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The Official PC building thread - 4th Edition
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AfterDawn Addict
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12. November 2012 @ 08:14 |
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Originally posted by omegaman7:
And I thought I'd be the first to jump on the FX bandwagon :p
Oman7,
No big plan really, it just happened that way! LOL!! I usually wait a while, but I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and had just the right amount of attitude to go with it! I figured that since the 1090t was no longer the best that AMD had to offer, and I was wanting to build something that was new and improved,so PileDriver it is then! It's that time, I have to go call Newegg!
Russ
Edit:PileDriver is here! I'll probably install it tonight when I'll have a little help coming over.
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
 This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. November 2012 @ 14:08
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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14. November 2012 @ 19:06 |
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Quite impressed so far by the i5 3470 in the LAN PC I built for the weekend - running it on a video encode alongside my older 750 overclocked to 4.11Ghz, while the 3470 remains stock - they're encoding at almost exactly the same speed - in fact the 3470 is 0.11% faster, haha. Both are running 93% faster than the stock Q9550, which is itself still a fairly powerful CPU. Not bad for a 77W chip that has its own IGP. The per-core per-clock performance on this thing is amazing.
I'm also pleased with the MSI HD7770 I fitted to it, which has proved very quiet in all except for the most strenuous operations, and even then, it isn't that noisy. So far so good with the Corsair CXV2 500W PSU as well, that has also proven very quiet. For a stock 'out of the box' build, it's a quiet machine with no modifications needed. Very pleasing to see maufacturers are shipping quieter components 'as-is' nowadays. The only noisy thing in the system is the 6 year old 750GB Seagate I had to dig out to install games on it!
Aiming to replace with a 1TB Caviar Blue or Black, price depending by the end of the year.
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. November 2012 @ 00:47 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Quite impressed so far by the i5 3470 in the LAN PC I built for the weekend - running it on a video encode alongside my older 750 overclocked to 4.11Ghz, while the 3470 remains stock - they're encoding at almost exactly the same speed - in fact the 3470 is 0.11% faster, haha. Both are running 93% faster than the stock Q9550, which is itself still a fairly powerful CPU. Not bad for a 77W chip that has its own IGP. The per-core per-clock performance on this thing is amazing.
I'm also pleased with the MSI HD7770 I fitted to it, which has proved very quiet in all except for the most strenuous operations, and even then, it isn't that noisy. So far so good with the Corsair CXV2 500W PSU as well, that has also proven very quiet. For a stock 'out of the box' build, it's a quiet machine with no modifications needed. Very pleasing to see maufacturers are shipping quieter components 'as-is' nowadays. The only noisy thing in the system is the 6 year old 750GB Seagate I had to dig out to install games on it!
Aiming to replace with a 1TB Caviar Blue or Black, price depending by the end of the year.
Sam,
That's exactly how I feel about this FX-8320 build. There's so much that turned out better than I expected. It's been over 6 1/2 years since I've had a steady income. I can finally afford to take a closer look at better quality, but somewhat higher priced components, and be able to buy and build anything I want. I did a lot of research, in looking for the right case, and the Corsair 400R is it for me. This thing runs silly cool. It's 74F (23.3C) in here, and the damn thing is idling at 21C. It's so quiet too!
Tomorrow, I'll put my drives in it and be back on Win 7. Here's some quick benchmarks at stock 3.5GHz speed.
Memory bandwidth 1600 MHz Cas 7
Processor Arithmetic 1600 memory
Processor Multi Media
Side view of the computer with the cover removed, from Corsair's gallery.
Overall, I'm pleased with the results!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. November 2012 @ 01:01
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15. November 2012 @ 10:24 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Quite impressed so far by the i5 3470 in the LAN PC I built for the weekend - running it on a video encode alongside my older 750 overclocked to 4.11Ghz, while the 3470 remains stock - they're encoding at almost exactly the same speed - in fact the 3470 is 0.11% faster, haha. Both are running 93% faster than the stock Q9550, which is itself still a fairly powerful CPU. Not bad for a 77W chip that has its own IGP. The per-core per-clock performance on this thing is amazing.
