Ford's Computer Build Log

[Ford 1st MRB]

Okay so I know I have posted new computer build ideas in the past, but the time has come to be serious and actually build a new one. My current setup is outdated, and showing it's age. My main HD is making a god-awful clattering noise like the bearings are gone in it or something, the cpu is an old intel e6750 core 2 duo.

For starters, I'll lay out the basic ideas I have laid out for the rig.

I am swinging for the fences with this build. Not all top of the line gear, but stuff that won't leave me disappointed 6 months or even a year from now either.

Massive cooling via two water cooling loops.

Extreme overclocking capabilities.

Expandability for future upgrades.

As quiet as possible. My current air-cooled rig sounds like a jet taking off during long gaming sessions. This is why I am going water cooled with all low db fans on the radiators.

The System:

Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 800D (Purchased)

CPU: Intel Core i7 950 (overclocked to 4.25Ghz)

Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI Classified 141-GT-E770-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 (Purchased)

Memory: 12GB Corsair Dominator-GT (overclocked to 1952 mhz)

PSU: Silverstone ST1500 1500W (1500 Watts should be good for just about anything I throw at it)

Video Cards: eVga GTX 460 1MB FTW Edition x2 (overclocked to 855mhz core clock and 1900mhz shader clock)

SSD: Kingston SSDNow V+ Series SNVP325-S2/64GB (for the OS and Steam games)

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB ( 2 of these for storage and larger files that don't require fast drives)

Keyboard: Razer Black Widow Ultimate

Mouse: Razer Mamba

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit (Purchased)

BluRay / DVD / CD Burner: LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner with 3D Playback & LightScribe (Purchased)

CPU / Chipset Cooling Loop:

Swiftech Apogee XT Extreme Core i7 Cooling Block

Black Ice GT Stealth 360 XFlow Radiator - Red

XSPC 5.25" Bay Reservoir

Scythe Kaze Master Pro 5.25" 6 Channel Fan Controller / Temp Display - Black

Swiftech MCP355™ 12v Water Pump

EK EVGA 3x SLI X58 Classified Full Board Cooling Block Kit - Acetal + Nickel

PrimoChill PrimoFlex PRO LRT Tubing 3/8"ID 5/8"OD - UV Red 12ft.

GPU Cooling Loop:

Black Ice GTX 360 External Radiator

XSPC 5.25" Bay Reservoir

Scythe Kaze Master Pro 5.25" 6 Channel Fan Controller / Temp Display - Black

Swiftech MCP655™ 12v Water Pump w/ Speed Control

Black Ice GT Stealth 240 Radiator

EK GeForce 460 GTX VGA Liquid Cooling Block

EK GeForce 460 GTX VGA Liquid Cooling Block

PrimoChill PrimoFlex PRO LRT Tubing 1/2"ID 3/4"OD with 1/8" Wall Black 12ft.

Koolance Radiator Mounting Bracket w/ Quick-Release

Fans / Sleeving / Case Mods:

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E 120mm Ultra quiet fans- 11 total

Mod/Smart Professional System Sleeving Kit - UV Red

Dual 12" Cold Cathode Kit - Ultra Bright UV

Logisys 12" Inverterless True-Color CCFL Light Bar - Frontal 180° Lighting - Red

Feser One Non Conductive Cooling Fluid - 1000 ml - UV Red

This is my first attempt at water cooling. I have spent the last three months on a few other forums, reading, asking questions, studying other peoples builds, finding out what to do and not to do. I'm not worried about leaks because the coolant I chose is non-conductive, meaning if it spills or leaks in the pc, it won't do any electrical damage since it does not conduct electricity. It is verified and comes with a warranty to cover replacement parts for up to $4,000.00.

I am going for a fresh, clean, professional looking build here. Full cable sleeving on every wire in the case, all nickel fittings for the loops, Red and Black layout theme to match the case and motherboard.

