Wodjer fink ov vis? (update 3: The Beast has swallowed CloD whole) [Archive]

AndyJWest

03-19-2011, 08:30 PM

(...that's authentic 1940's cockney, for those that are baffled...) http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif

I'm trying to finalise my new 'CloD' setup spec. At the moment, I'm thinking along these lines (from http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ - not the cheapest, but with a good reputation)

* MOBO - X58 Asus Sabertooth - (but make sure the Sandy Bridge issue is sorted first...)

* CPU - Intel i7 960 Quad Core 3.2Ghz (maybe overclocked a little)

* RAM - (3x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600)

* GPU - NVIDIA 1280Mb EVGA GTX 570 (I could double up the GPU later...)

* PSU - 1000W Corsair CMPSU-1000 HX (overkill, but it makes sense to allow for expansion)

* HDs - 2 * 1TB? (not sure about this - as an alternative a 64 GB SSD + a 1TB HDD would be nice, if extravagant)

* OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit - OEM

* Case - Antec Three Hundred Black Mid Tower Case (classic 'box' design, but nicely laid out - a lot of 'gaming' PCs look ugly IMHO)

* Monitor - 22" Iiyama LCD 1920x1080

A system like this, plus the usual bits & bobs (but excluding keyboard mouse, speakers etc - I'll be 'green' & reuse what I've got), looks like costing maybe £1,650 - £1,700 or thereabouts (inc VAT), assembled, clocked and delivered . I'm thinking ahead, so the setup above will support CPU upgrades, dual GPUs, more RAM etc - hence the 1Kw PSU. I'm fairly sure this meets the 'recommended' CloD spec, with some grunt to spare, but what do others think? Is this a balanced setup? Have I forgotten anything significant?

Options for the system I'm looking at are here: http://3xs.scan.co.uk/Configur...em.asp?SystemID=1046 (http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ConfigureSystem.asp?SystemID=1046). Comments appreciated...

Edit... I'm having second thoughts re graphics card - see my later posting

AndyJWest

03-19-2011, 08:30 PM

Ba5tard5word

03-19-2011, 09:49 PM

Looks good but seems bloody expensive...are there any cheaper "tell us what to build and we'll build it" sites in the UK or is that about as cheap as you can get? Here in the US I would imagine you could get the same sort of rig for about $1400 at the most from Ibuypower (without a monitor), though those 1 TB HD's and PSU might pad out the cost more than that, and a 570 is pricey I guess.

AndyJWest

03-19-2011, 10:33 PM

I think I could probably save maybe £200 by getting the same (or similar) setup from 'Mr Who's Computer Emporium and Used-Car Dealership', but the person forking out most of the loot (not me - aren't I lucky) thinks that it makes sense to pay a bit more to have the thing assembled by people who know what they are doing - having gone down the 'cheap and cheerful' route last time, I can see the argument myself. If I was super-confidant, I'd order all the components, plug it all together, cross my fingers, and no doubt save money that way, but that isn't really an option.

FoolTrottel

03-20-2011, 03:26 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">* MOBO - X58 Asus Sabertooth - (but make sure the Sandy Bridge issue is sorted first...) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
The Sandy Bridge issue has nothing to do with that motherboard / CPU... So no worries there, it's an LGA1366 socket you got there, not the 1155.

ploughman

03-20-2011, 04:51 AM

Unless you've not got the room why not get a bigger monitor or even go for a TV? LCD Hi-Def tellies are almost free at the moment and they've all got at least HDMI ports on their arses. I play on either a 24 inch Ilyama monitor or a 37 inch 1080 LCD Samsung TV and the only issue I have is making sure I'm close enough for the TrackIR to work.

JG52MadAdler

03-20-2011, 05:04 AM

arthursmedley

03-20-2011, 05:10 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ba5tard5word:
Looks good but seems bloody expensive...are there any cheaper "tell us what to build and we'll build it" sites in the UK or is that about as cheap as you can get? Here in the US I would imagine you could get the same sort of rig for about $1400 at the most from Ibuypower (without a monitor), though those 1 TB HD's and PSU might pad out the cost more than that, and a 570 is pricey I guess. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As a rough rule of thumb, what you pay in $ we pay the same figure in £ here in the UK. For decades the UK consumer has been getting it up the backside like this. Businesses will come out with a whole raft of excuses as to why but it basically boils down to profiteering. If they can get away with it they will. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-mad.gif

@Andy, I'd try and maximise on the monitor size too. That looks like a pretty good system, it'll help make the most of it. Gonna have any spare change for trackir, Gov? http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

carguy_

03-20-2011, 05:58 AM

22" ? That`s so 2008ish.

