Define R4, Haswell, & 760 Build

[AxelPeeters]

Yes, it also matches his colour scheme better, having a random red line in a black and white build wouldn't look too good.

 

I have a blue motherboard (Z77A-GD55) and i was afraid of the red line but it isn't visible...

[wizpig64]

Not at all, thanks for the info.

Strange, though. Guru3D said pretty much the same thing about the ACX version. The descriptions are word-for-word identical...?

Well that link and the one i made are to the same page, so they are identical :P.. However, guru3d does seem to do a lot of copy pasting between their articles, the main differences being the graphs and the short bits pointing out the differences ("this one is Xdb, which is okay"/"this one is Ydb, which is good"). 

 

I'm also considering just getting one strip of Bitfenix Alchemy and seeing how that goes. I wonder if one strip is enough for a good effect.

 

 

 

Here's how i have my lights slapped together (again, not permanent yet), if you want to see how much you'll need:

 

 

And hey I found a metric ruler. that second image has a 5cm grid. it looks like the LEDs are 1.66 cm apart (5/3 cm or 2/3 in), and the window is about 12 by 11 inches (or 30.5x28 cm). Given that the strips need to be cut in multiples of 5cm, I'll probably cut four 30cm pieces, meaning about 18 LEDs per side of the window, meaning 72 in total.

 

According to this bitfenix page, they sell 60cm pieces, so you could get 2 of those and be set. The LEDs are spaced every 2 cm compared to my 1.66, and apparently they go for over $30 each, so yeah that's why i'm going the custom route (my spool was $14) :P

 

I'm hesitant to see how well they stick to the sound dampening material though, that could get tricky.

[wizpig64]

Here's the much cleaner finished product. Still have to work on the switch wiring, but for now this works. 

 

[_wky]

Very nice, that damn book is the only thing stopping you from having a beautiful desk. Not sure how it could be replaced though

[Makaseo]

Here's the much cleaner finished product. Still have to work on the switch wiring, but for now this works. 

 

Jesus, that looks very nice. Well done.

[Makaseo]

Very nice, that damn book is the only thing stopping you from having a beautiful desk. Not sure how it could be replaced though

Haha, maybe it's just personal preference but I think the book gives my desk character. Physics is beautiful.

[_wky]

Haha, maybe it's just personal preference but I think the book gives my desk character. Physics is beautiful.

Fair enough, each to their own

[Makaseo]

Update with CPU cooler and ACX graphics card!

 

Obligatory box shot:

 

 

Graphics card replacement:

 

 

The reference-style blower cooler of the other EVGA card had that faint grinding noise that both Linus and Anandtech mentioned (and that I ignored) and it eventually drove me nuts. Returned it for a refund and got myself the stock clock 760 with the ACX cooler instead. Much quieter. A bit of coil whine during high-load, high-fps stress like DJMax Trilogy or the Windows Experience evaluation, but with proper 3D games it's completely fine and very quiet. I miss the white of the old card, but the ACX card doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. Goes very well with the mobo and the RAM.

 

The Xigmatekdarkknighttwonighthawkedition:

 

 

Not a huge fan of the backplate. Pro: it's sturdy plastic. Con: it's sturdy plastic.

 

 

Fitted with two SP120 quiet editions. I still can't hear any of my components above the sound of my Caviar Blue drive. Just to put this rant out there--the mounting system works brilliantly once installed, but getting the rubber hooks through the rubber grommets of the fans was a royal pain. I got told off by a few people who said I could have just taken off the grommets, but then it wouldn't have looked as bloody nice, now would it? I hope I never have to replace the fans on this thing.

 

 

Was worried about the RAM clearance, but there's plenty of room even for slots 2 and 4 if I wanted to add more DIMMs. Completely a non-issue, at least with this motherboard.

 

 

Finished (blurry) picture. I know I sacrificed a bit of my initial black-and-white zeal, but overall I'm actually extremely happy with how it turned out. I took a lot of the advice you guys gave and removed the HDD tray once I got the CPU cooler on with white fans. Not as much white as before, but I'd say there's just enough now with a lot more of that nice gray/silver as well. Much stealthier. Much sexier.

 

 

I think the only thing I'd ever realistically spend more money on would be sleeved extension cables for CPU, GPU, and 24pin, and an SSD to replace my boot drive. MAYBE a better PSU, but I've had absolutely no trouble with this one so far. It's fairly silent when my Caviar Blue drive turns off after idling, but that drive makes a proper racket when it's on.

 

Update: I just discovered the 760 ACX backplate from EVGA. Just take all my moneydollars...

[wizpig64]

Looking good! Here's a quick update for mine:

 

http://i.imgur.com/67ulD56.jpg

 

All the parts are in, although eventually i'm going SLI, so I guess the build is complete. Happy to report the gigabyte cooler is pretty quiet, only really noticeable at 100% (stress test) loads, unless my speakers are off.

[Makaseo]

Looking good! Here's a quick update for mine:

 

http://i.imgur.com/67ulD56.jpg

 

All the parts are in, although eventually i'm going SLI, so I guess the build is complete. Happy to report the gigabyte cooler is pretty quiet, only really noticeable at 100% (stress test) loads, unless my speakers are off.

 

Nice. The gigabyte card looks pretty beast. That monstrous cooler makes everything else look so puny!

[wizpig64]

Nice. The gigabyte card looks pretty beast. That monstrous cooler makes everything else look so puny!

I know! the r4 is huge, but the cooler is like half an inch away from the top HDD rack.

[Exotath]

These are both very nice builds guys. Good work.

I may copy your LED light around the window idea, pretty solid work there.

[DJ46]

How's the CX500M? I am planning to buy one soon. Is it quiet enough? How is it running the GTX760 with a Haswell CPU?

Amazing build btw, looks great.

[JanusBananus]

This may sound kinda silly, but until I get more white accents inside, I like how the white hard drive trays look :D And unless I'm horribly mistaken, it allows enough airflow for my current stock clocks.

 

Would getting a pair of the SP120 quiet editions be good enough for the H100i?

If you want more white accents then get the Noiseblocker eloop b12-ps. It's a great quiet fan, it also looks really good in my opinion.

[CJPowell27]

I was looking at the H100i, but I've heard it's quite loud... I'm trying to keep my build as silent as possible. Would you happen to know if this is true?

I have one and I can't hear it at all

[Makaseo]

How's the CX500M? I am planning to buy one soon. Is it quiet enough? How is it running the GTX760 with a Haswell CPU?

Amazing build btw, looks great.

 

Thanks!

The PSU works just fine for me. I've gotten comments and advice saying I should upgrade to a more high-quality brand like XFX or SeaSonic later, which I might do, but so far I haven't had any problems with it. I can't hear it at all, either, it never gets hot enough to have the fan spin up.