Hi and welcome to this little thread about my computer It's not as cool or awesome as some of the other casemods and custom builds around these forums, just a regular computer in a regular case owned but a somewhat novice. I hope you will enjoy it nontheless :)
 
Table of contents:
 

• How the build looks right now
• Links to update posts about the process, some with pictures, others without.
• Original first post of the thread.

 
How the build looks right now:

First of, the parts:
Case: Fractal Design Define XL
Cooling: Custom Waterloop with parts from EK, HWLabs and Monsoon to name a few.
Motherboard: EVGA P67 SLI
CPU: Intel i7 2600K @4.5GHz
Memory: 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz
GPU: EVGA GTX 980 Ti  @1250MHz
Sound: Asus Xonar DX
SSD: 512GB Samsung 850 PRO
PSU: EVGA Supernova 850 P2 
Monitor1: Asus PB278Q
Monitor2: LG IPS235
 
And some pictures(Out of date, yet to snap shots of the system with the 980 Ti in):



 
  
Thank you for stopping by  
Comments, suggestions, advice and general banter is much appreciated either here or perhaps on modsrigs 
 
 
Update posts about the build and process.
 
The links below takes you to the posts I have made in relation to the build of this computer.
 
It's going to contain my thoughts and experiences and hopefully some pictures too!
[June 25, 2016]  Update 12 - Finished the watercooling - Final build pictures of the system with watercooling installed, leaktested and running

 
[June 22, 2016]  Update 11 - Putting the pieces back together - Time has come to put it all back together and put in the watercooling, fill the loop and see if I made an ass of myself with this endeavor.
Teaser:

 
[June 20, 2016]  Update 10 - More work on the case - Finishing up the last bits of the casemods, then a bit of painting happened.

 
[June 18, 2016]  Update 9 - Disassembly and case modifications - Starting the modifications for the case to accommodate the watercooling.

 
[May 20, 2016]  Update 8 - Update and plans for upgrades - How the system looks now, and what is in store over the coming month and a bit.


[May 7, 2013]  Update 7 - Updates and upgrades - A few new bits and pieces have been added.      

 

[July 24, 2011]  Update 6 - Overclocking - Overclocking the CPU and GPU. results and scores inside.

[July 21, 2011]  Update 5 - Software install - Thoughts on the SSD boot drive, and some observations regarding the upgrade from my laptop(No pictures, sorry.. )

[July 20, 2011]  Update 4 - Finished! - Pictures of the parts going in the case, and final build pictures :)
Teaser

 
 
[July 20, 2011]  Update 3 - Testing the parts - pictures of the last parts, as well as testing parts outside the case.

 
 
[July 19, 2011]  Update 2 - Preparing the case - some pictures of the Fractal Design Define XL and a little tour of the case.
 
 

[July 18, 2011]  Update 1- Parts starting to arrive- a couple of thoughts of some of the parts I have gotten in the door .
 
 

Original first post starts here.
 
First of a little story about my way to this point. I will try to make it short and sort of interesting.
For the past 5 years I have only had a laptop as my computer for everything- school, video, music and gaming. It was fine for a time, but as the demands on graphics evolved, and my gaming interests grew further it came to a point around a year ago where I realized I needed to do something different. So I started planning this build and have been through many iterations of parts and mods and dreams and hopes and well.. time went by. I moved out for myself and started studies at a University in mechanical engineering, so money was and is sort of short. New parts came to market during my planning process, 500-series Nvidia products and later the Sandy bridge chipset and CPU's. So my plans changed and nothing really came of them, till now that is!
With the release of the P67 boards from EVGA, and a small heritage from my grandfather who unfortunately died last autumn of cancer, I have decided to go through with this computer as my needs for calculation power and graphics computation has risen with the use of Solidworks( the CAD software we use in my studies)
 
So- the parts I have chosen are somewhat of the same as there is in so many other builds around here(as this forum has been a great source of information and great people to guide me on my way, even though I was only reading along on the sideline.) They have been chosen from the idea of "Spend the money needed now, instead of having to upgrade to new parts before their time" and then to steal a slogan from Phillips- "Sense and simplicity"
 
CPU: Intel 2500k - yup.. I don't use that many multi threaded applications, and the ones I do use ( Solidworks primarily) is only able to saturate 4 cores approx. 
Motherboard: EVGA P67 SLI - I neither have the need nor fonds to go 3 way SLI with this build, so the SLI fit's my need perfectly.
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB kit 1600mhz, cas 9 - no need to explain this really
GPU: EVGA GTX 570 - Now this is where it get's a little interesting. For a long time I had my heart set on a GTX 560TI- but I realized, that if I went along with that one, the time before I would have to upgrade would be smaller than If I went with the more powerful and slightly more expensive 570.
Powersupply: Corsair HX850- No need to explain this either
Storage: Intel 320 80GB SSD and 500 GB WD Black- ssd for boot drive, black for storage. I don't have the fonds nor need to get a SATAIII ssd at this point. So I have gone with a intel drive as I have had bad experience with other drives in the past.
Sound card: Asus Xonar DX: I really wanted this for two reasons, I enjoy good audio and I needed a digital output for this:

DVD Burner: Asus DRW 24B3ST - Well.. you need one..
Case: Fractal Design Define XL- This is chosen for two reasons. first off.. it look gorgeous, and second, there is room to expand in I should so desire( in line with spending the little extra now and getting the case I really want instead of getting the R3 now, and then having to get this later because I need the room for watercooling er whatever..)
CPU cooler: Corsair H60- This was a tough one, because there is so many offerings on the market. I ended up with the H60 because of the performance, price and noise(based on reviews) and the clean and simple looks.
 