You might want to check if Samsung or LG don`t have better stuff (I`m getting a 24" Samsung in April).

Also it would be good to consider getting custom cooling for the CPU (I recommend Zalman).

danjama

03-20-2011, 08:30 AM

I would kill to own a computer like that - with my current computer, I am nowhere near being able to run CloD, R Factor 2, the new Red Orchestra, or any other PC game I am excited about.

AndyJWest

03-20-2011, 08:49 AM

@ FoolTrottel: Thanks - looks like I misunderstood the Sandy Bridge problem. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/25.gif

@ Ploughman: Regarding the monitor, I may think about a bigger one, though the HDTV route might be impractical, for space considerations.

@ Arther: Too bleeding right about the exchange rate - as for TrackIr, I think I'd rather see if I can get a 'free' alternative working. It isn't clear yet what CloD will support.

@ Carguy: I did wonder about getting a Corsair Hydro H50 self-contained CPU cooler - though I must admit to being a little nervous about mixing water and electrics. If I don't get that, I'll probably get one of these fancy heat-pipe and fan thingys...

@ MadAdler: If I was prepared/confidant enough to put a system together myself, I'm sure I could save some cash, though just how much is debatable - I'm allowing for upgrades/expansion, which has bumped the price up a bit, and the system you link is a much lower spec.

I might possibly axe the second 1 TB HD for now, which will save a bit - an external one makes more sense in some ways, as I can use that with my netbook as well. For the moment I've got an external HD rack I bodged together myself out of cannibalised components (+ £25 for PSU and IDE/SATA -> USB connector), with about 600 GB of drives - USB, so it is a little slow, but it does the job.

kimosabi79

03-20-2011, 12:38 PM

Looks like a nice system. I have a few points to mention:

1. All B2 revision Cougar Point architecture(Sandy Bridge P67) motherboards have been recalled, or money set aside to deal with boards/customers affected, some weeks ago and the B3 revisions are now on the market. Selling a B2 motherboard today would be bad business, so I doubt you'll find any, but if you go SB check for the "B3" tag. The "SATA bug" was a transistor fed with too high current.
More HERE. (http://www.anandtech.com/show/4143/the-source-of-intels-cougar-point-sata-bug)

2. That rig will run a 24" without even breaking a sweat.

3. Overclock NOT an i7 960 without proper cooling. It's a 130W CPU. Corsair H50 or H70 are good stuff. Haven't heard of any leaks from those yet.

Other than that, it's a really nice system, Andy. Tech-heads like me would say that "Ooh, X58 is a dead end, you should wait for Ivy Bridge" etc etc. but right now and two-three years ahead you'll still be rockin' hard with that system.

Stiletto-

03-20-2011, 01:31 PM

You might be surprised that their actually ARE sites that are selling the B2 Sandy Bridge Motherboards. No none of the big sites, more smaller 'sketchier' or amateur looking sites.

Half of my system is done, but I absolutely want one certain motherboard, an Asus P867 Pro or possibly the EVO, whatever I can find first at a non-astronomical price.

THE RMA's have saturated the demand so most everything is still all out, scoured the net and yeah, I did find a few sites that don't say B3.
If you are going Sandy Bridge make sure it says B3 or REV 3.0 in the product info.

I saw on newegg a 6970 that was marked down to $299 with rebates and couldn't pass it up even though I cant get the motherboard to go with it a week later.

I will also be throwing the H50 cooler in my new case.. Those air coolers now days are huge, and one guy said that to make his aftermarket cooler fit he had to take off his 220mm case fan. The H50 will give me plenty of case room and airflow, and I think it stacks up well to overclocked systems, especially if you throw an extra fan on in a push pull config.

kimosabi79

03-20-2011, 02:06 PM

Yeah I'm not surprised, Stiletto. It's not 100% sure that you will get the issue on a B2(although it's highly probable), so some less serious vendors might try anyway. It's also a 3gbps port problem only and most users will probably hook the HDD/SSD up to the 6gbps ports if the board has 6gbps ports.

