X99 Micro - rebuild

[cliffo88]

***FINISHED BUILD IN POST #14***

I had planned to do this as one build but I had a delay with the case so I put it in an old case to begin with, and now I'm going to rebuild it with the new case tonight!

Parts:

Xigmatek Case (don't know which one)
Intel 5820k
EVGA X99 Micro ATX
Crucial DDR4 2133MHz
Palit SuperJetstream GTX 980
Corsair H55
Superflower Golden Green 650W
Seagate 600 Series 480GB SSD
1TB HDD
DVDRW Drive


Parts at home waiting for me tonight:

Fractal Design Arc Mni R2
2x SP120 Performance Fans


The computer will be for gaming and for 3D/Game Engine work, so I'm very excited about the 6 cores

Pictures of how it's looking at the moment:

Cable routing in this thing is a nightmare so this is the best I could manage I'm afraid.

More Pictures to come of the finished build in the new case...

My thoughts so far...

The Xigmatek case I have is pretty awful. The tool less mounting mechanisms are horrible to use, some have broken, they are flimsy and...orange..?

The power supply - generally fine, quite nice and compact, only downside is the lack of decent cable braiding. A thicker braid would be preferable so that I cant see through it, and the ends of the cables aren't braided/heat shrunk which spoils the look a bit. I will likely buy some braided extensions to hide this.

Motherboard - All seems fine, nice build quality with a minimalistic clean look. The UFEI BIOS is something completely new to me, but I think it's great, very easy to use. On board power, reset and CMOS clear is a nice addition.

RAM - it's....ram.

H55 - Nice and easy to install, seems well built - I'm getting mid 20's on idle. Will test it properly with he new fans in the new rig. I'm going to mount this at the front so it's sucking cool air in.

Graphics card - I'm pretty blown away with this, its completely silent on idle (no fans even on) and even at high load (BF4 1080p Max Settings) its nice and quiet. It's a very nice build quality too, the red metal casing is nice and feels solid.

Looking forward to putting it in its new home tonight!

 

[IceShock]

Looks great

You know, id love a nice little case like that and a small mobo with a single fan AIO,
They do look quite snazzy! small but powerful, I don't know why I always go down the route of bigger is better, now a days you can definitely put a lot of power into a small case.

Keep up the good work!

 

[cliffo88]

Looks great

You know, id love a nice little case like that and a small mobo with a single fan AIO,
They do look quite snazzy! small but powerful, I don't know why I always go down the route of bigger is better, now a days you can definitely put a lot of power into a small case.

Keep up the good work!

Yeah I'm glad I went this route.

My last build for myself (almost 10 years ago) was in an Antec 900, It had loads of lights and about a hundred fans, a massive external watercooler , SLI'd, overclocked...you name it.

I decided this time to just build something that looks fairly understated but is very powerful, with no real need for obnoxious external radiators and massive overclocks.

I'll put some pictures up later/over the weekend of it in the Arc Mini which will hopefully set it off nicely.

 

[cliffo88]

All done!

Pics below...

This arrived yesterday!

Ready for the transplant

Success! it's in!

And here's how it looks now:

Overall I'm very pleased with the case, lovely build quality and a dream to work with.

I have the H55 mounted in the front with another fan below it both as intake, and a single sp120 on the back as exhaust. temps are fine, so I'm happy.

All I need to do now I add an LED strip inside so I can see through this tinted window it comes with.



There is some bad news though....I managed to scratch the side panel window! Devastated You can see it in the pic below, it's not that noticeable but I notice it...

Any suggestions? I've emailed Fractal to see if they sell replacements.

 

[MrAnthony]

That's a very smart looking build mate. Keep thinking about a micro ATX build, but I can never bring myself to downsize!

 

[cliffo88]

That's a very smart looking build mate. Keep thinking about a micro ATX build, but I can never bring myself to downsize!

Thanks, yeah I'm really happy with it.

