# My new build, what do you think?



## baztop3 (Jan 13, 2008)

Hello all,  It's time i upgrade my pc and just in time because me motherboard is on the blink.  Im building it mainly for gaming but also for some photo editing with CS3 and Adobe Lightroom here's what on my list do far:  




          case:  CoolerMaster Stacker 832 
    prossesor:  Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 
motherboard:  XFX nForce 780i SLi (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 
      memory:  Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 
     graphics:  2x GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 Quad SLI       
          PSU:  Coolermaster Real Power 1000w Modular Power Supply

And as for the rest of the stuff harddrive's and optical drives there coming out of this pc.  

Cheers Barry


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## Cold Storm (Jan 13, 2008)

Its a good build if your on a budget.. I wouldnt use the PSU, I'd go with a higher wattage one.. one around 800 or so... Your doing sli on a quad... go here so you can calculate the watts you need and give it some head room of about 120 or so watts...


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## MikeJeng (Jan 13, 2008)

I like the case... I'm getting the same one.




Also, why are you getting 2 7900GTX's?  Aren't they a bit old?


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## baztop3 (Jan 13, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> Its a good build if your on a budget.. I wouldnt use the PSU, I'd go with a higher wattage one.. one around 800 or so... Your doing sli on a quad... go here so you can calculate the watts you need and give it some head room of about 120 or so watts...



Cheers for the link thats handy i think your right it recomends a 433W good brand PSU so i think ill go for a 600W


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## Cold Storm (Jan 13, 2008)

yeah.. that will be good... your running sli so its eating up a lot more then what most people think.. Then after awhile you'll probably step up on the plate and buy the 8800gt(x) or the 3870's and you'll have the power you need... 
welcome btw


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## baztop3 (Jan 13, 2008)

MikeJeng said:


> I like the case... I'm getting the same one.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



because i already have one of them so i would only need to buy one more and i know were i can get them cheap and im on a buget so dont want to spend huge amounts on a card that will be half the price in 6 months.

PS. i cant wait till the case get's here


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## Cold Storm (Jan 13, 2008)

All day long I would tell you to get a new videocard... but if your on a budget and are planning to get a better one a few months down the road, get sli, and you'll be fine...


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## baztop3 (Jan 13, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> All day long I would tell you to get a new videocard... but if your on a budget and are planning to get a better one a few months down the road, get sli, and you'll be fine...



yer ill be running the 7900gtx's sli for a while before i upgrade i hate buying new graphics cards i used to buy them as soon as they came out 3 times ive done it paying like £350-£400 for somethink that's the best think since sliced bread to complete rubbish in a year.  Ill prob get a pair 8800gtx but not untill they come down in price.

Cheers barry....


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## Cold Storm (Jan 13, 2008)

Sounds good that way.. your on a budget and nothing wrong there...


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## baztop3 (Jan 16, 2008)

Well the case arrived yesterday now i knew this was going to be big but it's huge!  Ive taken a few pic's you can see behind the case on 2 of the pictures infront of a 27" monitor to give you some sort of idea how big this case is!





















Im made up with it great build quality the only thing i was disappointed aboult is that coolermaster only provide you with the intake and exhaust fan's you think at £160 they would throw-In all 7 :shadedshu.

Also ive decided not to use the 7900gtx's and just stop being a tight b*****d and just do it properly and stick 3 8800gtx's or gt's in it.  For the power supply im going to go for the Thermaltake ToughPower 750W.


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## Cold Storm (Jan 16, 2008)

The case looks sweet man, and I think your making a great move with everything your going with now... It saves in the long run.


