Showboat0099
New member
Hello everyone, I am Showboat0099 and I joined a long time ago to enter one of the competitions. I think it's about time I started to actually contribute.
The first computer I bought was an Alienware M17x back in late August 2009. I was entering college at the time and wanted something I could potentially take to classes. I rarely ever did that, though, preferring a very cheap netbook to take notes on (when I could use a computer in class, that is). I ended up buying a an Alienware OptX 21.5" monitor and an Alienware TactX Headset, Keyboard, and Mouse as well and used the thing as a "desktop replacement."
This was perfectly reasonable for my gaming needs at the time, however I noticed after about 8 months of owning the thing that the display driver would crash every so often. At first it would crash and come back again, but eventually it would crash and stay on a black screen thus requiring a restart. This would happen about once or twice a day. By that time, Sandy Bridge was releasing (January 2011), so I decided to just go ahead and get a desktop to replace my dying laptop. Yes, I killed an Alienware M17x's GTX 760M graphics card from overuse in a little over a year. Thanks Empire: Total War.
I decided to take the time to actually learn all about desktop hardware and to try and get the best components I could. I swore off buying a pre-built system from the big retailers like Dell (aka Alienware, thanks for the $1700 hat, by the way!) again. After reviewing costs and parts, I decided that instead of taking chances by diving right in and building a whole PC from scratch, I would go through an online boutique; the idea being that I would upgrade the pc myself over time to get experience. I ended up going with iBUYPOWER, and after checking all of the prices of the components I wanted, I ended up actually saving money by having them build it than doing it myself.
In the end I bought a PC of the following spec:
Case: NZXT Lexa-S
CPU: i7-2600k
CPU Cooler: Asetek 550LC (Push/Pull)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 470
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55
Power Supply: 800W generic brand
HDD: 640GB WD Black 7200 RPM
Optical: 24x DVD+-R/RW
Fairly nice system, tbh, and with a cost of $1216 before shipping, it was a bargain at the time. I honestly would have chosen things a bit differently had I known then what I know now, but I was still learning (read: screw internal optical, only 4GB RAM sucks, and holy crap 470's run hot).
A very noteworthy thing is that I bought this pc just prior to the full recall of motherboards for Sandy Bridge due to an issue with the chipset causing the SATA 2 data connection performace to degrade with use. The recall happened...the day after the pc shipped. I decided to live with it and not take the risk of damage during shipping (plus paying for shipping again). I also got shafted on the 2600k silicon lottery. I managed to get it running at 4.5 GHz stable with fair temps and safe voltages, but anything higher would put the volts into way too high of range for daily use. Perhaps I should note that the idea behind this system was that I wanted something with enough horsepower for video editing, as I wanted to start getting into making Let's Play videos (which I did later that year).
Over time, I have upgraded this thing considerably. The only remaining components in the system are the CPU, CPU Cooler, Motherboard, and HDD. Everything else has been replaced (heck, the video card has been replaced twice).
The very first upgrade I did was that August to get a 2TB hard drive for storage. I realized soon after that that motherboard defect that supposedly wasn't supposed to happen for over two years of USE on the internal SATA 2.0 ports ended up happening far faster than expected on my board in the form of total port failure on all 4 SATA 2.0 ports within 9 months. Thanks GTX 470 heat! The thing quite literally sat on top of the chipset AND for a time I was doing bitcoin mining with the thing, so...yeah...no more sata 2.0 ports, which also now meant no more internal optical drive use (not like I really used it anyway). At some point, I do not remember when and I don't seem to have any records of purchase, but my TactX headset stopped working on one side, so I replaced it with a World of Warcraft Wireless Headset.
A month later I did a real upgrade to the PC. I upgraded the memory to 16GB (4 x 4GB) of G.SKILL Sniper 1600MHz and graphics card to a Galaxy GTX 570, along with a PCI 4-port USB adapter. At that point the alienware mouse was misbehaving with right clicks (often registering twice or not at all), so I bought a Cyber Snipa Silencer mouse that I'm actually still using to this very day. I also got a Rosewill mechanical keyboard with Blue switches, though I had to RMA the thing for a new one after a couple months because the usb connector bent at the back, a common problem with this keyboard, and ended up just going back to my Alienware TactX keyboard for the silence. The wireless headset broke and was taped together by this point, so I also replaced that with a Tt eSports Shock Foldable white headset.
