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[WIP] Frostbite's Blood | Prodigy M | R9 280x

Lost2Frostbite
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Frostbite's Blood

 

   Hello, this is my very first PC build and I am so excited for this. I did based my build around the Bitfenix Prodigy M due to the fact that I absolutely hate cheap cases with crazy edges and never having a clean look. By no means is this going to be an over the top water cooled build with custom everything design but it will be sufficient for my needs, modern and most of all clean. This is obviously a gaming rig but I will peruse to buy more ram and upgrade for more heavy task, such as 3D work and AutoCAD when I get out of college and start working. At first this will be a simple build but when Christmas comes around I do plan on modding (more on that later). I am switching from an Xbox 360 and I played over 600 hours on battlefield with it, so this is mainly for BF4 (thus the R9 280x). The color scheme will be White and Red, which has an effect on my choices of parts but barely. Let's get started with the components.

 

 

Components:

CPU: Intel Core i5 4670k   Have 

MOBO: Asus Gryphon Z87 Micro-ATX LGA1150   Have 

RAM:  G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 2x4GB DDR3-1600   Have 

Storage: -Kingston SSDNow V300 series 120GB   Have 

                -WD Blue 320GB   Have 

                -Hitachi Deskstar 320GB   Have

GPU: Powercooler R9 280x   Have 

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy M Artic White   Have 

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750 80+ Bronze 750W Semi-Modular   Have

OS: Windows 8.1   Have

 

Here is a link to the full list with PCpartpicker inclunding the prices I paid (which by the way is the main reason I am here).

 

 

Choices: 

   In this section I will simply go over the parts chosen. The description will include why these parts were chosen for budget, accommodation, color and purpose reasons. I researched these parts for well over 2 months and compared them may others and also learning of other peoples experiences with the case. 

 

CPU: This is obviously a no brainer, ideal spot for gaming. I could of gone with an AMD CPU (and probably would of preferred to when on a budget) but the Micro-ATX motherboards for socket FM3+ are atrocious. This CPU is also favorable for future applications I plan on using. For the time being i will not be overclocking just yet (But i will buy an after party heat sink for it later check the modding section). 

 

MOBO: This is motherboard has all my requirements, SLI or Crossfire, simple levels of RAID support and the latest socket for a reasonable price. My only inconveniences with this board would be the ram speed but 1866 is enough for my needs and the future so its not too bad. The best part bout the board is the kit you can buy separately which i will paint white (to match the upcoming modding color scheme) using Vinyl Dye.

 

RAM: These ram sticks are good looking but I would of liked having the 1866 version when they were on sale but I missed them so these will do fine for now. They are good looking heat sink but I might end up ripping the stickers off them for the cleaner look I am seeking. I will be upgrading buy purchasing the same ones or the 16GB versions later on. 

 

Storage: Originally I planned on getting an Samsung EVO drive but they were a bit too much. This SSD is my first EVER! so I am not used to extremes speeds yet. I will probably end up buying a second one when they come on sale again to set up a RAID 0 config. The two other 320GB drives are salvage from old computers. The Western Digital will be the main storage drive and the other one (which I assume is less reliable) will be coming in and out of my case for monthly backups. 

 

GPU: As mentioned before I will be playing a lot of of BF4 meaning a AMD card is favorable for this game and for my price range the R9 280x is perfect. I am looking forward to Mantle. On the Nvidia side I would of settled for a 770 or more but the prices are over 300$ and i'm looking at just that price point or less. I will also paint the cover for the after market cooler of the card to match the red and white look. But if had the money i would of gone with this beauty, that PCB!

 

Case: I fell in love with the original prodigy but I was also considering a Fractal Define R4 White and the Corsair 350D. Sadly the Fractal was to big for my accommodation and the corsair was black. The design and look of this case is clean and modern and just plain out simple. I have a grudge against most computer cases out there, you can have crappy internal components but a case is always visible no matter what, so please people invest a bit more in a decent and functional case.

 

PSU: This power supply is the sweet spot for every thing I needed except 80+ Gold would of been the cherry on top. I needed a semi or fully modular psu for the case and a short enough one too. The cable inserts are also conveniently positioned to not interfere with the GPU which I know has been a problem in these Bitfenix cases. It is a 750W psu which I know is a little overkill for just my simple set up but it does mean it will stay cool and quiet. I do plan on getting sleeved cable when modding comes around.