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## Mattgal (Jan 16, 2008)

have to say! be VERY aware that they can tell you that you have 600w PSU and in reality you only have 550 or less. this happend to me. be 100% shure that 600w are not peak wats!

and another. if i were you i would wait or the 9series. they will be like what? 9800GTS/GTX = 8800GTX SLi ? (and cheaper than GTX sli)


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## Cold Storm (Jan 16, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> Cheers,  yer me brother persuaded me it just means ill have to put up with this pc a little longer why i save up



I know that feeling man... But its well worth the troubles! even going through all the hassle of the stuff I rma'ed its worth it! Oh, you'll enjoy it. and  to your brother


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## freaksavior (Jan 16, 2008)

throw away the fans, they suck!

i got this case, and trust me, you will love it. you'll build it one way then take it apart and build it atx-b. lol i did that and it was fun, and cool looking.


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## baztop3 (Jan 16, 2008)

Mattgal said:


> have to say! be VERY aware that they can tell you that you have 600w PSU and in reality you only have 550 or less. this happend to me. be 100% shure that 600w are not peak wats!
> 
> and another. if i were you i would wait or the 9series. they will be like what? 9800GTS/GTX = 8800GTX SLi ? (and cheaper than GTX sli)



Hello Mattgal, This is the PSU im getting http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-TT&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=  "Thermaltake ToughPower 750W" so im just prosuming that it will be a 750w i hope so anyway.

What do you mean just buy one 9000 series instead of buying 2 8800's?  I was thinking aboult that but it depends on how long i have to wait till the 9000 series go on sale ive heard February but weather thats true i just dont know.  i also heard they are going to be called "9300M G" & "9500M GS"?

cheers barry..


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## freaksavior (Jan 16, 2008)

you should get a corsair 620hx or the corsair tx750


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## baztop3 (Jan 16, 2008)

freaksavior said:


> you should get a corsair 620hx or the corsair tx750




The 620HX wont be powerfull enuff i and i havent seen the TX750 before so thats an option ill have to look into it cheers.




Cold Storm said:


> I know that feeling man... But its well worth the troubles! even going through all the hassle of the stuff I rma'ed its worth it! Oh, you'll enjoy it. and  to your brother



lol i hope so.


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## baztop3 (Mar 24, 2008)

Ok well i had to put the build on hold for a month but im back and the parts are arriving 
first to arrive is my nice shiny new XFX 780i all on it lonesum. 


 

it wont be alone for long though because im getting the Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 and a Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU FAN tomorrow 

Ill keep you posted...


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## francis511 (Mar 24, 2008)

Dude , you`ll need a nuclear power station to run when it all arrives - 3 x 8800 gtx = kilowatt !!


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## baztop3 (Mar 24, 2008)

francis511 said:


> Dude , you`ll need a nuclear power station to run when it all arrives - 3 x 8800 gtx = kilowatt !!




lol i know i was worried aboult that myself so im getting a 3WAY SLI approved Gigabyte GE-MK20A-D1 ODIN Pro 1200W PSU.

This is the overall spec:

Coolermaster Stacker 832 case
Gigabyte GE-MK20A-D1 ODIN Pro 1200W Power Supply Unit
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 (to be oc'ed to 3ghz +)
XFX nForce 780i SLI motherboard
3 8800GTX  Graphics cards
4GB Corsair DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 
2 x Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10000RPM


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## phanbuey (Mar 24, 2008)

woooooooooow... such a nice e-peen system.  I want that case. Give it to me.


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## viczulis (Mar 24, 2008)

yea give it to him, so I can take it from him 
Nice case.


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## baztop3 (Mar 25, 2008)

phanbuey said:


> woooooooooow... such a nice e-peen system.  I want that case. Give it to me.



cheers but sorry i like the case myself so im keeping it


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## MKmods (Mar 25, 2008)

You better work REAL HARD on the cooling, 3 8800s are gonna add MAJOR heat to ur case.
(just throwing fans on the side will do little to cool it)

Its gotta be really exciting to have such cool hardware to work with.


