Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: SilverZ06 on September 10, 2011, 09:31:25 PM
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I just built this last night. It is my first build ever so the wiring is not as neat as it could be but for a first timer its not too terrible. It was a lot of fun and AH looks amazing with full eye candy and shadows. I cant believe what I've been missing. There still seems to be a small problem though, I'm still getting killed way too frequently :headscratch:. Anyway here it is. Pics and specs below. I just added 2 led strips from the auto parts store to the side panel to help illuminate the guts. Thanks for everyones help in my other thread about building a pc to run on full eye candy. FYI this was well over my original planned $800 budget :rofl
Specs:
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813157265
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116986
Logitech MK100 Black PS/2 Wired Slim Classic Desktop
Item #: N82E16823126220
SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AL LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151235
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
Item #: N82E16820231428
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
Item #: N82E16819115072
XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150548
Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active ...
Item #: N82E16817153106
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103065
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820148441
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533
ViewSonic VA2702w Black 27" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor
Item #: N82E16824116455
Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock
Item #: N82E16811147107
Pics:
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6134455659_e1b172d29d_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6135004238_06f8f49e5d_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6134455829_30d331d7b3_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6135004358_cf3fcc402c_z.jpg)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6134455941_8440e37a60_z.jpg)
There was a fan on the same door the LEDs are on but it hit the 212+ so it got moved to the front of the case. You cant see it but it is on top of the 2 blue fans hidden behind the 3 unused 5.25" bays. I am using the Asrock auto over clock at 4.0ghz. After playing AH the cpu is at around 32*c and the gpu is around 43*c. :aok
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nice :aok
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get a self powered usb hub before you start having problems, they're only about 30 bucks and money well invested. other than that, it's a nice built.
semp
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very nicely done silver... :aok
say, how did you get that oem windows installed? mine said it needed the oem install pack and i couldn't get my hands on a copy.
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very nicely done silver... :aok
say, how did you get that oem windows installed? mine said it needed the oem install pack and i couldn't get my hands on a copy.
I had no issues with the install at all. Just installed the cd and followed the prompts. It never asked for an oem install pack. I do kind of wish I bought a retail version of w7 though so i could tranfer it to my other computers. With the OEM its only good for one machine.
get a self powered usb hub before you start having problems, they're only about 30 bucks and money well invested. other than that, it's a nice built.
semp
Semp, what problems will I have without a powered hub? I have one on hand but have 10 usb connections on the computer (6 on the back of the MB and 4 on the top of the case). I figured my power supply is more than capable of powering the devices. I am not against using the self powered hub just wondering what the advantages are. Thanks
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the 6950 is $300 itself, i would hope that is over your 800 budget :lol
anyway, very nice!
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the 6950 is $300 itself, i would hope that is over your 800 budget :lol
anyway, very nice!
Isn't it ridiculous what happens to our original budgets when we're looking at one click shopping! :x
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How was the SSD/HD setup? Whats your windows experience # for Data transfer?
I was thinking of adding a SSD for just AH2 and the OS...do you think it would help game play?
Great System!
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How was the SSD/HD setup? Whats your windows experience # for Data transfer?
I was thinking of adding a SSD for just AH2 and the OS...do you think it would help game play?
Great System!
I like the setup, it is extremely fast. A full boot up from the time i hit the power button until windows is fully loaded and ready to use is 24 seconds. 10 of those seconds are just BIOS screen and POST. Here is my experience score.
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6136369237_b93162b1bc_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/37180180@N08/6136369237/)
DSC_0927 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/37180180@N08/6136369237/) by 06CTS-V (http://www.flickr.com/people/37180180@N08/), on Flickr
And I still have 32GB free after W7 and AH2
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6136913066_378518f7e1_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/37180180@N08/6136913066/)
DSC_0928 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/37180180@N08/6136913066/) by 06CTS-V (http://www.flickr.com/people/37180180@N08/), on Flickr
As far as helping with game play I really cant tell you as this system is a huge overall improvement over my other computer so I dont know if the SSD alone would really make that big of a difference. I would have to assume it (SSD) would not make a noticeable difference in AH. I think the GPU and CPU are by far the more important components.
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Nice machine.
So now that you've built one are you ever going to buy another pre-built machine? Didn't think so. :D
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Isn't it ridiculous what happens to our original budgets when we're looking at one click shopping! :x
it is. I still managed under my 1k though even after buying goodies. Wish I could fill my case a little more though :rofl
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I had no issues with the install at all. Just installed the cd and followed the prompts. It never asked for an oem install pack. I do kind of wish I bought a retail version of w7 though so i could tranfer it to my other computers. With the OEM its only good for one machine.
