Dragon Rider Upgrade Log

[RadeonHDx]

So this is my first real post that I have done, so hopefully I cover everything I need to. So without further ado, I'll introduce my build before the upgrades:
AMD BullDozer FX-4170 - Stock
Powercolour Radeon 7870 - Stock
ASUS M5A97 R2.0
16GB Kingston Hyper-X 1600MHz
FSP 450w PSU
1TB Seagate Baracuda 7200RPM
InWin Dragon Rider - White Limited Edition

I ordered my parts from SpecialTech - 29/12/12
Corsair H100i CPU cooler
Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme III GPU Cooler
2x SilverStone Air Penetrator AP121
4x XSPC 120mm Quiet 1650RPM

Parts arrived in a big brown box - 3/1/13

I started off by taking off the original Titan CPU cooler.

Cleaned it off with some baby wipes .

Went to pick up my H100i from the box.

I later realized, thanks to you guys, that I was missing a bracket. I bought one off Amazon the same night.

While I was waiting for this to come in the post I took the original cooler off of my 7870.

I then fitted my new Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme III to my 7870.I didn't nee to use any of my MX-4... It was already pre-applied...

At first the cooler felt a bit loose but I just had to really tighten the screws as tight as I could.

Work done from 5/1/13 - 13/1/13
So the bracket still hadn't come , so instead of being a whiny bitch about it I decided to put the time that I had to good use in sitting the H100i to the roof of my case in push/pull. In the next picture I show how I ended up having to tighten the screws that came with the H100i with some pliers (I now realize that I could have used a screwdriver.

Here I was trying to show how I had to cut and sand my CPU power connector's plastic shroud thing just to fit it into the socket!

And this picture shows just how tight the fans and stuff are to being to tight to have push/pull. I'd say another mm on the radiator and I wouldn't be able to have push/pull . Just lucky I suppose!

Scene as the bracket has still not arrived I decided I should just have a look at how it would look when it was on.

Bracket finally came! - 17/1/13
Today the Bracket finally came for the CPU socket and within 20 minutes of getting in from school I was ready for my first boot!

Stable overclocks! - 18/1/13
I finally have a stable overclock of 4.81GHz! The voltage really started to piss me off in the early hours of the 22nd but after bumping the voltage up another step to 1.4875v in the BIOS, I had Prime95 running for 24 hours stable. I also had a 5GHz stable but at a much higher 1.575v. I will use this for benchmarks but as a 24/7, the 4.8GHz is definitely good enough and made even better with temps of just 60C! I have also achieved a stable overclock on my R7870 of 1250MHz on the Core clock and 1450MHz on the Memory clock, with max temps of a very cool 50C!

Ordered a new PSU! - 21/1/13
Today I finally got round to getting myself a good decent wattage PSU. I decided to go with the Corsair CX600 for no other reason for the price, it is the perfect PSU for me! I don't intend on going Crossfire any time soon and even if the CX600 doesn't have enough connections, I can always just use extensions etc... I plan on buying some individually braided extensions for the 24pin, CPU 8pin, dual 6pin (GPU) and front IO cables.


Update One:


CX600 has Arrived! - 30/1/13

My PSU finally arrived and I've got to say, it is practically silent and has a sleek, black finish that really contrasts well with my case!

The CX600 has already got one of my older HDD's to start working again after it broke last year! The best part for me, I feel, is the braided cables! The really make the massive difference when it comes to aesthetics.

Unfortunately I did have to cut off the clip on the CPU power, but this time I made sure it looked better than before and made it almost unnoticeable.

I may sound a little strange in saying this, but I actually like the look of the non-modular PSU's. I mean having a modular one would be nice but I really do like the look of it!

As for the graphics card, well. The CX600 comes with two 6+2 pin connectors, but I have, instead of left the +2 part just dangling around, I have cabletied the +2 bit to the end of the heat shrink on the sleeving.

Just a shot of the bottom of the case with the front IO and USB hub's hidden away as well as I could:

This is an ongoing project. I will be adding to this thread as I upgrade my system . I hope you enjoy seeing my build take shape.

 

[SPS]

Yup a new PSU was definitely needed.

Once that is installed and cables are out of sight it should look pretty nice.

 

[RadeonHDx]

Thanks for the feedback

 

[jamesriley94]

Definitely need a new PSU.

I love the look of Silverstone fans.

 

[RadeonHDx]

YEA SAME!!! Deffo in the dark aswell! they just look so awesome!

 

[seumasbeathan]

Some nice upgrades there

 

[yassarikhan786]

Nice job dude

 

[BPRSM]

Nice build! I'm glad you've got a new PSU now, it was needed
I think the cabling could definitely do with some extensions

 

[RadeonHDx]

for the extensions I'm thinking of some NZXT white cable extensions. If I get them, I will have extensions on almost all of the visible cables, including the front IO and internal usb's.