I have ordered a few parts already, I won't actually start posting pics until I am ready to assemble the rig, then I will have a detailed pictoral of the assembly from start to finish. The CPU Loop will be done in UV Red tubing and the GPU loop will be done in black tubing. There are two radiators and a larger pump on the GPU loop because overclocking two factory overclocked cards is going to require some serious cooling.

I may try and push the CPU up to 4.4 Ghz, but I know I can get it to 4.25Ghz stable.

This will take me a couple of months to fully gather all the parts, but I think it will be worth it in the end. I won't get into the exact price so please don't ask, but it is under $5,000.00 and over $1,000.00

Overkill? Yes.

Needed? No.

I really don't care though. It's my money, and I enjoy these sort of things.

Updates to come soon.

[Stab N' Grab]

...but what about cup holders?

[Tolomeo]

Ford, I think you should look around for an alternate mouse. Wired moused obviously don't have the hassle of batteries, and looking at the reviews for that mouse, it has some problems. I recently had to buy a new mouse, and ended up with the Logitech G500. So far, it works great and is easily customizable, it is wired though; but it is half the price. That is all the input I can offer, seeing as I don't have any experience with the rest of the list.

[Ford 1st MRB]

Ford, I think you should look around for an alternate mouse. Wired moused obviously don't have the hassle of batteries, and looking at the reviews for that mouse, it has some problems. I recently had to buy a new mouse, and ended up with the Logitech G500. So far, it works great and is easily customizable, it is wired though; but it is half the price. That is all the input I can offer, seeing as I don't have any experience with the rest of the list.

I'm currently using the G500 and have been for almost a year now, it's a great mouse. I realize there are positive and negative reviews for the Mamba. That goes with pretty much anything computer related though. The good thing about Razer is their customer support, and willingness to replace anything for any reason. I don't mind so much the batteries. They hold a charge for 1-2 days and the docking bay is sexy looking. I went with that particular mouse because it's hard to argue against 5600DPI and 1ms polling rate, both industry leading making it the fastest response mouse on the market. Also, it comes with a usb cord in case you prefer it to be wired.

Thanks for the heads up though.

[Parker 1st MRB]

Mouse mat is not listed. I demand to know your mouse mat!

[Ford 1st MRB]

Mouse mat is not listed. I demand to know your mouse mat!

I am using a Razer Vespula dual sided Mat. It's great and cheap, I recommend it to anyone.

[Dillon 1st MRB]

I am using a Razer Vespula dual sided Mat. It's great and cheap, I recommend it to anyone.

I'm going to need to get a new mousepad, myself. My old Steelseries just isn't cutting it anymore. I may try a new Ratpadz, but I'll have to check out that Vespula.

I'm so freaking jealous that you got that case.

Oh, I used to do some watercooling back in the day. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm liking the waterblock choices. Oh, one thing, always keep some extra fluid on hand. And be thorough with working the air bubbles out. Have fun with it! Oh, and.....

[McKenzie 1st MRB]

The Mamba is a great mouse, my buddy and his wife have em and swear by em. Sadly as I am more broke then my friend is, I went with the Razer Imperator for anyone looking for a cheap solution to the Mamba. It is esentially the VERY SAME mouse, but it just has the cord attached and its like 80 bucks rather then 140. Also, for anyone who wants to go cheap mouse pads, I have had a SteelSeries FragMaster for about 2 years. I don't know if they make these any more, but Steel Series is an amazing product for under 20 bucks. Soft sided and folds up for easy on the go portability.

[Dawson 1st MRB]

I've had a koolance water system for a while. It can be a little expensive when you buy both the system and the cooling blocks for each item, but I think its worth it considering how well they work and ho long they last. I've had mine for 2 computers (one of which I overclocked heavily for long periods) and I've never had a problem with it whatsoever.

There's definitely no end to good water cooling solutions, but this one is something to consider.

http://www.koolance.com

[Gooderham 1st MRB]

Quick question, why would you spend more than 10 bucks on a mouse pad?

[McKenzie 1st MRB]

Quick question, why would you spend more than 10 bucks on a mouse pad?