 

OS: The windows 8 version is weird but it is good for gaming and up to date with security so I don't mind it. I do plan on having Classic Shell so I'm to worried about finding my way around the OS.

 

 

Future (Modding): 

  Stay tuned for this topic around Christmas, this is when I plan on making everything pretty inside and out. This section will just develop my ideas for simple mods and the parts I plan to use. Over all the modding will be simple (budget) and clean, nothing crazy just yet (it is my first build).

 

First order of business is a cpu cooler, period. I will get this one or it's matching white brother, basically which ever is on sale around the holidays. I did not just pick this cooler for it's looks, it does perform close to the Noctua NH D14 I believe. On top of that it is also quiet at only 20dB similar to the Noctua, which i would much appreciate. 

 

Second is the cables, I will buy (sorry I don't have time or patience to sleeves, and even if I did it would only be for one build over the course of a couple years) white and red colored ones from any company really (please don't hesitate to recommend me one based on your experience with them in terms of quality). 

 

Third is painting, I will use red and white vinyl dye to paint the motherboard kit and the GPU cover. I do plan on buying the NZXT Hue and painting that white and the grill red. 

 

Last but probably first of all is a side window. The window will only show the motherboard surface and hide the PSU and the drive bay with the Hue ( which I will shorten buy sawing of the back). The window will be made using a sheet of clear acrylic from Lowe's. 

 

I might also buy quiet and white colored fans to add to the build instead of the stock ones.

 

The Build and Update:

   This is it, it will update as I receive components and update as regularly as possible with loads of pictures (Sadly I do not own professional cameras but the pictures should be adequate and better than the typical phone pictures). I will also list the updates in a list to avoid having to scroll trough every comment or page.

 

Update 1

Update 2

Update 3

Update 4

Update 5

Update 6

Update 7

Update 8

Update 9

 

Thank You for reading and I hope you enjoy this as much as I will ;)

 

Lost2Frostbite

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UPDATE 1:

 

  I received my PSU and my case in the past few days. As far as the case goes I took out the side drive holder and place the bottom fan on top as an intake (drives at the bottom mean I will not be utilizing that airflow). I also came to the conclusion that the ventilation holes of the front and bottom could be used a zip-tie holders for cable management.

 

post-43171-0-55103300-1386347272_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-04223900-1386347275_thumb.j

 

Here is the fan moved to the top because I am using the bottom for drives.

post-43171-0-08986300-1386347278_thumb.j

 

This is how much space you have for cables running on the bottom of the case behind the drives. 

post-43171-0-01221400-1386347283_thumb.j

 

I like the idea of rubber grommets to prevent vibrations but these are not that good, but the drives are secured. 

post-43171-0-49858900-1386347286_thumb.j

 

I will be using the ventilation holes in the front and bottom of the case to run zip ties for cable management. I will receive my motherboard today but the processor and ram haven't shipped yet (Newegg.com is overwhelmed or I am just unlucky).

 

Thanks for reading. 

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Update 2:

 

   I received everything except the RAM and CPU which got delayed by newegg due to Black Friday. I expect to have every component by friday and hopefully I'll be able to build then. The GPU is surprisingly lighter than I taught it would be and I am am just too exited for this build to be up and running. 

 

Thanks for reading. 

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Nice "ordered & have" thing ya got there ;)

Intel i5 3570K || Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FE || 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz || ASRock Z77 Pro 3 || WD Caviar Blue 1TB || Noctua NH-U12S || Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX Sound Card || Fractal Define R4 || Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I REV 4.2 Wireless Network Card

ASUS VC239H Monitor || Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Red || Logitech G Pro || Philips SHP9500 w/ V-MODA BoomPro Mic || Reflex Lab Pro 36 Heavy Mouse Pad || Google Nexus 6P 128GB

 

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Nice "ordered & have" thing ya got there ;)

Thanks, everybody was doing it but in small print and light colors I could never see. Thus my heavy and colorful print :)

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Thanks, everybody was doing it but in small print and light colors I could never see. Thus my heavy and colorful print :)

I do that to :)

Intel i5 3570K || Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FE || 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz || ASRock Z77 Pro 3 || WD Caviar Blue 1TB || Noctua NH-U12S || Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX Sound Card || Fractal Define R4 || Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I REV 4.2 Wireless Network Card

ASUS VC239H Monitor || Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Red || Logitech G Pro || Philips SHP9500 w/ V-MODA BoomPro Mic || Reflex Lab Pro 36 Heavy Mouse Pad || Google Nexus 6P 128GB

 

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I was hopping to see your build complete before mine to help me actually ;)

hehe, Christmas it will be relatively close!

