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Neptune; The One and Only

Rising
By Rising
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Welcome to my first ever build, Neptune!

Thanks to @Rumikarimu for the banner :D


[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/69cCCJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/69cCCJ/by_merchant/)


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/69cCCJ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/69cCCJ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.98 @ Fry's)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Blue) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($19.99 @ G2A)
Total: $553.91

Not bad for a budget!




POST 1:

kpePyxc.jpg
Name Reasoning:
The idea to name it Neptune came from the Blue color of the case, the futuristic look of the prodigy with it's bowed handles, and the purple or blue (it changes) glow emitting from the window. ontop of this i have always had a love for ancient roman civilization, and Neptune is the god of the ocean. (water cooling coming later :D)! JEgu6J2.jpg

Components and Reasoning:
The spec sheet is listed below. i bought the MSI z87I to get the onboard wifi, which is greatly needed as i have no way to run a chord to my computer where it sits. All of the components were chosen to be black to match the inside theme. originally i had a Hyper T4 heat-sink but it did not fit, so currently i am using the stock heat-sink until i can afford water-cooling. I have 2 strips of logysis RGB LED lighting, on the right and top of the case for illumination. (dog not included!)mLbkTKa.jpguS6geN6.jpg

Mods:
I am considering painting the case to look more "Spacey" and match the theme, possibly a purple. custom loops are also a consideration even though completely unnecesary and basicly a waste of money for this low-end of a system. Also, as you will see later, there is an empty space above my hard drive bay that looks bland. i would like to think of some way to make this look better and less boring, so any ideas would be great as i am stumped. Currently i plan to buy the MSI R9 270X ITX GPU. however it is red, and i would like to re-paint it to be blue and look like this: (photoshopped version) HbjEwbw.jpg

Performance:
So far the only noise coming from the machine is the stock heatsink, so it is fairly quiet. I can get 25 FPS on Unigine heaven, ultra 720P. That sounds horrible but considering i have no GPU, and compared to my old laptop which ran about 8 FPS 720P Low, it is pretty good :D

Future Upgrades:
My current plan is: MSI ITX R9 270X ---> one more 4gb hyperx fury edition Ram (black) ---> a 64gb A-data SSD for booting Windows and a game or two ----> a AIO or custom loop to reduce noise and increase cooling, as well as a few fans to spread around the case.


TL;DR:
Neptune has been in limbo for awhile, switching between parts. I finally got around to purchasing everything and putting it together. This is an upgrade from my old laptop (Lenovo 570) that I used to game on. Total i only spent around $400 because i bought most of the components during sales. i plan to continually upgrade this over the next year and do slight modding, and possibly overclocking :D i hope you all enjoy this build as much i do, and all feedback is appreciated!
Specs:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hq9Bzy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hq9Bzy/by_merchant/

POST 2:
HoaI2UG.jpgi6tSQvz.jpggnHhahu.jpg

Post 3:

Wahoo! Drilled holes in the window for airflow:

IsYPcJF.jpg 

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Posted

Dog pics, doooo it!

Do not  as I  do, and  not  as I say. Instead do as you may..

 

HSS Revenir: CPU=i7 5960x @4.5GHz Heatsink=Corsair H100i MOBO=ROG Rampage 5 RAM=Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB @3000MHz SSD=Corsair Neutron GTX 480GB GPU=R9 295x2 PSU=Corsair AX1500i OS=Windows 7 Ultimate

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Posted
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Screw the build... MORE DOG PICTURES.

 

 

Dog pics, doooo it!

I might sneak in a random dog picture in several of the following posts and see who notices ;)

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Cable Management: I was actually surprised when doing this, i figured it would be very difficult do to the Prodigy's internal layout, and all ITX cases for that matter. However i managed to roll my 6-pin connector and other GPU required chords to the right of the power supply, and they can be unrolled when i purchase a video card. Also the back is pre-managed to have an SSD or another hard-drive added. i feel proud of what i managed to do, but i'm sure i could improve.

 

Front:

T1ecslC.jpg

Back: (probably not the best)

RIZcTeL.jpg

Extra:

ovarm2l.jpg 

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Different colors below!

0X4Nx1j.jpg

nOeVkxz.jpg

not so hidden dog:

 mbUisNS.jpg

womwUvH.jpg

VPLotXi.jpg

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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you should have had a slightly cheaper motherboard, and 8gb ram.

The motherboard was on sale, so it was cheaper than many others, and i needed the Wifi. Also another 4gb stick of Ram is coming soon as this build is no were close to finished :D

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Do i need the dog to replicate this build? 

Our Grace. The Feathered One. He shows us the way. His bob is majestic and shows us the path. Follow unto his guidance and His example. He knows the one true path. Our Saviour. Our Grace. Our Father Birb has taught us with His humble heart and gentle wing the way of the bob. Let us show Him our reverence and follow in His example. The True Path of the Feathered One. ~ Dimboble-dubabob III

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Posted

very nice, i also have a blue case :P

 

recommend a semi modular psu or full modular. and a 120 gig SSD for windows is better as leaves room for applications, updates, basic programes etc.

got to love Asus components

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Do i need the dog to replicate this build? 

