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Thread: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

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    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    So a big box from Scan arrived for me on Thursday, followed by my first niece on Friday , and having to take the missus's car for a service Saturday morning...finally I've managed to get a few hours to build the new rig :mrgreeen:

    So I will be using the following:
    Case: Fractal Design R4


    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H


    CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k (Ivy Bridge)


    CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14


    RAM: 8Gb Corsair Vengeance (low profile) DDR3 PC-12800 (2x4Gb)


    Case fans: 2x Corsaire AF140 Quiet Edition (140mm) + 2 no. Fractal Design 140mm case fans + 1 no. 120mm Silverstone exhaust fan I had laying around:


    Drives: Samsung 830 256Gb + Samsung Spinpoint 750gb (from old rig)

    GPU: EVGA GTX570 1280Mb (from old rig, used to belong to sawyen )


    So on with the show!!!


    First things first, we need to fix the mounting bracket for the CPU heatsink to the back of the motherboard. Thankfully it was a painless affair, especially compared to my old Xigmatek S1283 on my Q6600 which was a tightmare of tight fitting rubber mounts for the fans and Intel push pins *breaks out in cold sweat thinking about it*

    I start then by aligning it on the motherboard:


    Then I take it off again because we forgot to remove some of the rubberised back, necessary for socket 1155 / 1156 CPUs:



    Now I re-apply it making sure the hexagonal heads of the bolts sit into the raised lip of the bracket like so:



    Now I can turn over the assembly and position the rubber spacers over the screws:



    Next is to put the brackets into position:



    After consultation with the install guide I realise I've put them the wrong way so I switch the around so the fans will be facing the right direction:



    Tehn I realise I haven't even put the CPU into position....so i remove them again and put it to one side while I prepare the CPU with thermal paste! A small blob, spread very thin over the entire service of the CPU like so:

    Before:


    After:


    Now I put the CPU in the socket and fit the retention bracket, the pressure I have to apply has me worried and triple checking it's aligned correctly!



    Now I can put the brackets back on (in the right direction this time), and screw them down:



    At this point I should have installed the RAM, but I didn't....because I've not build a PC in 4 years and I've forgotten stuff like that....anyway....the easy removal of the Noctua fans saved my bacon:

    The Noctua NH-D14 was a pleasure to work with, simply align (it sits on it's own) and screw down with the 2 internally threaded screws provided to secure into position. You have to remove the middle 140mm / circular fan to gain access, but it's no problem at all and takes just a few seconds:



    The Noctua NH-D14 has simple silicone strips to cushion the fans onto the heatsink and provide dampening, simple, but effective, as can be seen here:


  2. #2
    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    However you will need to use low profile RAM with this cooler, it overhangs all 4 DIMM slots so there is no getting around it:



    Beauty shot of the Motherboard / RAM / CPU / Cooler assembly:



    I'll put this to one side while I move onto preparing the case:

    My first task is to fit the fans. Be assured these were moved around, orientated many times before I was happy. You can see the silverstone on the left, the Corsair AF140's at the top and the case supplied fractal design 140's on the front of the case (right on the picture). They look very similar to silverstone fan blades....



    For reference I've removed the central drive cage for bigger air flow and stuck my drives in the lower cage. I had to remove the lower drive cage (as seen in the previous picture). To fit the lower front fan. This involved removing 4 screw from underside of the case and 2 behind the front panel which had to be detatched (so quite fiddly to get that fan in!)

    Now I've refitted the lower drive cage, fixed the PSU, added the motherboard mounting points, pushed in the rear I/O plate (don't forget that!) and fixed the motherboard into position:



    Next job was some cable routing, while to be honest I'm both lazy and crap at, but this time I tried my best to get a clean layout and spent some time on it, considering wiring routes to hide as much as possible. Unfortunately my PSU (Corsair VX550W) isn't modular, so there was always going to be some degree of cabling on show.

    However I'm quite happy with the result:



    With the side panels back on and the PC fully loaded at desktop, I'm pleased with the noise level. Definitely louded than my Antec P182, but then this case has a total of 9 fans in it (inc. PSU and GPU) and the noise level is very pleasant. A built in switch toggle can tone down the fans if required (top left, just inside the front door), if you plug you fans into it instead of the motherboard headers.

    I've not stress tested, overclocked or benchmarked yet. But with basic apps and drivers installed I've getting a boot time of 28 seconds from cold boot to inside a browser window and responsive....awesome!

    Let me know if you have any specific questions about any of the components or build, and I'll do my best to answer them!

  3. #3
    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    *Reserved for benchmark results and other such stuff*

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    Pork & Beans Powerup Phage's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    That is a LARGE cooler. I'd be interested in your temps against my dark rock in an R3,
    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

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    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    I think the Noctua has the slight upperhand for what I've read, but I happily admit it's as ugly as sin. Lucky for me I don't care for windowed side panels then I'll try and get some load temps in the next day or so (all at stock). Overclocked results might take a bit longer till I've tweaked it to my liking...not going higher than 4.5Ghz though, that should be plenty fast enough for me.

