PC builders?

[Duality]

I'm wondering if anyone else on NF is a PC builder!

[WizardTrip]

Right here! This is where we be geeks and list our builds, right? To name a few...

 

Main machine is a hackintosh and is aging, but still running quite well.
- e8400 Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz (OC'ed to 4.0GHz)
- NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) (MSI Twin Frozer III)
-- Connected to a 27" 2560x1440 IPS LED Monitor
- NVIDIA 8800GTS 512MB (G92)
-- Connected to a 22" 1680x1050 Monitor
- 2x300GB WD 10,000 RPM VelociRaptors
- 8GB DDR2 800
- Running OS 10.8 and Windows 7

 

Media Server:
Only interesting things since this is a basic lowly machine build.
- Storage: 12TB
- OS: unRaid
- Apps: Sickbeard, CouchPotato, SABnzbd

 

Media Center:
- Old Mac Mini (1.6 Core Duo)
-- Switched out the 1.6 Core Duo with a 2.0 Core 2 Duo
-- Switched out the PCI Express WiFi card with a CrystalHD card for hardware accelerated HD playback
-- Running XBMC

[Duality]

Sweet! 

 

This is my current build:

CPU - AMD FX-6100 Black edition, 6 core.
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 6950, Double Dissipation, 2GB DDR5.
Motherboard - Asus M5A97
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16GB, 1600MHz, (4x4GB, 2 Black, 2 Blue) 
CPU Cooler - Corsair H40 with 2x Fractal Design R2 120mm fans in push and pull configuration. (show are two Antec Tri-Cool blue, that I changed to FD R2's)
Hard drive 1 - 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue 3.5"
Hard drive 2 - 250GB Western Digital Caviar Blue 2.5"
Hard drive 3 - 80GB Western Digital 3.5"
Solid State Drive - 120GB OCZ Vertex Plus
Fans - 4x 140mm (2x top, 2x front), 2x 120mm (2x CPU Cooler not shown) all Fractal Design R2.
Lights - Logisys Laser LED Blue.
Extensions - Bitfenix 24-pin, 8-pin and 2x 6-in
Case - Fractal Design Define R4 Window.
PSU - OCZ ModXStream 700w Modular
DVD - ASUS DVD Writer
Wireless - Wireless card (forget brand)
Card Reader - Generic Card reader
Screen 1 - Dell 24" LED (1920x1080)
Screen 2 - Samsumg Syncmaster 19" (4:3 aspect ratio 1280x1024)

Screen 3 - Toshiba 39" 120hz, 1080p LED TV
Webcam - Webcam HP 720p
Speakers - 2.1 speakers with sub.
Mouse - Razer Deathadder 3500 dpi, 3.5G
Keyboard - Microsoft confort curve 3000 (light and tough) and Microsoft Arc Mini keyboard

 

 

 

[WizardTrip]

Nice! I'm jealous of your cable management and how good the air flow looks in your case. I have a Cooler Master Cosmos 1000, which is a massive massive case, but the airflow isn't all that great. Especially with all that I have crammed in there. After seeing yours, I guess I left out a few items that only PC Builders would get excited about and went with more of a specs approach.

 

Motherboard - Asus P5N-D (nForce 750i)
CPU Cooler - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler

8800GTS Aftermarket Cooler - Scythe MUSASHI Copper Heatpipe VGA Cooler (remains from back when I was OC'ing it)
Case - Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
PSU - Corsair 750-Watt TX Series
Speakers - Original Harman Kardon Soundsticks from ~1997 (USB version). Still going strong!
Mouse - Wired Logitech G9 with a couple different grips
Keyboard - Logitech G18 (original massive one with blue lights and 18 macro buttons, not revised with orange)

[Duality]

Thanks ^^ a lot of hardwork went into it, this system started in a Antec 302, custom painted to grey with a plexiglass side panel, then I managed to step on the panel, wrecking it. Then bought a used Antec 1200, was too big and noisy, then bought this gem of a case. It's just awesome, panels are all sound dampened and shit, mmmmmmmm.

 

This is the 5th system I've built, I'm getting pretty good

 

EDIT1: just checked out those speaks, they're epic :|

[Aqweei]

http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/17710-computer-builds/

Check it out!

Not listed in my first post is my new 1tb drive plus all my other drives. I'm too lazy to copy paste all of it cause im on my tablet lol

[WizardTrip]

http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/17710-computer-builds/

Check it out!

Not listed in my first post is my new 1tb drive plus all my other drives. I'm too lazy to copy paste all of it cause im on my tablet lol

 

 

I remember your build Again, was jealous of how clean it looked. You guys are gonna make me spend an evening sometime this week cleaning and re-working my cabling.