At the start of 2012, I decided it was time to go the route of having an SSD Raid 0 array for my OS. To do this without losing access to my other drives, I got a Biostar SATA 3 2 port PCIe x1 controller card. I got two 96GB Corsair Force 3 Series SSDs for the RAID 0. Also, I had the unfortunate experience of having my Tt headset start going out on one side (you're probably noticing a trend here and quite correctly are thinking that I have absolutely terrible luck with headsets), so I replaced it with an Asus ROG Vulcan ANC headset. The only other major upgrade in 2012 was the replacement of the case to a Coolermaster Storm Scout in May. This was a fairly easy switch-over for my by this point, though quite honestly the largest project thus far, as it actually involved taking everything apart (mostly) and putting it back together again. The only thing not really touched was the Asetek AIO cooler, as I just left it attached along with the memory when I did the motherboard transfer.
2013 rolled came and the only thing I changed out at the start of year was the failing Vulcan headset with a shiny new Rosewill 5.1 Vibration Gaming Headset...with broken vibration. Didn't bother sending it back despite the rattle of the vibrator when in use (though it did work for about a day...), as I was more interested in the nice 5.1 audio with good bass. The thing also had an amazing mic on it compared to what I had used thus far. In late August, I replaced my failing GTX 570 with an MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr card. My 570 had been experiencing the same symptoms as my Alienware Laptop, which by this point could only be used with the 760M turned off, and the little integrated graphics chip can't run DirectX titles, so about the only thing that it's good for is Plants vs. Zombies and other games not using DirectX. While waiting on the funds for the 760, I replaced the 570 back with the 470, which still ran just fine. For a hot card, the 470 was darn durable and could take one heck of a beating. Finally, that December I replaced the headset with JVC HA-RX700 headphones, as the cord was exposed on the Rosewill set up by the connection to the headset and I knew it was only a matter of a few more weeks before it would give out on me. Oh, and note that I replaced it with headphones and not a headset. This is due to me buying a separate (fairly expensive) microphone setup for my videos. For reference, the microphone is a Rode Procaster that I manged to get in a set that included the mic, a desk arm mount, a shock mount, and an XLR cable.
And so, that brings us to 2014. At the start of the year, I added a second GTX 760 to the mix, as was my plan all along. I also FINALLY replaced the generic non-modular 800W power supply with a semi-modular Corsair CX750M. Oh, and I got an external 2TB drive for additional storage. Lastly, I ended up buying a QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" monitor that's 2560x1440 with a PLS panel that actually arrived with no dead pixels!
Now, as for my processor's overclock, when I got the additional RAM, I had to push the clock down to 4.4 GHz for stability. Over time, as I have redone the system a few times, I ended up just clocking the thing at 4.0 for simplicity. Also, the thermal compound and/or the AIO is in need of replacing, as if I try to overclock the thing any higher than 4.0 now, the temps go over 80C in OCCT testing.
Thus, the current system is now this (for those that don't have the time to read the above):
Case: Coolermaster Storm Scout
CPU: i7-2600k OC'd @ 4.0 GHz
CPU Cooler: Asetek 550LC (Push/Pull)
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55 (D2 Stepping)
VGA: 2x MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr in SLI
RAM: 16 GB G.Skill Sniper 1600MHz DDR3
SSD: RAID 0 2x96GB Corsair Force 3 Series
HDD01: WD Black 640GB 7200 RPM
HDD02: Samsung 2TB 5600 RMP
HDD03: External Seagate 2TB 7200RPM
Addon01: PCI 4-port USB
Addon02: PCIe x1 2-Port SATA 3.0 Controller
Optical: External Blu-Ray Reader
Power Supply: Corsair CX750M
Keyboard: Alienware TactX
Mouse: Cybersnipa Silencer
Monitor01: QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" 2560x1440 PLS Panel
Monitor02: Alienware OptX 21.5" 1920x1080 TN Panel
As for my upcoming plans for my PC, I have many, though for those, I'll be starting a Project Log, as it will be epic. Let's just say that I'm looking forward to Haswell-E with baited breath.
Alright, now for some personal life info. I am currently a 2nd year graduate student (at time of writing) working on a Masters in Geology at the University of Kansas. My undergraduate degree was a Bachelor's of Science in Biological Sciences from Old Dominion University (yes, a BS in BS). My hobbies include planing and executing PC upgrades, playing video games, and recording myself playing video games for YouTube and, now, Twitch. On those services, I am LPShowboat0099. I look forward to future contributions to this community!