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## baztop3 (Mar 25, 2008)

MKmods said:


> You better work REAL HARD on the cooling, 3 8800s are gonna add MAJOR heat to ur case.
> (just throwing fans on the side will do little to cool it)
> 
> Its gotta be really exciting to have such cool hardware to work with.




thanks,  Im hopeing the practically hollow design of the stacker 832 case with 5 exhaust fans will suck most of the heat out of the case,  Iv gone with a pritty good CPU cooler aswell but only time will tell.

And ye i cant wait till it's up and running because this pc is doing my head in


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## MKmods (Mar 25, 2008)

make sure if you have 5 exhausts you have 5 intakes...Thats the issue. The 8800s are so close together its insanely hard for air to get to them (water cooling is almost a necessity)

Again congrats on the fun ass project.


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## baztop3 (Mar 26, 2008)

The prossesor and the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro came today.  Here are some pic's:













The stock fan look's tiny compared to the Freezer 7 





Next up is the Gigabyte ODIN Pro 1200W PSU ill be getting that on Monday ill post some pics of that to.


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## Braveheart (Mar 26, 2008)

wow, and i thought my rig was beastly.


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## baztop3 (Mar 26, 2008)

Braveheart said:


> wow, and i thought my rig was beastly.



thanks, id still say your setup is pritty beastly though. (kicks my current pc's ass)


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## vivanco (Mar 26, 2008)

it's looking good


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## Cold Storm (Mar 27, 2008)

I can't wait to see those benches when you get it done!! Sweetness man.


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 27, 2008)

Where was I when you built this log!?

That rig is sooo gonna be kickass. I would've thought you would've done 9600GT's in SLi though.


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## Braveheart (Mar 27, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> thanks, id still say your setup is pritty beastly though. (kicks my current pc's ass)



thanks, and there will be some major upgrades to it in a year


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## baztop3 (Mar 27, 2008)

thanks for the reply's all. 




JrRacinFan said:


> Where was I when you built this log!?
> 
> That rig is sooo gonna be kickass. I would've thought you would've done 9600GT's in SLi though.



well im kinda debating wether to buy 2 sli GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 cards, all depends wether ive got the money and the patients but ill make that decision in a few weeks.

cheers..


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## farlex85 (Mar 27, 2008)

What monitor are you using? I would say two 9800gtxs would be your best bet, with another down the line. I don't think tri-sli scales that well right now, and the quad-gpu thing is not really developed, much less the sex-gpu thing. Plus unless you are going for extrememly high resolutions, that extra memory on the gx2 isn't gonna help you. 

The 9800gtx comes w/ a wicked fast memory clock and seems to bench fairly well against the 9800gx2. Plus it will most likely gain more w/ sli. 

Just my 2 cents. Sweet rig anyway you shake it though, enjoy!


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## baztop3 (Mar 27, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> What monitor are you using? I would say two 9800gtxs would be your best bet, with another down the line. I don't think tri-sli scales that well right now, and the quad-gpu thing is not really developed, much less the sex-gpu thing. Plus unless you are going for extrememly high resolutions, that extra memory on the gx2 isn't gonna help you.
> 
> The 9800gtx comes w/ a wicked fast memory clock and seems to bench fairly well against the 9800gx2. Plus it will most likely gain more w/ sli.
> 
> Just my 2 cents. Sweet rig anyway you shake it though, enjoy!




thanks for the post,  Im useing a 27" HD LCD monitor, at the min Tri sli 8800GTX's beats 1 9800GX2 but not enuff to justify the price difference: 1 9800GX2 £352.49 3 8800GTX £675 so what im thinking is if there is a big enuff difference with 2 9800GX2' i should just buy them instead £704 for 2 9800GX2's


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## farlex85 (Mar 27, 2008)

Well, I believe 2 gx2 don't even run in sli right yet, although it will be soon. But when it is, I don't really know if it will scale that well. It remains to be seen. Heres what I'm thinking though.

