• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

New Gaming Rig, need some input

buji said:
so now my pc wants to reinstall windows. Im trusting myself building this thing less and less.
Click to expand...

Why? Because your old system is on the way out? Eh. It happens.

We'll be glad to help out if you have questions during the build, but honestly if you can follow instructions -- specifically, the ones that come with your motherboard, heatsink, and to some degree, case -- you'll be good. You've built before, right?
 
silent-circuit said:
My PC's always like, "I need more space" and "Why don't you make love to me like you used to"...
Click to expand...

My old PC use to tell me, "I'm getting too old to play that new video game you just bought."

Good thing I dumped it for a younger model.











Now lets stop before we get too far off topic....LOL!
 
I've never built before, but I've modified enough to know what to do. My biggest fear is getting a bad part and not being able to pinpoint the problem. Like the PC I have now, would randomly lock up and I never could pinpoint where it was coming from. But, maybe I'm just not being optimistic enough.
 
buji said:
I've never built before, but I've modified enough to know what to do. My biggest fear is getting a bad part and not being able to pinpoint the problem. Like the PC I have now, would randomly lock up and I never could pinpoint where it was coming from. But, maybe I'm just not being optimistic enough.
Click to expand...

That's one of the benifits of spare parts. :p
 
I don't think my spare parts on my current PC will work on the new one. Regardless, as high as this price tag is (for me at least), I'm considering having a vendor do it (that is if I can just tell them the parts I want and they don't try to screw me on price). But the tech side of me keeps saying I can do it myself and use the saved cash for something else (or better parts).

By the way, which Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme are you talking about?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109140
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109125

Also, will there be room in the Lian Li case for this? The thing is huge!
 
The one that has " Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler" in the title. The Ultra-120 Extreme is an improved version of the original Ultra-120.
 
buji said:
By the way, which Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme are you talking about?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109140
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109125

Also, will there be room in the Lian Li case for this? The thing is huge!
Click to expand...

First is the Ultra 120 Extreme. Second is the original Ultra 120. Hence the higher price tag on the first. Yes it's huge, but your case is far from tiny, so you should have nothing to worry about.
 
Does no outlet sell the Lian Li V Silent PC-V1100 anymore? Newegg had it, but it's gone now. Tigerdirect doesn't have it, Anyone know where I can find it? Or a case that is similar?
 
Here's what I'm planning on ordering. I'm going to assemble it myself (crosses fingers).

CASE: Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 129.99
MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - 159.99
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - 329.99
CPU COOLER/FAN: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler - 64.99
RAM: Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - 214.99
PSU: Thermaltake W0106RU Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version 700W Power Supply 100 - 240 V CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL, CUL, and BSMI certified - 139.99
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - 109.99
DVD: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - 36.99
GFX CARD: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - 516.99
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Business DVD - 249.99
EXTRAS: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan x4 - 23.31
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - 5.99


Total: $1982.20

I will be upgrading to the 64 version of Vista (I didn't pick the system builder's one, just in case I need to RMA some stuff and it messes up). Also, do I need to purchase a fan with that Thermalright cooler?
I'm a little stuck on the case: I want something with enough space to fit everything (esp. the PSU). I was leaning toward the Lian Li V Silent PC-V1100 but I'm not sure if I want it anymore due to modification I'd have to do to fit the PSU in it. Any suggestions on a good case?

Also, any thoughts on this setup?
 
Love my P180B and wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of cash required for a LianLi or Silverstone, but again, cases are 9/10ths personal preference. Find something you like that's sufficiently large with several 120mm fans and you should be alright.

Yes, you'll need a fan for the Thermalright. A 120mm Scythe S-Flex would be idea, as it's quiet and pushes a lot of air.

Are you a college student? Your college may be able to get you a copy of Vista Business for like $20, or even for free. I'd definitely check in to it if there's a chance.
 
I'd switch out the PSU before ditching a Lian-Li case, lol. Thermaltakes arent nearly the best, so there are other, better choices out there. Personally, I don't think the P180 is worth its huge price tag. Sure, I bought one, but it was only $50, lol. If I were spending $130+ on a case, I'd look into the Lian-Li V series (other than the one you'd have to mod), the Silverstone Temjin series (TJ-06/TJ-07/TJ-09), or a CM Stacker (TC01 IIRC).

For case fans, use Yate Loons... as they're cheaper and just as effective. They'll run you about $4 each. Keep one S-Flex for the Ultra 120 Extreme.
 
I went to Fry's and found they have the E8500 for 289.99, so I might buy it there. I checked out the P180 Antec cases. They seem nice enough, but I think I'd have the same issue with the PSU in it as well (the mount on the bottom looks like it might be too small to hold the thermaltake psu). I could be wrong though.

Also, I've read on the cpu boards that the Thermalright cooler needs to be "lapped." I'm not sure what that means, but I'm assuming it's something like sanding it down? Can anyone clarify what it means, so I know what I'm going to have to do when I install it?
 
I recommend getting this PSU:
Corsair HX620 620W PSU - $147

It may look pricey but it comes with a $20 rebate that drops it down to $127.

OH and by lapped, it does mean sanding it down a bit. But I doubt you'll have to do that.

Oh and you can get the quad core Q6600 for $289 here:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU - $289

While the E6850 outpaces the Q6600 in current games, the Q6600 has better longevity because future and upcoming games will take advantage of quad core CPUs. So if you want a bit of longevity in your PC, then the quad core would be useful.

