Steve Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Case - Silverstone TJ08-E - http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=303&area=en My current PC case is small and this one is even smaller. A full ATX case is too deep to fit nicely under my desk, so I decided to go with a micro-ATX build. This case gets excellent reviews and has some nice features. Motherboard - Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Gen 3 - http://www.ebuyer.com/338468-asus-maximus-iv-gene-z-gen-3-z68-socket-1155-hdmi-supremefx-x-fi-maximus-iv-gene-z-gen3 This is one of the higher end micro-ATX boards and has all of the ports/features I need and then some. CPU - I'm going to wait for Ivy Bridge CPUs to come out, but I'll probably go with a 2500k or 2700k (whatever is the equivalent Ivy Bridge version). CPU cooler - Noctua NH-D14 2011 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/1156-Noctua-NH-D14-SE2011-Kühler/dp/B0062K6BIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331668098&sr=8-1 This cooler is a monster and this particular version has PWM fans which will help to keep the noise levels low. It's designed for socket 2011 boards, but Noctua sell a mount for 1155 boards for £7 so this will fit. RAM - 16GB of Corsair 1600 MHz low profile memory - http://www.ebuyer.com/274037-corsair-16gb-4x4gb-ddr3-1600mhz-vengeance-low-profile-memory-kit-cl9-1-5v-cml16gx3m4a1600c9 This low profile RAM will allow me to easily fit the Noctua cooler in the case. Sound card - I don't know yet. The motherboard I've chosen supposedly has very high quality on-board sound, so I'll see how that works out before deciding if I need a dedicated card. Hard drives - Samsung 830 128 GB SSD - http://www.ebuyer.com/318421-samsung-128gb-830-series-ssd-2-5-sata-iii-pc-upgrade-kit-mz-7pc128d-eu I went with this as the performance is great, but it's also very reliable and doesn't suffer with the issues that some of the SSDs that use SandForce controllers suffer from. I'm also going to be using the 2 hard drives that are in my existing PC for storage. GPU - For now I'm just going to move my 8800GT over to the new machine. PSU - My current machine has a Corsair 620 Watt modular PSU in it, so I'll use that with the new machine. Optical drives - Again, I'll use the 2 from my existing machine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Sounds good man. I'm always interested to see what peripherals people have. I have a weird nerdiness about keyboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 It's all about DKM, for sure. What will you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 A couple of random YouTube reviews.......... I have this keyboard: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTDAng9IbHA And this trackball: - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Being left handed I have never used a trackball other than old school laptop and ambidextrous ones, but in general they don't fit my use case. Apple don't seem to be able to decide what they want the mouse to be used for, in many ways mighty mouse was superior to magic mouse but I'm using a magic mouse at the moment for the imac and a magic trackpad for when I am using the MacBook at a desk. If someone could make a mighty mouse with mechanical buttons that didn't require drivers and lasted more than a week I'd jump on it. Having both trackpad and mouse hooked up is a pretty cool solution but it's a pain to have to re-pair the devices every time you want to swap around, although if I could find a decent mouse like the one I mentioned above I'd probably get it, use it with the imac and use the trackpad too, thus getting both multitouch gestures and precise control, and use the magic mouse for the MacBook (and when I switch to an air I'll have the multitouch trackpad built in too, even better). Apple hate mechanical stuff, which means games are unplayable and scrolling is sometimes unpredictable, especially in large canvas software that's not designed by apple. The osx scrolling is vastly superior to the windows scrolling though and I think you have to think about mouse input differently on windows, there are probably better alternatives for windows users when it comes to pointers. As far as keyboards go I've never used one as good as the apple keyboard, but increasingly I'm seeing third parties coming close. It'd be nice to see a backlit standalone in the same vein as the built in MacBook versions, and if they made a Bluetooth full version I'd be tempted to go for one over the numpadless one they do now (the USB only one is too much of a pain). What display are you using? I am gestating the idea of a 32" monitor, or maybe even two 28"s, and swapping the iMac for a top of the range 15" Mbp that I could dock semi permanently and only take out when I am travelling with work. The 27" iMac screen is gorgeous, and the apple display similarly so but at 900 it's very, very expensive - only slightly cheaper for one at 2800 res or whatever it is than two 1080p production quality displays from a third party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Having both trackpad and mouse hooked up is a pretty cool solution but it's a pain to have to re-pair the devices every time you want to swap around With the Logitech unifying receiver, you can pair up to 6 devices at once. I really don't know what you see in that Apple wireless keyboard! Mine is Bluetooth, rechargeable via USB, backlit (with motion detection) and has a number pad and to me it feels nicer to type on than the Apple one. It's the sort of thing I would use if I needed a keyboard for a living room computer, but not for my main machine. My monitor is