Semp, what problems will I have without a powered hub? I have one on hand but have 10 usb connections on the computer (6 on the back of the MB and 4 on the top of the case). I figured my power supply is more than capable of powering the devices. I am not against using the self powered hub just wondering what the advantages are. Thanks
usb connections like the ch stick/headset/pedals/throttle draw a lot of power off the mobo and it may start spiking while playing. you may not have a problem at all, but the hub is good insurance.
semp
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Looks nice silver... now comes the MODS paortion of the build... 2nd vidcard 2 more monitors... water cooling for cpu... water cooling for vid cards... and other mods...Welcome to the home built club sir.
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Looks nice silver... now comes the MODS paortion of the build... 2nd vidcard 2 more monitors... water cooling for cpu... water cooling for vid cards... and other mods...Welcome to the home built club sir.
and its hard to keep the adiction tamed when you get enough pennies scraped together for something. lucky i didnt give in a couple times, really struggling right now :lol
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Looks nice silver... now comes the MODS paortion of the build... 2nd vidcard 2 more monitors... water cooling for cpu... water cooling for vid cards... and other mods...Welcome to the home built club sir.
This one does everything i want it to and then some. I think it will stay as is for quite a while. Hell I even turned off the over clock to run at stock speed as it is plenty. Then if I get in the mood to mod ill just click a few buttons :D
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This one does everything i want it to and then some. I think it will stay as is for quite a while. Hell I even turned off the over clock to run at stock speed as it is plenty. Then if I get in the mood to mod ill just click a few buttons :D
I bet 5 bucks that within a month you will get the itching to change something that doesnt need changing. or just take everything apart to redo your wiring. once you build your first one, you are serously messed up as you will always want to "improve it" :D. it's like a drug, I think i need help :O.
semp
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I like the setup, it is extremely fast. A full boot up from the time i hit the power button until windows is fully loaded and ready to use is 24 seconds. 10 of those seconds are just BIOS screen and POST.
As far as helping with game play I really cant tell you as this system is a huge overall improvement over my other computer so I dont know if the SSD alone would really make that big of a difference. I would have to assume it (SSD) would not make a noticeable difference in AH. I think the GPU and CPU are by far the more important components.
SilverZ,
did you update the firmware from 001 or 002 to the recently released 009 version for your M4 series SSD ?
I upgraded mine to 009 and my seq read shot up to around 525 ~ 550 MB/s Seq. Read and my Seq. Write is hovering around 290 MB/s now.............. before the firmware update I was almost right inline with the default specs of my M4 128 SSD at 415 MB/s Seq. Read & 175 MB/s Seq. write
my i7-2600k system boots so fast from the time the monitor power light turns green the next thing you see is the Win 7 login/password screen........ I had to go in to my bios and add a 10 second pause, just so I could see what was loading/initializing ........ so I am loading at 10 secs now
AH, MS Office, etc load instantly............ clicking on logging into an arena in AH is like 2 blinks of an eyelid and I am there
I recommend you update your SSD firmware to 009 * BE CAREFUL AND FOLLOW THE firmware Instructions THOROUGHLY !!! * ( and also do a complete back up & disc image before attempting to upgrade firmware for extra measure of recovery )
Crucial SSD Firmware update link: http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
hope this helps................ nice build so far
TC
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SilverZ,
did you update the firmware from 001 or 002 to the recently released 009 version for your M4 series SSD ?
I upgraded mine to 009 and my seq read shot up to around 525 ~ 550 MB/s Seq. Read and my Seq. Write is hovering around 290 MB/s now.............. before the firmware update I was almost right inline with the default specs of my M4 128 SSD at 415 MB/s Seq. Read & 175 MB/s Seq. write
my i7-2600k system boots so fast from the time the monitor power light turns green the next thing you see is the Win 7 login/password screen........ I had to go in to my bios and add a 10 second pause, just so I could see what was loading/initializing ........ so I am loading at 10 secs now
AH, MS Office, etc load instantly............ clicking on logging into an arena in AH is like 2 blinks of an eyelid and I am there
I recommend you update your SSD firmware to 009 * BE CAREFUL AND FOLLOW THE firmware Instructions THOROUGHLY !!! * ( and also do a complete back up & disc image before attempting to upgrade firmware for extra measure of recovery )
Crucial SSD Firmware update link: http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
hope this helps................ nice build so far
TC
I just did this update and it actually seemed to slow the boot time down. now i can see the full windows initial starting screen where as before it would boot before finishing that screen.
