU. Again, nice build but next time you should probably do a quick check before you buy!

 

[C2bcool]

Congrats on the build! I don't remember seeing a build thread from you (I could be wrong though), and think that you definitely overspent on the CPU, mobo, HDD, and PSU. Again, nice build but next time you should probably do a quick check before you buy!

Ya I had a build thread on a few other forums (maxpc and Toms), but then I found here,it just seemed more my pace, and I gradually stopped visiting the others. I did do my research and really wanted to buy really good stuff. Could have went with an i5 and an Asrock Extreme 4 or 6 and a Seasonic Bronze PSU.

I know I over spent and could of went a bit cheaper on a few parts, but a few hundered $$$ didn't really mean much to me in the long run. Epecially when I plan to keep this PC for quite awhile and I can write a lot of it off as a business expense.

I also got things on sale over the course of 2 months so I got some great deals....

Samsung SSD was $220
PSU was $115
Mobo was $209 after combo deal with cooler (not cheap, but on sale at least)

I know I could have gotten a much cheaper mobo, but I liked the look of the thermal armor and it thought that it being more rugged gave me peace of mind if I screwed up mounting it in the case.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Grats on the build, its a nice system!

One thing to note on overclocking, most people that tend to say they'll do it later in reality never will. More than likely you'll just be upgrading to newer tech instead of trying to make your older tech run a bit faster. Go ahead and try to OC now, it's a pretty simple process with this generation of Intel CPUs and having the performance boost now is always nice

 

[C2bcool]

Grats on the build, its a nice system!

One thing to note on overclocking, most people that tend to say they'll do it later in reality never will. More than likely you'll just be upgrading to newer tech instead of trying to make your older tech run a bit faster. Go ahead and try to OC now, it's a pretty simple process with this generation of Intel CPUs and having the performance boost now is always nice

Its plenty fast right now, epecially since I am comming from a '05 laptop. I am just gonna play around with it for a few days and then I think I may go to at least to the 3.9 ghz of the turbo mode for starters and then may shoot for 4.2ghz.

I understand where your comming from though, most people talk big and never go through with things down the road. But, I love to tinker and my WRX is a great example I was only going to do few minor things and then 2 years later I went from about 200whp to 350whp (~400 crank). Thus, I kind of do things incrementally and as I get used to the speed/bored I will OC a little and then a little more. I actually used to be more of a computer guy back in 2000 (late high school/early college) and then women and cars took over. Now that my car has been done for quite a while and I am a bit older I needed a new/old hobby and here I am with this build.