[Duality]

I'm a bit OCD about my cabling

 

I'll probably need to get another hard drive soon as my little 500gb is almost full and I'd like to take out my old 80gb (which I find useless).

[Aqweei]

Haha yea one day I spent like 2 hours just rerouting all my cables. My psu isn't modular sadly. I also had a 500gb hdd to start out with but filled it up rather quickly. Now its got about 400gb worth of games/programs on it and my 1TB drive is strictly for music/movies/pictures/. The OS is of course on my SSD. I desperately want a 128gb SSD. 64gb is way too small. 

[Duality]

I find even that 120gb is too small, get the 256mb and install the games you play mostly on it, the OS and bigger programs (i got photoshop and such). It's worth it. You can find 250-256gb for around 200$ on sale shipped and all (in Canada and US at least).

 

I can't wait for my room mate to give me a GO to start his, I'm gonna post it once it's done also

[Aqweei]

I find even that 120gb is too small, get the 256mb and install the games you play mostly on it, the OS and bigger programs (i got photoshop and such). It's worth it. You can find 250-256gb for around 200$ on sale shipped and all (in Canada and US at least).

 

I can't wait for my room mate to give me a GO to start his, I'm gonna post it once it's done also

 

256MB?! haha and yea I don't really do much photoshop work anymore. Used to be very avid with it. Currently I'm a video editor and the SSD would be a little faster for rendering but really it's not that big of a deal because I plan on quitting once I land a job that pertains to my degree. 128gb would be the sweet spot. I can easily fill the 60-80gb with the OS/Programs. Then there is a program that moves steam files from HDD to SSD really easily (tricks the computer. I'm forgetting exact terminology.) So you can easily move the game you're playing to the SSD and then move it off once you get done. SSD only really helps load times in games anyways. You don't get any FPS gains from it. So for my own personal use the 128gb is perfect.

[Jcannon98188]

Right here! This is where we be geeks and list our builds, right? To name a few...

 

Main machine is a hackintosh and is aging, but still running quite well.

- e8400 Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz (OC'ed to 4.0GHz)

- NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti (448 Cores) (MSI Twin Frozer III)

-- Connected to a 27" 2560x1440 IPS LED Monitor

- NVIDIA 8800GTS 512MB (G92)

-- Connected to a 22" 1680x1050 Monitor

- 2x300GB WD 10,000 RPM VelociRaptors

- 8GB DDR2 800

- Running OS 10.8 and Windows 7

 

Media Server:

Only interesting things since this is a basic lowly machine build.

- Storage: 12TB

- OS: unRaid

- Apps: Sickbeard, CouchPotato, SABnzbd

 

Media Center:

- Old Mac Mini (1.6 Core Duo)

-- Switched out the 1.6 Core Duo with a 2.0 Core 2 Duo

-- Switched out the PCI Express WiFi card with a CrystalHD card for hardware accelerated HD playback

-- Running XBMC

I am digging those apps you posted. Thanks!

Anyways, my build. 

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz

 

ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM

With this monster of a cooling fan for the CPU

ARCTIC Freezer A30 Extreme CPU Cooler

 

And of Course my pride and joy,

 

Nvidia Geforce 660ti Hooked up to two crappy monitors.

[SuperUnison]

I've swapped out an old video card for a new one, which didn't fit in the case well so had to rejig it a bit if that counts?

 

I think next time I get a PC I'd be tempted to try building one, it's quite fun mucking about with components. I got a small local shop to build one for me- but even then there was a massive difference in what I'd get for my money compared to getting a normal retail one!

[WizardTrip]

I find even that 120gb is too small, get the 256mb and install the games you play mostly on it, the OS and bigger programs (i got photoshop and such). It's worth it. You can find 250-256gb for around 200$ on sale shipped and all (in Canada and US at least).

 

I can't wait for my room mate to give me a GO to start his, I'm gonna post it once it's done also

 

 

256MB?! haha and yea I don't really do much photoshop work anymore. Used to be very avid with it. Currently I'm a video editor and the SSD would be a little faster for rendering but really it's not that big of a deal because I plan on quitting once I land a job that pertains to my degree. 128gb would be the sweet spot. I can easily fill the 60-80gb with the OS/Programs. Then there is a program that moves steam files from HDD to SSD really easily (tricks the computer. I'm forgetting exact terminology.) So you can easily move the game you're playing to the SSD and then move it off once you get done. SSD only really helps load times in games anyways. You don't get any FPS gains from it. So for my own personal use the 128gb is perfect.

 

 

Sadly, I have never owned an SSD. With the prices much lower these days, I really should just go ahead and get one. My thoughts are to get one just for the OS's, put my 2 300GB 10,000RPM Velociraptors in a RAID 0 setup for just games.

 

 

I am digging those apps you posted. Thanks!

Anyways, my build. 

