The Member's Systems Discussion Thread

[stickg1]

This is an open thread to discuss on-going projects, completed builds, projected builds, quick hardware questions, or the discussion of all of the above. Pictures and discussion are not only allowed, but encouraged. Not to undermine the already existing Tom's Hardware Member System Gallery, a great thread, but respected as a gallery only. The concept of this thread is to openly allow further discussion.

Feel free to post pictures of your PC, comment on other's handy work, and ask questions about your proposed builds or seek suggestions on how you or others can improve.

If you need a lot of help, for example, with an entire build or extensive upgrade, please start a question thread following the format from this sticky: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

You are more than welcome to post a link to your thread here in this thread.

As always, Tom's ToC and user agreement apply. Quote walls and quoting several pictures are discouraged as it's improper forum etiquette. If responding to another user, simply spoiler or delete the photos from the quoted post, or simply mention the user's name at the beginning of your response and continue discussion.

Criticism is a way of taking information and bettering yourself or your build. But blatant insults and otherwise flaming, is not tolerated and against the rules on this forum, so please keep that in mind and keep your posts polite, and make any criticism of the constructive variety.

Happy Posting!

 

[stickg1]

Added a radiator last night!

 

[RussK1]

And Computer in the Metro!



HAFX Blue Edition | i7-3770K (4.5GHz 1.26v) | ASRock Z77 Extreme 9 |H100 | 16GB Vengeance 12800 CL9 | Intel 7260HMW 802.11AC | Gigabyte GTX 780 WF3 | Asus Xonar Essence STX | Samsung SyncMaster 2494LW | OCZ Vertex 3 240GB SSD | 1.5TB WD Green (media) | 3TB WD Green EZRX (Networked drive with movies) | 2 TOSHIBA PH3200U-1I72 2TB RAID0 (strictly for games) | 1TB FreeAgent GoFlex (for realtime backups of sentimental data) | LG Super multi-blue | HX1050 | Razer Deathadder 2013 | Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 | Razer Goliathus Fragged Speed Edition | Windows 7 Pro

 

[stickg1]

That's a cute little gamer!

Good taste in mouse and keyboard, I use the same ones!

 

[RussK1]

Thank you... yeah the Razer mouse/keyboard are nice. I used to hate on 'em but now all praise.

BTW, you never answered me... have you thought of black coolant. That would look sharp!

 

[stickg1]

Yeah but I feel like pastel will draw too much attention away from the rest of the build. I have to drain soon anyway and refill with a coolant that has corrosion inhibitor since all my blocks are nickel plated and all my rads are copper. I've seen to many people have corrosion issues with that setup. Which is inevitable, but with a decent inhibitor instead of a couple months it would take a couple of years. The pastel would accomplish this, but I'm thinking of getting a clear base and dying it a little more purple-ish. Purple/violet is a complementary color to yellow (high school art class 😀) and I think it will look really nice while not drawing too much attention.

I'm already jotting ideas down for changes I want to make. I was thinking of getting that new Phanteks case, but I do kind of like having a mid-tower size so I'm not sure on that yet.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854001

It's expensive too but not nearly as bad as the Case Labs equipment that seems to be so popular lately.

 

[Christopher Gonzalez]

Nice rig Stick!!! I'm glad you started this thread, I get that people want to keep their gallery clean of off topic conversation and all, but honestly, I think it's all just a forum and no big deal... However, forgive me if I missed something in the other System Gallery that was inappropriate and that's what everyone was going off about...

I'll be posting pics of my first build soon!

 

[Mirakledba]

Awesome Rig StickG1! New rad is amazing!

 

[stickg1]

Thank goodness a thread i can post questions and not have to worry about being banned!