The first computer I bought was an Alienware M17x back in late August 2009. I was entering college at the time and wanted something I could potentially take to classes. I rarely ever did that, though, preferring a very cheap netbook to take notes on (when I could use a computer in class, that is). I ended up buying a an Alienware OptX 21.5" monitor and an Alienware TactX Headset, Keyboard, and Mouse as well and used the thing as a "desktop replacement."
This was perfectly reasonable for my gaming needs at the time, however I noticed after about 8 months of owning the thing that the display driver would crash every so often. At first it would crash and come back again, but eventually it would crash and stay on a black screen thus requiring a restart. This would happen about once or twice a day. By that time, Sandy Bridge was releasing (January 2011), so I decided to just go ahead and get a desktop to replace my dying laptop. Yes, I killed an Alienware M17x's GTX 760M graphics card from overuse in a little over a year. Thanks Empire: Total War.
I decided to take the time to actually learn all about desktop hardware and to try and get the best components I could. I swore off buying a pre-built system from the big retailers like Dell (aka Alienware, thanks for the $1700 hat, by the way!) again. After reviewing costs and parts, I decided that instead of taking chances by diving right in and building a whole PC from scratch, I would go through an online boutique; the idea being that I would upgrade the pc myself over time to get experience. I ended up going with iBUYPOWER, and after checking all of the prices of the components I wanted, I ended up actually saving money by having them build it than doing it myself.
In the end I bought a PC of the following spec:
Case: NZXT Lexa-S
CPU: i7-2600k
CPU Cooler: Asetek 550LC (Push/Pull)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 470
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55
Power Supply: 800W generic brand
HDD: 640GB WD Black 7200 RPM
Optical: 24x DVD+-R/RW
Fairly nice system, tbh, and with a cost of $1216 before shipping, it was a bargain at the time. I honestly would have chosen things a bit differently had I known then what I know now, but I was still learning (read: screw internal optical, only 4GB RAM sucks, and holy crap 470's run hot).
A very noteworthy thing is that I bought this pc just prior to the full recall of motherboards for Sandy Bridge due to an issue with the chipset causing the SATA 2 data connection performace to degrade with use. The recall happened...the day after the pc shipped. I decided to live with it and not take the risk of damage during shipping (plus paying for shipping again). I also got shafted on the 2600k silicon lottery. I managed to get it running at 4.5 GHz stable with fair temps and safe voltages, but anything higher would put the volts into way too high of range for daily use. Perhaps I should note that the idea behind this system was that I wanted something with enough horsepower for video editing, as I wanted to start getting into making Let's Play videos (which I did later that year).
Over time, I have upgraded this thing considerably. The only remaining components in the system are the CPU, CPU Cooler, Motherboard, and HDD. Everything else has been replaced (heck, the video card has been replaced twice).
The very first upgrade I did was that August to get a 2TB hard drive for storage. I realized soon after that that motherboard defect that supposedly wasn't supposed to happen for over two years of USE on the internal SATA 2.0 ports ended up happening far faster than expected on my board in the form of total port failure on all 4 SATA 2.0 ports within 9 months. Thanks GTX 470 heat! The thing quite literally sat on top of the chipset AND for a time I was doing bitcoin mining with the thing, so...yeah...no more sata 2.0 ports, which also now meant no more internal optical drive use (not like I really used it anyway). At some point, I do not remember when and I don't seem to have any records of purchase, but my TactX headset stopped working on one side, so I replaced it with a World of Warcraft Wireless Headset.
A month later I did a real upgrade to the PC. I upgraded the memory to 16GB (4 x 4GB) of G.SKILL Sniper 1600MHz and graphics card to a Galaxy GTX 570, along with a PCI 4-port USB adapter. At that point the alienware mouse was misbehaving with right clicks (often registering twice or not at all), so I bought a Cyber Snipa Silencer mouse that I'm actually still using to this very day. I also got a Rosewill mechanical keyboard with Blue switches, though I had to RMA the thing for a new one after a couple months because the usb connector bent at the back, a common problem with this keyboard, and ended up just going back to my Alienware TactX keyboard for the silence. The wireless headset broke and was taped together by this point, so I also replaced that with a Tt eSports Shock Foldable white headset.
