My new gaming/ photo PC

The pokemon kid

The pokemon kid

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Mathew
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Well, I have finally sold my old pc so I am going to start a build log of my new build.

The new build is consisting of:

CPU: Intel I7 4770k
Motherboard: Asus sabertooth Z87
Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 770
RAM: 2 x 8gb Corsair dominator platinums 1866mhz
PSU: Corsair AX 850w
Case: Corsair 650D
Boot drive: Crucial M4 512gb SSD
Storage drive: WD 1tb caviar blue
Fans: 9 x Corsair AF/SP 120mm fans
Fan controller: Lamptron FC9

I am also going to be building a watercooled loop for the CPU and GPU as I intend to significantly overclock the system.

I will be using two 240mm radiators combined with XSPC CPU and GPU blocks. All connected with compression fittings. It will have a dual bay resivour and a seperate XSPC pump/ pump top combo.

Pictures will follow on what I have done for the new system and stuff I gotten already in the post!
 
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Last I looked (a month or so back) Haswell was a poor overclocker mainly due to the TIM being poor between chip and lid so you couldn't get the heat out. Are you intending to delid?
 
Okay, I am going to upload some images once I have cut the hole in the front of the case and put the parts into the case.

I am cutting a hole in the front to accommodate the 240mm radiator which I will be putting into it. I need to find some filler like stuff to fill the holes of the perforated 200mm hole in the front.
 
I couldnt be bothered to make the cuts... Just yet...

Here are some images of the parts within my case. I am building this up to make sure that the all the components work and that I can install all of the latest drivers etc.

I also did this so that I am able to see the amount of space I have for the radiators with the components in the case. Plus the fact that I cant play any of my games at the moment and want something to use for now.

Image 1

Computer build 2013 by Mat Teague, on Flickr

Image 2

Computer build 2013 by Mat Teague, on Flickr

Image 3

Computer build 2013 by Mat Teague, on Flickr
 
The pokemon kid said:
Image 3

Computer build 2013 by Mat Teague, on Flickr
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Is that motherboard the ASUS Sabertooth you spoke of? I've noticed Sabertooth 990FX looking similar. Can I ask, what's with the Batman-like amour that's covering some parts of it, leaving only gaps for you to install CPU, RAM, etc., etc., surely it would be better open than closed, I thought it needs to let heat out not keep it in under those plates?
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the sabertooth, a lot of high end builds use them. There's a little fan on the northbridge and the vrm has a whopper of a heat sink. Check out the asus site, they have better pics.
 
Gotta smile at a photo of individually braided PSU lines, Sabertooth board and a stock Intel heatsink :)
 
.... and no memory :D
 
That is the Sabertooth board I mentioned. Thing weighs a tonne! The Sabertooth is covered with Thermal armour. It is used to help dissipate the heat coming off the board. There are two fans which are used to pull air across the cap of the CPU.

This isn't a finished build as of yet. There is still two sticks of RAM to go in, a new SSD and a whole watercooled loop to be put in. Just an update of where I have got to.
 
The pokemon kid said:
That is the Sabertooth board I mentioned. Thing weighs a tonne! The Sabertooth is covered with Thermal armour. It is used to help dissipate the heat coming off the board. There are two fans which are used to pull air across the cap of the CPU.

This isn't a finished build as of yet. There is still two sticks of RAM to go in, a new SSD and a whole watercooled loop to be put in. Just an update of where I have got to.
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How is the Thermal armour going to help? Isn't it better to let the motherboard without a cover let heat out where intake fans can blow the heat towards the exit fans? Apart from the cool look and the fact that it can help stop worrying about touching the motherboard in the wrong places, and that it helps looking for where to plug in the cables (ie: where to plug in SATA, USB, power on/off switch, reset button, CPU fan power, etc.,) much easier, I can't image the need for "armour" that according to you "weights a tonne". It's not like if a CIA agent is going to come in, open your computer case, and shoot the motherboard to deny you access to your secret files, so the motherboard needs armour. Mind you, I do like the idea of it making it look tidy, like making it easier to just look for gaps where to plug in RAM, SATA, etc.,

Hmmmmm, I'll give it a bit of more research when I'm thinking about which motherboard I want for my next computer. Looks interesting.
 
Major Eazy said:
How is the Thermal armour going to help?
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I put it in the same category as memory with heatsinks. Not useful at all (well, OK, if you are going to go for the last 100MHz overclock for the lols then maybe) and filed firmly under "marketing".

The biggest thing you need on mobos for overclocking is decent VRMs and a decent heatsink to keep them cool.
 
Well the thermal armour allows you to direct airflow directly across the VRM. The back of the motherboard has a large plate which directly touches the VRM area to help disperse the heat.