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My passmark performance test results:
PassMark(TM) PerformanceTest 7.0 Evaluation Version (http://www.passmark.com)
Results generated on: Sunday, September 11, 2011
Benchmark Results
Test Name: This Computer
CPU - Integer Math: 3079.1
CPU - Floating Point Math: 3835.3
CPU - Find Prime Numbers: 1764.9
CPU - SSE: 30.5
CPU - Compression: 10173.7
CPU - Encryption: 26.1
CPU - Physics: 506.6
CPU - String Sorting: 5816.7
Graphics 2D - Solid Vectors: 1.8
Graphics 2D - Transparent Vectors: 2.1
Graphics 2D - Complex Vectors: 182.5
Graphics 2D - Fonts and Text: 336.7
Graphics 2D - Windows Interface: 125.9
Graphics 2D - Image Filters: 520.4
Graphics 2D - Image Rendering: 879.4
Graphics 3D - Simple: 5239.7
Graphics 3D - Medium: 1187.7
Graphics 3D - Complex: 118.9
Graphics 3D - DirectX 10: 65.0
Memory - Allocate Small Block: 8158.0
Memory - Read Cached: 3420.7
Memory - Read Uncached: 3259.0
Memory - Write: 3189.7
Memory - Large RAM: 4792.3
Disk - Sequential Read: 200.2
Disk - Sequential Write: 101.8
Disk - Random Seek + RW: 43.7
CD - Read: 1.6
CPU Mark: 8895.8
2D Graphics Mark: 543.6
Memory Mark: 2287.9
Disk Mark: 1250.5
CD Mark: 191.1
3D Graphics Mark: 3663.5
PassMark Rating: 2862.9
System information: This Computer
CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
Number of CPU: 1
Cores per CPU: 4
CPU Type: Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.30GHz
CPU Speed: 3293.2 MHz
Cache size: 256KB
O/S: Windows 7 (64-bit)
Total RAM: 8174.7 MB.
Available RAM: 7233.0 MB.
Video settings: 1920x1080x32
Video driver:
DESCRIPTION: AMD Radeon HD 6850
MANUFACTURER: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
BIOS: 113-695CDD80-113-C2050200-100
DATE: 7-28-2011
Drive Letter: C
Total Disk Space: 59.5 GBytes
Cluster Size: 4.0 KBytes
File system: NTFS
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Nice
2862
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Very nice, Built a sandy bridge i5 machine for my little brother before he left to go play football for the beavers. I myself am waiting for the 460 se 1gb's to come back in stock and then adding a 2nd and another monitor. :x
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I just did this update and it actually seemed to slow the boot time down. now i can see the full windows initial starting screen where as before it would boot before finishing that screen.
ouch! that doesn't sound right at all.......... all reviews I have seen, people are reporting 20% to 30% performance boost
did you follow the instructions step by step?
burn firmware to CD
switch HD/SSD setting in BIOS from AHCI to IDE
insert CD with firmware on it, and reboot PC letting the CD Load the firmware
then follow onscreen instructions
update firmware
shutdown PC once firmware updates
restart PC, enter BIOS and re set HD/SSD SATA ports back to AHCI save BIOS settings
reboot pc to Windows
all should be faster if you followed the firmware installation instructions correctly,
also make sure you enabled the SATA port to be recognized as 6.0 GB/s SATA III ......... instead of being set to AUTO or to 3.0 GB/s SATA II
hope this helps
TC
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I forgot to switch my ports back to ahci, now my seq read doubled to over 400mB/s but write is still around 100mB/s. It is now booting quite fast. I ran another passmark benchmark test and OC'd to 4.6
Test Name This Computer
CPU - Integer Math 3244.5
CPU - Floating Point Math 4057.9
CPU - Find Prime Numbers 1869.5
CPU - SSE 32.2
CPU - Compression 10768.1
CPU - Encryption 27.6
CPU - Physics 524.4
CPU - String Sorting 5927.2
Graphics 2D - Solid Vectors 2.5
Graphics 2D - Transparent Vectors 2.5
Graphics 2D - Complex Vectors 200.2
Graphics 2D - Fonts and Text 374.4
Graphics 2D - Windows Interface 147.9
Graphics 2D - Image Filters 554.5
Graphics 2D - Image Rendering 943.8
Graphics 3D - Simple 5231.3
Graphics 3D - Medium 1165.6
Graphics 3D - Complex 123.7
Graphics 3D - DirectX 10 67.3
Memory - Allocate Small Block 8511.3
Memory - Read Cached 3605.3
Memory - Read Uncached 3402.1
Memory - Write 3324.4
Memory - Large RAM 7944.4
Disk - Sequential Read 431.2
Disk - Sequential Write 105.4
Disk - Random Seek + RW 71.0
CD - Read 2.0
CPU Mark 9348.9
2D Graphics Mark 620.6
Memory Mark 3137.0
Disk Mark 2197.6
CD Mark 248.7
3D Graphics Mark 3703.2
PassMark Rating 3547.6 Huge improvement
Thanks again for your help TC, you've been great through out this entire build.
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I bet 5 bucks that within a month you will get the itching to change something that doesnt need changing. or just take everything apart to redo your wiring. once you build your first one, you are serously messed up as you will always want to "improve it" :D. it's like a drug, I think i need help :O.
semp
i know, its terrible :lol. its Kinda like owning a gun, you keep wanting to take it apart and put it back together :aok
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BTW - how do you like that blackhawk case? It looks to be the perfect blend of features and price, and is what I am looking at using for my next build.
BB
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I love it. nice features, a decent price, and it looks great.. The air cooling is fantastic but it has ports in the rear if you go the water cooling route. it is a pretty big case though so make sure you have somewhere to put it.