The Official PC building thread - 4th Edition

Hey Stevo,

I finally found a couple of my Fiero pics.

Here's the 88 Formula.

http://s1171.photobucket.com/albums/r556/theonejrs/

It spent most of it's first 4 years in the garage. Had less than 5k on the clock. I'll send you an email!

Russ

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Samsung-Apple-iPad-Galaxy-Tablet,16494.html#t341130

This was one of those things that people just had to see IMO.

 

Yup. That's a major facepalm indeed!

Geese. I have 4 computer towers in my bedroom... :S

 

Well I figure with 3 square meals a day, living on-base, and a rigid daily structure, I'd have no problem putting plenty of cash away in a short time. I'm aware military wages aren't the best but if I was worried about solely money, it would be for the wrong reasons anyway. I am a patriot and it seems like a good way to serve my country while at the same time having steady employment and a sense of purpose. Not to mention the excellent benefits and recognition you receive both during and post-service. I guess it's something I've considered most my life as I feel a certain sense of duty to those that do it every day. Guys a lot dumber than me do very well in the military so I figure it's worth a go, lol.

Job discrimination is becoming a major issue indeed. I am A+ Certified, but the test is really a joke if you've ever taken it. A Bachelors would be nice but the issue of financial limits rears its ugly head. If anything, the military would be a good way to get my education for free. I have already applied for work at several PC Depots/Stores, but my Associates is basically doing nothing for me and nobody does anything intelligent like a hands-on interview or anything so any skill I have means nothing to an employer.

Many people have told me to go to Geek Squad for employment, but I definitely do NOT agree with their business practices or general ways of doing things. I would be perpetually miserable in a job like that. I worked for a little over a year at an electronics repair shop but quit due to the same disagreement, even though my boss was very satisfied with the work I did. Business is one thing, but stealing(not stealing in the strictest sense but stealing nonetheless) and deception are wrong and I won't do it.

The weight loss is probably one of the biggest changes I have ever experienced in my life. At one point I was considered morbidly obese and was very unhappy with myself as a person. Generally controlling my food intake, cutting down on soda, doing more stuff outdoors, etc has turned things around for me. Being 320lbs at one point you can see why I was very depressed and fearing for my health. Am now at a healthy 210lbs, still losing weight steadily, and physically pretty skinny, being 6'2" and heavily built to begin with. I was very overweight most of my life so this has been a new experience for me at every step. I can actually run and do other things without being instantly exhausted, which I had never experienced in my life. Nothing scares away the gloominess like constantly feeling light on your feet after so many years

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Have been considering trying a new cooler BTW. I need something that works well with high ambient temps as I've recently discovered part of my problem is due to my ambients. Was able to see some DRASTICALLY lower temps just from running the AC at 75*F for a few hours. I guess when you live in Wisconsin, you get used to baking hot summers. I never realized that my room was a constant 80-85*F LOL

Interestingly, several other CPUs I've owned have run fine in temps just like this but I keep forgetting one major factor, WATTAGE. The 955 is currently the highest wattage CPU I've ever owned after the OC is taken into account. So even if 65W/95W CPUs ran just fine in this room temp, the 140W+ 955 is a different beast.

Also consider the Q6600 is 105W stock and the 955 is rated at 125W stock, so the Q6600 running proper temps makes sense to me. The Cool-It Eco is simply being overwhelmed by both the wattage and high ambient combined.

Will be doing some research into cooling a CPU in high ambients. My ambient temp is the problem period. My parents BLAST(and I mean BLAST!!!) the heat all winter so it makes sense I would never have seen a difference. I wish winter would come sooner so I could experiment with shutting off my heat vents completely, lol.

Another good reason for me to move out LOL as my parents basically start freezing at anything below 90*F. So even if I offered to pay the entire bill, running AC for more than an hour or so at a time is a big nono. Sometimes I just don't understand the older generation.

Holy crap WTF. I can understand a little bit of confusion given the similar design. But to actually go out and pay for an expensive piece of electronics and not even read the box? WHAT? The name of the product is CLEARLY printed on every single package... I don't want to live on this planet anymore

 

I just loved my '87, nice picture.

Just shows how dumb the iCrap people are...

@Jeff,

Why don't you try the water cooling system Russ uses, he has had good luck with that which might be the answer for you too. The big plus is silent cooling compared to hi-speed fans blowing hot air in your case at home.

Stevo

 

I won't touch the Coolit eco again. I'd rather build my own next time. That way I stand a better chance of tracking down problems, and having a very tight seal!

Perhaps me and others were simply unlucky though :S

Watch it like a hawk Russ!