a Dell 22" - not one of the Ultrasharp IPS panels - it's just a cheapish one. I don't really have room for one that's much bigger than that which is why I've never considered upgrading. I'll probably run this until it breaks and then get a 24" IPS panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I have both on and within range often, though, so sharing is a no-no The apple keyboard is just right for me. Separated keys, very short throw, and just firm enough to bounce back on you. I type all day and to an extent I think you get used to a certain style, and when MacBook came out the keyboard blew any keys I'd ever used away and when they switched the design to the aluminium chassis - completely creak free - it was game over. Most other keyboards seem to be aping the style now, and there may well be a better keyboard out there but I'm yet to use it. The battery life is great too, I think I get about 5 months of all day use off two duracell gold AAs... A decent display makes all the difference - I'd definitely budget to upgrade, without question. It only costs a couple of hundred for an amazing quality 24" 1080p nowadays, less for smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d00ban Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My thoughts: NERD NERD NERD NERD NERD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wax On Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 i'll have your old comp then st3ve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My thoughts: NERD NERD NERD NERD NERD just to reiterate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 ebuyer? BBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 I've never had any issues with eBuyer. The one time I needed to return something, it wasn't a problem - they paid for return postage and issued me a refund as soon as they received the item. I've got all the parts for this PC apart from the CPU now. Just gotta wait for Ivy Bridge chips to appear so I can hopefully get a 3770k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Here is the monster cooler. Twin tower, twin PWM fans: - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kut_class Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 thats crazy ! is it a tight fit to get that in the case ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 thats crazy ! is it a tight fit to get that in the case ? Yeah, very! It blocks all of the drive bays except 1 for 3.5" drives and it forces you to use low profile RAM. I'm going to mount the SSD on the underside of the MOBO tray like this: - http://i.imgur.com/VSmWv.jpg And my 3.5" storage drive will be mounted in a hot-swap enabled enclosure in one of the 5.25" bays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 I've got all the parts for this now apart from the CPU. Hurry up Ivy Bridge! I part assembled it today. The case is nice. I swapped out the 180mm intake fan for a silent one, which was the only ball ache as I had to take out about 18 screws of various sizes to get at it. I fitted one of these in the 3.5" bay at the front: - ^^Multi card reader with USB 3.0. And one of these in one of the 5.25" bays: - ^^That's a hot-swappable drive bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wax On Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 LOL@ bays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I've never had any issues with eBuyer. The one time I needed to return something, it wasn't a problem - they paid for return postage and issued me a refund as soon as they received the item. I used to work for the fuckers so maybe I'm a little bit biased Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 eBuyer's customer service has come good for me again. The MOBO is compatible with Ivy Bridge CPUs, but only if it's flashed with a new BIOS update, but it can only be flashed with the new BIOS update if a compatible CPU is installed into it, so I was stuck. I phoned eBuyer this morning and they are going to collect the MOBO, flash it with the new BIOS update, then ship it back to me within 3 working days all at their expense so I really can't complain at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Can't say fairer than that. Did you not fancy holding out until they ditched the BIOS thing in place of that new system which has reduced boot times? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 This board does use UEFI, but they still refer to the updates as "BIOS updates". I could have waited and bought a Z77 board, which is designed specifically for Ivy Bridge CPUs, but the Z77 version of the board I bought is £30 more expensive and offers no real advantages - in fact, it seems less well equipped. I wouldn't have had the hassle of having to return it for a BIOS update though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Oh wicked. So how long until the day? I found that putting the components together only takes about an hour, if that. Then the big switch on - YEAH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 The chips go on sale on the 29th, so hopefully I should be looking at building it around the middle of next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelkorn Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Be careful you don't buy the wrong kind of chips [ That would ruin your computer and it would not work LOL hahahahaaaaa jokes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 24, 2012 Author Share Posted April 24, 2012 It would be awful if I bought those by mistake! I'd have to eat them and how bad would that be??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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