Maybe I'm just getting old early but I much prefer this to a massive case with go faster stripes!

Saying that, I have just ordered an LED strip to put inside as that smoked window is like a mirror at the moment.

 

[gunnerzz1008]

Nice!

Don't know how that window is attached but could you replace the plastic?

 

[cliffo88]

Nice!

Don't know how that window is attached but could you replace the plastic?

Yeah thought about it but it's not a flat piece of plastic, it kind of protrudes through the window cut out so I don't think that's an option really. I'm hopeful I'll get some info from Fractal tomorrow.

Having slept on it I realise it's hardly the end of the world. But I was raging yesterday!

 

[MrAnthony]

I feel your pain mate, I've had my Corsair C70 for three days and I've already scratched the window on it. Quite bad. Huge scuff. I'm planning on ordering a replacement, but even still.

Back to your earlier point, I must admit, I honestly think I'd prefer a smaller case. But it's under my desk anyway, so I doubt it'd really make all that much difference since it is the width of the case that would make the difference on the floor.

Maybe one day...

 

[cliffo88]

I feel your pain mate, I've had my Corsair C70 for three days and I've already scratched the window on it. Quite bad. Huge scuff. I'm planning on ordering a replacement, but even still.

Back to your earlier point, I must admit, I honestly think I'd prefer a smaller case. But it's under my desk anyway, so I doubt it'd really make all that much difference since it is the width of the case that would make the difference on the floor.

Maybe one day...

Sucks

I don't think I could cope with a case on the floor, if I can't see my fans spinning and see that nothing is on fire I would start having panic attacks I think.

 

[MrAnthony]

Indeed it does.

I see what you mean though. I don't have a choice, there is nowhere but the floor for it to go. If I could have it up with me, I would do!

 

[Telecaster]

That's not small

Nice build though mate, and you have my sympathies RE that Xigmatek case, I had one very similar and all those toolless fittings are bloody awful!

 

[cliffo88]

That's not small

Nice build though mate, and you have my sympathies RE that Xigmatek case, I had one very similar and all those toolless fittings are bloody awful!

I could have gone smaller but it wouldn't have been very practical.

I looked at, and almost bought a BitFenix Phenom, but the cable management would have been hell, and I'd have to get a side window made.

I didn't really want to go so small that I start sacrificing performance/temperatures.

 

[cliffo88]

Added some LED's.

It's the NZXT 2m LED kit, there is a bracket that goes into a PCI cover slot with power and 3 brightness settings. The brightest setting gives exactly the right look with this smoked window, love it!

Shame about that scratch looking even more prominent now though...

In reality it's a tad more subtle than these images show, but you get the idea.

I chose to add some LED's as you really cant see anything through that smoked window.

 

[Jony27]

Have the same case and led strip. Unfortunately my led strip just decided to tear one of the cables out of the socket.
No access to soldering iron so won't have any lighting for a while.

 

[McGraw]

My dad's got that xigmatek case...nowt wrong with it

 

[cliffo88]

My dad's got that xigmatek case...nowt wrong with it

Each to their own...if it does the job for him then great!

I couldn't stand it myself, limited cable management, no dust filters, no way for the PSU to intake from outside the case, the plastic clips were....plastic and I found the power/reset buttons a bit flimsy/sticky.

 

[colinmcr]

I've seen a lot about polishing likes of cpu water blocks that are acrylic but I don't think you'd be able to do that with your panel without ruining it. I'd replace the whole thing if you have the funds.

Nice tidy build though

 

[cliffo88]

I've seen a lot about polishing likes of cpu water blocks that are acrylic but I don't think you'd be able to do that with your panel without ruining it. I'd replace the whole thing if you have the funds.

Nice tidy build though

Agreed, Fractal are getting back to me 'within 24 hours' apparently, so I'll see what they say!

 

[mckayjlm]

Some nice sleeved extensions would make this soo awsome !