Building A Custom Desktop

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Successfully updated BIOS to the current firmware! I was worried at first since I've never updated a BIOS before but it was pretty easy. And finally finished with the Windows updates, HDD formatting, driver downloads....etc. PC is now running smoothly.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out!

One last thing I need now though is a CPU cooler and I don't know if I should go with the Cooler Master V8 or Corsair H60. I'm worried the V8 will be a little too heavy for my motherboard and CPU, and the H60 is water cooled I think and I don't want to have to buy a radiator too after this. What do I do?

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

To my knowledge that's the only 2 sticks that equal 16GB on the market for desktops (I'm sure there's server ram out there), but there will be some soon enough at cheaper prices. And going from dual channel to triple channel I've never noticed a difference.

Asus' UEFI BIOS sounds a bit weird if you can only access it with a mouse. My Asus Rampage Formula III has an in-bios option to update the bios without having to use a mouse. Yours should have the same option, unless that UEFI is the only way to do it? If so, that's a bit strange I don't know why they'd change their usual method.

Yeah, you can use both mouse and keyboard on the UEFI BIOS.

You can update your bios using either a usb stick or burn it onto a cd-r or dvd-r. Start up the computer, go into the bios. Load 'default values' (if you've done any tweaking write down what you changed). Your Asus should have an option in the bios to update it. Run it. Boom. Done. I've never been a fan of updating the bios while in Windows.

That's what I did, I downloaded the new version into the USB and went into the BIOS to use the ASUS EZ flash BIOS update to update it.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

Successfully updated BIOS to the current firmware! I was worried at first since I've never updated a BIOS before but it was pretty easy. And finally finished with the Windows updates, HDD formatting, driver downloads....etc. PC is now running smoothly.

Thanks to everyone for helping me out!

One last thing I need now though is a CPU cooler and I don't know if I should go with the Cooler Master V8 or Corsair H60. I'm worried the V8 will be a little too heavy for my motherboard and CPU, and the H60 is water cooled I think and I don't want to have to buy a radiator too after this. What do I do?



Yeah, you can use both mouse and keyboard on the UEFI BIOS.



That's what I did, I downloaded the new version into the USB and went into the BIOS to use the ASUS EZ flash BIOS update to update it.

Personally i like the H60 (it comes with all you need), its a neat way to get into watercooling without any hassle, i also dont like the look of the giant bulky air coolers.

Either will work great, its really just personal preference

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

Personally i like the H60 (it comes with all you need), its a neat way to get into watercooling without any hassle, i also dont like the look of the giant bulky air coolers.

Either will work great, its really just personal preference

Does it come with a radiator or distilled water? And how often do you have to buy the distilled water?

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

Does it come with a radiator or distilled water? And how often do you have to buy the distilled water?

the H60 has a radiator that mounts where a 120mm fan goes, the water is already inside of it and its maintance free so you dont have to do anything with it

[Bombers]

Glad to see you build went well I just actually built a similar built with the i7 2600k. Seems like you already got everything you needed so I don't see a point to chime in. But if you ever plan on adding monitors i'd recommend looking for deals at microcenter. I got this 23" led for about 150 on sale. Next time you do a build get a friend that works at bestbuy they get great discounts from Intel i got my processor through my cousin for $120.

[Offender_Mullet]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

One last thing I need now though is a CPU cooler and I don't know if I should go with the Cooler Master V8 or Corsair H60. I'm worried the V8 will be a little too heavy for my motherboard and CPU, and the H60 is water cooled I think and I don't want to have to buy a radiator too after this. What do I do?



Yeah, you can use both mouse and keyboard on the UEFI BIOS.



That's what I did, I downloaded the new version into the USB and went into the BIOS to use the ASUS EZ flash BIOS update to update it.

Ok cool glad to see that worked out.

I have the Corsair H70 (newer version is called H80). Works like a charm. It's a nice starter for watercooling without going through all the hassle.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

the H60 has a radiator that mounts where a 120mm fan goes, the water is already inside of it and its maintance free so you dont have to do anything with it

Oh, that's cool! I thought I would need a radiator and the water supply too. One of the reasons I like it is the fact that the H60 doesn't take up all the space over the CPU compared to the V8.

Originally Posted by Bombers

Glad to see you build went well I just actually built a similar built with the i7 2600k. Seems like you already got everything you needed so I don't see a point to chime in. But if you ever plan on adding monitors i'd recommend looking for deals at microcenter. I got this 23" led for about 150 on sale. Next time you do a build get a friend that works at bestbuy they get great discounts from Intel i got my processor through my cousin for $120.

You got the i7 2600K for $120? I got it from Microcenter at $279 and I thought I had a good deal lol.

As for the monitor, I'm waiting for a good deal on a Dell IPS monitor.

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Ok cool glad to see that worked out.

I have the Corsair H70 (newer version is called H80). Works like a charm. It's a nice starter for watercooling without going through all the hassle.

Just checked it at Newegg and it's got good reviews but a little bigger than the H60. I don't play games on my computer so I would think the H60 would be enough for me.

Does the H80 come with the water inside it too?

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

Oh, that's cool! I thought I would need a radiator and the water supply too. One of the reasons I like it is the fact that the H60 doesn't take up all the space over the CPU compared to the V8.



You got the i7 2600K for $120? I got it from Microcenter at $279 and I thought I had a good deal lol.

As for the monitor, I'm waiting for a good deal on a Dell IPS monitor.



Just checked it at Newegg and it's got good reviews but a little bigger than the H60. I don't play games on my computer so I would think the H60 would be enough for me.