Intel i5 3570K || Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FE || 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz || ASRock Z77 Pro 3 || WD Caviar Blue 1TB || Noctua NH-U12S || Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX Sound Card || Fractal Define R4 || Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I REV 4.2 Wireless Network Card

ASUS VC239H Monitor || Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Red || Logitech G Pro || Philips SHP9500 w/ V-MODA BoomPro Mic || Reflex Lab Pro 36 Heavy Mouse Pad || Google Nexus 6P 128GB

 

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hehe, Christmas it will be relatively close!

Sweet! I'm expecting to build this friday. Best case scenario. 

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Sweet! I'm expecting to build this friday. Best case scenario. 

Well, good luck and have fun!

Intel i5 3570K || Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FE || 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz || ASRock Z77 Pro 3 || WD Caviar Blue 1TB || Noctua NH-U12S || Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX Sound Card || Fractal Define R4 || Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I REV 4.2 Wireless Network Card

ASUS VC239H Monitor || Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Red || Logitech G Pro || Philips SHP9500 w/ V-MODA BoomPro Mic || Reflex Lab Pro 36 Heavy Mouse Pad || Google Nexus 6P 128GB

 

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Holy crud, dat red PCB. I would seriously cry if i had received that. Good luck with the rest of the build though.

Yeah and the back plate makes it so sterdy and so so nice!

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Update 4: 

 

Finished! Here are some pictures of the end product and cable management. Enjoy ;)

 

One of the best feelings!

post-43171-0-06586600-1387127371_thumb.j

 

To install windows I borrowed and CD player (too lazy to make a boot key, it drives me nuts every time)

post-43171-0-16172200-1387127378_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-68049300-1387127385_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-36029800-1387127390_thumb.j

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Nice rig! Eager to see the end product after the modding. :D

If you regard my facts as wrong, feel free to rectify it.

——————————————————————————

If you regard my opinions as wrong, feel free to ignore it.

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looking good!

Intel i5 3570K || Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FE || 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz || ASRock Z77 Pro 3 || WD Caviar Blue 1TB || Noctua NH-U12S || Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX Sound Card || Fractal Define R4 || Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I REV 4.2 Wireless Network Card

ASUS VC239H Monitor || Corsair Strafe Cherry MX Red || Logitech G Pro || Philips SHP9500 w/ V-MODA BoomPro Mic || Reflex Lab Pro 36 Heavy Mouse Pad || Google Nexus 6P 128GB

 

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Nice rig! Eager to see the end product after the modding. :D

Christmas or more sorry :/

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Christmas or more sorry :/

That's okay, I don't mind waiting.

If you regard my facts as wrong, feel free to rectify it.

——————————————————————————

If you regard my opinions as wrong, feel free to ignore it.

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Nice rig! I used to have that mouse (got a Razer Taipan because it matched my Blackwidow) probably by far the best mouse that you can buy form under $30 you honestly don't need anything better.

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Update 5:

 

Here we go! I'm back for a small update. I purchased this fan which is 140mm and so quiet for my exhaust and used the two provided with the case as intakes on the top. Hurray more airflow and low noise. During the break I will most likely begin the window mod and that is all, thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.

 

post-43171-0-57595800-1387815205_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-15952100-1387815216_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-33623900-1387815224_thumb.j

 

That cable looks amazing, it's so well done you don't even see a cable until you look closely at the fan motor were they split inside. 

 

post-43171-0-86587800-1387815232_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-54643100-1387815241_thumb.j

 

post-43171-0-68536400-1387815249_thumb.j

 

The two 120mm Bitfenix  fans at the top for intake.

 

post-43171-0-05999100-1387815257_thumb.j

 

Cable management was not bad (sorry if you can't see too well). 

 

post-43171-0-36202500-1387815265_thumb.j

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