# Nvidiaintelftw's Sandy Bridge Build Log



## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 10, 2011)

*Welcome to nvidiaintelftw's Sandy Bridge Build Log​*
I have finally been able to sell my Evga Classified E760, Core i7 920, memory is still for sale, and then i just sold my HX1000. I have already ordered the HX850 because there was a deal on it last night that woudl last till next week but i didnt want to risk the fact that the PSU might sell out and then i wouldnt get the deal with the promo code. Ill be ordering my Asrock board, corsair ram, and 2500k on monday once the funds from my paypal account get transferred to my checking. There will be a lot of pictures of my build process and little details ive done to my build that wasnt done when i had a x58 system. So at this point all i can say is that im extremely excited right now and stay tuned!




































*Full Specs*

Intel Core i5 2500k Processor
AsRock Extreme4 Gen3 P67 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 8gb (4gb x 2) 1866 DDr3 memory
Asus GTX470
Corsair HX850 Power supply
OCZ Vertex 2 90GB SSD
Samsung F3 500gb For Steam and Storage
Cooler Master HAF 932 Case
Asus 24x DVD Burner
Lamptron FC-6 Fan Controller
Prolimatech Megahalem Cooler in Push/pull with San Ace fans​


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## sneekypeet (Sep 10, 2011)

Looks like a pretty solid build. Not sure if the speed jump is as noticeable for 1366 users, but I enjoyed the speed boost from my 1156 rig for sure. Enjoy!


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 10, 2011)

sneekypeet said:


> Looks like a pretty solid build. Not sure if the speed jump is as noticeable for 1366 users, but I enjoyed the speed boost from my 1156 rig for sure. Enjoy!



mainly doing it because i want to build a computer haha, and because LGA1366 really had no upgrade path haha and i didnt want be stuck, and the evga classified board, yeah i wanted to get rid of that haha


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## techtard (Sep 10, 2011)

Nice build, I'm really starting to think of going back to Intel myself. Mostly because everyone else is getting new i5 2500k based rigs. LOL. 
Looks like you got yourself a solid new build. Hyperthreading doesn't do anything for games, so an i5-2500k is a good buy. Plus, you have a higher overclock potential. 

Have fun with the new PC


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 10, 2011)

techtard said:


> Nice build, I'm really starting to think of going back to Intel myself. Mostly because everyone else is getting new i5 2500k based rigs. LOL.
> Looks like you got yourself a solid new build. Hyperthreading doesn't do anything for games, so an i5-2500k is a good buy. Plus, you have a higher overclock potential.
> 
> Have fun with the new PC



yeah my friend was like(he thinks he knows everything) said that HT and no HT when it comes to sandy bridge doesnt do anything when it comes to overclocking. When actually HT can make it a little bit hard do to more heat and the need of some extra voltage


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## t_ski (Sep 11, 2011)

I've read that, between 1366 and 1155 there is not much difference: one beats the other slightly in some tests.  The main difference is the high overclock and the ease at which you can reach that OC.

Subbed for moar pics


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 11, 2011)

t_ski said:


> I've read that, between 1366 and 1155 there is not much difference: one beats the other slightly in some tests.  The main difference is the high overclock and the ease at which you can reach that OC.
> 
> Subbed for moar pics



i guess im not really doing it for performance gains im oing it more because x58 is going to die if not already is so you really have no upgrade path with it. 1155 CPU also run cooler even at higher overclocks, and i really wanted to ditch the evga classified because that board was a pain, mainly because the BOOT was ridiculously long, just to hear the beap to start POST. It would be at black screen for like 30 seconds till the beap happened then it would go.


