Legit Reviews

Well my PC parts came. Whether the build is mine or my sister's, we don't know yet. But I'll be the one building it.

Since it's my first build, it's gonna take some time. I'm going to document it and take pictures. I'll keep you posted =)

These are the parts:

BFG GeForce 9600GT OC 675MHZ 512MB

Cooler Master RC-330

OCZ Platinum XTC REV.2 PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15

Samsung SH-S223F Black SATA DVD+RW

Western Digital Caviar 640GB

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200

If it's mine, I'm going to add in a OCZ Vendetta 2.

Looks like a good build! good luck! it is really easier than it seems, you just have to worry about getting dead parts.

sounds like a fun time. I've built 3 rigs with that mobo/processor combo. should rock socks when it's all done.

All right. After some talk, the new rig is..........Mine! Yay.....however I feel bad for my sister. She's always complaining how she's getting my old stuff >.<. Hope she won't mind... I'll have more pics when I wake up in the morning. I still need to get myself a OCZ Vendetta 2.

Question. Is 1.5 year old AS5 good to use?

The question is, would your sister make good use of all that hardware?

I'd be hesitant about using the AS5, but it can't hurt to try it and see what state it's in. If it looks separated (or doesn't perform as well as it should), then you should definately get a new one.

Dan

depends on where its been. you should keep that stuff in a bag in the fridge or freezer, it lasts for ever. remeber to install the PSU into the case first and have it plugged in but not turned on to keep yourself grounded

Of course my sister can't use all that hardware =P. However I still feel bad...my mom kinda gave me a lecture...but still in the end gave the computer to me.

I kept the AS5 in my drawer right above the computer. The drawer's not that hot, but there's still heat reaching the drawer from the computer. How do you tell if it looks seperated or not? If I remember correctly, the first time I used it, the AS5 was like grey.

If I install the PSU first, I still have the switch on the off position right?

Also, I have two questions. How do you take off the front panel for my case? I need to add a fan in there when I'm building so I can get some front intake. And how do I install my DVD-Drive into the case. I'll get a better picture of the case later today, but I can't build till I get myself a Vendetta 2.

geokilla wrote:Of course my sister can't use all that hardware =P. However I still feel bad...my mom kinda gave me a lecture...but still in the end gave the computer to me.

I kept the AS5 in my drawer right above the computer. The drawer's not that hot, but there's still heat reaching the drawer from the computer. How do you tell if it looks seperated or not? If I remember correctly, the first time I used it, the AS5 was like grey.

If I install the PSU first, I still have the switch on the off position right?

Also, I have two questions. How do you take off the front panel for my case? I need to add a fan in there when I'm building so I can get some front intake. And how do I install my DVD-Drive into the case. I'll get a better picture of the case later today, but I can't build till I get myself a Vendetta 2.

Looks good, you'll be getting some points folding on that! Cant tell from the pics how the cover comes off did you look on the bottom to see if it has a lever release? and it looks tooless so for the DVD you probably select a slot and slide it right in and flip those purple levers. and yes the PS comes in the off position.
edit> it looks like you got the retail CPU that comes with the cpu fan, why not use that?
good luck

Darkstar wrote:

geokilla wrote:Of course my sister can't use all that hardware =P. However I still feel bad...my mom kinda gave me a lecture...but still in the end gave the computer to me.

I kept the AS5 in my drawer right above the computer. The drawer's not that hot, but there's still heat reaching the drawer from the computer. How do you tell if it looks seperated or not? If I remember correctly, the first time I used it, the AS5 was like grey.

If I install the PSU first, I still have the switch on the off position right?

Also, I have two questions. How do you take off the front panel for my case? I need to add a fan in there when I'm building so I can get some front intake. And how do I install my DVD-Drive into the case. I'll get a better picture of the case later today, but I can't build till I get myself a Vendetta 2.

Looks good, you'll be getting some points folding on that! Cant tell from the pics how the cover comes off did you look on the bottom to see if it has a lever release? and it looks tooless so for the DVD you probably select a slot and slide it right in and flip those purple levers. and yes the PS comes in the off position.
edit> it looks like you got the retail CPU that comes with the cpu fan, why not use that?
good luck

Ya it's a toolless case. But I was wondering how to insert the DVD drive since I can't seem to figure out a way to get the black mesh covering the drive way out. I'll check around and see what I find.

Thanks for the good lucks =)

well, if there is no release on the bottom, you can probably just pull off the fron panel by hand, if not look for some plastic tabs inside the case that would be holding the panel in.

I got it off.....I was just going to edit my post =P

Crap. I can't install the fan by taking the front panel off. I have to do it from the inside >.>.

Now I just have to figure out how to take off that mesh part so my DVD drive can pop out when I need to use it.

Solved! I think.

Some more pictures

The case and a palm print. CSI anyone?


The rear of the case


Rear 3/4 of the case


Front of the case


Front 3/4 of the case


The RAM, hard drive, and top of the case.


It's revision 1.0. Is it good? lol


Inside of the case.


What the heck is that black thing?


Question. Since I can't get a Vendetta 2 or Xigmatek HDT S-1283 atm, should I install the stock cooler now and let the CPU "break in" till I can get a Vendetta 2? Is it possible to install the Vendetta 2 with the motherboard still in the case? I read some reviews and it said that it was possible, but it's better if you take it out of the case. And that's coming from people who know what they're doing. So if I have to take the motherboard out, is it difficult to do that?

Just realized I might need to take apart my current rig as well >.< Gotta take that GameXStream power supply...lol

Edit: How do I use that image function where the pictures are smaller, and they get bigger on the user's request?

upload to imageshack and use a thumbnail

You can do it, it's just fiddly. You'd have to take off the fan from the vendetta to be able to get to the pushpins to lock the CPU in place. And then put it back on when it is in the case.

Having the motherboard out of the case means you have more access at things.

Taking the motherboard out isn't too tricky, it just takes a fair amount of time (as you have to take everything else out as well).

Dan

Canada Computers had the Vendetta 2 in stock today! They had like 4 in stock. And I called yesterday and they had none >.<. Guess they had a new shipment today since I saw LOTS of boxes outside the store. They looked like they had just finished re-organizing their inventory. It's $48 + 10 MIR which means $38 =)

So how can I tell if my AS5 is separated or not? Should I shake it before I apply it? And speaking of applying AS5, what's the best way to apply it on a Vendetta 2? I believe the best way is to apply 2 lines of AS5 in between where the heatpipes are. Can anyone confirm that?

Edit: Also, how will BFG detect whether my 9600GT will have been overclocked? I really want to overclock it and get the most out of it, but their warranty doesn't cover overclocking >.<

not unless you alter the bios in anyway

All right. I'm gonna start my build tomorrow or Wednesday once I get access to an external hard drive. However, I got a question. When I'm putting the parts together, can I plug the power supply in last and ground myself by just touching the metal of the case? I've always had the power supply unplugged when I'm working around the case, and that was with the computer on the carpet. However, people are saying that I should have the PSU plugged in and have the switch in the off position.

I never have the PSU plugged in when building. 8 computers from scratch, 4 rebuilds, and dozens of parts swaps and I haven't been burned yet. Just remembered to be thoughtful of static and ground yourself to the case before picking up components to go in. Worked for me so far.

All right I'm building it right now. So far, I got these pics.





Question. Is the pushkin bracket suppose to look like this?

lol, you screwed the things in the wrong way round.

They are upside down. Flip the two pushpin bars to the other sides and they should fit properly.
Dan