MilanoChris's rig

Man of Honour
Joined
20 Sep 2006
Posts
35,398
So, I've been building computers for 10 years or so, I've been on here for 5 years and not once made a post in this section.

So here goes, current spec:

i7-2600k @ 4.5GHz
G.Skill Ripjaws-X 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3 1600
ASUS P8P67 PRO B3
XFX 5850 Black Edition & XFX 5850 XX Editiion in Crossfire
X-Fi Fatal1ty
Enermax Infiniti 720W
Silverstone Fortress FT02B-W
H70 CPU Cooler
Zalman fan controller
Dell 2407WFP
Crucial M4 128 GB SSD
WD AAKS 640GB x2
WD Caviar Green 1TB
WD 250 backup drive

My desk and PC:

PC10.jpg


PC9.jpg


PC11.jpg


Case onto the desk for photo's and a quick clean:

PC8.jpg


The good stuff:

PC1.jpg


PC2.jpg


PC4.jpg


PC3.jpg


PC7.jpg


As you can see, my soundcard is old and also PCI, due to this, the only free slot is right bang between the two GPUs, which causes one to be hotter than the other. To that end, I've just ordered an Asus D2X which should be here tomorrow, it's PCIe X1, so will sit behind GPU 1. Due to my current living situation, 5.1 is a bit of a waste, hence my 5.1 speakers are set up in 2.1 at the moment. My 5.1 gaming need is delivered through my Turtle Beach X41 headset. I use the speakers for YouTube, background music etc, so to couple the new sound card, I've also ordered a set of Edifier R1600T Studio Plus 2.0 Monitors. :D

There's a couple of things I'd like to do to tidy the build, however I am more performance minded than aesthetic, so if there's something that will improve performance, I will always chose this over tidying something in the case.

First off, I'd like a new optical drive, preferably one that's black. I used to have a Lian Li case, so I removed the front of my current drive to go with the Lian Li bezel and can't find it, so it looks a bit pap right now. I saw an LG one in black a while ago, but I'm also toying with the idea of just having a USB one that can be hidden away since I barely use the optical drive.

I'd also like to get some new SATA cables, so they are all the same colours and easier to manage. I've seen some Lian Li ones I like that are grouped and numbered, any others around?

I'd also like a new style long PSU, as you can see below, my current one is a box style one, so doesn't sit quit flush with the case. I doubt it will effect cooling at all, but it's something that's bugging me so a new 1KW+ unit should be going in before the next gen GPUs come out.

PC5.jpg


PC6.jpg


Finally, I want to replace the fans on the H70 and run them straight off the motherboard, so I can remove the Zalman controller and give the front end a much cleaner look.

I think that's it for now.

I'll add to this as it progresses thorough its life. Please let me know what you think. I'm no pro, and I know it needs tidying here and there, but please understand that I am very lazy and this is probably one of the most cleanest builds I've ever had.
 
The nice man from DPD arrived this morning and brought me some presents.

PC01.jpg


Old vs new:

PC02.jpg


After hunting around my flat for a floppy power connector, I finally found one, so put the card in and connected it up.

PC03.jpg


PC04.jpg


Definitely a lot more room for GPU1 to breathe.

Top of the case now:

PC05.jpg


And a finished pic with the new speakers on the desk:

PC06.jpg


Temperatures are much closer on the two GPUs now and I am happy with the new sound combination.
 
nice build, but why have a window on the case if you cant see the inside ? :confused:

It was on this week only offer, so the same price as a normal one. I'm also looking at moving soon, so will try to get the case in a position where I can see it.
 
Another 8GB ordered, along with a 2TB Seagate drive.

The last time I bought a Seagate drive, I regretted it, it was noisy and I soon sold and bought a WD. I have only ever wanted WD drives since, with the exception of SSDs of course, as to me, their RMA service is superb; however with the current HDD pricing situation, the Seagate was a bargain at "only" £75.

As for the RAM, I'll have 16GB, which is complete overkill I think.

But, for only £40, I thought why not? I will be keeping my CPU and motherboard for a long time, and maybe in the future, 16GB might make things easier? I know in photo editing programs I have seen 7GB + usage of RAM, so in some instances it will help, but 90% of the time it's overkill.

I do know that if I didn't buy it, and the price went up to over £80 in the next 6 months or so, I'd regret not getting it. Same as the current situation HDDs, should have got 2TB for £45 when I had the chance. Hindsight's a ......
 
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Good choice on the speakers. How you finding them? Got them myself and was pretty damn impressed.

I love them tbh, they are exactly what I expected, clear, great sound and the bass is low enough not to annoy people that live below me, means I can crank them up. :)
 
I went with the external dvd drive as I preferred the look of the case with just the blanking plates upfront.
Think I will finally get round to getting one. How much for a BD one?

such a nice gaming set up :P!
think would suit an razer vespula or razer exact mat just to sweeten her up a little xD!

Are these the mats that sit across the front part of the desk? Think mine is a bit small tbh, might invest in something larger but priorities are with moving as I want a bigger place. :)
 
Trust me I'm no modder, so paining is out of the question! I'm a jet pilot mainly from BF2, but I can't get to grip with them in BF3 so have been in the chopper mainly and I use keyboard/mouse for the chopper.
 
Thanks.

Works fine, software is in the box that will capture it all and put it onto DVD if you wish. I used a composite cable from the camcorder to the card, and a normal (supplied) audio jack cable.

There were cheaper ones on eBay but I thought I'd spend a little extra to get something that has solid reviews.
 
Yeah CF is going.

Less heat, less noise, less power consumption and better performance with the 7950.

You can't really see the blue PCB once it's in the case:

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I'll try and get better pics tomorrow as I plan on cleaning the case.
 
Okay so I got bored and cleaned it a little today.

Sorry for the poor pics, but the LCD screen has gone on my SLR so iPhone ones only for now.

56901283-50fa-8038.jpg
 
I really didn't update this after I bought a Titan? :)

r1damH9.jpg

I also have a Dell 27" monitor now, and new desk etc. Lots to update tomorrow!

Well I had a Titan in there for about 6 months, and now running two MSI 280X's which will be replaced tomorrow by a 290X.

May be getting rid of the case though and look at watercooling. Will be a shame, it's the best air cooled case I've owned by some margin.
 
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