My New Build!

jnmann

jnmann

jnmann

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Joined
26 Jul 2009
Posts
85
OK, finally getting around to building my latest machine after members helping to guide me in the right direction...thank you!

I've built many PC's before but this is my first PowerPC as I call it, very high spec. and really hoping it flies (it better!)

This is the main components list:

Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium Case
Intel Core i7-3930K 3.20GHz (Sandybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 WindForce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics
Gigabyte X79-UD3 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard
Samsung 840 Pro 256Gb SSD
Toshiba (7K3000.D) 3TB SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA300) HDD
GeIL EVO Leggera 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-17000C11 2133MHz Dual Channel
Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply £64.16
Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E CPU Cooler (2011)
OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)
LG IPS224V 22 inch LED Backlit IPS Monitor x 2
Windows 7 Pro - 64 Bit

I'll be asking a few questions along the way that may sound a little 'newbie' but I want to make sure I do everything right on this one :-)

Here's a pic of the gubbins upon delivery......

DSCN0395a.jpg
 
Initial thoughts, the Fractal case is wide! I knew it the width had been increased but was surprised when the huge box arrived! Build quality appears excellent and we'll see how that goes. Plenty of space that won't be utilised for some time....my drives will look lost ;-)

Huge cooler, should do the job.

First question.....When you fit the processor using the thermal paste, I've always put a grain of rice worth on and then spread it evenly across the surface but I've recently read it 's better to let the cooler squash this down itself....does this create a better contact?

Will be installing Win7 onto the SSD, do I need to do anything to prepare this in BIOS etc? This is my first SSD and I wonder if their is a list of tips to tweak once installed? Do I need to look at Trim for example and disable Defrag?
 
I can't wait to see this.. :)

With thermal paste everyone has there own ways, the most common being the grain of rice and spread.. It makes sense to assume the cooler will spread the paste better but it's just peace of mind if you do it yourself..

Another method i've seen recently is 'the star method' half a grain in the middle and four near either corner (not too close).. Looks a pretty good way..

Just make sure the Boot setting are right (boot to the SSD first) .:)
 
Well, the initial build appears to have gone well. The Fractal case us every bit as good as I'd hoped, and everything works well from the door to the superb hard drive mounting trays.

Motherboard was slightly tricky to install as holes in the tray only just lined up.

The cooler took me a while to assemble but once I'd realised how the clip springs work it was fine. Clearance was incredibly tight over the four sticks of Geil memory but it fits!

Power supply is silent, slight noise from both cooler fans but the heavily sound proof lined doors are off :-)

Windows 7 Pro 64 bit installed start to finish in less than 15 minutes which I thought was very good.

Couple of pics so far, drives looking lost hidden at the bottom here! Cable management is excellent in this case, as it's wider than a standard case there's more room behind the mobo tray to hide wires..... I'll tidy up when it's done of course :-)

fan1.jpg
fan2.jpg
fan3.jpg
 
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Sides back on, noise isn't too bad at all. DVDRW is obv. noisiest! lol. A little fan noise possibly from the front and rear pre-installed fans, will have a good listen and see if I need to quieten anything.

What level of heat should I expect from this CPU? What's the most reliable way to check, BIOS?

Looking towards stress testing, what software would anyone recommend for the cpu, mobo, memory etc?

Had a bit of a set back. The motherboard Sata 3 connection is damaged, looks like it's just for the front ports but the pins weren't quite straight. Attempted to push the plug in and a couple of pins got bent. One has actually snapped off so the socket no longer works :-( Really hacked off with this, pretty sure the warranty would cover it as the pins must have been slightly off before I went to plug in, really didn't want to have tio strip the board out and send it back first :-(
 
Doing some stress testing now and so far so good :-)

Could do with a bit of advice on tweaking the BIOS please. Memory is 2133mhz but I believe it's running at 1333mhz right now, what should I set everything to for this? Is there a guide for tweaking everything else? ;-)
 
Windows experience level is 7.8, not sure how useful that us but my last PC is 3.5! Lol.

Certainly seems quick enough although I've thrown little at it yet and the memory isn't set right.
 
I can change it to XMP yes and Profile 1 appears. Multiplier is 21.3 so 2133mhz enabled but system will not boot and have to reset bios to get back on again.
 
OC are swapping the motherboard for me, I have a new one arriving tomorrow so will swap this out. I'll look at the memory speed again once I've done this :-)

Overall seems to run fine, maybe not booting as quick as I'd expected but I maybe need to tweak the startup to help this.

Bit more fan noise than I want so need to isolate which fan is causing the issue and stop/change this.

Temp. wise, I kept an eye on this during stability tests, didn't rise above 70c at all whilst cpu was max'ed out at 100% so I don't think that will be a problem.

Only other issue I have is the 2 LG monitors I bought. Stands are very cheap and not that sturdy, plugs stick horizontally out the back so hard to wall mount without using right angle plugs and my biggest gripe is they just feel too small right now. I was running a 28" screen before with a 17" as a second. It's the height of the screen that's bothering me on these 22's. Picture wise they're excellent, and that's the main thing! but I am wondering about a 27/28" monitor again. Alternatively I guess I could go overboard and have 4 of these running as the card (should?) support 4 monitors using displayport as well.
 
Many thanks :-) Case sure does look the part, even though I've not got the front led working yet! lol. Cables all hidden now which looks great. Will try and get some better pics but not home in the daylight much ;-)

Ordered a Hazro 30" whilst they're on offer, should be better option for me.
 
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