 

I am currently using the EXACT same cooler as Russ with 2 high performance fans but it simply isn't enough for me. It's called the Cool-It Eco 120 and is equivalent to a mid-high end air cooler. If it were a full liquid loop the story would be different but as it stands, it's just not enough. The ambients combined with the wattage overwhelm it. It does work great on my Q6600 but the Q6600 already employs a rather good cooler itself.

As far as reliability they seem hit and miss. It seems the large majority don't have any issues but some people do, such as Omega.

I need something with different thermodynamics that handles high ambient temps better. That or a hex core which have been reported to have much better temps in general than the C3 stepping quads.

 

I can't remember if I posted this here before or not
http://i.imgur.com/Rs0fJ.jpg

The way I see it with coolers, it's quite easy to cool a high-end CPU full stop, even overclocked. Cooling it quietly is where the challenge comes in. My CPU runs a little too hot if you burn test it, but since the most strenuous thing it does is a 4-core video encode, it's fine. I could cure that with a more powerful fan system, but as it is the quiet solution I have currently does me fine. I can see the merits of full water systems for very high overclocks but never saw the attraction as anything other than an enthusiast's toy overall. I therefore maintained there was nothing to be gained with compact water cooling kits. The risk of water (albeit lessened by sealed systems) without the gains of superior cooling. I get that it takes less space and might potentially make less noise, but they do not go silent, and are no more capable until you start getting towards the expensive twin fan designs.

 

Estuansis,

How did you manage a 140w 955BE? I know they made a 140w 940, and the 965. I don't know of any other 140w AMD chips. just asking!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Currently only have two PCs running in my room. Has been 3 and 4 at certain times but I'm not too enthusiastic about the potential thermal output of such a setup.

Sam your wiring has and always will make me queasy. That's horrifying. My internal wiring is flawless and I NEVER set anything on my PCs. Ever.

Russ, 140+ with my OC taken into account. Actually about 115 at stock settings. The ole' 940 did pull a genuine 140 at stock though.

 

My i5 750 is default 95W (in truth more like 85-90 in real world terms) but due to the overclock/overvolt it's running more around the 200 mark.

Jeff: This is the issue with PCs that occasionally travel, there's no point making it tidy as once you're finally got round to doing it right, you have to unplug things

 

Sam I will give you crap about your wiring every single time you post a pic until you change it

Granted my Intel rig does a fair bit of traveling but I have a certain method that ensures the wiring stays pristine.

 

I suppose I shouldn't post an image of my desk then. You'd probably hurl...

Sam, the one on the left is a beauty I have five towers total. 4 of them are not in use though. I believe I can service 2 - 3 of them, and sell them in our future yard sale for cheap. The one I just got though... I may just see about ebay, if it has enough potential. But my mother needs a new system, so I might go that route.

 

Coming to you live from 'the one on the left'

As far as looks are concerned, I'll always have a soft spot for #2 in that picture, as that was the first elegant PC I owned, after the 'I just learned to build PCs, so I have a £20 plastic case with blue LED fans' era. (In fairness, for the cost that case was fabulous, having a top window as well as the side, with a proper side fan, but still, it was a little tacky in appearance).
At the grand old age of 6y1m, it still looks if anything more modern than the newer machines it sits between. It also still contains the X1900XT, the sole remaining component of that original build still in active use. It is also currently the quietest machine I've ever built, at somewhere around the 14-15dB mark, at load

Jeff: You should see behind... I don't even get what's wrong with the cables in that picture? There's a phone charger, and a spare DVI cable that's out because of a recent monitor swap. (Picture was taken around the time of the demise of the 3008WFP).

 

I would just about die if my Dell monitor quit :S The only backup I have is an old 15" Dell! And I'm currently bordering on broke, since the second job is sloooow right now

#2 is sharp

 

Yeah I was pretty set back by it, but the U2312HM drafted in to replace it is pretty nice for the £175 cost, new, in a physical store to take away. IPS panel and 1080p

 

You have and I did! LOL My favorite is the hanging PSU off the back of the PC...

 

Eh? I don't believe I've ever done that :S I do however have two optical drives on top in the front of my HAF932.

 

Ha Sam, the external wiring is never perfect but it doesn't stop me from trying. Never actually seen mine in years though as it's all stealthed away. Do try to make every effort to keep my cables tidy though. Not out of OCD or anything like that but because I know there's no reason for the mess.

I'll have to get some shots of the Intel rig sitting. Currently stuffed in a cabinet, lol

I do believe the Intel rig will be staying with me for a very long time. Rather fond of it :,)

My AMD system I love but I wouldn't be bothered by any changes. The Intel system is basically vintage at this point, lol. I wish technology never got faster.

 

Now that I think of it, it was Zippy that had his PSU hanging off the back side of the case. I wish I still had the picture you would have loved it, something I would not have ever done even in a drunken stupor.

Jeff, Are you beating a dead horse? His wiring may not be great but it certainly isn't that big of a deal.