Huge aircoolers are always something to be critical of. I had to take out the side fan myself, back when I had a 900 case, to fit a Noctua U12P cooler. Another thing that might screw things up with big aircoolers is ram heatsinks. Some sticks are too tall to fit under. Andy's XMS3 sticks are pretty vanilla though, so he won't find any trouble there. Then you have the mounts which can make the socket area too small etc etc etc.

The cool thing about H50/H70 though is that they perform like a top-of-the-line aircooler but takes up less space on the motherboard. They were never designed to compete with liquid cooling systems anyway but the big plus is that you get the nice stable temps and dissapation that watercooling is known for.

I have set my eyes on a 2600K system myself, and know what to order, but since I run Vista, I'm going to optimize my system the best I can and see how it runs CoD and other games on full before I take the plunge. W7 Ultimate is already on it's way.

AndyJWest

03-20-2011, 02:09 PM

I have seen reports of leaks from Corsair H50s, though I doubt it is a common occurrence. All the same, I'd still feel happier with air cooling if it is practical. I'm thinking about maybe going for the Prolimatech Armageddon CPU cooler - it has the option of installing a 2nd fan for push-pull airflow, which seems sensible. An alternative is an Akasa Venom - again this can take two fans. Slightly smaller, but has rubber fan mounts, which might be quieter. Does either option seem sensible?

Prolimatech CPU cooler: http://www.prolimatech.com/en/...56&subid=414#showtab (http://www.prolimatech.com/en/products/detail.asp?id=156&subid=414#showtab)

Akasa CPU cooler: http://www.akasa.com.tw/update...odel=AK-CCX-4002HPV2 (http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?tpl=product/cpu.product.tpl&no=181&type=CPU%20coolers&type_sub=Retail%20cooler&model=AK-CCX-4002HPV2)

I'll double check the MoBo issue before ordering - to be honest, I'm still a little unclear as to whether this is a factor with the setup I have - FoolTrottel seems to suggest it isn't.

steve_v

03-20-2011, 06:00 PM

There shouldn't be any confusion. Your Asus selection has a X58 nb which supports the 1366 i7 Bloomfield cpus. Sandy Bridge is the second generation i-core cpus supported by the 68 pch on socket 1155. Intel has poor cpu coolers with thermal pads. Any upgrade, especially for a 130W cpu is a wise decision in light of the oc ability of the i7 960. Google or Tom's hardware is full of comparative reviews.

How much expansion are you planning on requiring a 1000W psu? I ask because nvidia introduced their two card SLI configuration years ago (ATI shortly after) and no one uses or advocates multiple cards unless in a workstation where video processing is a premium, and then they use a multi-card mobo. Gaming, including the IL2 series, is cpu intensive, with gpus as an adjunct. A Corsair 750W is more than adequate for your listed hardware with plenty of headroom for expansion and worth a look.

The current trend is for power savings, as reflected in cpu and hard drive technology. I keep my OS on my fastest drive, with data stored on 500GB/1TB slower drives. This saves on the initial drive investment and on continued power usage.

Years ago I bought an ATX full tower on sale and it has been one of the best decisions I've made. My backup is in a Cooler Master mid-tower similar to the one you've listed, and I am unable to install the top fan inside the case due to the size of the cpu cooler. Its something to consider since you're getting hot cpu on air cooling.

Lastly, in case you didn't know, Win 7 Home doesn't have the XP Compatibility option. That is only available in Pro and Ultimate. I have 7 Home x64 and am very happy with it. Not knowing how you use your computer, I thought you might want to know your OS options.

http://www.microsoft.com/windo...compare/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx)

All in all, you should be very pleased when the new build arrives. Its definitely top shelf.

AndyJWest

03-20-2011, 06:17 PM

Thanks, steve_v.

You may be right about the graphics cards issue - in which case I maybe don't need the 1 Kw PSU. I'd be interested to hear comments from others on this. Does anyone actually use a dual-GPU system for gaming?

Regarding XP compatibility, I wasn't aware of that, though I don't think it would be a major problem. It might be worth paying the extra £ 26 for, all the same.

kimosabi79

03-20-2011, 11:02 PM

My Sandy Bridge comments wasn't aimed at your coming system, Andy.

If you are sorta future proofing with your new system, keep the 1kw PSU. Who knows what might pop up in the future. http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Ba5tard5word

03-20-2011, 11:57 PM

Isn't the Sandy Bridge defect thing supposed to be sorted out in a few months? If so then I'd wait and see.

Stiletto-

03-21-2011, 10:43 AM

My sandy bridge board just came in stock this morning and is in the mail today! Its sorted out, they are back on sale since a week or 2 ago.