I'm afraid I dont know euros but I think they are double value the US dollar. It would cost $1200 for two gx2s, $900 for 3 8800gtxs, and about $800 for 2 9800gtx (although we won't know for a couple of days). Now, I'm betting because of tri-sli performance and quad-core performance the 9800gtx might even when this battle out, if not it should be pretty close, and that comes with the cheapest pricetag and using the least power. Then nvidia will be working on tri-sli(its still pretty new), and in a year or so (maybe sooner) once the prices for the 9800gtx drop you can grab another one, and you got one hell of a rig.

Basically, the others might offer better e-penis now, but IMO the 9800gtx is the way to go for the long haul.


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## Braveheart (Mar 27, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Well, I believe 2 gx2 don't even run in sli right yet, although it will be soon. But when it is, I don't really know if it will scale that well. It remains to be seen. Heres what I'm thinking though.
> 
> I'm afraid I dont know euros but I think they are double value the US dollar. It would cost $1200 for two gx2s, $900 for 3 8800gtxs, and about $800 for 2 9800gtx (although we won't know for a couple of days). Now, I'm betting because of tri-sli performance and quad-core performance the 9800gtx might even when this battle out, if not it should be pretty close, and that comes with the cheapest pricetag and using the least power. Then nvidia will be working on tri-sli(its still pretty new), and in a year or so (maybe sooner) once the prices for the 9800gtx drop you can grab another one, and you got one hell of a rig.
> 
> Basically, the others might offer better e-penis now, but IMO the 9800gtx is the way to go for the long haul.


gx2's run in SLI, it's called quad sli.


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## farlex85 (Mar 27, 2008)

I'm aware, thats how I referred to it, but I don't think it really works yet (the scaling is bad). I could be wrong, but thats what I've seen. CF doesn't do it well either at the moment. In essence its just for show, not much performance really is gained from it.

Is your monitor 1920x1200?


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## baztop3 (Mar 27, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> I'm aware, thats how I referred to it, but I don't think it really works yet (the scaling is bad). I could be wrong, but thats what I've seen. CF doesn't do it well either at the moment. In essence its just for show, not much performance really is gained from it.
> 
> Is your monitor 1920x1200?




Thanks for your post,  ive set a max budget of UK £800 = US $1.602 on graphics.  I dont have the prices of the 9800GTX's yet all i have prices for is the 9800GX2's = £352.49 = $705.79 and if i buy 2 of them ill be in my budget.  So im best waiting till the 9800GTX's are on sale and see what benchmark in Tri sli mode compared to Quad Sli 9800GX2.  It's all very confusing lol im getting a headake

ps yes my monitor is 1920x1200


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## farlex85 (Mar 27, 2008)

Lol, yea, its a brutal numbers game. The 9800gtx is estimated to be around $400, so that would be about 260 euros I believe. Its launch is on April fools, so we'll see then. It might take a while to see benchies of three of them together though, just be on the look out.

And yea w/ 1920x1200 resolution, you shouldn't need all the memory that you would get w/ the 2 gx2, it wouldn't give a performance increase. 2 9800 gtx would give you 1gb vram, running at much faster speeds than the gx2. But hey, its kind of speculation right now. And like I said, no matter which way you go, your gonna have a kick ass rig!


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## SUPERREDDEVIL (Mar 29, 2008)

oh my!!!!!



NICE RIDE!!!!!


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## baztop3 (Mar 29, 2008)

Hello all.  

Just a little update,  I got a few 120mm LED fans today so ive taken a few pics....




akasa Ball Bearing blue LED  £10 each 

i stuck one at the top of the case to blowout all the hot air floating aboult.










Then i put 2 fans at the side to blow cool air at the graphics cards.









Also i got a SuperMulti DVD drive.


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## Th3-R3as0n (Mar 29, 2008)

Dam dude that rig looks insane.. Would love to see some benchies when you get it up and running.. Otherwise its looks really nice!!!