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## wolf (Sep 11, 2011)

chances are you will get 6 core 22nm CPU's for that board next year, and sandy bridge is just damn fast anyway, and has a kickass memory controller.

should last you well into next year when you can simply drop in a 22nm CPU and a next gen GFX card.

nice build.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 11, 2011)

wolf said:


> chances are you will get 6 core 22nm CPU's for that board next year, and sandy bridge is just damn fast anyway, and has a kickass memory controller.
> 
> should last you well into next year when you can simply drop in a 22nm CPU and a next gen GFX card.
> 
> nice build.



thanks, i so excited to start the build and take picture of it all. i havent built a computer for like a year and a half


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 12, 2011)

JUST ORDERED! 
 Ordered the HX850 2 days ago during a Promo code sale, and just ordered the CPU ram and mobo since the money from selling my old parts have transferred from my paypal to checking


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 15, 2011)

todays the day!!!! yeahh buddy


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## BrooksyX (Sep 15, 2011)

nice build. I love my 2500k asrock build. have no problem reaching 4.8ghz. scaled down to 4.5ghz for now but plan on finding a good 4.8ghz everyday overclock soon.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 15, 2011)

BrooksyX said:


> nice build. I love my 2500k asrock build. have no problem reaching 4.8ghz. scaled down to 4.5ghz for now but plan on finding a good 4.8ghz everyday overclock soon.



yeah im so excited. i need something to pass the time till the UPS guy gets here!


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## BrooksyX (Sep 15, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> yeah im so excited. i need something to pass the time till the UPS guy gets here!



ha thats the worst. I am excited to because today i should be getting my red single sleeved cables in the mail. Going for a all red and black build. Ill post pics when its done.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 15, 2011)

BrooksyX said:


> ha thats the worst. I am excited to because today i should be getting my red single sleeved cables in the mail. Going for a all red and black build. Ill post pics when its done.



sweet deal! HURRY UP! BIG BROWN TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

sad news everyone. I dont think its coming today. Says its out for delivery on the tracking, but it should be here by now and its almost 8

EDIT: Nevermind! Just came. FINALLY!!!


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 16, 2011)

Awaiting pics bro!


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

UPDATE

Openbox Photos!


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## techtard (Sep 16, 2011)

I shouldn't have clicked on this. Must resist.... temptation to....upgrade.

Congrats, I bet you're having all kinds fo fun right now.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

techtard said:


> I shouldn't have clicked on this. Must resist.... temptation to....upgrade.
> 
> Congrats, I bet you're having all kinds fo fun right now.



yeah and a little bit of frustration. im on to cabling, but ill show you guys what im a little made about with the next batch of pictures


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

alright im done for the night. Im getting my normal headache i always get from building a computer from the new electronics eroma and im getting tired. Ill finish up tomorrow and continue with pictures. 

Here are some picture of the system basically together







So this is the picture i was going to talk about that im mad about with this build. it doesnt make the build for me im still happy with it. However, so i originally wanted to do push pull with 2 san ace fans. ones 25mm thick and the other is 38mm as you can see. I couldn't put hte 25mm thick san ace because of the Corsair Vengeance the first stick was rubbing against the fan so i could use the clips to mount the fan because they pretrude out a bit. I have that made sense, Im tired right now and have a head ache





And it continues









and the mess to far


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

alright so today is the day! Time to get this thing done. I just have the hard drive sata cables and the fans to connect! again pictures coming


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## brandonwh64 (Sep 16, 2011)

I have been thinking of upgrading to a 2600K but still dont know if im ready...


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> I have been thinking of upgrading to a 2600K but still dont know if im ready...



yeah? I may not get much performance increase then my 920 did, but im mainly doing it cuz i was bored of the hardware and the evga classified was a pain in the ass for me


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## brandonwh64 (Sep 16, 2011)

yea I want one just to OC to 5ghz on air LOL


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## MT Alex (Sep 16, 2011)

Looks pretty clean already.

How come you have your fan pulling through your heat sink, instead of pushing through it?


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> Looks pretty clean already.
> 
> How come you have your fan pulling through your heat sink, instead of pushing through it?



if you read the bit long caption that shows it, i explain why.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> yea I want one just to OC to 5ghz on air LOL



its easier to do that on 2500k im pretty sure since the HT on the 2600k will make it a bit more difficult


EDIt: I need to figure out how i want to route the SATA cables.


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

Hit 5ghz yet? Lookin good!