Obviously these wont run hot normally but once I up the volts to reach a higher overclock then these will start to get a little warmer...

The thermal armour is also used to defend from dust. There are caps which are put over the PCI-E lanes to stop dust getting in. These also go into all the connections at the back of the motherboard, into the SATA connections and as you can see from the image; two of the RAM lanes.

When I mean it weighs a tonne, It weighs a lot more than a stardard motherboard. This is mainly due to the back panel which is used to make the board more rigid.


SIDE NOTE

Just ordered the Corsair dominator platinum RAM from amazon to arrive tomorrow and just won a Crucial 512gb M4 from ebay at a really great price!
 
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I think it is for industrial & military. They'll have legacy to support.... (and they'll charge accordingly).
 
according to wiki ISA was superseded by PCI in 1993 (i guess thats when the first boards with PCI came out so give it a few more years before ISA was phased out), thats some proper old kit.

rather amusingly ISA stands for "Industry Standard Architecture" too :D
 
The pokemon kid said:
Well the thermal armour allows you to direct airflow directly across the VRM. The back of the motherboard has a large plate which directly touches the VRM area to help disperse the heat.

Obviously these wont run hot normally but once I up the volts to reach a higher overclock then these will start to get a little warmer...

The thermal armour is also used to defend from dust. There are caps which are put over the PCI-E lanes to stop dust getting in. These also go into all the connections at the back of the motherboard, into the SATA connections and as you can see from the image; two of the RAM lanes.
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It's bit pointless isn't it? You mention direct airflow, so I assume that the armour is a bit like a roof over most chipsets, that would mean it is a bit like tunnels under there, so where airflow goes, dust will follow, that means no way of cleaning it comparing to say if there were no armour and you can clean the dust off with a bush. You said there are caps which are put over PCI-E lanes to stop dust slip in, but surely there got to be some gaps somewhere else? What about the screw holes for fitting the motherboard to the case?


When I mean it weighs a tonne, It weighs a lot more than a stardard motherboard. This is mainly due to the back panel which is used to make the board more rigid.
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I know you only meant it as a figure of speech, who in their right mind would want to go back to the old days when computers weight tonnes and can only fit into a whole room. :) But, of course, it is a case of what is the point of adding a little extra weight when you could do with a motherboard without armour like that. A little extra weight could just be a bit of annoyment when building your own computer, or moving your whole complete computer. Well, I don't know.

I still think it's cool looking and helpful when you want to build your own computer and focus on looking for parts you need to plug in cables comparing to that of a motherboard without cover. Maybe it's good for those who wants to have a glass case and show off the insides of their computer.

But still, impressive anyway, I'll give it some more thoughts.
 
I love the look of the Sabertooth boards. I know it's not all about looks but most people building their own computer want to take a bit of pride in how it looks.
Arguably, neat and tidy cabling is unlikely to improve cooling, but that doesn't stop me (or many others) from making the cables look nice and neat. My case has a window in it though without any lighting it's difficult to see the inside clearly, but I feel better knowing the cables are super neat and tidy!

It's a point of pride, having the computer look good. Also I like the fact that it has a long warranty!
 
Couple of ickle fans to increase noise :)
 
Major Eazy said:
It's bit pointless isn't it? You mention direct airflow, so I assume that the armour is a bit like a roof over most chipsets, that would mean it is a bit like tunnels under there, so where airflow goes, dust will follow, that means no way of cleaning it comparing to say if there were no armour and you can clean the dust off with a bush. You said there are caps which are put over PCI-E lanes to stop dust slip in, but surely there got to be some gaps somewhere else? What about the screw holes for fitting the motherboard to the case?




I know you only meant it as a figure of speech, who in their right mind would want to go back to the old days when computers weight tonnes and can only fit into a whole room. :) But, of course, it is a case of what is the point of adding a little extra weight when you could do with a motherboard without armour like that. A little extra weight could just be a bit of annoyment when building your own computer, or moving your whole complete computer. Well, I don't know.

I still think it's cool looking and helpful when you want to build your own computer and focus on looking for parts you need to plug in cables comparing to that of a motherboard without cover. Maybe it's good for those who wants to have a glass case and show off the insides of their computer.

But still, impressive anyway, I'll give it some more thoughts.
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Overall the thermal armour is very good looking on the board. I bought it because I like the concept of it but also I like the army look.

The caps which stop the dust are actually put into the PCI-E slots to stop dust going into it. This is because if dust does get into the actual slot, it can short the slot completely.

