My First Desktop XD

[Moonzy]

This is the story about my first custom built desktop that was started in January

i was a fan of linus ever since... September of 2013 i think? a long time ago

and always wanted to have a custom made computer so...

I came out with a budget of building an entry-level/mid-tier gaming pc with an i5 6400 or 6600 with a GTX 960

at first i wanted an unlocked i7 and a gtx 970, but whoever lives in Malaysia knows how absurd the prices of the things here are

so i went ahead and planned my desktop when my sister (who is a huge LTT fan by my influence) decided that a 960 wasnt enough and decided to fund me (i have to pay it back, mind you) to get a 970 instead of 960

 

on the day of shopping... i made a list and listed all the parts i wanted to buy and went to over 8 computer shops and went to hunt for the lowest prices for each of the parts i was going to buy

the list: WARNING, ITS VERY BRUTAL TO THE EYES

Spoiler

 

at first, i only have two cases that i got my eyes on, the corsair 600T (very very old) and the NZXT Noctis 450

because for some reason, the IT shops around here doesnt import NZXT products (not even the AIO), and the 600T doesnt have proper USB 3.0 plug for the motherboard (i know you can get converter but thats a hassle and looks HIDEOUS), so i settles on the Bitfenix Neos that is red and black in colour (decided to go black and red because it was the easiest colour to match)

while shopping, i randomly walked into a shop and found a displaying N450, i asked the shop owner for the price and he quoted me RM690 (around 170USD), the bitfenix neos only cost RM150-ish

as you can tell... thats fking absurd. after some haggling, the shop decided to let me buy it for RM580 (around 140USD)

 

happily, i went home

tired, but satisfied (going to all shops for a couple of times just to get the best price for an item is exhausting... especially if some shops are few train stations away)

 

shopping result:

Spoiler

and assembly begins

from linus' videos, i learnt that i should test the system before i put them all into the case

it didnt post for awhile, i got nervous because i was afraid that some parts were DOA

but after a few seconds...

Spoiler

and this was my reaction

Spoiler

after making sure its posting, its time to assemble everything into the case

 

testing whether it posts again after putting it into the case

(lights off because the cables at this moments is HIDEOUS and no one wants public to look at their precious while its ugly amirite?)

Spoiler

after making sure it posts, time to cable manage (i swear my xperia z3's camera's resolution is 21Megapotato)

Spoiler

after adding 2 of my 2.5inch drives, day 1 pretty much ended 

 

 

a few days later, i had some walking around money and decided to add some LED to my desktop

result:

Spoiler

 

 

i removed the intel stock heatsink's blue sticker because its blue and my system is black and red themed... such an eye sore...

i salvaged the 640gb hard disk from my previous computer (a laptop), because i wanted to spend my budget on core components and upgrade the rest slowly

psst, those who saw the kingston SSD, its not a 300V, its a 300KC, its different, so dont go flaming me for it

personally i like the combination of HDD and SSD on display, it represents speed and capacity, dont u think?

 

well... despite removing the sticker on the intel stock heatsink, there's a hole in the middle and the perfectionist in me is unhappy (why cant they make it flat?)

i began searching for other alternative, the H100i GTX? or the be quiet dark rock pro 3?

after several nights of sleepless self-debates later, i chose to go with the dark rock pro 3, because i still dont feel comfortable having liquid in my system

and not to mention, i have a locked cpu

 

a good friend of mine noticed that i wanted a dark rock pro 3 and bought me one as a suprise gift

Spoiler

needless to say, into the pc it goes!

now the toughest decision for the little perfectionist in me...

words right side up? or install it like everyone else... with the word on its sides...

i debated with myself while i disassembled the pc

Spoiler

in the end, i decided to put it sideways because there wasn't enough clearance for the words to be upright...

or is there?