As for 1000 watt PSUs and running in SLI or using Crossfire.. the new graphic cards are so good right now and apparently most lcd monitor manufacturers think 1080p is hi-res... Well thats pretty low res for your brand new graphics card, the new ones can run most games at full detail at 1080P all day and you dont need 1000 watts for that...

BUT

You know what is becoming increasingly popular and in a few years will be the norm? Multiple Monitor gaming.

The only reason I didnt go with a dual GPU is because there is no information if IL-2 supports dual GPU cards, 2 cars in crossfire or SLI. Having an extra graphics card or a dual card is great if you plan on running at a resolution of 5760x1080 across 3 monitors. Alot of newer games need 2 GPUs to run at that kind of resolution with max graphic settings and that is also where a 1000 watt PSU might come in handy.

I plan on getting 2 more monitors sometime soon, maybe this summer. I also play Rise of Flight and that game does not support dual gpu's yet but apparently on the new ATI cards with a 3 monitor eyefinity setup, people are running max graphics on a single gpu cards.

If you don't plan on upgrading to a SLI or crossfire setup anytime soon, you can probably get away with a PSU with less wattage.

kimosabi79

03-21-2011, 11:14 AM

You know what Stiletto, you're right. If Andy's not going to add in more than two cards in SLI or Crossfire in the future, he might be better off with a 850W PSU. Even my old TX750W psu is enough to run two GTX580 in SLI on a similar rig as the one he has planned.

Andy, the HX1000 is an older design, thus not as efficient, and if you want a top notch PSU, check out the newer AX850W from Corsair. It is a Seasonic based PSU(which is known to be more stable than the CWT platform of the HX-line), and 850W is more than enough for people not overclocking the hell out of their rigs.

Johnny Guru is pretty much THE Guru when it comes to reviewing powersupplies, take a look:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modul...ws&op=Story&reid=197 (http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=197)

AndyJWest

04-08-2011, 10:47 AM

An update, and a query.

I was going to get an Nvidia GTX 570 graphics card, but am now wondering if an ATI Radeon 6970 might be better? It has more RAM - 2GB vs 1280 MB. Any thoughts?

I've managed to scrape up enough extra cash to get an 128 GB SSD, and take the RAM up to 12 GB too, so this beast is going to have plenty of grunt...

Ba5tard5word

04-08-2011, 12:03 PM

Andy if you can I'd wait a few weeks for when a supposed patch to COD will provide better multicore support and "other optimizations" then see what people with those two cards (or other cards) report about performance.

AndyJWest

04-08-2011, 02:29 PM

You may well be right, Ba5tard5word. I won't be able to order it before the end of next week anyway, and maybe things will become a little clearer by then. The snag is that I'm getting a bad case of CloD-envy, even if it is a little, erm, 'unstable' at the moment. Trying to play IL-2 on my notebook is some consolation (especially since I didn't expect it to run it at all), but I keep looking wistfully at CloD screenshots. Basically, regardless of which graphics card is better, if CloD won't run on my new system, it hasn't got much of a future, and from looking at the 1C forum things seem to be improving at a rapid pace (barring the odd glitch - apparently the latest patch has caused problems for some ATI cards http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/compsmash.gif). I doubt my willpower will hold out once I've got the loot together for this...

RedToo

04-08-2011, 03:12 PM

Hi Andy,

I'm in the same boat as you - just about to build a new computer (buying from Scan, but building myself).
I'd look seriously at a video card with a minimum of 1.5 gigs of ram. Some consensus emerging that people running CloDo well have 1.5 to 2 gig video cards. As for the SSD I'm torn between that and additional ram to enable me to create a ram drive for my swap file. I think CloDo may prefer a ram drive swap file to an SSD. Still undecided about this.

RedToo.

AndyJWest

04-08-2011, 03:56 PM

Hi, RedToo

I suppose in principle I could ditch the SSD, (or get a smaller one) and get a GTX 580 instead. I'm working on the assumption that I'll probably get a second graphics card at some point though, and two 580s would seem a bit extravagant.

Regarding RAM drives, I think with 12 GB I should be able to set up a reasonably-sized one with Clod - it seems to work (at low settings) on 32-bit systems, so it can't be using more than 3 GB or thereabouts with those settings - how much of a burden bumping up the graphics puts on the HD I don't know.