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz

 

ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM

With this monster of a cooling fan for the CPU

ARCTIC Freezer A30 Extreme CPU Cooler

 

And of Course my pride and joy,

 

Nvidia Geforce 660ti Hooked up to two crappy monitors.

 

 

Glad you did a bit of googling on them. Exactly my intention since I didn't want to post what they are. I couldn't live without Sickbeard.

 

I'm jealous of your 660 Ti. I love my 448 core 560 Ti, but in some games, I could use just a bit more power for my monitor. The 1680x1050 resolution monitor isn't a problem for the card, but the 2560x1440 monitor with some games is just a bit much, and it pains me to have to drop quality down from the highest settings.

[Duality]

This is why I love my 6950

[Aqweei]

I need a bigger monitor to really push my 670 ftw. I have shitty monitors. I want one of the Korean ips monitors.

[Duality]

but they're so expensive :|

[WizardTrip]

I need a bigger monitor to really push my 670 ftw. I have shitty monitors. I want one of the Korean ips monitors.

 

 

Yep...that's the way to go, but rather than the ones on ebay and such, I went with one of the Korean IPS monitors that is sold at Microcenter since I have one near where I live. This allowed me to return it if I needed to, a warranty, etc. Also, if you buy it first, they'll let you set it up in there service center to test it out. I was able to test a few out until I found one with no stuck or dead pixels. This is the one I got and it worked great with my vesa mount for my desk. http://microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27-Inch_IPS_LED_Monitor,_WQHD_2560x1440,_HDMI,_DVI-D,_DisplayPort,_USB

 

Also, monoprice has a version of these as well.

[Aqweei]

Yea, I may drive to Microcenter one day in the future and get one. There are two in Georgia I could get to. I've also looked into Overlord Monitors. They can be overclocked but I'd need another 670 to push it at 120hz lol. 

[Rooks]

I love building them, but don't have the money or need to really have a bomb computer anymore.  Nowhere near as clean as Stephane's build, but currently it sits as:

 

CASE: Luxo X140

MOBO: EVGA 141-BL-E757-TR\

CPU: Core i7 930 @ 3.6 GhZ, 1.25V

PS: NZXT HALE82-N 650W

OS: Windows 7 Professional

GFX: EVGA GTX260

RAM: 6GB Mushkin Ridgeback 1600

HDD: WD Black 640GB (Raid 1)

BLOCK: EK Supreme HF

RAD: Feser XChanger 120.4

PUMP:  Phobya DC12-400

 

 

[Duality]

dat 480mm rad, I want to make mine liquid cooled so bad. QQ

 

That must've been a bomb machine when you built it! I had a GTS 250 in my last computer when I upgraded for Diablo 3 (which was/is the most discuting game ever). Was very usefull, didn't have the budget for GTX 260 tho, QQ.

 

Did you mod the case yourself to accomodate the top rad?

[Rooks]

dat 480mm rad, I want to make mine liquid cooled so bad. QQ

 

That must've been a bomb machine when you built it! I had a GTS 250 in my last computer when I upgraded for Diablo 3 (which was/is the most discuting game ever). Was very usefull, didn't have the budget for GTX 260 tho, QQ.

 

Did you mod the case yourself to accomodate the top rad?

 

Funny you should say that.  It was actually only finally assembled like a 9 months ago.    I had bought all the parts a long time ago, and just never got around to putting it together because... well... I'm not sure why I never put it together.  

 

Yeah.  I bought the cheapest case I could and modded it to work.  The system actually lived in a milk crate for awhile (see below).  I think the Luxo only cost me like $28 or something like that.  Took it apart, sprayed the whole thing black, and re-assembled with some mods to make everything fit.  

 

If I was doing it again, I'd definitely upgrade a bit on the case just because of how cheap this thing was.  

 

Build thread can be seen here although it's nothing special.  This was my first real attempt at doing anything fun.  I was planning on doing all sorts of crazy stuff, but just ran out of motivation since I don't game anymore.  

 

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=341824

 

[Aqweei]

That's some pretty neat stuff! I had a GTX 260 by BFG. I still technically own it because my friend still hasn't paid me for it. In my link to my build you can actually see it in the picture where it's dark. I used it for several months before I upgraded to my 670. It ran BF3 like a champ on Medium/Hard settings. 

 

Building PC's is so fun. I've got a ton of projects I want to do that are just floating around in my head. I want to take my current computer and make it much smaller to create a crazy little HTPC. Then I want to build an even bigger gaming monster and also build a nice little server for all of our entertainment to stream to said HTPC. I'd also like to dabble with watercooling at some point. 

[Guest CyborgNinja]

If I post a list of some parts I have, can somebody help me find a compatible motherboard for them?

[Rooks]

If I post a list of some parts I have, can somebody help me find a compatible motherboard for them?

 

Sure.