Spoiler

its SO damn near that i have to sacrifice my 2nd set of ram's slot for expansion (which will be mentioned later)

but its in there, no problem

result:

Spoiler

and this is pretty much near the end of this build

except that i decided to add another 2tb of storage into it because 250+640gb really isnt enough lol

Spoiler

 

that's pretty much it about this build

what did i learn from this first custom built computer

1) part picking is tough... especially if you dont seek advice (not an active LTT forum member at that point yet) (tbh im suprised i did okay)

2) get 1 stick of 8gb dimm if you wanna upgrade to 16gb soon (i had an upgrade path... HAD... blocked by the cooler T.T)

3) its not as simple as the build guide shows... plugging things in, cable routing, screwing and unscrewing... it makes you go insane sometimes

 

well... did i have fun? if i said no i would've just thrown 1300-ish USD down into the drain (i pretty much did anyway... since i havent been gaming ever since i got this desktop, just browsing facebook, youtube and LTT forum)

of course it was fun!

do i want to do it again? pretty much yes  

 

happy as it sounds, there's still some issue im facing with this build

the PWM fan hub doesnt really work so im having a hard time controlling 7 fans off of 4 headers lol, but i managed to make it as silent as when you're watching movies, you cant hear it even if you put your ears near the intake fans

because only one fan is spinning full time at low rpm when the system isnt working hard

 

Between the first part bought (excluding the parts from previous computer) and the last part (the WD 2TB hdd), i guess it took about 2 months for me to complete this build to a point where i probably wont be adding anything in anymore (though suggestions are still recomended, hint hint wink wink)

 

So what do you guys think i could've done differently? is it a good try for a first timer?

 

Like if you liked the video, dislike if you thought it sucked, leave a comment telling me do you think about this? (#ripoff)

 

23/03/2016 update:

bought 2x8gb of ram

swapped out my 2x4gb for 2x8gb, because i cant use 4 sticks of ram due to cooler clearance issues, and using 3 sticks will make my system run in single channel ram

Spoiler

had some fun while swapping

Spoiler

well ignore the high temps, i was using intel's stock cooler without thermal paste  its just temporary so its fine

[Samfisher]

If you're in KL, Viewnet in Low Yat has the lowest hardware prices.

[ShiroArikawa]

You shouldnt buy a strix card.

[Moonzy]

Just now, Samfisher said:

If you're in KL, Viewnet in Low Yat has the lowest hardware prices.

not for everything, i went there  even asked price from both ends of the shop lol

[SeanAngelo]

looks good!  

[Samfisher]

Just now, Moonzy said:

not for everything, i went there  even asked price from both ends of the shop lol

For the most part it's the cheapest   For peripherals, Lingloong and Idealtech on Low Yat Forum have the cheapest ones.  For strictly hardware, Viewnet is the cheapest, especially if you buy the whole system from them which makes it easier for warranty services etc.  Grats on your new PC

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Samfisher said:

For the most part it's the cheapest   For peripherals, Lingloong and Idealtech on Low Yat Forum have the cheapest ones.  For strictly hardware, Viewnet is the cheapest, especially if you buy the whole system from them which makes it easier for warranty services etc.  Grats on your new PC

well im not sure about prices but viewnet have almost everything you can imagine  since its so huge

[Moonzy]

4 minutes ago, ShiroArikawa said:

You shouldnt buy a strix card.

i'd give up a few mhz for the looks tbh, i dont even overclock my card to the wall

mine could do 1516 but i stayed at 1450 for the lulz

my build is not only about performance per dollar, i also factor in the appearance somewhat

[ShiroArikawa]

2 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

i'd give up a few mhz for the looks tbh, i dont even overclock my card to the wall

mine could do 1516 but i stayed at 1450 for the lulz

my build is not only about performance per dollar, i also factor in the appearance somewhat

 

My strix 970 couldn't Oc 20 Mhz without being unstable

but it boosted to 1324 so I don't really care.

[KSores]

Just now, ShiroArikawa said:

 

My strix 970 couldn't Oc 20 Mhz without being unstable

but it boosted to 1324 so I don't really care.

My 6700k can only oc to 4.4 at 1.4volts

[Samfisher]

1 minute ago, ShiroArikawa said:

 

My strix 970 couldn't Oc 20 Mhz without being unstable

but it boosted to 1324 so I don't really care.

Gigabyte G1 Gaming for life!

[ShiroArikawa]

1 minute ago, KSores said:

My 6700k can only oc to 4.4 at 1.4volts

Scrub

[Moonzy]

5 minutes ago, ShiroArikawa said:

My strix 970 couldn't Oc 20 Mhz without being unstable

but it boosted to 1324 so I don't really care.

i nvr understood why people overclock tbh

i mean, its fine as a hobby

but practically it doesnt really improve things much

10% OC improves performance by 7~9%, probably wouldnt perceive much of it in games anyway