Author Topic: Computer build specs  (Read 15090 times)

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2011, 12:09:16 AM »
I gotta remember to not do this stuff on Fridays.  The wait is really annoying :D

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2011, 12:42:53 AM »
Hmmm, UPS shipment is in town.  Now the question is will they hold it to deliver on Tuesday or deliver it tomorrow....

Steve

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2011, 08:50:18 AM »
Hmmm, UPS shipment is in town.  Now the question is will they hold it to deliver on Tuesday or deliver it tomorrow....

With UPS you never can tell. It's hard to figure out of they will even show up to the right place half the time. Why not go FedEX?
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2011, 10:28:23 AM »
Actually, the UPS here is better than FedEx.  At least UPS is smart enough to reach over my fence and put the packages on the table vs FedEx who leaves them in front of my door (in plain view of the street).  Plus I now know where the UPS guy has lunch.  The only problems I've had with them is that sometimes they don't mark the shipments as out for delivery (luckily I knew it was suppose to be delivered that day and took the time off) and their pick-up for missed deliveries doesn't start until 9pm.

I can, honestly, see both scenarios happening.  If they want to get it out of their warehouse then they'll deliver it today.  If they got a lot of shipments to my area over the weekend then they might hold off on my package since they have another day.

Oh and UPS was the cheaper route.

webwhy

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #19 on: May 16, 2011, 11:09:25 AM »
i agree.  fedex sucks here as well.  they won't deliver anything without a "correct" address, which includes omitting the suite number.  It happens to us all the time (both our fault and sender's fault).    Since we're in a relatively small building with three tenants, UPS always makes the effort to deliver the packages.  FedEx won't even try.

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #20 on: May 16, 2011, 12:18:51 PM »
Fedex is a bitch here too.  If everything isn't perfect and "their" way it goes back.  Furthermore picking it up from them is a bitch for me.  UPS all the way in my area.

Steve

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2011, 02:58:02 PM »
Here Fedex gets it right and the others dont lol
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2011, 11:19:31 PM »
/tear-of-joy

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #23 on: May 18, 2011, 06:33:32 AM »
Nice.  I take it that the system build went well?

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #24 on: May 18, 2011, 11:14:42 AM »
Some ups and downs with the assembly, mainly due to not doing it in a decade and a lot of things changing.

Initial parts reactions:
Case: Power supply on the bottom, that's new.  *thinking* but that makes sense, opens the top for an exhaust fan
Motherboard: Talk about a lot of heat sinks
CPU: Hmmm, no pins.  Definitely a good thing.  LOVE the new heatsink/fan mounting system.  Beats the crap out of that old flexible metal bar that went over the heatsink that you could never seem to get the angle on to clip it in place.
RAM:  My RAM has heatsinks
Video card: O.M.F.G.  The thing is a beast.  The think takes two PSU connections, has two fans, good size tubing which I assume is for heatsinking.

Assembly:
Only cut myself once and scratched (but no cut) twice.  Assembly was pretty straight forward.  The MB manual laid out all the important bits well.  Had a little problem getting the MB to line up with the mounting holes due to the ports face plate.  But some adjusting and doing the screws in the right order (starting with the most troublesome hole first) fixed that right up.  The front case fan used the 4 pin PSU connector but two of the pins didn't want to go in the connector.  They actually ended up pushing back out.  Luckily the two that stayed in are the two the fan was connected to and none of my devices use those type of connectors.  So no lose.

Went to start up the computer for the first time and got nothing.  Ended up pull out all the front panel connections and redoing them one by one (well at least until the power and reset worked) and it worked.

Software:
Windows 7 installed pretty quickly.  However, it didn't have the drivers for the on-board LAN so had to install those from the MB CD.  Once I did that everything else was peachy.

Gaming:  Installed a few games, one of which made my previous PC cry like a bitch on even the lowest settings.  Turned the settings up all the way and the new PC basically did a "bitch please.  That's all you've got?".  It is a whole new world of gaming!!!

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #25 on: May 18, 2011, 12:16:02 PM »
I really like isolating the PS from the rest of the case.  I look for that feature in all my cases.

The tubing on the video card extends from the heat sink block on the GPU to the cooling fins.  They are heat pipes.  Essentially liquid (various) inside evaporates when heated then condenses and falls/wicks back to the block again.  It is an very popular cooling tactic these days.  Supposedly provides for faster more efficient heat transfer.

Lots of folks fight the rear port face plate.  They can be a pain.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying it.  What game(s) are you playing?

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #26 on: May 18, 2011, 12:45:39 PM »
I put: Eve Online, Rift, and Demigod on it.  Demigod was the one that I could barely play before.  Eve and Rift went from "ok" to "WOW"

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #27 on: May 18, 2011, 02:36:01 PM »
Eve looks wicked hard to get into.

Rift is getting really good reviews in the podcast world.

Check out Arkham asylum sometime when it is on sale on Steam.  If you watch you can pick it up for $5 to $10.  It should go on sale before or during the launch of the next Arkham City in October-ish.  Note that this is XBox gameplay.  PC with PhysX on blows it away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOqND_TTxH4

Bioshock 1 is also a really inexpensive game that is great on gameplay, story, and eye-candy.

Steve

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #28 on: May 19, 2011, 12:09:33 PM »
The heat pipe cooling is the only way to go. They have also began to incorporate it into water and vapo cooling setups and the temp drops are amazing.
hey ethic if you and i were both courting lily allen..... oh wait, which one of us has a relationship that lasted more than the bus ride home?

Mike

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Re: Computer build specs
« Reply #29 on: June 06, 2011, 07:14:07 PM »
So I've been pushing about 70% RAM utilization while heavy gaming but only 40-50% CPU.  So I picked up another 8G of RAM that should be delivered today.  Sadly, that means I'll have as much RAM as our work's main production server...