 

[BPRSM]

for the extensions I'm thinking of some NZXT white cable extensions. If I get them, I will have extensions on almost all of the visible cables, including the front IO and internal usb's.

Good. I've got the NZXT white extensions and there good quality and will make your PC look much better

 

[RadeonHDx]

I am also thinking of putting in a black tinted acrylic sheet where the mesh currently is and the having blue/white cathodes around and under the case .

 

[BPRSM]

I am also thinking of putting in a black tinted acrylic sheet where the mesh currently is and the having blue/white cathodes around and under the case .

Okay, look forward to seeing how that turns out

 

[RadeonHDx]

Okay, look forward to seeing how that turns out

Yep, so am I haha.

 

[RadeonHDx]

Update One:

CX600 has Arrived! - 30/1/13

My PSU finally arrived and I've got to say, it is practically silent and has a sleek, black finish that really contrasts well with my case!

The CX600 has already got one of my older HDD's to start working again after it broke last year! The best part for me, I feel, is the braided cables! The really make the massive difference when it comes to aesthetics.

Unfortunately I did have to cut off the clip on the CPU power, but this time I made sure it looked better than before and made it almost unnoticeable.

I may sound a little strange in saying this, but I actually like the look of the non-modular PSU's. I mean having a modular one would be nice but I really do like the look of it!

As for the graphics card, well. The CX600 comes with two 6+2 pin connectors, but I have, instead of left the +2 part just dangling around, I have cabletied the +2 bit to the end of the heat shrink on the sleeving.

Just a shot of the bottom of the case with the front IO and USB hub's hidden away as well as I could:

- Joe

 

[dalewakelin]

Very nice upgrades, i lurve arctic cooling stuff :lol:

 

[RadeonHDx]

Yea, same! The Accelero Xtreme really just blows away the competition, quite literally .

 

[Mgutierrez33]

I would agree with you on the non-modular look, but only situationally. Certain cases just don't have the proper layout for a non-modular PSU, just as some cases don't have a proper layout for a modular. For example: I currently have a CoolerMaster Elite 334 nVidia Edition case with an OCZ (shut up, I know but this one is particularly well-behaved) 500W modular PSU, and it looks shit in the case because of the way the cables are spaced out. Other cases, like a Corsair Graphite 600T, benefit really well from a modular PSU based solely on the fact that there is enough room to manage cables behind the mobo tray, but not so much that you would WANT to have all those extra cables just hangin out back there. In your case, it seems to have worked out pretty well.

In the future why don't you look into popping off the cap on the PSU and doing a pastel blue cable braiding on the wires? It would look really good against the colors of the existing parts and would look much better than the existing (though functional) "braiding" as well as give you more of a sense of ownership of the rig.

... that was the two cents you were looking for x-)

 

[airdeano]

hows about a full-frontal picture?

 

[RadeonHDx]

Update Two

So its been a while but I've finally got around to making another update after my long break from the forum.


I'll just update my specs at the time of this update.

AMD FX-8320 @ 1.175v 3.5GHz
Radeon HD7870 @ 1.219v 1200/1400
16GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz
ASUS M5A97 AM3+
Corsair HX650
H60 v2 2013
1TB Hitachi HDD

And as Christmas is coming up I will be getting a Samsung 840 Evo 120/250GB SSD (or any recommendations that you could suggest). I'm not sure what other upgrades I have to make at the moment other than maybe my graphics card or motherboard.


I've taken my system off the desk and found it a very temporary home. The case was alright but I found myself having to drill holes just so I could mount the H60 in the back of the case because originally there was only space for 2 80mm fans.



I have also changed my variant of fans to just one kind, the Arctic Cooling F12 PWM fans. I am very happy with them, they push a good amount of air and are very quiet while keeping my components cool at the same time.



I have also finally bought myself a triple monitor stand for Eyefinity gaming. I may only have a 22" 1080p monitor next to two 17" 1280x1024 monitors but in games like DiRT 3 and other similar titles, it really ups the immersion factor of the games.



(In DiRT 3)




I Have also been lucky enough to have been able to use my dads Hurco. I used it to drill some holes for a fan and rotary mill the center out, unfortunately I'm not quite good enough to design my own grills for the panel but I've instead decided to buy some cheap black fan grills off of eBay and some dust filters for the front intake fans.



Sorry about this next one, it was a hard shot to try and get on an iPhone.




I also managed to replace the mesh that I talked about in my last update with an acrylic window .



Again any suggestions or comments are welcome and thanks for reading all this post .

-Joe