Scan seem to know their stuff, and though they are a bit pricey, they seem helpful enough - I e-mailed them a couple of queries, and got sensible answers back, which is more than I can say for some suppliers.

VW-IceFire

04-08-2011, 07:04 PM

IMHO the SSD is totally worth it. I got a 60GB Mushkin Callisto II and it's brilliant. I have it paired up with a single 1TB Caviar Blue drive and the speed up in boot, application start (from SSD) and so forth is huge. My games are still on the hard drive but Windows is blazing fast.

I turn on the computer and by the time I log in it's loaded everything already and I'm off to browsing in a second. I can also open the entire Office suite in a second.... why I'm not sure but damn it's cool http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Von_Rat

04-08-2011, 11:47 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AndyJWest:
An update, and a query.

I was going to get an Nvidia GTX 570 graphics card, but am now wondering if an ATI Radeon 6970 might be better? It has more RAM - 2GB vs 1280 MB. Any thoughts?

... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

my gtx 570 OC is giving me an avg of 30fps over london on the bomber intercept mission, with everthing on, and everything on high. 1920x1080 res. 8AA and 16AF.

M_Gunz

04-09-2011, 12:48 AM

I've seen a number of posts quoting a guy on the banana forum with a 570 and low framerates. He checked in his NVidia panel and found that it was on a power saving setting. Is that normal for the new NVidia cards?

AndyJWest

05-19-2011, 03:37 PM

Scan took rather longer than they estimated, but the beast has finally arrived: http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae65/ajv00987k/IMG_0886.jpg

http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae65/ajv00987k/IMG_0885.jpg

http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae65/ajv00987k/IMG_0880.jpg

http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae65/ajv00987k/IMG_0878.jpg

It looks neat enough inside, if a little empty - no doubt I'll fill it up later. Time to start saving for the 2nd graphics card?

The final spec:

MOBO - X58 Asus Sabertooth X58
CPU - Intel i7 950 Quad Core 3.06Ghz (overclocked to 3.80Ghz)
RAM - 12 GB (3x4GB) Corsair DDR3 (1600)
GPU - XFX 6970 2GB
PSU - 1000W Corsair
SSD - 128 GB
HDD - 1 TB SATA 2
OS - Win 7 Home Premium 64bit
Case - Antec Three Hundred
Monitor 24" Samsung

I've not downoaded CloD yet but it looks perfect running IL-2 '46 at 1920 * 1080. I'm getting 100+ FPS with maxed-out graphics settings, and little tweaking. http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

Jaws2002

05-20-2011, 11:56 AM

Cool build. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/partyhat.gif This new cpu coolers realy grew over time. I got a Noctua C14 for my upgrade I'll do this weekend, that should be fun trying to get into my old Antec 900. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/34.gif
Corsair makes some solid power supplies. I have a 750W corsair that I bought 3.5 years ago to replace a new 1000W antec PSU that wasn't able to feed my graphics card. Corsair FTW. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif

That's a nice machine there. Should run COD with no problems.
Congrats. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/partyhat.gif

AndyJWest

05-20-2011, 12:31 PM

Yes, the cooler (an Alpen Matterhorn) is rather big - almost as big as the PSU! I'm beginning to wonder if a bigger case might actually have been a good idea, because the GPU is too long to fit a HDD alongside. As it is, I can get another GPU in ok (I think), but another HDD would probably have to go in the top 3.5" slot, and would rather restrict airflow - I'd probably need to fit an inlet fan in the front, for safety.

Another approach might be to fit a HDD in one of the 5.5" bays at the top, with an adapter? Anyway, for now I've got plenty of disk space, and I've got eternal HDDs accessable by USB.

I'll download CloD over the weekend, and test this beast out properly...

arthursmedley

05-20-2011, 12:52 PM

Mmm....very nice Andy. Good to see pics of the kind of rig I'll be running in about three years time http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-sad.gif!! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif

Btw, did you get some head-tracking sorted out?TrackIr is one of the few things CoD has done really well from day one.

Jaws2002

05-20-2011, 01:16 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AndyJWest:
Yes, the cooler (an Alpen Matterhorn) is rather big - almost as big as the PSU! I'm beginning to wonder if a bigger case might actually have been a good idea, because the GPU is too long to fit a HDD alongside. As it is, I can get another GPU in ok (I think), but another HDD would probably have to go in the top 3.5" slot, and would rather restrict airflow - I'd probably need to fit an inlet fan in the front, for safety.