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> Hit 5ghz yet? Lookin good!



haha erocker! no i havent even finished cabling. i got a bad headache last night at about 12. I always do when i build a computer because of the new electronics smell


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

That smell is win. Sometimes the brain has difficulty dealing with win and you get a headache. At least you aren't running dual cards and you have to use a 4 pin molex connector on your board where there is no cable management.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> That smell is win. Sometimes the brain has difficulty dealing with win and you get a headache. At least you aren't running dual cards and you have to use a 4 pin molex connector on your board where there is no cable management.



yeah at first its win lol! I kept smelling the asrock board right when i opened it. sexiest board ive ever had. (yeah thats right screw you classified) 

I need to figure how to route this SATA cables


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## MT Alex (Sep 16, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> if you read the bit long caption that shows it, i explain why.



Ah, I see that now, thanks.  It took so long for your 1500kb pics to load I was getting impatient.



erocker said:


> That smell is win. Sometimes the brain has difficulty dealing with win and you get a headache. At least you aren't running dual cards and you have to use a 4 pin molex connector on your board where there is no cable management.



I'm not sure what that AUX crossfire/sli power is for.  My cards both run fine without it being plugged in, the manual never specifies.


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> the manual never specifies.



I'm pretty sure it does say that if you are using two or more GPU's that you should use it. I did read it somewhere, though it may have been on AsRock's website. It adds power to the PCI-E slots.. thing is, with two PCI-E connectors to each card I don't think my cards need to draw more from the slot. But I have it plugged in anyways..


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## cadaveca (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> I'm pretty sure it does say that if you are using two or more GPU's that you should use it. I did read it somewhere, though it may have been on AsRock's website. It adds power to the PCI-E slots.. thing is, with two PCI-E connectors to each card I don't think my cards need to draw more from the slot. But I have it plugged in anyways..



In my expereince, 6950's draw just 100W from the PCIe plug under normal loads(about 50w per plug), and near 75W each from the slots! they advise connecting the cable for good reason!


You may want to verify with W1zz; I know he does this sort of testing, too. I am just going on clamp meter on the PCIe and other plugs, and a killawatt clone, so my numbers might be a bit off, but they should be fairly accurate.


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## MT Alex (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> I'm pretty sure it does say that if you are using two or more GPU's that you should use it. I did read it somewhere, though it may have been on AsRock's website. It adds power to the PCI-E slots.. thing is, with two PCI-E connectors to each card I don't think my cards need to draw more from the slot. But I have it plugged in anyways..



You're right.  I found it spelled out more clearly under the Onboard Headers and Connectors section.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

hey erocker which port is the best to plug my SSD into

SATA II Slot 0 or 1


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## MT Alex (Sep 16, 2011)

There is no SATA2 slot 0 or 1.  Slots 0 and 1 are SATA3.  That silly little sticker they put on top of the SATA ports is also confusing since it doesn't really correspond to any labeled ports, there is no port 0_5.  I spent a little time doing some digging around the web on it.


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

Use the SATA III ports. Just turn off the Marvell controller if you're not going to use it.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> There is no SATA2 slot 0 or 1.  Slots 0 and 1 are SATA3.  That silly little sticker they put on top of the SATA ports is also confusing since it doesn't really correspond to any labeled ports, there is no port 0_5.  I spent a little time doing some digging around the web on it.



on the PCB is labeled SATa 2 0 1

NVM

The first SATA II ports are 2 and 3

what should i connect my SSD too??


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> Use the SATA III ports. Just turn off the Marvell controller if you're not going to use it.



alright i jsut do that in UEFI. What controller takes over if the Marvell is turned off??

EDIT: I wish i could have taken a picture of the show i was watching while building this. erocker knows hahahah!


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## PopcornMachine (Sep 16, 2011)

Thanks for the unboxing pictures. Always fun to see.

You've got a lot of good stuff there. Nice roomy case.

Looking forward to see how it turns out.


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

nvidiaintelftw said:


> What controller takes over if the Marvell is turned off??