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## baztop3 (Mar 30, 2008)

ok well ive decided to buy 2 GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 Quad SLI i think ill get better performance than 3 8800GTX's and it will free up a PCI slot witch means i can but a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card


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## Cold Storm (Mar 30, 2008)

It sounds good man! Only thing I do have to ask is what OS are you using? If your using Vista, don't get down if you have problems Vista and Creative. Creative decided to not work with Microsoft on Vista.


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## tzitzibp (Mar 30, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> ok well ive decided to buy 2 GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 Quad SLI i think ill get better performance than 3 8800GTX's and it will free up a PCI slot witch means i can but a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card



i' ll be monitoring the power grid  in your area for instant power highs.... so I 'll know when you boot up...lol!

*super high end pc*, you are building there, m8! 



baztop3 said:


> o 2 GeForce 9800 GX2 1024MB GDDR3 Quad SLI


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## tzitzibp (Mar 30, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> It sounds good man! Only thing I do have to ask is what OS are you using? If your using Vista, don't get down if you have problems Vista and Creative. Creative decided to not work with Microsoft on Vista.



go with vista 64 ult. and get the most from this beast....


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## Cold Storm (Mar 30, 2008)

True, that would be the best bet to go with! I have the 32 bit and I love it! now need to go 64bit since I have 4gbs now.


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## tzitzibp (Mar 30, 2008)

Yes..... I used vista 32 and everything was ok! Just ok.... the common incompatibilities but the system was stable and fast enough... however benches showed me that when in vista the system was lagging compared to XP pro sp2..... when I moved on to vista 64ult. everything seems to be faster and the memory allocation was and still is incredible!!!! on top of this I found out that games that did not play in vista 32, actually play in vista 64! 

and as for benches.... check my specs to see what I am talking about....


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## tzitzibp (Mar 30, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> Just a little update,  I got a few 120mm LED fans today so ive taken a few pics....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good choice of fans.... two questions. How loud do they get? Individually and combined....

I mean to your liking...


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## baztop3 (Mar 30, 2008)

tzitzibp said:


> i' ll be monitoring the power grid  in your area for instant power highs.... so I 'll know when you boot up...lol!
> 
> *super high end pc*, you are building there, m8!



lol i know.


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 30, 2008)

OMG! I just noticed baz, your shooting for Quad SLi! 

That is just plain out sick. Good luck on the build, I hope you have no problems!


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## baztop3 (Mar 30, 2008)

tzitzibp said:


> Good choice of fans.... two questions. How loud do they get? Individually and combined....
> 
> I mean to your liking...



They are aboult average in terms of noise but they are super fast and have a good airflow so i think i can live with them.  ill know for sure when it's built.



Cold Storm said:


> It sounds good man! Only thing I do have to ask is what OS are you using? If your using Vista, don't get down if you have problems Vista and Creative. Creative decided to not work with Microsoft on Vista.



ill be going with Vista Ult 64


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## Jimmy 2004 (Mar 30, 2008)

Wow, interesting to read this log and see how you've gone from wanting two 7900 GTX cards to two of the most powerful cards you can get.


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## baztop3 (Mar 30, 2008)

Jimmy 2004 said:


> Wow, interesting to read this log and see how you've gone from wanting two 7900 GTX cards to two of the most powerful cards you can get.




if you think thats interesting you should see my now empty bank account


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 30, 2008)

I just hope by the time you get this finished, nothing is DOA.


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## baztop3 (Apr 4, 2008)

Hello all ,

The power supply arrived today along with a 150GB WD Raptor and have just finished fitting them.  Heres a few pic's:

150GB WD Raptor another one to follow 




I changed my mind on the PSU and opted for the Coolermaster Real Power 1000w Modular Power Supply because it was getting better reviews than the OBIN.





You could probably drop this box of a building it was that well packaged!





It has a pretty huge 135mm fan









It's nice and shiney 





All the cables lot's of them!













So it's almost done now im all i need is the 2 9800GX2's and memory and it's done


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 4, 2008)

Congrats on the build. You planning on picking up at least a backup video card just in case? Maybe you could use it just to get it up and running a little sooner than expected.

