Hi all! Limited funds but need a decent rig for work and play. Will be for home use as well as the occasional LAN party. Play = BF4, GTA IV, GTA V, etc... Work = Website and Web App Design and Development, Cloud Infrastructure Deployment, Server Administration, etc.
I also work part time at a computer repair shop/recycling center. Today I found a Dell Vostro 230 with a case in mediocre shape (not perfect but not completely beat up) but we couldn't use it. So out came all of the guts and I ended up with the case, the screws, the optical drive, and nothing else!
Stage 1 - tomorrow
-MSI Z87M-G43
-Intel i5 Haswell (don't remember which one, it's up at the office)
-16GB DDR3
-2TB hard drive
-300W In Win PSU
-stock Intel cooler
-onboard graphics (no gaming yet obviously)
Stage 2 - next week
-Seasonic SS-600ET on order from the 'egg
-GTX760 2GB EVGA SC... Freebie, not sure if it works and can't try it until I get the better PSU.
Stage 3 - next month, when I've paid off my truck.
-2 more monitors in addition to my single 1080P now.
-A better CPU
-A better cooler - Asetek 545LC seems to be my only option because the dell case has a single fan and it's only 92mm. Comparing the pictures of the cooler to the interior of the case, it looks like I'd have plenty of space above and below the actual fan for the bulky parts of the radiator. Expensive but cool (haha)... I have a CM Hyper T4 sitting around, but it would fill up the case a lot if it would even fit!
I'll post exact specs and pics tomorrow. Assembly shouldn't be a problem; I think the Dell case has standard FP audio, FP usb, and FP header. The board, backplate cutout, and PSU are also standard. But I have a couple concerns somebody might be able to help with:
-Will cooling be a problem? this case doesn't have an intake fan nor a spot for one. It'll only have the 92mm exhaust fan on the case and the power supply. I don't want to make any exterior modifications to the case.
-If that GTX760 doesn't work out, any thoughts on a card? What about this? ASUS Graphics Cards GTX970-DCMOC-4GD5...
-When/if I upgrade the CPU. Since I'm using a Z77 board am I stuck with the i7-4770K or can I do an i7-4790K with the latest BIOS?
Thanks for any input, and I look forward to reporting back on how it goes. I think it'll be fun :D
That graphics card will not fit in that case.
To add: any dual slot card will not fit in that case.
I have a feeling Dell dont always follow the ATX spec for PSU mounts, it may not line up.
Why not just buy a new case? Your talking about getting lots of other upgrades, a case is really not that expensive.
Why not buy a new case? Um... Because that would be boring. And I like this small case.
PSU mounts are standard.
The video card will fit. It'll just cover the top sata ports but that doesn't matter.
Really, I'll wait to see. Hell I'll put some of the new Z coin on it.
3rd gen not 4th. Probably just a typo :)
Unless you mean Z97?
I realized I still had my 1150 motherboard. And I meant z87 :)
What's a Z coin? dogecoin is better. I like doges.
Alright so I found some more hardware laying around my office than I thought. Here's what I have so far:
-Dell Vostro 230, Case
-Cougar GX-S 500W, PSU
-MSI Z87M-G43, MB
-Intel Core i5-4440, CPU
-Intel stock cooler
-16GB (2x8GB) G.SKILL F3-2400C10D-16GTX, RAM
-2GB 7200RPM ST2000DM001, HDD
-EVGA GT640 2GB GDDR3 02G-P4-2643-KR, GPU
-DVDRW
-Windows 7 Ultimate
Questions:
1. Should I leave this Cougar 80+ Gold PSU in there when my Seasonic SS-600ET 80+ Bronze arrives? Because while I prefer Seasonic as a brand, the Cougar is a higher end product than the OEM-oriented Seasonic I ordered.
2. I'm using 1.65V RAM. I enabled XMP and it seems to be working fine. I did some research and it's very conflicting about 1.5V/1.65V RAM on Haswell.
Thank you in advance - any advise appreciated :)
My build so far:
Got RAM?
It is a good looking case though.
Well the GTX760 fits... but I know why I got this card for free... coil whine...
Now to game for a bit and see how the temps do. WEI is good though. CPU 7.5, RAM and both graphics at 7.9. If only I had a better CPU and an SSD I could get 7.9 across the board :D
Try running the card at different fan speeds in afterburner, coil whine from graphics cards can be attributed to the fan. Give it a shot.
What's the difference between EVGA Precision and MSI Afterburner?
Pic:
Pretty much the same thing, didn't take into account that its an evga cooler, might as well use Precisionx
kk.
Waiting for GTA IV to download. Meanwhile tried Minecraft. Runs beautifully. Though I hear a quiet humming/farting noise through the headphones when the GPU is active (gaming, opening a program, etc.) probably a grounding issue... Only have 2 prong outlets at my apartment.
Hmmm if you are hearing it through your headset then changing the fan speeds may not help. Check if the buzzing sound happens when you move in game (move your mouse around). If its making that sound every time you do make a mouse movement, then I don't believe there is much you can do.
The noise in the headphones is independent from the coil whine which is definitely coming from the graphics card itself. Trying Afterburner since the new Precision is hideous.