I spent 16.99 on mine with shipping, and its about 3 times bigger then a normal mouse pad, so I can swipe easy as hell when I got the room to manuever my mouse.

[Janke 1st MRB]

I spent 16.99 on mine with shipping, and its about 3 times bigger then a normal mouse pad, so I can swipe easy as hell when I got the room to manuever my mouse.

I'm using one we probably got for free in the '90s, the mouse illustrated on it has 3 buttons. I used to not use a mousepad, but then my table got warped and was fucking up my aim. I don't need some amazing mousepad that costs $60 (coughcoughSteelseriescough) as long as my mouse is good enough to track on the shitty surface, which it is. You can even tell this is a ball-mouse pad because it's not smooth, it's designed to catch the ball on the bottom of the mouse. I don't see the need to spend a shitton on (what I see as) a useless commodity. My mouse was $70, I don't want to spend ANOTHER $70 on some piece of plastic to put my mouse on.

[Parker 1st MRB]

But if you had the dough, don't lie you would spend the extra money on a mousepad.

BTW Ford I recently ordered the Razer Black Widow Ultimate, Razer Mamba and the Vespula. I'm pretty excited!

[Dillon 1st MRB]

I was really suprised how much more accurate I became with a good mousepad. The texture of your mousepad, particularly if you have an older laser mouse, can make all the difference in the world.

[Parker 1st MRB]

Well I always used a standard mousepad so this will be the 1st mousepad I get that will be worth something significant. Let's see if i turn into Kirkendall!!!

[Ford 1st MRB]

Well I always used a standard mousepad so this will be the 1st mousepad I get that will be worth something significant. Let's see if i turn into Kirkendall!!!

A grammar nazi?

Btw great choices going with Razer. You will not be disappointed.

[Gooderham 1st MRB]

Can someone tell me what i should be looking for in a new mouse and keypad?

[Ford 1st MRB]

Depends totally on your taste and your budget.

If you want gaming grade I wouldn't really go anywhere but Razer.

Logitech would be my second choice.

[Ford 1st MRB]

*Slight update*

I had to change Motherboard choices.

I originally was going for the 4-way SLI Classified board. It is out of stock and according to the guy at newegg I spoke with they aren't sure when they will receive any more.

I went with a newer board I read a few reviews on. Basically same board only Three way SLI instead of Four. Also, with it being a newer board, eVga has had time to work out the kinks with the x58 chipset, and it has a few more bells and whistles for about 20 bucks cheaper than the 4 way board.

This also means I had to switch the chipset cooling block for my cpu loop. This also saved me about 40 bucks.

The board and the case should arrive either Friday or Monday. Pictures when they get here.

New Board - EVGA 141-GT-E770-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58

New Chipset Cooling Block - EK EVGA 3x SLI X58 Classified Full Board Cooling Block Kit - Acetal + Nickel

[Dillon 1st MRB]

I've always enjoyed the Ratpadz mousepads, and I'm going to have to order another one. However, I have an issue with my mouse. I've got an old Logitech MX310. This is sort of wierd, but I've had it since 2003. Its a great mouse, but I need something with more accuracy and it just doesn't glide like it used to. But, I'm actually having trouble finding a good mouse that meets my needs. Here is what I need:

1. Ambidextrous. I game on the left side of my keyboard, but I left-click with my middel finger. Yes, every time I shoot you, I'm giving you the finger. I've done this since Spear of Destiny/Wolfenstein, so don't try to get me to change. And yes, I use the number pad for movement.

2. My slide easily but with decent resistance.

3. Not too many buttons.

4. Higher dpi than I get now.

5. At least 5 buttons. I need the forward, back thing, as I talk in Vent with one of these buttons.

As of yet, I haven't found a good gaming mouse that will do this. As of right now, I think the only mouse that would do this the MS Sidewinder x3. The only Razer I've seen that comes close only has 3 buttons.

[Ford 1st MRB]

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g39/c51/s4...Feet-Page1.html

Have you considered those?

If you like your mouse but need less resistance those may be all you need. Just find the ones made for your mouse or one similar.