I'm also pleased with the MSI HD7770 I fitted to it, which has proved very quiet in all except for the most strenuous operations, and even then, it isn't that noisy. So far so good with the Corsair CXV2 500W PSU as well, that has also proven very quiet. For a stock 'out of the box' build, it's a quiet machine with no modifications needed. Very pleasing to see maufacturers are shipping quieter components 'as-is' nowadays. The only noisy thing in the system is the 6 year old 750GB Seagate I had to dig out to install games on it!
Aiming to replace with a 1TB Caviar Blue or Black, price depending by the end of the year.
Isn't one of the main issues with Caviar Black how loud they are, or has that been rectified with the current models?
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. November 2012 @ 10:29 |
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They're not silent by any means but compared to a 6 year old Seagate 7200.10 even a cement mixer is quiet!
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. November 2012 @ 13:37 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
They're not silent by any means but compared to a 6 year old Seagate 7200.10 even a cement mixer is quiet!
Sam,
I can hear the drives, with the side cover removed, but you can't hear them with the cover on, not even from 18 inches away! Even by your standards, it's a very quiet computer.
Here's a better shot of the new case. The picture on Newegg sucks! It looks so narrow. They advertise it's width as 8.1"! Yup, with the side covers off! LOL!! 10" would be more like it.
As you can see it's a pretty robust case, but without the Banana Republic look of a lot of cases these days. It's solid and well built, and the fit and finish is excellent. The Cooling? Let me put it this way, I'm presently using 33% less radiator, 27mm vs 38mm thickness, and only a single pull fan, and it's silly cold! Low 20C range at idle. I can't get it past 45C running IBT or Prime95, and that's in an 85F (30C) room! It also allows vertical mounting, hanging from the top in a mid size case. It was close, and I did have to remove the two top memory locks. Don't worry, they won't fall out! Case cleaning is a breeze, requiring no tools at all!
Here's a present for you, CPUZ 1.62 ROG. So far it's the only version that will correctly identify the CPUs and memory. http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/1.62-rog-setup-en.ex don't forget to add the "e" after ex!
CPUZ Memory
I'm still having fun!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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15. November 2012 @ 18:38 |
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Jesus Russ! Why is it 85F in there! I'd be roasting like a pig on a spit! I don't even like it when it's 76!
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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15. November 2012 @ 18:42 |
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Yeah 30°C is pretty unpleasant to say the least, coming from personal experience!
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AfterDawn Addict
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15. November 2012 @ 22:40 |
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Originally posted by omegaman7:
Jesus Russ! Why is it 85F in there! I'd be roasting like a pig on a spit! I don't even like it when it's 76!
Oman7 & Sam,
Russell doesn't like AC. He does use a swamp cooler sometimes. You would be amazed at how cool 85F inside is, when it's 115F outside! It drops to 80F in my room with the AC on, until about 3:30 PM! There's finally some shade for the house, and it cools rapidly! In the summer months the days are longer, and generally much hotter. Running Prime95 in an 85F room for five hours yielded it hit 50C once, mostly high 40's. I have no worries for the temps no matter how hot it gets!
EDIT:
I forgot to add that I'm going to try one of these for the CPU radiator.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186078
It won't make the type of noises that the 1700 RPM Corsair fan makes, because it delivers 74CFM at only 1350 RPM, and it's PWM controlled. Should work better than the original!
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 15. November 2012 @ 22:56
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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16. November 2012 @ 00:44 |
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I must me doing something wrong, if you get temps like that with such a high ambient :S No sarcasm intended. There probably is something I can do. WOrking two jobs though... Not sure when I'll get to it :(
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
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16. November 2012 @ 01:23 |
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Originally posted by omegaman7:
I must me doing something wrong, if you get temps like that with such a high ambient :S No sarcasm intended. There probably is something I can do. WOrking two jobs though... Not sure when I'll get to it :(
Oman7,
As it was I had to lower the CPU voltage by -0.50v, or it wouldn't boot up. The voltage was too high on automatic!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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16. November 2012 @ 01:25 |
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I actually don't doubt that. I've read forums that suggest, AMD's like cooler temps, and lower voltages for stability. I certainly don't like seeing anything over 55C myself. Although the GPU I've loosened up a bit.