At the start of 2012, I decided it was time to go the route of having an SSD Raid 0 array for my OS. To do this without losing access to my other drives, I got a Biostar SATA 3 2 port PCIe x1 controller card. I got two 96GB Corsair Force 3 Series SSDs for the RAID 0. Also, I had the unfortunate experience of having my Tt headset start going out on one side (you're probably noticing a trend here and quite correctly are thinking that I have absolutely terrible luck with headsets), so I replaced it with an Asus ROG Vulcan ANC headset. The only other major upgrade in 2012 was the replacement of the case to a Coolermaster Storm Scout in May. This was a fairly easy switch-over for my by this point, though quite honestly the largest project thus far, as it actually involved taking everything apart (mostly) and putting it back together again. The only thing not really touched was the Asetek AIO cooler, as I just left it attached along with the memory when I did the motherboard transfer.
2013 rolled came and the only thing I changed out at the start of year was the failing Vulcan headset with a shiny new Rosewill 5.1 Vibration Gaming Headset...with broken vibration. Didn't bother sending it back despite the rattle of the vibrator when in use (though it did work for about a day...), as I was more interested in the nice 5.1 audio with good bass. The thing also had an amazing mic on it compared to what I had used thus far. In late August, I replaced my failing GTX 570 with an MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr card. My 570 had been experiencing the same symptoms as my Alienware Laptop, which by this point could only be used with the 760M turned off, and the little integrated graphics chip can't run DirectX titles, so about the only thing that it's good for is Plants vs. Zombies and other games not using DirectX. While waiting on the funds for the 760, I replaced the 570 back with the 470, which still ran just fine. For a hot card, the 470 was darn durable and could take one heck of a beating. Finally, that December I replaced the headset with JVC HA-RX700 headphones, as the cord was exposed on the Rosewill set up by the connection to the headset and I knew it was only a matter of a few more weeks before it would give out on me. Oh, and note that I replaced it with headphones and not a headset. This is due to me buying a separate (fairly expensive) microphone setup for my videos. For reference, the microphone is a Rode Procaster that I manged to get in a set that included the mic, a desk arm mount, a shock mount, and an XLR cable.
And so, that brings us to 2014. At the start of the year, I added a second GTX 760 to the mix, as was my plan all along. I also FINALLY replaced the generic non-modular 800W power supply with a semi-modular Corsair CX750M. Oh, and I got an external 2TB drive for additional storage. Lastly, I ended up buying a QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" monitor that's 2560x1440 with a PLS panel that actually arrived with no dead pixels!
Now, as for my processor's overclock, when I got the additional RAM, I had to push the clock down to 4.4 GHz for stability. Over time, as I have redone the system a few times, I ended up just clocking the thing at 4.0 for simplicity. Also, the thermal compound and/or the AIO is in need of replacing, as if I try to overclock the thing any higher than 4.0 now, the temps go over 80C in OCCT testing.
Thus, the current system is now this (for those that don't have the time to read the above):
Case: Coolermaster Storm Scout
CPU: i7-2600k OC'd @ 4.0 GHz
CPU Cooler: Asetek 550LC (Push/Pull)
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55 (D2 Stepping)
VGA: 2x MSI GTX 760 Twin Frozr in SLI
RAM: 16 GB G.Skill Sniper 1600MHz DDR3
SSD: RAID 0 2x96GB Corsair Force 3 Series
HDD01: WD Black 640GB 7200 RPM
HDD02: Samsung 2TB 5600 RMP
HDD03: External Seagate 2TB 7200RPM
Addon01: PCI 4-port USB
Addon02: PCIe x1 2-Port SATA 3.0 Controller
Optical: External Blu-Ray Reader
Power Supply: Corsair CX750M
Keyboard: Alienware TactX
Mouse: Cybersnipa Silencer
Monitor01: QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" 2560x1440 PLS Panel
Monitor02: Alienware OptX 21.5" 1920x1080 TN Panel
As for my upcoming plans for my PC, I have many, though for those, I'll be starting a Project Log, as it will be epic. Let's just say that I'm looking forward to Haswell-E with baited breath.
Alright, now for some personal life info. I am currently a 2nd year graduate student (at time of writing) working on a Masters in Geology at the University of Kansas. My undergraduate degree was a Bachelor's of Science in Biological Sciences from Old Dominion University (yes, a BS in BS). My hobbies include planing and executing PC upgrades, playing video games, and recording myself playing video games for YouTube and, now, Twitch. On those services, I am LPShowboat0099. I look forward to future contributions to this community!