The Intel controller. The gray ports are the Marvell controller.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> The Intel controller. The gray ports are the Marvell controller.



yeah i connected my SSD to the SATA 3 Slot 0



PopcornMachine said:


> Thanks for the unboxing pictures. Always fun to see.
> 
> You've got a lot of good stuff there. Nice roomy case.
> 
> Looking forward to see how it turns out.



thanks man. Most likely next year ill be getting a Corsair 650D case



EDIT: SO i decided to say screw it to my front panel esata and jsut not connect it because its red and everything else is black it would jsut throw off my cable management


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

not sure how im going to connect my side panel fan with no fan headers on the board on the lower part or all the USB connectors are


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

AND IT IS DONE, I THINK     I think ive put closed to 6 or 7 hours into it and thats just cable management really

Let me know waht you guys think
















I think we should have a TPU Cable Management Competition


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## erocker (Sep 16, 2011)

5ghz tiem!!! DO IT!


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## SaiZo (Sep 16, 2011)

Impressive cable management, cool case and hardware (everything is painted black).


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

erocker said:


> 5ghz tiem!!! DO IT!



your a freak, I need to do some stuff around the house(im house sitting my parents are in france) and such and clean up my mess from building before i power it on. not to mention install windows lol.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

SaiZo said:


> Impressive cable management, cool case and hardware (everything is painted black).



it looks way better without the flash of the camera just sitting here. You really cant see much, because its all black as night

The biggest thing im concerned about when i get it to run if the front panel like HDD LED and Reset switch actually work. Because when i sleeved them i didnt take note of which ground cable goes to which one so ill have to find out. if the HDD LED works then i know the Reset will


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## BrooksyX (Sep 16, 2011)

I think my cable managment is better. And in a much worse case too  (in the competitive sense of things.)

Good luck hitting 5ghz. My rig will post at 5ghz but it wont boot windows. Maybe I gotta up the other voltages as well.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

well its up and running. just finished formatting my SSD and installing windows, now im installing all the drivers. Asrock website is a bitch to download stuff from. its SO SLOW


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 16, 2011)

So i opened up steam and its not installed on my system(well its installed on the storage drive) and it still opened up and its not listed in control panel/programs. Do i need to actually install it or will it show up at some point?

I might just save some files onto a external hard drive and then format my external and reinstall all the things i need. cuz there are some pointless stuff on it


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## techtard (Sep 17, 2011)

To integrate it into your system you will need to re-install. Or you can just keep opening it from the storage drive.

Just make sure to have a backup of your steam folder, you don't want to have to re-download everything.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 17, 2011)

techtard said:


> To integrate it into your system you will need to re-install. Or you can just keep opening it from the storage drive.
> 
> Just make sure to have a backup of your steam folder, you don't want to have to re-download everything.



yep didnt think about that. installing everything AGAIN!

EDIT: Is it okay to install multiple games at the same time??


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## MT Alex (Sep 17, 2011)

techtard said:


> To integrate it into your system you will need to re-install. Or you can just keep opening it from the storage drive.
> 
> Just make sure to have a backup of your steam folder, you don't want to have to re-download everything.





nvidiaintelftw said:


> yep didnt think about that. installing everything AGAIN!
> 
> EDIT: Is it okay to install multiple games at the same time??



NO!  If Steam, and all it's associated games are on a storage drive, there is no reason to reformat them.  Simply open the folder that has Steam in your storage drive and open the Steam app.  It will tell you that it needs to run with extended privileges, or something.  It will think for a few minutes, but then everything will be fine.  Every game you start will act like when you first bought it, it will just update DirectX, C+ and all that jazz.  No need to reinstall.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 17, 2011)

MT Alex said:


> NO!  If Steam, and all it's associated games are on a storage drive, there is no reason to reformat them.  Simply open the folder that has Steam in your storage drive and open the Steam app.  It will tell you that it needs to run with extended privileges, or something.  It will think for a few minutes, but then everything will be fine.  Every game you start will act like when you first bought it, it will just update DirectX, C+ and all that jazz.  No need to reinstall.



well i already formatted my drive sooooo


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## MxPhenom 216 (Sep 18, 2011)

just so everyone knows. I LOVE THIS RIG!


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