Mah New PC!

[Hubris]

Hey guys,

So after many months of Jewish contemplation and careful penny gathering, I finally put through my order for new a new computer! It did cost me a pretty penny, but thankfully careful cash-flow planning has put my mind at relative ease. I'm sure I could've knocked a bit more off the price if I had really shopped around, but my current PC is really showing signs of imminent death and I got a decent-ish price from my supplier considering my impatience.

I've had my current computer for almost five years now and it saw me through MANY hours of 2142, BC2 and the hundred or so other games I tried in-between. As you may already know, I've been having major overheating problems with my CPU cores typically running around 70-80C and my GPU around 70C idle. When I log into BC2 and turn on the torture with my floor fan blasting away, I can't help but think one day I will be found killed by component shrapnel all in the name of low graphics.

I really wanted to buy the new architecture and have dual GPU capability to ensure that I have a good rig for running Battlefield 3 and at least one huge title after that. I also wanted to make sure I don't get overheating problems again and finally enjoy my games on high-ish graphics. I'm not sure how far my new rig will take me in terms of graphics and potential overheating with BF3, but I'm pretty confident it should be sufficient :hmmm: Any speculations would be much appreciated!

My plan is to get the components put together by my supplier and then add my current 750W Corsair power supply (I'm praying it will be enough for all these fans!!) and DVD drive to the new rig. I have to wait about a week for delivery and I guess I'll spend a night drooling over, loading software and testing. I don't really have a plan with my old computer, but I'm happy to donate my old components or the entire system to someone IN THE CLAN who needs it. Give me a shout if you're interested and let's talk about getting you the bits you need.

My old rig:

NVIDIA GTX 8800 - quite beat up but surprisingly resilient given the torture I've put it through.
Gigabyte 2004 RZ Series Motherboard (GA-8S661FXM) - quite old now, but I've never had any problems with it.
Intel Core2 Quad-core CPU @ 2.4GHZ - Works like a dream, but I think the thermal paste might need re-application.
4GB RAM - I'm not exactly sure what type.
Razer Copperhead laser mouse - left click is slightly faulty - that's my spray and pray coming through :crackup:
I plan to move my current hard drive (250GB) into my new rig as a backup, but I suppose it's available too if someone is desperate.

My new rig: :jig: I've included pictures where I could.

Thermaltake Armor A60 Black Edition Tower Chassis (5 fans, USB 3)
Seagate ST32000641AS Barracuda XT 2TB SATA3 6GB/s 7200rpm (2TB HDD)
Intel Core i7-2600K Quad-Core LGA1155 3.4GHz Boxed Processor (Sandybridge CPU, fan)
Asus P8P67 Pro LGA1155 DDR3 (New B3 Sandybridge) SLI/CrossFireX (Sandybridge MOBO - USB 3)
Asus ENGTX570/2DI/1280MD5 Geforce GTX570 1280MB GDDR5 320-bit PC (NVIDIA GTX570 GPU, fan)
Corsair CMP8GX3M4A1600C8 Dominator 4x2GB DDR3-1600 1.65v CL8 Des (8GB RAM, fan)

http://www.prophecy.co.za/images/87329_526.jpg

http://www.prophecy.co.za/images/88039_660.jpg

http://www.prophecy.co.za/images/84185_302.jpg

http://www.thermaltake.com/db/Editor/Assets/VM20001W2Z/cooling.jpg

I also have a 22" Samsung monitor, Razer Mamba mouse and a Steelseries SS headset. So that's the whole shabang! If you want any specific details or have any good advice about the new components, please let me know. Looking forward to unpacking this baby!!

[SlipperyDuck]

E P I C ! ! !

[J_Th4ng]

That is one sweet looking component list!! I was going to say that you should rather get a CoolerMaster Chassis, but looking at the website for the Thermaltake Armor A60 Black Edition, it looks like a very nice case to build into. The only thing that looks to be missing is routing holes to run your cables behind the motherboard tray. Hopefully you can still find a way to run your cabling this way, it makes for a much tidier build, and significantly improved airflow.