That covers it for this first introductions post to my build. I am sorry that it got a little lengthy, good job if you got all the way through 
 
Parts should start ariveing by the start of next week, so stay tuned if I have caught your interest
 
Ps. Any advice, comment, ideas or general banter is always welcome!

ole1836

Nice parts, but I'd exchange the PSU. A 400-500W PSU is powerful enough for such a setup, so you can save some bucks here.

True enough, but then If I wanted to expand with another 570 to extend the life of this build, I'd have to get a new PSU and that sort of goes against the idea of getting parts with room to expand.

The_Stoop_Kid

ole1836

Nice parts, but I'd exchange the PSU. A 400-500W PSU is powerful enough for such a setup, so you can save some bucks here.

I think that defeats the purpose of having expandability like he wanted. 

However, I would look into Z68 boards if I were you. P67's are great, but Z68 is another option that is more than worth exploring. It's a great sounding setup though!

Thanks 
I have thought about the z68 chipset, but there is not really any features on that I need. The SSD cache is nice, but since I'm getting a SSD boot drive, that makes that feature less useful. The ability to use the onchip graphics is well.. I'm getting a GTX 570- nough said :P
 

Eyesonly_dk

The_Stoop_Kid

ole1836

Nice parts, but I'd exchange the PSU. A 400-500W PSU is powerful enough for such a setup, so you can save some bucks here.

I think that defeats the purpose of having expandability like he wanted. 

However, I would look into Z68 boards if I were you. P67's are great, but Z68 is another option that is more than worth exploring. It's a great sounding setup though!

Thanks 
I have thought about the z68 chipset, but there is not really any features on that I need. The SSD cache is nice, but since I'm getting a SSD boot drive, that makes that feature less useful. The ability to use the onchip graphics is well.. I'm getting a GTX 570- nough said :P

Sounds good. Good luck with you rig, and make sure to enjoy it!

an225

The_Stoop_Kid

ole1836

Nice parts, but I'd exchange the PSU. A 400-500W PSU is powerful enough for such a setup, so you can save some bucks here.

I think that defeats the purpose of having expandability like he wanted. 

However, I would look into Z68 boards if I were you. P67's are great, but Z68 is another option that is more than worth exploring. It's a great sounding setup though!

I'm confused why people go with Z68 if they already have a beast dedicated graphic card, I thought Z68 was P67 and H67 combined am I missing something?

Nope.. it is just that, H67 with ssd cache and the ability to Oc the K series CPU's- More or less anyways.
 

The_Stoop_Kid

Eyesonly_dk

The_Stoop_Kid

ole1836


Nice parts, but I'd exchange the PSU. A 400-500W PSU is powerful enough for such a setup, so you can save some bucks here. 

I think that defeats the purpose of having expandability like he wanted.  

However, I would look into Z68 boards if I were you. P67's are great, but Z68 is another option that is more than worth exploring. It's a great sounding setup though! 

Thanks  
I have thought about the z68 chipset, but there is not really any features on that I need. The SSD cache is nice, but since I'm getting a SSD boot drive, that makes that feature less useful. The ability to use the onchip graphics is well.. I'm getting a GTX 570- nough said :P 

Sounds good. Good luck with you rig, and make sure to enjoy it! 

Oh I will, and thank you 

hething

Since you seem very dedicated to Music i would consider another case.. Have you looked into the coolermaster silencio 550?
- good looking
- noiseless
- good price

Yeah I looked at it, but it's not quite big enough for the plans I haven roaming in my head :)
 
The Fractal is actually really noise dead so to speak. Look here for a little more info.
The entire inside of the case is insulate with noisedeadning material, and the front door has foam in the inside to further silence the sound from drives and fans.
 
But thanks for your suggestion non the less :)
 
As an update I can tell that most of my parts have shipped and only my mobo and GPU from EVGA has yet to be shipped. I expect to have it ready to assemble by the next weekend

Nice parts list and i would stick with the 850w psu for future upgrades.

looking forward to seeing this! :)

azpen30

I would be wary of the Intel 320 series SSD's right now they have a known firmware bug that can erase your data by reporting only 8mb total space on the drive , Intel has not released a fix yet.  Just a FYI the rest looks good.

Urgh... that sucks.. thank you very much for bringing this to attention :)

Right, so I had some time this morning to fool a little around with my new case, and thought I might as well start to prep the case, install the drives and move around the fans that need to be moved.
The first few pictures is just to give show how the case looks. The protective plastic on the front door is not going to be removed before I’m done moving around and building in the case.