Does the H80 come with the water inside it too?

Yes the H50, 60, 70, 80, 100 all come ready to go out of the box

Unless you are planning on overclocking like crazy the H60 will be plenty

[Offender_Mullet]

PS3-Playb3yond,

If you get one of those dual-fan all-in-one watercooling setups remember about clearance from motherboard components. As you can see my H70 almost covers half of the motherboard.



There are 3 MicroCenter stores in Ohio (Central Ohio/Columbus, Northeast Ohio/Mayfield Hts. and Cincinnati/Sharonville). Are any of those by you? Sometimes they are cheaper than even NewEgg for hardware.

I know you already bought your system, but here's a sneaky thing I just found out they do if you order online and choose "in store pickup". I added the 2600K $279.99 along with an Asus P8Z68-V motherboard $179.99 to my shopping cart. Having that combo dropped the motherboard price down to only $99.99 Unreal! I had NO idea they gave combo discounts other than what they advertise in their flyer (what I selected was not advertised). Can't wait to pick these babies up.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

PS3-Playb3yond,

If you get one of those dual-fan all-in-one watercooling setups remember about clearance from motherboard components. As you can see my H70 almost covers half of the motherboard.

[Show spoiler]

Yeah, I have nothing covering my motherboard right now. I don't even have a graphics card yet but I will soon.

Yours is really big! How do you clean it out when it's dusty?

There are 3 MicroCenter stores in Ohio (Central Ohio/Columbus, Northeast Ohio/Mayfield Hts. and Cincinnati/Sharonville). Are any of those by you? Sometimes they are cheaper than even NewEgg for hardware.

I know you already bought your system, but here's a sneaky thing I just found out they do if you order online and choose "in store pickup". I added the 2600K $279.99 along with an Asus P8Z68-V motherboard $179.99 to my shopping cart. Having that combo dropped the motherboard price down to only $99.99 Unreal! I had NO idea they gave combo discounts other than what they advertise in their flyer (what I selected was not advertised). Can't wait to pick these babies up.

That's a huge discount! They gave me a $40 discount toward my motherboard when I got it. I have the P8Z68-V PRO. So they give you an addition $40 off towards your motherboard I guess if you order online.

Oh, and I got my CPU and motherboard from microcenter by the way. The one near me isn't close though, it's like a 40 minute drive depending on the highway.

[Offender_Mullet]

I use an air compressor. It's way overkill, but I don't have to unscrew any fans on the radiator. Just remember to hold the fans (same method goes for case and power supply fans) while you work.

Depending on how the room is setup (carpet or hardwood floor?) and if you go nuts with fans and have like 10 in your case will depend on how much dust accumulates inside. I clean it about twice a month and have never had any dust buildup in the radiator fins.

And I know right! No other place I looked at even comes close to that price. I'm still in shock. It depends on what cpu you add though. I first added a 2500K, but that motherboard price was $139, still not bad.


Edit: And when buying an all-in-one watercooling setup you'll want to replace the stock fans with aftermarket ones. The stock Corsair fans had weak static pressure. I first had two CoolerMaster Blade Master fans (which have great static pressure), but were way too loud on full, so I purchased two Akasa Apache Black fans.

[Z Overlord]

Make sure to install Steam on it, awesome game store and service.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

I ran Intel Burn Test and I guess my system is not as stable as I thought. I didn't even overclock it yet but when I ran the application is gave me a BSOD and rebooted itself. What do I do?

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

I ran Intel Burn Test and I guess my system is not as stable as I thought. I didn't even overclock it yet but when I ran the application is gave me a BSOD and rebooted itself. What do I do?

hmm yeah something is up if you are stock and cant run it without a BSOD.

download this

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html

it will tell us what caused the BSOD.

another program good for stress testing is furmark, for video cards but it can help narrow down an issue.

Also its a shot in the dark, but a friend of mine was having issues like that with a new machine and for him it ended up being that his memory voltage was set wrong in the BIOS

[PS3-Playb3yond]

This is what came up:

[Show spoiler]

My RAM voltage can allow up to 1.5V and in the BIOS it's set to AUTO showing a reading of 1.512V.

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Blindsay, you were right. I manually put in 1.5V in the BIOS for my RAM instead of leaving it on Auto. Also, my CPU was overclocked to 4.5GHz and not 3.8GHz but since I turned on the EPU on my motherboard it did not go as high as 4.5GHz but 1.6Ghz. So it must have been overheating when I ran the stress test. Changed that in the BIOS and ran the test again and it was a success! I suppose my PC is now stable.

[Offender_Mullet]

Your 8GB of Corsair Vengeance should have a setting in the BIOS that has an "Intel XMP Profile" setting which should automatically put it at the advertised settings and voltage. Which Corsair Vengeance kit do you have?

[PS3-Playb3yond]

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Your 8GB of Corsair Vengeance should have a setting in the BIOS that has an "Intel XMP Profile" setting which should automatically put it at the advertised settings and voltage. Which Corsair Vengeance kit do you have?

This one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233144

Yeah, that's what I did. It automatically put in the frequency, voltage and timing. Thanks though!

[Offender_Mullet]

Oh ok my mistake. I thought you manually configured the timings/voltage.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by PS3-Playb3yond

This one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233144

I had my eyes set on these as well, but I'm worried about clearance room between these and the heatsink. You wouldn't happen to know what's the height on these? (I know Cosair offers a low profile heatsink of the same memory, but I'll consider those if I know these won't fit)