Love the Sandy Bridge CPU - unlocked multiplier for serious overclocking capability too. Should be an eipc PC, and able to handle any current game with ease, and decent future performance too.

[Phatso]

Absolutely gorgeous dude. Congrats and may it help you pwn the good pwning for years to come.

I would REALLY go for a nice LED with that set up now.. You need to reward your rig ;)

Get the 24" Samsung LED : http://www.take2.co.za/electronics-samsung-bx2450-24-inch-wide-led-monitor-5000000-1-7788108.html

Such a gorgeous monitor.. and for under R2k, a killer bargain.

ENJOY IT DUDE :D

[NoMaD]

are you on drugs! you have a 22-23" monitor! NOOB! i feel you should get some sweet gaming in with this bad boy! :hooray:

[NiteShade]

Very nice! :jig:

I heard its not good to install Windoze on a large drive. Didn't Eggman suffer from this?
"They" suggest getting a smaller drive to install windows and use the 2TB drive for storage.

Could be wrong - I'm not a hardware guru.

[Hubris]

Cool thanks for the comments and suggestions guys! I'm stoked :drunk2:

[Paul]

I hope it breaks the first day

Joking, nice one dude. It is one of those prize moments gamers treasure, getting a new fully loaded PC.

[flycatchr]

Very nice! :jig:

I heard its not good to install Windoze on a large drive. Didn't Eggman suffer from this?
"They" suggest getting a smaller drive to install windows and use the 2TB drive for storage.

Could be wrong - I'm not a hardware guru.
i have heard that two disks, 1 for windooz and other for games etc is a good idea. i should do it too, might begin end of the month.

[NoMaD]

ya maybe get a small SSD for faster load times...

http://www.prophecy.co.za/corsair-cssdf40gbp2brkt-force-40gb-sata2-p-79912.html

[J_Th4ng]

SSD FTBW!!

If your budget stretches to it, I'd definitely recommend an SSD drive. it's the most noticeable upgrade that you can put into your PC. It makes everything go faster :)

Just make sure that whatever SSD you get has TRIM support under Windows 7.

Agreed that you should try and have a separate drive for installing Windows onto. If you can't afford an SSD, get a high speed mechanical drive.

[Thor_23]

Has anyone seen these hybrid SSD ?

Are they anygood?

http://www.prophecy.co.za/seagate-st95005620as-momentus-500gb-open-year-warranty-p-89088.html

Isn't the HD he is getting a Hybrid drive ?

[Hubris]

Hey Ion,

http://www.prophecy.co.za/seagate-st32000641as-barracuda-sata3-6gbs-7200rpm-p-87912.html

Think thats the right one - not hybrid as far as I understand.

Maybe a solid state one day when I actually have a solid job...

[Thor_23]

doesnt look like your drive is only the mechanical drive.
Dif is the one I looked at was a momentus and yours is a barracuda.... both XT drives

Still like to know how these hybrid drives perform as they don't exactly specify....

I am also starting to look at a faster os drive .....

[Thor_23]

just as a FYI,

here is a review of the hybrid drives:

http://storagemojo.com/2010/05/24/seagate-gets-hybrid-ssdhdd-right/

Not as good as a SSD but there is differences, would like to see a gaming review tho, how would these compare to say a raptor?

[Stu]

Hubi awesome rig dude! the brilliance of smelling new hardware ahhh....

Let us know how the build goes and some completed photo's.

[Hubris]

Will definitely take some photos :)

As far as I know, they assembled today and it all went ahead without problems.

They will test and check cooling tomorrow and I should have it on Friday.

[SlipperyDuck]

Them Varmiz be Heroz ja see!

Epic - you gonna sweesh on and go ZOMG Holy Hat stubble batman, this here thingz be faster than coyote in ol mad dogs pig race!

[NoMaD]

PHOTOS HUBRIS YOU PHAG!