First real build - thoughts? :)

I chose to go with a MSI 660TI instead, it's around 100£ cheaper and the price difference scales very well in regards of performance compared to a gtx 670 - Also it's a bit cheaper to SLI in the future.

Will be updating you when it has been build, parts has been ordered, but the CPU cooler is out of stock for a few days ;/ ;/
If you haven't already ordered then consider a 7950 instead of the 660ti. It is cheaper and faster especially if you plan on overclocking it.
 
As long as the cooler isn't in stock the order haven't been shipped.

The price difference is minimal on the two cards, if any at all in Denmark.

But how different are they in regards of performance?
 
Well if you check out some reviews in various places the consensus would tell you that at stock they are about even at 1080p but the 7950 is much better in an overclock comparison or in a higher res comparison. The 660ti has a limited bus which really hurts it.
 
Checked around, some varying results here and there but it looks like the 7950 could be a better buy when overclocked.

Any specific 7950 you would recommend? :)
 
Sapphire and Powercolor make great non-reference cards. They're cool, quiet, they look great and OC well too. The Powercolor 7950 PCS+ is probably the quietest 7950 there is, and it looks amazing too so it would be my top pick
 
yea it's all about the overclocking. You are looking at 15-20% extra performance from a 7950 without even touching the volts.

Virtually any 7950 that has more than one fan (i.e. not a reference design) is good. If it has a factory overclock then that is a bonus.
 
Ended up buying a Sapphire 7950 OC 950Mhz after much reading. Seems like a great card, all tho I've never been much of an Ati/AMD man, the benchmarks speaks for themselves ;)
 
These babies arrived today - Sorry for the horrible lightning ;)
Will update when it has been build some time tomorrow, going through the old HDD atm. - The search for something worth keeping seems like an extensive mission, but I deny switching system til i find that pic of my ex-gf's boobs :lol:

Cheers ;)

h40vca2rd
 

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Gdmn'it made a noob mistake!!

Didn't think too much about the RAM when I bought it, just went with the 8GB vengeance. I must have had a weak moment... Turns out I've bought a single 8GB module instead of 2x4GB!

I don't feel like sending the stick back, especially with the build duo to tomorrow.

Would it be wise to go ahead an buy another stick, so that i will go up to overkill 16GB ram and dual-channel or just keep my 8GB single channel?
 
So the day of the build came!

I've chosen to also include a build post in this thread - People can then see how this equipment looks and perhaps learn from my experience with this hardware and the members who've helped me will also get to enjoy their contribution towards this build becoming a reality ;)


That pretty motherboard!



I'm pretty sure most of you are familiar with the video from newegg, explaining the build process, so I also chose to start with making a testbuild with the cpu, cpu-cooler, grfx, RAM and power supply to see efter everything was working.

Didn't get a picture of it with the grfx, but here it is never the less




Everything was spinning and I got some screen information, fine fine!
Was about to disassemble, but the 24-pin connector was not letting go, couldn't snap it out with my hands, and yes - I did unlock the holder-thingie, had to use a screwdriver and some brute force to get it off. mhm!

Anyhow - chose to install the PSU in the case next, started to imagine cable routing etc etc.

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Now these guys made me wonder. Didn't really knew what to make of em, and i don't see why Cooler Master didn't just provide a 4 pin connector to their fans - oh well, chose to postpone that problem and ind proceed with the installation of the Mobo

Sorry for the horrible lightning on the pictures by the way.






Messy cables turning into manageable cable in a cozy setting.





Now the installation of the HDD turned out to be quite a problem. Cooler Master have provided their tool-less design, where some metal holder are meant to go into the screw holes in the HDD - But apparently, these small metal holders were a tiny bit too think, I took em out, tried many of them in the holes, but even with quite alot of force, they would not go into the holes. Ended up finding some screws and just screwing into the bracket and toss the metal holders in the trashcan.

Anyhow, proceeding on with the build - Got everything in place, all tho the supplementary motherboard power was a bitch to fit, due to my hand obviously covering my view - but after a few moments success was achieved!

This is the final result for now




I think I've done a pretty decent job with the cables, they are mostly out of the way.

View from the back



Turns out the case is a little tight on the back, so getting the backplate on was a story of brute force and persistance, but eventually it succeeded ;)

Installing windows atm. will update later with my view on the performance, maybe some overclocking too ;)

To sum up the build process and the experience with the hardware;

It wasn't too difficult, all the hardware had great installation manuals with them. There was some trouble tho getting everything together, especially the 24-pin connector and the HDD-fail-bays. The case coolers ended up just going directly into the motherboard with a 3-pin connector and so far it has been a quiet system.

I would however not recommend the case. It's a pretty average case, but the trouble with the bays, and the space issues with cables behind the mobo when trying to put on the backplate, together with the overall feel just makes me want to recommend something else.

I had the CM 690 II basic model tho, I don't know if they've upped their game on the Advanced model tho.

Cheers from here! ;)
 
Gdmn'it made a noob mistake!!

Didn't think too much about the RAM when I bought it, just went with the 8GB vengeance. I must have had a weak moment... Turns out I've bought a single 8GB module instead of 2x4GB!

I don't feel like sending the stick back, especially with the build duo to tomorrow.

Would it be wise to go ahead an buy another stick, so that i will go up to overkill 16GB ram and dual-channel or just keep my 8GB single channel?


Hence the 'hidden' RAM, Deano.
 
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