My Build Log (LOTS OF PICS)

[KevinG]

From my build thread:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1685544

It isn't done yet, and there have been a few hiccups along the way. For starters, my keyboard/mouse combo hasn't arrived yet, nor has my 32 gigs of memory, or my corsair H100 cooler. And, in the end, the stock cpu cooler's fan didn't spin, so I'm taking it back to microcenter this morning. They are out of stock now on 2600Ks, so I'll probably be waiting for the IB afterall.

It's made up of the following:

Corsair Graphite Series 600T CC600TM Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Corsair 750TX V2 750W PSU
Intel 2600K
ASUS Sabertooth Z77
MSI 570GTZ Twin Frozr 3 Power Edition
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe, 240GB
Some 500Gig Drives in RAID 0 for data - reused from my previous rig
An OEM Liteon DVD burner

2 x CORSAIR XMS3 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) for 32 gig [NOT HERE YET]
Corsair H100 Water Cooler [NOT HERE YET]
Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 [NOT HERE YET]

4 Gigs of tossable memory just to get the build going until the 32 gigs arrive.

The parts, or at least the ones that are here already:

The case.

The PSU. Wish it were modular...There are a ton of wires I won't be needing...

The PSU Installed.

The Sabertooth. Really needed firewire, and pissed that I missed the fact that this MB doesn't have it. Other than that, it looks pretty.

The rear panel of the sabertooth. Look at all of that room where they could have placed a PS/2 port, or a DVI port...

The MB installed.

The CPU, and temporary cooler (or, at least I had hoped it would be...)

The socket open:

The socket and the 2600K making friends:

The socket and the 2600K in a tight embrace:

Cooler mounted...if only it actually spun. :-(

Cheap 4 gigs installed...$20 for 4 gigs?! In a "bargain bin" at Microcenter. Who would have ever guessed? It'll have to do until the 32 gigs arrive.

The SSD:

The SSD mounted in it's 3.5" adapter, and inserted into the corsair's drive cage. Here's the first issue I encountered. The drive cages are advertised as supporting 2.5" drives, so I didn't think I'd need to use the SSD's adaptor. However, that white thing in the lower left corner of the image is one of the "pegs" that hold a normal 3.5" drive in place. It sticks into the cage too far for the 2.5" SSD to be mounted to the provided holes. This wasn't an issue because I had the adaptor, but it could have been a complete show-stopper. Unfortunately, this also caused me to be unable to use a 90 degree SATA connector on the back of the drive because of where it ends up in the cage...there's a pic of that coming up:

EDIT: That pin comes out to make the 2.5" drive fit. Nothing to see here, move along...

The Sata cables, white one is Sata 3 going to SSD, black one is going to DVD. Note that due to the issue above, the 90 degree end of the Sata 3 cable had to be used here...and it's blocking the bottom port.

Here's the back of the SSD. You can see how it is slightly inset in the drive cage, making the 90 degree end of the cable unusable. Sucks. You can also see the predrilled holes for 2.5" drives in the lower drive cages. They really should have centered those so the side "pegs" weren't ever an issue.

MB in, and wired up.

This power connection was NOT EASY. Very tight space.

The GPU

The GPU mounted and wired:

For some reason, this always makes me laugh.

Of course, it was right about then that I noticed the cpu fan wasn't spinning...and on subsequent boots, the MB noticed as well, and was unhappy. I tried the fan on other headers, it did the same thing...I tried other fans on this MB, and they spun fine...so it's a bad cpu cooler.

I hope to complete this build very soon!

-Kevin

 

[tehslippery]

When you get it all going let us know what you think of the board! I've been strongly considering getting one.

Not using the 2 40mm fans?

 

[sonsonate]

Mmm, the smell of new PC parts...

And that board! I would like to dump my Gigabyte board all because of the stupid lack of fan control. I love the look, don't really mind the old-style BIOS, but no PWM fan control for all but one. Might have to get that Sabertooth.

 

[KevinG]

Not using the 2 40mm fans?

I am, just took the shot before I had them wired.

So, since corsair still hasn't even shipped my h100 cooler, I decided to keep my sandybridge, and just get the cheapest temporary cooler I could find. Anything to start using this rig.

Here's a look at a $15 cooler.

And here's a pic of the rig up and running! No overclock yet, due to the cooler...but it runs pretty sweet. I'm posting this message from her!

 

[aciddrink]

Very sleek looking setup man! I like the final product.

 

[KevinG]

Very sleek looking setup man! I like the final product.

Thanks... I still need to do some exterior cable management. I want the desktop to look a bit neater.

Also, on the 40mm fans...I misunderstood that question...tehslippery was talking about the little tiny fans that mount on the MB's "armor". No, I'm not using them, and don't plan to...I don't want the added noise.