Nice build dude! Lil one is going to be hooked on building soon 😛

heres mine, a few weeks old now. Cable management needs to be improved alot but cables were stiff and didnt feel like bothering with it much. When i upgrade my GPU this summer ill probably tidy it up more

Upgrades in the near future: CM Hyper 212 Evo and 3 Corsair SP case fans

Spoiler

Definitely get the CPU cooler. I find that those SP120 fans are best for pushing through radiators, heatsinks, or really thick dust filters. They can be pretty loud too as they were made to produce high static pressure. I use them on all of my radiators but I have to turn them down because 6 of them together is pretty loud. The AF120's conversely are designed for better raw airflow while being quieter. If using them as case fans that would be my choice. Here's a link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181022

Thanks for the comments on my build. It's still a work in progress, probably will be for a while. I want to make my own sleeved cable extensions and perhaps modify the case to just use a 360mm rad up top and a thicker 240mm rad up front. Who knows, I might end up getting a bigger case to fit for rads all together.

 

[Mirakledba]

StickG1- A bigger case and moving this all there might be too much work? If you're going for it, get the Corsair 750D. Things a BEAST. Love the blue liquid and keep it up man. Its like PC p0rn xD.

RussK1- Showing a man how to be bigger of a man at a young age xD I suggest BF4 not COD 😛

 

[Mirakledba]

Love the rules of this thread. A quick hardware question. Whats the best 50-55 dollars CPU cooler, Liquid or air, that doesnt take up too much space (i have a fractal 4 (Didnt build the PC yet) and there is lots of space but something that isnt TOO big, if so, it can be big as long as it looks cool) Something that could OC a 4670k to 4.5ghz? Thanks.

 

[stickg1]

Love the rules of this thread. A quick hardware question. Whats the best 50-55 dollars CPU cooler, Liquid or air, that doesnt take up too much space (i have a fractal 4 (Didnt build the PC yet) and there is lots of space but something that isnt TOO big, if so, it can be big as long as it looks cool) Something that could OC a 4670k to 4.5ghz? Thanks.

This is the best sub $50 cooler I have ever used, the Prolimatech Panther.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242010

I was using it before I got my loop put together, I had two of those Corsair SP120's on it in push/pull, it wasn't far off from having a waterblock on my 3570K. With water I'm maybe 8C-10C cooler than I was with this heatsink. I'm actually looking to sell it if you're interested. My only complaint on it, is the stock fan is a little underwhelming and the mounting brackets only seem to work with a box style fan. To mount my Corsair fans I had to use ratchet ties...

This isn't the best picture of it because I took the pic to show my ghetto rigged cooling solution for the R9 290. But here it is..

 

[RussK1]

StickG1- A bigger case and moving this all there might be too much work? If you're going for it, get the Corsair 750D. Things a BEAST. Love the blue liquid and keep it up man. Its like PC p0rn xD.

RussK1- Showing a man how to be bigger of a man at a young age xD I suggest BF4 not COD 😛

No doubt BF... CoD has it's moments when one wants to be goofy.

Whats the best 50-55 dollars CPU cooler

I'd say a closed loop cooler. Simply because the tech has gotten better and that weight being added to the board is avoided. Just be sure to get a cooler that doesn't block the boards VRM's.

 

[Mirakledba]

Russk1- Could you please mention a closed loop? Should i save up a tad more and get an H60 because i want an H100i but an H60 is OK i guess...will it get me up to 4.5GHZ?

 

[stickg1]

Do you know how much voltage you need for 4.5GHz. Every chip behaves differently so saying whether it will work or not for sure is difficult.

 

[RussK1]

Russk1- Could you please mention a closed loop? Should i save up a tad more and get an H60 because i want an H100i but an H60 is OK i guess...will it get me up to 4.5GHZ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181038

 

[Mirakledba]

Newegg doesnt ship here so cant do that Russ :/ Pus, i dont want anything refurbished. So is there a SHORT video on how to OC a 4670k?

 

[stickg1]

Overclocking is basically just trial and error. Start by raising the multiplier and running a stress test like Intel Burn Test or Prime95 to check for errors. If it fails, you need to raise the voltage. If it passes try raising the multiplier again. Be sure to monitor your temps throughout the process. You don't want that chip going much over 90C but I would try to keep it under 85C for good measure.

