Alien0227's Obsession

[alien0227]

Hi Folks,

 

Big fan of LinusTechTips on YouTube and I thought I would share the rig that Linus and Team helped me build via their videos.  This is actually my 2nd build.  My first build is being used by my Wife and now has Apple Mountain Lion running through it's veins, it's a Hackintosh.  My new build though is Windows 7, PC all the way.  So here are the Specs:

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core, currently at 4.2 MHz

CPU Cooler: XSPC Raystorm with XSPC RX-360 Rad and 750 BayRes R2

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 using XMP 1866 profile

Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" SSD used for Windows 7 OS, Microsoft Office Suite & other crucial software AND  OCZ Vertex 3 120GB 2.5" SSD as a scratch disk

2 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM, one used for data, the other for back-ups

Video Card: 2 x MSI  Twin Frozer III Radeon HD 7870 2GB in CrossFireX, slight overclock to 1150 MHz on the Core while gaming.

Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower

Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W ATX12V / EPS12V

Optical Drive: LG CH12LS28 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

Monitors: 3 X Acer S231HLbid 23.0" mounted on Inland triple stand and running with EyeFinity

Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K90

Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M60 Wired Laser

Lighting: NZXT HUE & NZXT 1 meter Blue LED Strip

Fans: 4 X Corsair AF 140s, 2 NZXT 140s, 3 XSPC 120s and 3 Corsair SP 120s on Rad.

Headset: Corsair Vengeance 1500 wired headset, love this thing

 

I wanted to build a PC that would last me a good 5 years without upgrading much.  I can see now that the video cards probably will be good for modern games for maybe a couple years.  Linus did warn me in his past videos about "Future Proofing"...  :)

 

I'm a Realtor and I store a lot of documents, hence the large 2TB HDD with a seperate dedicated 2TB back-up drive.  I'm also a huge fan of iRacing and I wanted a "No Holds Bared" rig to sim race with.

 

I Started this build with a Corsair H100 CPU cooler but I wanted better, quieter cooling for later when I needed more performance from the CPU and needed to serioulsy overclock the thing.  I can't imagine that for a least 3 years, this CPU has more gonads than I can use right now.  So I went with the XSPC Raystorm 750 RX360 Water Cooling Kit with the latest stock pump revision.  That pump developped a loud noise within 10 days when one of the clear locking tabs that hold the impeller housing in came loose.  Got it out of the impeller housing and it is now so quiet I can't hear it over my radiator fans that have been undervolted to 7 volts.  As I write this, the ambient temp in the room is about 25 Celcius and the CPU temp is 30 degrees Celcius.  I have not seen higher than 60 degrees Celcius running OCCT after 15 minutes with the CPU at mild 4.2 MHz overclock.

 

My MSI TwinFrozer III HD 7870 GPUs have been flawless and AMD keeps updating the drivers and soon will have even better drivers to help with CrossFireX in EyeFinity issues as discovered by PcPer.com. Highest temp I've seen running Far Cry3 is 72 degrees Celcius ater 2 hours of gaming in EyeFinity on the top card. After 2 hours of iRacing I see 68 degrees Celcius max.

 

 

My NZXT Switch 810 case is a JOY to work with an build in, I can't imagine needing much more than this case, I just LOVE that case.  I cut out a portion of the bottom of what used to be the 5.5" top optical bay so that the XSPC RX360 Radiator could be mounted so the in/out openings were at the front of the case so that I could have shorter VISIBLE tubing runs and also to add a cut-out for the 750 BayRes fill port.  Color in the tubing is from the coolant which is temporary.  Chime in with what color you think I should go with in the future, I'm undecided...

 

I had to call NZXT and ask for a new front panel when I noticed the clear window wasn't so clear and had areas in it that were kind of blurry.  NZXT was awesome and sent me a new panel under warranty.  The new panel looks perfect and I'm using the old panel as the case's back panel! It works! Just turn it upside down and the door latch fits right in and so do the thumbscrew fasteners!  Somebody at NZXT was thinking!  So now I have to exercise good cable management because in this case you can see IT!  I've highlighted the back of the case now with NZXT's 1 meter Blue LED lighting strip.

 

 

I took out the bottom "Hot Swap" drive mount and installed the Blu-Ray player in that space and installed the scratch disk OCZ Vertex III on the motherboard's #2 SATA III slot.  By Scratch disk I mean the SSD I throw my non-essential utilities on like OCCT, benchmark utilities and trial software on.

 

 

The old optical bay is now occupied with my NZXT HUE and Surprise! Surprise! The HUE is locked in with the stock case mechanism and fits just a bit recessed so that I can install the case's stock white front plate cover!!! I am really happy about that, I did  not want to break up the white front of the case. That leads me to why I covered the XSPC BayRes with white "Carbon Fiber" film.  I cut out the XSPC silver and black logo so it is still visible, I like the look.

 

I also covered my ThermalTake Smart M Series 850 watt PSU with the white carbon fiber for easthetics, I actually like the PSU and for $100 I find it to be an excellent value. Have not heard it's fan ever, it is very quiet, semi-modular with flat cables and has not skipped a beat.  5 Year warranty does not hurt either. I recommend this PSU at this time.