 

[ziddey]

I don't know a thing about that case, but if Corsair says it can house 2.5", I believe it. Maybe there's something you're overlooking? Maybe someone with that same case can chime in. Real shame on Corsair if it's true.

edit: that pin pops out for 2.5" drive install

 

[KevinG]

I don't know a thing about that case, but if Corsair says it can house 2.5", I believe it. Maybe there's something you're overlooking? Maybe someone with that same case can chime in. Real shame on Corsair if it's true.

edit: that pin pops out for 2.5" drive install

Really?! I'll have to see if I can figure out how to make that happen...

I received and installed my 32 gigs yesterday. When the H100 cooler shows up, I'll be back in the case...so I'll try to pop that pin out then...thanks for the tip!

Edit: Yep, here's confirmation: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=99332

Thanks!

 

[KevinG]

Got my keyboard and mouse...now if corsair would ship my damn h100...that is the last "required" part.

In the meantime, I've ordered a firewire card, and a 20pin SATA 3.0 cable so I don't have to route the front panel connector out the back to be plugged into a rear port.

Pictures forthcoming...

 

[jermany755]

Please do update once you get the H100 in. I've been curious about how loud it is compared to traditional coolers. Nice build!

 

[Xonim]

I don't know a thing about that case, but if Corsair says it can house 2.5", I believe it. Maybe there's something you're overlooking? Maybe someone with that same case can chime in. Real shame on Corsair if it's true.

edit: that pin pops out for 2.5" drive install

If it's the same as the white 600T, you mount the SSD upside down on one of the drive cages. At least, that's what I did to make it work on both the of the builds I did with the 600T SE. If you need all of the drive cages, might be a different story...

 

[KevinG]

Please do update once you get the H100 in. I've been curious about how loud it is compared to traditional coolers. Nice build!

Thanks...Will do...It's a VERY quiet rig right now.

If it's the same as the white 600T, you mount the SSD upside down on one of the drive cages. At least, that's what I did to make it work on both the of the builds I did with the 600T SE. If you need all of the drive cages, might be a different story...

See above...those pins come out, apparently.

 

[BatJoe]

Got the Z77 myself. Make sure you update to the latest BIOS. Mine shipped with 604, which was older even the "release bios" 801.

Latest one is 906.

 

[KevinG]

Got the Z77 myself. Make sure you update to the latest BIOS. Mine shipped with 604, which was older even the "release bios" 801.

Latest one is 906.

Yep, did that...Thanks!

 

[KevinG]

Okay, the rest of the parts finally arrived.

The cooler, and one of that memory packages (there were 2, but I tossed one box already)

Here's a 20 pin SATA 3.0 splitter so I don't have to run a wire from the front panel, out the back, and into a rear 3.0 port. And the TI based firewire pci card.

Here's the H100 cooler installed. What a royal PITA!

This particular connection, which was tight BEFORE the radiator, had to be futzed with in order to get the radiator in place (but that wasn't what made it a PITA).

Here's a shot of the 20 pin SATA connector being used, and the SATA cable for the SSD drive no longer in the 90 degree position since I stopped using the SSD 3.5" adaptor and was able to flip the cable.

Here's a shot of the rear of the SSD now that I'm not using the adaptor plate. Much nicer.

The Firewire card. No big deal...but it's TI, and it has an internal header so I can connect my front panel to it. That was the whole idea.

The firewire card installed.

A shot of the radiator fans on top of the case (normally covered).

-Kevin

 

[jermany755]

Thanks for the update! What is the verdict on H100 noise level? Mainly I'm concerned with the pump, as I've read that it can sometimes be heard over everything else.

 

[Topweasel]

Thanks for the update! What is the verdict on H100 noise level? Mainly I'm concerned with the pump, as I've read that it can sometimes be heard over everything else.

If it does you have a bad one. I have an H80, which uses the same pump. General use its whisper quiet, If I am running IBT or something that only pushes the CPU, it can become audible if none of the other fans spin up (I have everything set on low), but if I didn't set the fan speed to low on that, and manually turn down all the other fans to their lowest setting while using a PSU that doesn't even spin up till 200w usage, I would never hear it. A H100 with the larger radiator, means its even less likely to need to ramp up the pump.

All of the noise complaints I have heard have been from a period of time they had a batch or two with QA issues, something about air in the system. The pump sounded like grinding. Funny thing is, those still had pretty decent temps. But those cleared up in Jan/Feb.

 

[KevinG]

I certainly can't hear the pump over the fans. ;-)

Upon startup, the fans are incredibly loud...but as they ramp down in speed they become fairly quiet...but still not as quiet as the rig was before the H100 was installed.

Some of that noise is probably caused by the grill on the top of the case...cutting that out would likely reduce the wind noise a bit...but I'm not going to do that to this case.

My main issue right now is that I have to figure out if I'm satisfied with a 4.5ghz OC. Temps are not the concern...in fact, they never really get even close to hot...it's a stability/voltage question, really.

 

[thekinslayer]

Nice build , I also have the 600T SE White and I love it so much that it have gone thru 3 set up from Bloomfield to Ivy Bridge and still looks as new as it did almost 2 years ago.