I would think so. If you don't have the dog it won't be as paw-some

 

very nice, i also have a blue case :P

 

recommend a semi modular psu or full modular. and a 120 gig SSD for windows is better as leaves room for applications, updates, basic programes etc.

Sadly with my PSU budget it was either a 430W Semi-modular or the 600W non-modular. i decided the extra watts was worth the sacrifice, so i got a non-modular PSU, especially if i need more Watts later on in a different build.

 

Do you have any recommendations for an SSD? I've read that Adata tend to be good, and Intel are not as fast but extremely reliable, also thanks for the tips.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Hey guys, so my lighting strips only provide a strong and illuminating color for base Red Green and Blue. as you can see below the red glow lights up the entire case. currently i have it glowing purple, and from an angle it appears the purple does the same. However when you view it from the side, you can clearly see the side panel is still blue, (unlike the red glow). do you think this could be fixed by painting the inside side panel black or another color? any other ideas?

womwUvH.jpgkpePyxc.jpg

ovtjrBx.jpg

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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You sir, are a cable management wizard. I just build my first PC in July in an NZXT Source 210 Window and I can't even cable manage that good even in my mid tower... great job and I look forward to updates. Will definitely send this to my friend who is building an $800-$1000 build in an orange Prodigy.

 

Link to my build here: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/HtgLrH#img=1

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/HtgLrH

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You sir, are a cable management wizard. I just build my first PC in July in an NZXT Source 210 Window and I can't even cable manage that good even in my mid tower... great job and I look forward to updates. Will definitely send this to my friend who is building an $800-$1000 build in an orange Prodigy.

 

Link to my build here: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/HtgLrH#img=1

thanks ^_^

also Your cable management may not be great but damn, that whole setup on your desk looks clean with the red and white. especially with the black contrast of your PC!

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Update:

I plan to plasti-dip the interior of the case, to have a blue outside and an all black inside. if i get around to it this weekend i'll have pictures of how it goes and how the build looks now.

i've done some extra cable management and the back looks alot neater, but i need to rip it apart when i get the GPU.

I should have the graphics card by the end of this month. Nothing is official but i'm still planning on getting a 270 or 270x, and if i have to i'll dip down to a 750Ti as the performance difference realistically isn't to devastating. There is a high likely hood i'll have to re-paint part of the card to be blue apposed to the MSI red, so stay tuned for that.

I'm also getting a fan controller to neaten some cables up, maybe add a few corsair SP120's in the top and the front.

once i finally decide on an LED placement i'll hot glue them down. for now they are loosely held by scotch-tape below the window for a purple under glow. The RGB strips I'm using are not that powerful and don't emit a vivid purple(it looks dull), so I may have to buy some new ones.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Should I buy corsair SP 120 fans with blue rings or corsair AF 120 with a purple LED's? holding out on buying a fan. if i do i'll simply get one rear exhaust fan (Corsair purple LED), but i'd like to get a 140mm AIO.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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  • 3 weeks later...
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MSI R9 270X ITX is purchased, i'll be changing it from red to blue and putting up pictures when it arrives :D! i didn't spend much for it either, sold the never settle games to a friend and got the price down to around $70 from the original $140 sale price!

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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more dog pics please!

I might as well just re-name my build as: the hound.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Alright guys the GPU has arrived! I will post more tomorrow. when i can, still taking pictures and working out if i want to make the red blue or not..

wuWzoe7.jpg

87iEXfj.jpg

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Cable management took a bit. one of the maiun reasons i was hesitant about getting a 270 is that i didn't want to see any chords hanging down and looking disgusting. but i took the dive and bought one anyways. i'm glad i did so becuase i managed to bend the cables in such a way that it doesn't bend down, it appears to come straight out of the top of the case! this is by far my proudest cable-management achievement. as you can see in the photos i have the 8-pin chord running along the back wall and the top of the case, so it is out of sight.

HoaI2UG.jpg

86fKqH3.jpg

gnHhahu.jpg

c9Yqs21.jpg

 

with such a thick GPU, it is overheating.. the window is suffocating the card like no other. i may have to drill slits in the window to get airflow, but for now the side panel is staying off.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Just did a quick mod to see how it would look blue. thoughts? keep it as red or blue?

q8CTr9Z.jpgjYe0hQz.jpg

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

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Posted

To fill the empty space, if you're really desperate put a nice filled reservoir in there. It would look good and be ready when you add a water loop. That's if you want to waste money though.

Current Mod - 

Current Rig (8K render server) - 

 

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/577653-8k-real-time-render-server-for-500-watercooled-upgrade-log-pictures/

 

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