 

I covered the Switch 810's "motherboard tray" if you can call it that and i thought it cleaned it up for a smoother look.  The XSPC RX360 Radiator also got the White Carbon Fiber film treatment as did my CrossFireX bridge.

 

Top 5 best values in my opinion in this build were:

XSPC Raystorm 750 RX360 Water Cooling Kit from NCIX-US at $154.00 shipped!

Intel 3770K CPU from my local TigerDirect at $259

ThermalTake Smart Power 850 watt PSU for $109 less $20 rebate, $89 final

OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD from my local TigerDirect last Black Friday for $50!

Samsung 830 256GB from the Egg at $159 shipped.

 

So that's it. Let me know what you think of my 2nd build and if you have any questions.  I'll try real hard to get back to you!

 

Happy PC Buildin' Ya'll

 

Alien0227

[Preston]

Solid build. I love the psu, it looks so nice haha :p. 

[alpenwasser]

I would probably have chosen a different tubing color, but I really like what you've

done with the radiator. The windowed back panel is also a very nice touch, their engineers

were not asleep on the job there ;).

So yeah, nice and clean, I like it.

[tp95112]

Wow even a window for the back lol nice build. Love the led ram.

[Nicktrance]

Awesome build, I love the white carbon fiber theme and how you covered the PSU, rad, res etc although I think blue, white or even black coolant/tubing would have looked better than green.

[roman83]

Work of Art! I love how clean it looks and the white matching crossfire bridge. Nice touch. I have to do a white themed build now for sure....

[alien0227]

Solid build. I love the psu, it looks so nice haha :P. 

Thank You Preston!  Don't let the PSU brand fool you, it has been excellent in the build for the last 6-7 months I've owned it.  Time will tell and I still have 4.5 years warranty left...  :)

[alien0227]

I would probably have chosen a different tubing color, but I really like what you've

done with the radiator. The windowed back panel is also a very nice touch, their engineers

were not asleep on the job there ;).

So yeah, nice and clean, I like it.

Wow!  Thanks Alpenwasser!  Yeah, I was shocked when I tried the front panel on the back!  That trick also worked on a Rosewill Challenger case with an NZXT Lexa front case panel... Go figure... As far as the tubing color it is clear with green ThermalTake coolant in it. I got that coolant after my initial distilled water with Copper Sulfate mix got cloudy.  Live and learn, I'll change the color after I get feedback from the Forum as to which color most people think I should use. Thanks again for looking and giving me feedback AlpenWasser!

[alien0227]

Wow even a window for the back lol nice build. Love the led ram.

Hello tp95112, the Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer ram has been a hoot!  I can change the color to orange, or change the intensity, the pattern of light, both on top and the bottom of the ram.  Cool stuff from Crucial for 2/3 the price of other L.E.D. lighted ram...  Performance has also been excellent, no issues.  I do like the fact this case sports 2 clear panel windows, front and BACK!  Thanks for the feedback!

[alien0227]

Awesome build, I love the white carbon fiber theme and how you covered the PSU, rad, res etc although I think blue, white or even black coolant/tubing would have looked better than green.

Hi Nicktrance,  Thank you so much for your feedback!  The white carbon fiber film was a very inexpensive way to personalize my PC.  I think i paid $17 for a chunk 24" x 60", still have more than 1/2 of it.  Let me know which color you would like the most in this build for coolant color or tubing!  Most votes for a color gets the nod!  Thanks again Nicktrance!

[alien0227]

Work of Art! I love how clean it looks and the white matching crossfire bridge. Nice touch. I have to do a white themed build now for sure....

Thank You Roman83!  I am humbled by your feedback!  Pick the Switch 810 in white if you have the space... It is a large case but it is very adaptable for future growth and system configs. Air flow is very good. I love my Switch 810 case, best value for the money... I paid $129 after rebate by the way...  :)

[pzt]

nice to see another white switch build! Looks nice and clean bro gj!

[andrevautour]

nice and clean - looks good. 

[Theonlymitch]

looks nice

[TicTac]

Nice i like it good job man !

[Woodypc]

Looks sweet, I agree with others about the tubing colour, would look even better with UV or blue, something to think about tin the future.

[shiva]

awesome build , planning to do one

[Dacho]

nice build. and the entire desk setup, I might add. :)

[alien0227]

nice to see another white switch build! Looks nice and clean bro gj!

Thanks pzt, I appreciate that!

[alien0227]

nice and clean - looks good. 

Hello andrevautour,  Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[alien0227]

looks nice

Thank You Theonlymitch!

[alien0227]

Nice i like it good job man !

Hi TicTac!  All the way from Australia?  Awesome! Thanks for the compliment!

[alien0227]

Looks sweet, I agree with others about the tubing colour, would look even better with UV or blue, something to think about tin the future.

Evening Woodypc!  Yeah, the coolant color is temporary until the forum votes on the most favorite color.  My initial fill with distilled water and Copper Sulfate got scummy on me, had to run to my PC store and got the only thing they had, ThermalTake coolant...  What do you think, Black, white or blue?

[alien0227]

awesome build , planning to do one

Go for it Shiva! It's an awesome feeling to build your very first PC rig!  Better when it's your 2nd...  :)

[Glaith]

Wow just wow, love it!