Also, as silent-circuit has said, if you're a college student and if your college is part of the MSDNAA, then you can possibly get a heavily discounted copy of Vista or XP. If you're have a computer related major, then you might be able to get it for free!
 
The quad and the 6850 were both 289.99 at fry's. I'm not sure if it was the G0 or not (not sure how to tell?) but I'm a totaly novice at overclocking so I doubt that matter much to me. Yes, longevity is one of my top goals with this machine: my last one lasted 5 years and kept up with my demands really well.

Good, I hope I won't have to lap the Thermalright. The less tasks I have to do during assembly the better.

I could swap the PSU for another one, which is fine. I honestly don't really know how much power I'd even need.

Oh, and there was a discount on the Antec P180 case at fry's, so it would cost $79. I might just go with that one.

And I'm not a college student anymore, graduated 3.5 years ago (wow... that's kinda depressing).
 
So I'm going to take the corsair suggestion for the PSU, and go with the Q6600. I'm going to buy all these parts today, and grab a lian li.

Any last minute suggestions before I spend all this cash? :)
 
Not certain on the case -- I have little to no first hand experience with Lian Li cases to judge size. It /should/ be...
 
The P180 is not bad for $80AR. The Lian-Li cases are just great. I'd go for the first one, V series, instead. I think the duct will need to be removed.
 
So I could just go with the P180 case for 80 and not have to worry about disconnecting an air duct. Maybe I will do that, the case seemed big enough for me.

This is the case at Fry's, at the store it was 79.99.
 
Old revision P180 or new revision? Does it have holes for routing wires around the motherboard tray? $80 no rebate is a good deal, regardless.
 
silent-circuit said:
Old revision P180 or new revision? Does it have holes for routing wires around the motherboard tray? $80 no rebate is a good deal, regardless.
Click to expand...

I think it's an older version, I didn't see any routing holes. But, it was 79 after the rebate.
 
If you want the routing you could order it from Newegg for not much more. Or just take a Dereml to it...
 
Hmm, do you think this Antec is a better deal than this Lian Li?

The plus side is it's $80 cheaper, and I've actually seen this one, so I know it's big enough for the Thermalright, etc.
 
I love my P180B... but some people are obsessed with Lian Li's. Which do you like the look of better? The Antec is probably quieter as the sides are all double-insulated. The Lian Li is probably a little cooler running, as it's aluminum rather than steel, and its sides aren't double-insulated. If you wait a week or two the Antec will probably go back on sale for $80 AR. The Lian Li case is actually slightly bigger, I think. Take the duct out (not a big deal) and the Themalright will fit just fine.
 
I'm unbiased either way. The thing I'm looking at now is the Lian Li's side fan abover the duct: it looks like it will make installation more painful, as it probably has to be removed to get the mobo or cards installed.

Ugh, this is the last decision I need to make and it's driving me nuts! :p
 
So, I decided to go with the Lian Li. I think the better cooling is more important to me than the noise. Whew, I can't wait to get this thing built and get it up and running!
 
You couldn't have gone wrong with either case, imo. Removing ducts/fans is simple, so you shouldn't need to worry about it.
 
I'm putting the PC together, and I noticed that the CPU fan connector on the mobo is 4 pinned, but my scythe is only 3 pinned. Do I need to get another connector or can I just hook it into the PSU? Also, putting the thermalright cooler and the mobo into the case was a bitch!
 
No, use the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard. It will still work without the 4th pin (which is only for fan control anyhow, so its not really needed).
 
Get the P180B, I just used the V1000BPlus II in a recent build and it is a PITA.

The compartment for the power supply is small, if you use a modular psu it is very difficult to plug/unpug/move/maintain cables.
The duct for the CPU uses fragile thumbscrews if you tighten them too much they will snap.
The mount for the side fan gets in the way, and the easiest way to deal with that is by removing the CPU duct before you begin, also you might have to dismount the fan and rotate it depending on where you want the wires from the fan coming from.

Connecting IDE or Sata cables, you definitly need long cables especially if you are wanting to route the cables through the backside of the case to make it look neat and I would definitly suggest routing the cables throught the backside, because if you don't it looks like a massive spiderweb and will interfere with airflow of the case.

And on the note of airflow, the fans included in the case are not strong enough IMO to create decent airflow so you will probably end up replaing the fans.
The way the side panels install on the case and the way you secure them by the screws on the rear of the case if you don't do right and do it tight the the whole case will rattle badly.
Hope you don't need to use a floppy drive becuase to remove the panel for the floppy drive requires removing all other panels before you can even access the floppy panel.
 
Sounds like you had a lot of trouble, tazzmissionx. Thats weird... I don't remember having any of those "problems" when I built my homie's system using that case, lol. Removing the cpu duct beforehand... that was quite obvious.
 
So, I got everything hooked up and booted it up! I'm now running memtest on it (it's been going for a half hour and hasn't even completed one pass yet, 4GB is large). I was so happy it booted, that was the first step. Now I just hope everything holds up.

The only issue I have really right now is with the dvd drive. I couldn't get the plate off the front of the case (even though the instructions say it's removable), so I had to remove the bezel from the dvd drive. That's all fine and dandy, however, the plastic button on the case doesn't reach the dvd's eject button! Any tips on what I could do? I could try to scooch it up a little more, but I think it's pretty much on it already.

By the way, thanks for all the help through this silent-circuit, enginurd, Danny Bui, and all the rest. I really really appreciate you taking the time to help me with this! :D
 
NP.

If you have a camera, be sure to take some pics for us!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top