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
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17. November 2012 @ 08:09 |
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Some benchmarks from the new build: CPU Arithmetic.
Memory Bandwidth
Processor multi-Media
I've never seen such high scores in this catagory before. 513,175 IT/s for Interger
SSD and main HDD benchmarks
New Sata III 500GB WD Black edition.
Very good speed for an HDD. The Sata II 500, is good for a little less than half the speed of the Sata III 500.
I discovered that the Phenom IIx6 1090t is slightly faster at some things than the FX-8320 8 core. You can pile on the work all you want to with the FX-8320 and it never slows down The SlipStream 140 fan had two cracked blades on it, so I put the original corsair fan back on it, and I have a much better fan coming later today. 74 CFM, PWM control, 1350 rpm, from Arctic Cooling. It should be much quieter, and run cooler! It also encodes video faster than the 1090t. Now I have to fight with M$ to keep them from charging me for another license, come Monday!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. November 2012 @ 08:12
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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17. November 2012 @ 08:39 |
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The X6 being faster in some apps is a given due to the higher per-core speed, and is the primary reason I still went with an i5 for my LAN PC rather than an AMD which I could undeniably have built for less.
I'm disappointed to hear that you had to manually change the voltage on the board before you could even boot windows stock on that system. I've seen some epic fails with auto volts when over clocking a Core 2, but never at stock before.
That said, it's no better on the other side. Intel advertise support for Ivy Bridge CPUs with the older H61 etc. boards, but even though the board specs say they do, in some cases it turns out, they don't!
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. November 2012 @ 09:23 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
The X6 being faster in some apps is a given due to the higher per-core speed, and is the primary reason I still went with an i5 for my LAN PC rather than an AMD which I could undeniably have built for less.
I'm disappointed to hear that you had to manually change the voltage on the board before you could even boot windows stock on that system. I've seen some epic fails with auto volts when over clocking a Core 2, but never at stock before.
That said, it's no better on the other side. Intel advertise support for Ivy Bridge CPUs with the older H61 etc. boards, but even though the board specs say they do, in some cases it turns out, they don't!
Sam,
I think I've got that figured out already. The CPU voltage comes up in the bios and CPUZ and shows as 1.472v. I was able to set it so it runs at 1.280v. Runs great!
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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17. November 2012 @ 09:35 |
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Indeed, way too high for that CPU. The only time I had an auto voltage go mad was for my overclocked Q9550. I only noticed the auto 1.55V (should have been 1.25 stock, I was using 1.35V for my manual overclock!
When I was trying to figure out why the CPU was suddenly idling in the 69s!
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Red_Maw
Senior Member
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17. November 2012 @ 16:11 |
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Originally posted by Blazorthon:
Isn't one of the main issues with Caviar Black how loud they are, or has that been rectified with the current models?
The new ones are significantly quieter than the original, which were audible in a closed case from over six feet.
Edit: This is in reference to the 2 TB drives.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 17. November 2012 @ 20:31
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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17. November 2012 @ 17:45 |
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My WD1001FALS hardly ever makes a peep. And I sit less than 2 feet a way :p Had it a few years too.
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
AfterDawn Addict
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17. November 2012 @ 20:12 |
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Originally posted by omegaman7:
My WD1001FALS hardly ever makes a peep. And I sit less than 2 feet a way :p Had it a few years too.
I've had a WD1001FALS Caviar Black for the past 3 years and although the seek noise is quite audible, the idle noise is pretty good, and its generally only the latter that's annoying with secondary drives. Of course, with windows' habit of randomly seeking you don't want a drive with noisy seek for your OS. That was one of the reasons for giving up my 37GB Raptors.
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Red_Maw
Senior Member
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17. November 2012 @ 20:33 |
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Sorry I should have been more clear (and maybe read the other posts more closely). The 1 TB drives are fairly quiet. It is only the older 2 TB drives that I find to be very loud.