Still, nice work on the build. Especially the PSU, its a beast!


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## baztop3 (Apr 4, 2008)

JrRacinFan said:


> Congrats on the build. You planning on picking up at least a backup video card just in case? Maybe you could use it just to get it up and running a little sooner than expected.
> 
> Still, nice work on the build. Especially the PSU, its a beast!




Thanks,  I have a 7900GTX i can stick in when i get Vista Ult 64


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## craigo (Apr 5, 2008)

Kickass build dont forget to post epic benchies when its complete


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## baztop3 (Apr 6, 2008)

It lives!  I stuck a 7900gtx and 3gig of memory to get it up and running and so far no problems at all.  All i have to do now is buy 2 9800GX2's and memory and it's complete 

Heres a few pics:

























Im pritty happy with the temps to:


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## baztop3 (Apr 6, 2008)

ps ive just overclocked the 3.ghz


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 6, 2008)

Lookin good baz, real good! Wanna get insanely low temps and require less vcore for an overclock?

Burn that puppy in!


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## baztop3 (Apr 6, 2008)

JrRacinFan said:


> Lookin good baz, real good! Wanna get insanely low temps and require less vcore for an overclock?
> 
> Burn that puppy in!




cheers JrRacinFan,  Yer how do i get insanely low temps?


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 6, 2008)

Burn it in at stock FSB, lower vcore, run full load with 2 instances of orthos for a couple hours. Should help with overclocking.


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## tzitzibp (Apr 6, 2008)

looking good, looking good........


piece of advice.... keep it running at default clocks for at least a day for any unpredicted errors and then start OCing....


kick a** specs.... you are on the right track...


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## tzitzibp (Apr 6, 2008)

but since u already ocing.... don't hold back.... burn that s**t...lol


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## tzitzibp (Apr 6, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> lol i know.



btw, don't be cocky.... or I' ll PULL THE PLUG....


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## tzitzibp (Apr 6, 2008)

Jimmy 2004 said:


> Wow, interesting to read this log and see how you've gone from wanting two 7900 GTX cards to two of the most powerful cards you can get.



Isn't it funny?.... I can also check your bank account.... still lol!!!


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## tzitzibp (Apr 6, 2008)

no disrespect to anyone.... this "floral" or "herbal"...."gear" is fantastic!


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## phanbuey (Apr 6, 2008)

still cant get over how cool that case looks ... Cooler Master cases are the bomb.


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## baztop3 (Apr 6, 2008)

cheers all,  im going to run it a 3ghz for a few days and then start creeping it up see how it run.  So far no problems so fingers crossed and ill start benchmarking when i get my video cards


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## Kovoet (Apr 6, 2008)

Cold Storm said:


> The case looks sweet man, and I think your making a great move with everything your going with now... It saves in the long run.




I have one too after having 2 antec's the 180 and 900 even though they were great I much prefer the stacker 832


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## Cold Storm (Apr 6, 2008)

Kovoet said:


> I have one too after having 2 antec's the 180 and 900 even though they were great I much prefer the stacker 832



Yeah, this case was on my list, but I feel in love with the cosmos, so I grabbed that one up.


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## baztop3 (Apr 19, 2008)

Hello all,  Just a little update i got my memory 4GB OCZ (4x1GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz SLI-Ready Edition.  








Ps:  I should be getting the first of 2 9800 GX2 1024MB's next week so expect some benchmarks soon


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 19, 2008)

OH how perty! How much you grab a set for?


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## baztop3 (Apr 19, 2008)

JrRacinFan said:


> OH how perty! How much you grab a set for?




I got them for £102 = $203


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## JrRacinFan (Apr 19, 2008)

Not bad, not bad at all.


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## francis511 (Apr 20, 2008)

baztop3 said:


> Ps:  I should be getting the first of 2 9800 GX2 1024MB's next week so expect some benchmarks soon


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