Start with manual voltage around 1.2v and adjust as needed in small increments.

 

[Mirakledba]

StickG1- I mean like i said, I am getting a 200$ monitor and i have an acer x223w. Should i stick with it for a few months and GET : h100i , 120GB SSD, two SP120fans and a gaming mouse or keyboard or just get a monitor and a mouse...

I could do that...

What would you do?

 

[Onus]

A discussion thread like this one with relaxed rules is a good idea.

 

[Mirakledba]

Onus - I think i wont be using the other one anymore...This is a great thread. kudos to StickG1. I have a question for you Onus, Should i get an H100i, 120GB samsung EVO SSD, two SP120 fans and like a mechanical keyboard or gaming mouse. OR a monitor and a gaming mouse....I have the acer X223W. Thats 1680by1050 so its HD but not 1080p. Should i stick with it? I didnt build my PC yet but i will in a few weeks so i could put windows on the SSD. Monitor would be a dell s2440l. Tell me what you think. Im really stressed about this.

 

[stickg1]

StickG1- I mean like i said, I am getting a 200$ monitor and i have an acer x223w. Should i stick with it for a few months and GET : h100i , 120GB SSD, two SP120fans and a gaming mouse or keyboard or just get a monitor and a mouse...

I could do that...

What would you do?

That's tough. It looks like you have a nice GPU. Is your monitor, keyboard, or mouse really holding you back? I'm huge on SSDs but it's hard to justify really. It's really just a luxury, not a necessity. Same with nice peripherals. CPU cooling is paramount to me. I would get a nice CPU cooler first and foremost. Then if your mouse or keyboard is really bothering you at the moment pick up one of those too. SSDs are great IMO, and there's a killer deal on a Sandisk 128GB for $70 right now on Newegg.

A discussion thread like this one with relaxed rules is a good idea.

Thanks for the support Joe. There was a lot of tension in the gallery and I'm hoping this thread can alleviate some of that. Also if people can recognize and follow the rules, it should be much less work for the mods constantly cleaning up peoples discussions in the Gallery.

 

[Mirakledba]

stickG1 - I think its clear that cooling is paramount to you 😉 my keyboard it FINE FOR NOW. its like an INTEX and my mouse is an M325....by logitech. So Im just looking for a final answer here Pick a combo :3

Combo 1: H100i, 120GB EVO SSD, SP120's, G400s or Razer naga hex moba
Combo 2: Dell S2440L monitor, G400s mouse
Combo 3: Big mac with fires 😛


Also be sure to look up my monitor, the acer x223w and tell me if its good enough for a few months. Thanks! Gtg to bed soon.

 

[nutmanmatt]

Good job with this new thread stickg1 thought I would post my build here as well her name is Iris

Case:NZXT H2 classic
motherboard: biostar TA990FXE
CPU:FX-8320 which will be overclocked once I get new thermal paste and cooled with corsair H70
Ram: 8GB DDR3 at 1600mhz
GPU:MSI 7950 OC which is heavily overclocked.
PSU: OZC 750 watt
x2 500GB HDD

She turned out nicely considering almost all of the parts I bought on sale so was actually rather cheap to build.

 

[RussK1]

stickG1 - I think its clear that cooling is paramount to you 😉 my keyboard it FINE FOR NOW. its like an INTEX and my mouse is an M325....by logitech. So Im just looking for a final answer here Pick a combo :3

Combo 1: H100i, 120GB EVO SSD, SP120's, G400s or Razer naga hex moba
Combo 2: Dell S2440L monitor, G400s mouse
Combo 3: Big mac with fires 😛


Also be sure to look up my monitor, the acer x223w and tell me if its good enough for a few months. Thanks! Gtg to bed soon.

I'd pick Combo 1.