You can get the micro atx version called the asus gryphon which comes without the thermal armour but you can buy the armour seperately.

rssmrry said:
I love the look of the Sabertooth boards. I know it's not all about looks but most people building their own computer want to take a bit of pride in how it looks.
Arguably, neat and tidy cabling is unlikely to improve cooling, but that doesn't stop me (or many others) from making the cables look nice and neat. My case has a window in it though without any lighting it's difficult to see the inside clearly, but I feel better knowing the cables are super neat and tidy!

It's a point of pride, having the computer look good. Also I like the fact that it has a long warranty!
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I am spending a bit more on this build simply because I want it to last a few years. I take a lot of pride in my cable management and braiding them is the next level of computer pride I have gone into...

arad85 said:
Couple of ickle fans to increase noise :)
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Pales into insignificance when I am going to be running at least 7 other fans.
 
rssmrry said:
Optional! Plus the fact it's an Asus board means you can set up your fan speeds to curves using Fan Xpert which is nice.
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The pokemon kid said:
Pales into insignificance when I am going to be running at least 7 other fans.
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I have the ASrock Z77 OC Formula which also has a fan on the VRM heatsinks. It is permanently disconnected - as a 40mm fan it is pointless unless it is at a few k rpm - which is then waaaay to noisy (at a few kHz which is not a nice frequency IMHO). Max my VRMs have been at in the last month is 43 deg C and that's with no forced cooling over the VRMs apart from case airflow (the PC will run all day at <70 with prime95 running).

My PC is overclocked to 4.7GHz and even flat out is around the same loudness as my works laptop. Fans and cooling on VRMs* are vastly overrated unless you are pushing the boundaries....

*EDIT: clarified the fans on VRMs bit :)
 
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Put the RAM in today and did the first boot of the system! It booted first time and seams a lot quieter than my last build for some reason... Even though I using the same fans.

I managed to find a AX850 sticker which is coloured green to match my build. I know its all for vanity but it will make it match quite nicely!

Also, I now want to get 6 switches to put on the front of the case. I am going to be using them as a fan controller. I want the fans to have two settings, normal power setting and then extra speed setting. Five of the switches would be for the fans and the final one would be for the LED's. How would I do this?
 
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The pokemon kid said:
Also, I now want to get 6 switches to put on the front of the case. I am going to be using them as a fan controller. I want the fans to have two settings, normal power setting and then extra speed setting. Five of the switches would be for the fans and the final one would be for the LED's. How would I do this?
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Do it properly and get one of these:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-011-AQ (although you will need top figure out a way of mounting it although they do a set of brackets that fit in a 5.25" slot: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-135-AQ)

or one of these if you want a front panel that has all the bells and whistles:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-000-AQ

If your fans are particularly power hungry, you might need to get one of these for the voltage regulators on the board (it is expensive for a lump of metal, but...): http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-124-AQ
 
I put this in my machine

BB-005-AE_39480_400.jpg


It may only control 4 fans but it does it well and it looks the part :D
 
Dmax said:
how many fans you got using ?
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I am going to running 9 fans in total... 4 push pull in the front, 4 push pull in the top and one in the back...

I am either going to run something similar to have arad showed but would-be a board for up to 10 fans and no front bay item, or I would run a scythe laze 12 fan controller...

I bought four missile switches to control the different sets of cold cathodes...
 
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The pokemon kid said:
I am either going to run something similar to have arad showed but would-be a board for up to 10 fans
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You can run multiple fans off a singe header with some cheap fan splitter cables off ebay. I forget the current capacity, but it is quite large per header. Clearly, you only have a single voltage, but you can stack fans nicely.

You can also geta water block cooler which will give you even more headroom: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-127-AQ
 
Yeah... if you don't mind fan noise ;)
 
I am used to the noise of the fans at the moment. I am running the quiet edition ones.

The stock CPU fan is bothering me though with its whining sound. constantly sound like it is dying...
 
The pokemon kid said:
I am used to the noise of the fans at the moment. I am running the quiet edition ones.
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If you can still hear the fans with the system idle in a room with all doors/windows closed at 2am it's too loud IMHO....

Another test to know if it is running quiet enough is if the whine of the disk drives is annoying you then your fans are quiet enough ;)
 
I could hear the disk drive whine when I had it plugged into the hot swap bay. Was quite annoying...

I have decided not to run any HDD's in the rig, i will instead run a DAS somewhere in my house and get it connected to the PC that way. Going to be running out of space once I get most stuff installed.
 
It would have to be one quiet rig to let you hear an SSD! ;)
 
Need some creative people to think up a cool name for this! Going to possibly get a sticker made with the name of it to add to the computer.

Currently the name is: Brenda

Who can think of a cooler/ better name?
 
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