Semi-Final Build, Feedback Time - First Time Builder - i5 2500k -(StarCraft 2 rig)

[thetuna]

One you have everything you'll see there's pretty much only one place for anything to go, and that the heat sink can't be installed before the cpu.
And I don't know why you would download the drivers before putting in the card, if you're doing windows 7 it will pretty much do everything for you.

 

[mfenn]

The heatsink that comes with the i5-2500 should have thermal paste already applied. Just install the CPU onto the motherboard, and then install the heatsink right on top of it.

I don't think it really matters which way you go.

Just touch the case to ground yourself often, and the most important tool is just a Phillips screwdriver.

Good luck!

Good advice, though I would probably go ahead and install the 6850 from the beginning so that you don't have two sets of graphics drivers on the system.

 

[Smoolean]

Well thanks to everyone who helped me in this thread - I've assembled my first PC . I ran it for a few hours last night, installed Win7, motherboard drivers, GPU drivers, Windows updates, etc... and during those few hours nothing blew up, so for the moment I will say that it was a successful build (knock on wood).

1. Before I play any games on it and put it under any real stress... is there a program you can recommend that monitors your power consumption, and also perhaps the temperature in the case? I would hate to ruin the computer by playing a demanding game if I didn't configure something correctly and burn the whole thing up!

2. Right now I have both side panels off of the case so I could look and make sure all of the fans were running. Should I put the sides on ASAP now, to avoid dust?

3. I did fire up Minecraft last night, and I heard an audible whine from the computer, I'm assuming either the GPU or CPU? Is this normal when you're on certain menus, or in programs / games that need a lot of performance?

 

[mnewsham]

OCCT is a good stress test, I use hardware monitor and CpuZ to monitor cpu and other hardware.

 

[Axon]

Well thanks to everyone who helped me in this thread - I've assembled my first PC . I ran it for a few hours last night, installed Win7, motherboard drivers, GPU drivers, Windows updates, etc... and during those few hours nothing blew up, so for the moment I will say that it was a successful build (knock on wood).

1. Before I play any games on it and put it under any real stress... is there a program you can recommend that monitors your power consumption, and also perhaps the temperature in the case? I would hate to ruin the computer by playing a demanding game if I didn't configure something correctly and burn the whole thing up!

2. Right now I have both side panels off of the case so I could look and make sure all of the fans were running. Should I put the sides on ASAP now, to avoid dust?

3. I did fire up Minecraft last night, and I heard an audible whine from the computer, I'm assuming either the GPU or CPU? Is this normal when you're on certain menus, or in programs / games that need a lot of performance?

1. There are plenty. Get Realtemp or HWmonitor. There is very little chance you'll burn the computer out while gaming - no game I know pushed the CPU to 100% use for any extended period of time.

2. Put the sides on when you want, not a big deal. No matter what, I spray out my PC every 6 months.

3. Usually, when I run a game that requires more horsepower from the GPU, i'll hear the whine of the Graphic Card fan speeding up.

 

[Termie]

OCCT is a good stress test, I use hardware monitor and CpuZ to monitor cpu and other hardware.

Agreed. I also like IntelBurnTest for a quick stability check.

Use HWMonitor to watch both temps and voltages. Your idle CPU voltage should be about 1.0v. If it's higher, your power saving isn't working correctly. Also look at load voltage. Should be around 1.25v (although SB owners would know better). Your idle CPU temps should be around 35C (will vary by core), and your load temps should be somewhere between 50 and 60C. If this all checks out, you're ready to game.

If you're really interested in power consumption, you ought to invest in a Kill-a-Watt power meter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882715001. Super cheap right now with free shipping. It will give you an external indicator of whether something's loading when it shouldn't be. Excellent tool for testing and general knowledge.

 

[Smoolean]

Thanks guys! I went with HWMonitor for now, but will try the others soon.

Termie, thanks for putting numbers into context for me .

All of my numbers check out, CPU is 1.00v. The temps for the cores are 29, 31, 27, 27C. The GPU is .95v, temp is 35C.