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AfterDawn Addict
7 product reviews
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17. November 2012 @ 20:35 |
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Never bought a 2Tb black. Only the WD20EARS drives. I have only one black drive installed. And my OS drive is an SSD. So, my computer is fairly quiet :D Fans are a bit noisy when I encode though. Not nearly enough to bother me at 2 feet though :p
To delete, or not to delete. THAT is the question! |
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18. November 2012 @ 00:48 |
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More info on the FX-8320 build.
WEI, AMD FX-8320 8 Core at 3.825GHz.
With the WEI, and 3D Mark 06, I noticed the CPU performance comes into play much more, as the power of the CPU increases. I also noticed the the difference between no enhancements, and full enhancements is only about 3000 3D Marks. It's a lot lower with a lesser CPU. As you can see, the Graphics abilities improved.
3D Mark 06, no enhancements.
3D Mark 06, full enhancements, not a lot of difference in the scores. I see on the WEI, that the Processor and memory scores went up to 7.7. I wonder if SLI will improve those two 7.4 subscores? One of these day, if the mood strikes me, I'll find out.
Oh!!! Apparently, I had something in the setup set wrong, which is why it was getting to 55C. I probably caught the corner of a key and didn't notice it, because as soon as I reset the defaults and tried again, it was fine. Now, it doesn't go past 45C! It might on a real hot day (triple digit), but that doesn't concern me.
Unless you are a very high end gamer, I can't see any compelling reason to try to overclock it past 4.2GHz, and you can do that with a click of the mouse, with Easytune! It gives you 3 choices. 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2GHz. I've seen over 5GHz on air already, which to me, makes it a viable and usable computer, suitable for more than just benchmarks! So far, I see nothing not to like! I'm a happy camper!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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Senior Member
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18. November 2012 @ 12:00 |
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I just purchased a new case much better then Russ's at a fraction of the cost as it is on a 12 hour special deal at $60, although I got it for $50 which is even better. This rig is ready for just about any option you need and loaded for bear with all of the fan options. Plus I love the 2x4 HDD bays that accomidate 2.5" HDD's including of course SSD's. Kevin is probablty the only one that won't like this case! :D Check out the video for the features it's pretty sweet.
Fractal Design Arc Midi Black High Performance PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 and 3 x Fractal High Performance 140mm fans $20 off special code EMCJJJA35
Russ the numbers on that new build are just horrible.... LOL
Stevo
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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18. November 2012 @ 12:06 |
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Cheaper yes, but I struggle to see how the case you linked is better than the one Russ posted...
8 3.5" drive bays in a mid tower is nice, but in all honesty, I think I prefer the utility of having at least 3 5.25" bays, not necessarily for optical drives, but you can at least get 5 3.5" disks in three 5.25" bays (or fan controllers etc.) Your options with only 2 5.25" drive bays are minimal. Indeed, with the older cases I used that have 5 3.5s and 4 5.25s, I can actually get 10 HDDs crammed in and still have an optical drive. When all is said and done, the 8x3.5+2x5.25 I believe comes up to the same number.
The side panel only allowing 140mm+ fans and not 120s is a bit of a design oversight too.
Fractal Design cases are quite nice, but I think the Corsair Russ posted is actually superior, albeit by not a great margin. By getting your case for barely more than half the RRP you got a good deal, but that doesn't make the case itself a good deal.
It's all down to personal preference with cases, and you may prefer that design to the Corsair, making it better despite the physical design shortcomings, but from an objective standpoint, it ain't better :P
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. November 2012 @ 12:06
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Senior Member
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18. November 2012 @ 12:23 |
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Well I was joking to some degree but you are wrong as it can handle 120mm fans too and I don't need a fancy fan controller, been there done that and won't go back. But it does have a fan controller for the 3 fans it comes with. I would much rather have this case then Russ's at $100 bucks considering I spent half as much and the Corsair wouldn't provide me with much more for twice the price. But to each his own even though this one is better... :)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. November 2012 @ 12:24
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