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Nice rig, always nice to see logs in here.

    Thanks and let the gaming commence!

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    I like the colour scheme of the Noctua, it adds character to it, not just some regular cooler. When people look inside your window, they instantly know you're rocking a D14. I'm currently looking for a CPU cooler to buy, so it would be nice to see how your results are with the D14. Nice rig by the way, seems like even veterans can make mistakes =P

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    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Just a little update. I was getting fairly high temps when stress testing with a mild overclock (mid 80's on the CPU) so decided to remove the heatsink and see if the contact was good.....it wasn't....I should have taken a picture but the CPU internal heatsink was only making contact with about half it's surface!! I've re-applied thermal paste using the "blob" in the middle method. Friend's logically suggested this reduces the risk of air pockets and gaps in contact, I think it's helped a little but temps are still quite high.

    Currently running at 1.275v @ 4.4Ghz, stressing with Prime 95 I'm seeing temps of 78 max after 20-30mins load

    I might have a go at re-applying the heatsink at some stage, but for now the clock and temps are good enough for me. For reference Gigabyte's own EasyTune software is reporting temps of 67C

    I will be lowering the voltages and keeping at 4.4Ghz to see if I can help improve the load temps, will report back later

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Thanks chap - nice thread!

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Hi Captain

    Nice looking system and of particular interest to me as I have just built my new system into a Fractal Design R4 case.

    Currently I am running it with just the 2 included case fans and a stock fan on the CPU (same model as yours) and it runs cool and quietly. However I have not yet over-clocked and I still have to fit a graphics card. What I am leading up to is wondering why you have fitted all those additional fans (+3?) without any testing first without them. Are they all necessary or are you just a big fan of fans? Joking apart I am just trying to anticipate what additional fans I may require. Your Noctua D14 CPU cooler I am sure you will need for any over-clocking.

    By the way here is some info. that may be of help to you regarding what you said here:

    Quote Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk View Post
    For reference I've removed the central drive cage for bigger air flow and stuck my drives in the lower cage. I had to remove the lower drive cage (as seen in the previous picture). To fit the lower front fan. This involved removing 4 screw from underside of the case and 2 behind the front panel which had to be detatched (so quite fiddly to get that fan in!)
    You can get at the front fan(s) quite easily by opening the front door, dropping down the filter access cover (top left and right push in release catches) then releasing the cassette (top centre push down catch) that holds the 2 fans (the top one included and the bottom one when added). I saw this demonstrated on a Fractal video which showed how this cassette could be removed completely and replaced with a radiator. They also took the bottom drive cage out as you described and moved it slightly left (there are screw holes already in place to fit it this way) to provide the necessary space required. This is how I found out, there is nothing in the instructions that comes with the case.

    Regards
    John

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Temps do look a little high. I'm getting an idle of 25C and maxing out ~55C and I only have one top fan,
    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Quote Originally Posted by Phage View Post
    Temps do look a little high. I'm getting an idle of 25C and maxing out ~55C and I only have one top fan,
    Can I ask what CPU cooler you're using as i'm going to go with the R4 and a 3570K.

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    Pork & Beans Powerup Phage's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Society's to blame,
    Or possibly Atari.

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Ok... that's more than I want to spend.
    Ideally i'm looking to spend no more than £30, and am looking for quiet at stock clocks and reasonable cooling when overclocked.

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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    How are you finding the noise and build quality of the Fractal case compared to the Antec? I considered selling my P182 and getting the R4 a while back but read a few reviews saying the R4 was a bit nosier stock due to it not being so well lined.

  16. #16
    Senior Member cptwhite_uk's Avatar
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    Re: How I built my new rig - mistakes and all (inc. pics!)

    Phage - what volts are you putting on the CPU to get your temps?

    Noodles - In that case you're looking at the Arctic Cooling 13 for £30ish...decent performance until you hit higher overclocks....hexus reviewed it recently and recommended it

    SHare - The R4 is definitely noisier than the P182, but there's a large opening at the top with 2x 140mm fans spinning (and it acts as a hole for internal noise to escape). The build quality is good...but once you go to a tri-layered case such as the Antec P182 it's hard to go back to sheet metal, even if it is nicely finished and fitted with padding internally. It's definitely not as sound insulating as the Antec, but the P182 couldn't accomodate the depth of the Noctua and didn't have a front USB3 header and built in fan speed stepping.

    I don't think all the fans are necessary to be honest, but I wanted to be sure there was good airflow....running many fans on low is preferable to 2 fans on high(er) RPM, and believe me there's a lot of airflow going through the case now!

    I must also mention how easy the R4 was to work with internally compared to the P182. Ample room for bunched up wires behind the motherboard tray and rubber gormet lined access holes everywhere you need them around the edges of the motherboard tray. I think the seperation compartment of the PSU in the P182 caused more issues with cable routing than it was worth given it was a non-modular PSU:

    Antec P182


    Fractal Design R4


    Let me know if you have any other thoughts

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