r/buildapc•
Lurcho

[Build Complete] We are the awesome makers, we are the dreamers of dreams

I've got a brand spanking new gaming rig built with the help of the /r/buildapc community and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, despite how many times I thought I just bought myself a $1800 paperweight while putting it together. It is currently ripping through Batman: AC (courtesy of MSI), TF2 and BF3 with a little Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress on the side. First up, pics!

Prepare for battle!

Shot of the case in action.

A look inside the machine.

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

TypeItemPrice
CPUIntel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor$214.99 @ NCIX US
CPU CoolerCooler Master RR-920-N520-GP 43.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler$25.99 @ Newegg
MotherboardGigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard$122.99 @ Amazon
MemoryG.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory$43.99 @ Newegg
Hard DriveHitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive$146.74 @ Mwave
Hard DriveSamsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive$149.99 @ SuperBiiz
Hard DriveIntel 320 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk$189.99 @ Amazon
Hard DriveIntel 320 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk$189.99 @ Amazon
Video CardMSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card$243.99 @ SuperBiiz
CaseRosewill TU-155 II 500 ATX Mid Tower Case w/500W Power Supply$69.99 @ Amazon
Power SupplyRosewill 550W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply$99.99 @ Newegg
Optical DriveSamsung SH-222AB DVD/CD Writer$22.98 @ Newegg
MonitorAcer G235HAbd 23.0" Monitor$139.99 @ Amazon
MonitorHannspree HF225DPB 21.5" Monitor$118.05 @ Amazon
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit)$99.99 @ Newegg
Total
Prices include shipping and discounts when available.$1879.65
Generated 2011-12-01 20:53 EST-0500

This list is slightly off. My case is actually a Rosewill RANGER and my PSU is a Rosewill HIVE-750W. I substituted with equivalent price points. The list also doesn't mention the two case fans I added, one Cooler Master 140mm Blue LED fan and one Cooler Master 120mm Sickleflow Red LED fan. The mouse and keyboard are leftovers from a previous rig.

This rig is the result of months of planning and building. The first version of this build didn't have the SSD drives. I heard about Intel Smart Response Technology and I wanted to implement it. I waited until Black Friday for a good deal on a couple SSD drives. I've got my OS on one SSD, and the other one is a cache disk for my HHD RAID 0 array. I'm currently overclocking at 4.4 GHz, and this beast runs smooth as butter. I just booted windows and it only took twelve seconds. I am not used to this much awesome. This is by far the most complicated piece of technology I have ever owned, and I've got that sense of accomplishment knowing I built it from individual parts. It couldn't be done without your expertise, so thank you.

If you've read this far, good on you. Could I trouble you with a little troubleshooting? My case came with a USB 3.0 front panel header. I can't use it right now because it doesn't plug in anywhere on my motherboard, even though I specifically bought a USB 3.0 compatible motherboard. This is what it looks like. It seems like it could fit in the "TPM" slot, but the pins don't match up. Is there any way to get it hooked up to the motherboard? Any help is appreciated before I try tech support.

Posted Dec 2, 2011, 2:12 AM UTC

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