I wasn't able to find "Load voltage" or perhaps I don't know the code name for it in HWMonitor.

Also, when I took a screenshot, and then opened MS Paint, when I maximized the window the screen went black and then came back, and repeated. I restored the window out of full screen and it fixed this. For the time being, I bumped down the resolution a bit and the issue is gone even in full screen of MS Paint. But this doesn't seem good. I'm running a 24" Samsung HDTV / Monitor at 1920X1200 (although I have it turned down a bit now).

For what it's worth, I had this same thing happen from time to time on my MacBook Pro (in WinXP) using this monitor. Perhaps it's a bad DVI cable? Seems odd that it would happen on multiple computers like that... Althought it never did it in StarCraft 2, or when I was in OS X.

EDIT -- Just figured out that I'm using a single link DVI cable, and the resolution I was pushing with it was the absolute max for single link. I wonder if going out and grabbing a Dual Link DVI cable would help this issue? The fact that it happened on my MPB in WinXP in addition to my new build makes me not want to blame the HD 6850 just quite yet.

 

[Termie]

Thanks guys! I went with HWMonitor for now, but will try the others soon.

Termie, thanks for putting numbers into context for me .

All of my numbers check out, CPU is 1.00v. The temps for the cores are 29, 31, 27, 27C. The GPU is .95v, temp is 35C.

I wasn't able to find "Load voltage" or perhaps I don't know the code name for it in HWMonitor.

Also, when I took a screenshot, and then opened MS Paint, when I maximized the window the screen went black and then came back, and repeated. I restored the window out of full screen and it fixed this. For the time being, I bumped down the resolution a bit and the issue is gone even in full screen of MS Paint. But this doesn't seem good. I'm running a 24" Samsung HDTV / Monitor at 1920X1200 (although I have it turned down a bit now).

For what it's worth, I had this same thing happen from time to time on my MacBook Pro (in WinXP) using this monitor. Perhaps it's a bad DVI cable? Seems odd that it would happen on multiple computers like that... Althought it never did it in StarCraft 2, or when I was in OS X.

EDIT -- Just figured out that I'm using a single link DVI cable, and the resolution I was pushing with it was the absolute max for single link. I wonder if going out and grabbing a Dual Link DVI cable would help this issue? The fact that it happened on my MPB in WinXP in addition to my new build makes me not want to blame the HD 6850 just quite yet.

Are you sure that the monitor is 1920x1200? If it's an HDTV, it's probably 1920x1080. Not sure if that would cause the problem, but it could, so check your resolution setting.

Does the TV have HDMI in? Since the 6850 has HDMI out, that would be an easy way to connect it (and get sound out if you wanted). HDMI cables are about $4 from a place like monoprice. If you have that connection, I'd buy an HDMI cable over a DVI cable.

Also, load voltage in HWMonitor just shows up in the same place as idle voltage. When you load the system, the voltage will increase. You'll also see a min and max column, where you can get the max it hits over time.

 

[Smoolean]

The monitor is indeed 1920x1200, but the issue has gone away. Not sure if Windows Updates might have solved the issue... but I can run apps and games at the native resolution now with zero problems.

My temperatures seem very reasonable with just stock cooling - I am pleasantly surprised!

My only concern now is cable management. The inside of my case is a mess! If any wires touch any components can things go catastrophically wrong? I've kept the wires away from fans, but aside from that, things are pretty bad.

I realize I can get a few million results on Google for "Cable Management" but I was curious if any of you could recommend any particular guides, links, etc... on the subject. Particularly the power supply cords to each component - they don't seem long enough to do anything other than the messy, non-tucked-away method I'm currently using.

 

[mfenn]

Glad you got it working!

Don't worry too much about the wiring inside the case. As long as they're not getting caught in any fans, you'll be fine. A neat wiring job does help with air flow and looks professional, but it is by no means required. As a case in point (no pun intended!), my wiring job is nowhere near neat, but it gets the job done:

 

[J u r i]

Hows the new comp and SC2 going?