 

This is the rear of the case, all neat and with plenty of ventilation to exhaust hot air J The case comes installed with 2 140mm fans, one in the front for intake, and one in the back as exhaust. Since I’m going to be using the H60 for the CPU, I’m moving the rear 140mm fan to the front, and I actually bought another 120mm fan for intake in the front.

A quick shot of the difference in sleeving quality from the fans that comes with the case, and the 120mm fan I bought on the side. They are all from Fractal, so this surprised me a little.

I didn’t get to take a proper picture of the entire side of the open case, so this is from the Fractal Design website

Some close-ups of the different parts of the case

 

 

 

 

The backside of the motherboard tray. There is plenty of space to route cables through the large silicon grommets that the case comes with. The only slight design fault on the backside is a quite large lip that makes it a little hard to get the front panel connections across without getting quite close to the side panel.

The front panel connections include, headphone and microphone jack, 4 USB 2.0 and na esata port.

I took out the top 4 drive bays, as I won’t be needing them at this point, and therefore might as well get some more airflow from the front fan.

 

The rear 140mm fan came out and went to the front along with the 120mm I bought extra.

 

 
A few shots of the included accessory box. This includes all the screws needed to install a system, a 5,25” to 3,5” baycover and a fancontroller that fits in a PCI slot on the back for 3 fans.

 

 

 

 

Motherboard standoffs goes in.

The Asus DVD burner

Installed

The SSD and HDD gets installed
 
 

 

 
That’s it for now. I should receive the motherboard and GPU tomorrow, so I guess there will be more news then.
 

IstBarP

looking forward to seeing this! :)

:) thanks
 

azpen30 

Eyesonly_dk

azpen30


I would be wary of the Intel 320 series SSD's right now they have a known firmware bug that can erase your data by reporting only 8mb total space on the drive , Intel has not released a fix yet.  Just a FYI the rest looks good. 

Urgh... that sucks.. thank you very much for bringing this to attention :) 

Not a problem.... plus love the N7 pic big Mass Effect fan. 

 
Yeah, Mass Effect is one of the best series of games ever. Period :)
 

serieus 
nice case, liking it so far. always was a fan of the antec p180/p190 series, this case looks like one of those done right. looks awesome! good luck with your build :] 

Thank you :) Yeah the case is really great. Good and solid quality and a very good choice of finishes on the panels. The side panels are super heavy btw, they are insulated with some sort of bitumen'ish substance that should make for a very quiet case :) I'll see if I can snap a photo or two of that soon.

IstBarP

looking good mate! ^^.. i almost chose that case!.. but since it was actually same size as my haf 932 which i was pretty tired of, i decided to go with the scout :).. 

but i really like that case.. offers neat features and is just generally a nice case with lots of options! ^^

(a side question - how does my new sig look? :))

Yeah, for the price, the build quality and the looks there is not much out there that can beat it :D
 
you sig looks great, a little more understated, which I think is a good thing :) Perhaps the first picture with your system specs should point to your build thread here on the forums?

w8ing for further updates :)
keep it up

A package arrived !

And the content!
EVGA P67 SLI

EVGA GTX 570

So the time has finally come for me to do the build of this dream machine of mine 
First though, a couple of pictures of the P67 SLI and GTX 570

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also ordered a highflow bracket for the 570

And got that installed

 

Some pictures of the other parts going into this computer:
The Intel i5 2500K

 

The Corsair Vengeance 8GB memory kit

 

The Corsair H60

 

 

And the Asus Xonar DX

Before dropping the parts into the prepped case(see update 2) I decided to do a system check just to be sure everything worked and was in a decent state. So I used the box that the motherboard came in as a temporary testbench and set to work.
First off I installed the CPU. This was the part I was absolutely terrified about before beginning the build, just because it’s so delicate.

It took a lot more force than I anticipated to put the lever all the way down, but it’s got there eventually. I then released the lever again, took out the CPU and checked that it had seated properly, and that it didn’t have any bent pins. Seeing that all was good, I dropped it in for good.

I then found the installation hardware for the H60, put in the backplate

and installed the unit itself.

Installation was super easy and that made me take a break and do a silent sigh of relief. The hard part was over 
I dropped in the memory:

And found the HX850 so I could hook up the motherboard and GPU and make a testboot.

Getting set:

All wired up:

Good signs!, after flipping on the PSU, I got the standby and memory light as well as that sexy EVGA logo pulsing in red.

And now, for the moment of truth:

We have a boot! That POST beep is just the most glorious sound in the world

 
Right, so that was it for this post of testing parts. I will make a post with the final system installation and pictures a little later

IstBarP

gj!.. and nice to see that the whole thing works! ^^.. 

don't understand the high flow bracket though.. why don't evga just put that on every card instead of the other? :P..
i know it is better ^^

Thank you :) 
 
Hmm... it's so they can sell it as an accessory and make a little more bucks I guess :) /care really
 
I can tell that it's now installed in the case, and idling at a rock solid 35c with the room being at 24c! It's nothing short of awesome :) I am so pleased with this right now :)