Another approach might be to fit a HDD in one of the 5.5" bays at the top, with an adapter? Anyway, for now I've got plenty of disk space, and I've got eternal HDDs accessable by USB.

I'll download CloD over the weekend, and test this beast out properly... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'll have the same problems with the case. I kept the case ( to disguise the extent of the upgrade. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/shady.gif), Corsair PSU and the two mechanical hard drives I had. Now I'll have to fit two SSD's, together with those older drives, in that casee. I'll have to somehow squeeze them around the huge Noctua cpu cooler and the GTX 590. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/disagree.gif

arthursmedley

05-20-2011, 01:37 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jaws2002:

I kept the case ( to disguise the extent of the upgrade. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/shady.gif), </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/11.gif Been there, done that!

AndyJWest

05-20-2011, 01:43 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">...I kept the case ( to disguise the extent of the upgrade. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/shady.gif) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif

Yes, someone should set up a 'case dirtying' service, so you can buy a new one ready-'distressed', and tell your other half that it was second-hand. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif

@arthur: I've not sorted out head-tracking yet. I'll probably go the 'free' route, if possible.

Stiletto-

05-20-2011, 01:54 PM

Great looking build Andy. Hopefully that will last you awhile! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/25.gif

Urufu_Shinjiro

05-20-2011, 01:57 PM

I believe I have seen a few adapters that fit two 2.5" SSDs into a 3.5" or 5.25" slot.

Jaws2002

05-20-2011, 02:30 PM

AndyJWest

05-20-2011, 02:38 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Urufu_Shinjiro:
I believe I have seen a few adapters that fit two 2.5" SSDs into a 3.5" or 5.25" slot. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, a good idea. I'm now contemplating my first hardware upgrade... well of sorts. I've got a spare 4-way USB 2 connector which can go in one of the back-panel slots. I don't really need more USB ports, as I've got 6x USB 3 and 2x USB 3 at the back, plus 2x USB 2 in the front panel, but if I use one of the lower card slots, I can tidy up the cables a bit.

Edit...
Perhaps it would make more sense to add USB ports to the front - there is more room, and this will probably be more convenient for joysticks etc.

RAF_OldBuzzard

05-20-2011, 06:11 PM

I haven't been on the forums that much lately, and didn't see this thread until now.

IF I would have seen it back when it was new, I'd have recommended the Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced case. That Antec 300 was a good case in it's day, but it's day has passed.

The 690 II has LOTS of room for vid cards, and really nice provisions for cable management. About the only vid card that won't fit in it would be the HD 6990.

Plus, like the Antec 300 the 690 isn't a butt ugly "Gamer" case.

AndyJWest

05-20-2011, 08:50 PM

Actually, I've taken another look, and an HDD in the top 3.5" bay would be well clear of the GPU, so it isn't likely to be a problem unless I go nuts with storage. I've found a nice 4 socket 3.5/5.25" bay internal USB hub online (again from scan - see here (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scan-usb-20-black-4-port-internal-hub-for-35-and-525-bay)), so I think I'll get that, rather than addng more ports at the rear. This has the advantage of allowing front-panel connections that don't trail cables over the DVD drive - a bit of a design flaw IMO, though rather common with PC cases.

Edit...
Another plus to Scan. I've just realised that they have fitted another fan in the front panel - blowing air in over the SSD and HDD. I don't think I ordered this, though I did ask if they thought additional fans were worth installing.

AndyJWest

05-29-2011, 06:44 PM

At last I've downloaded CloD, and had a quick go. No real tweaking as yet, so I was getting a little stuttering over London at low level, as well as minor artefacts and only 30 fps or so. I need to sort out all the control settings etc, and then figure out the best graphics setup. It looks promising, but I need to rest the brain before attempting anything too complex - I can't overclock that, unfortunately. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif

x6BL_Brando

05-30-2011, 07:05 AM

A nifty way of fixing SSDs into a case is by using Velcro tape, the sticky-back variety. Positioning is only governed by the length of the power and data cables, and a flat surface to stick the Velcro to.

nvrsummer2

05-30-2011, 10:00 AM

I would order the parts and assemble it myself. The hardest part about building a comp is selecting compatible parts. Assembly is easy. As for 'Clocking' unless they are overclocking it there is no adjustment. And you can OC it yourself down the road. Ocing is great but will diminish the life of your expensive comp. Plus you will feel satisfaction of doing it yourself.