New Desktop Build

[Gerlinde]

Yes, absolutely John!

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

No problems encountered during the build? All done and dusted? Successfully up and running? Speed compared to previous PC - do you notice any difference? (I ask that so you can happily gloat on the stunning performance that you are doubtless now getting LOL). (Can't find a green/envy smiley to put here )

[momoffduty]

Cheryl, that is to bad you had to wait even longer for your system to arrive.

I solved the problem with the LED fan lights. The little connectors were labeled wrong, + was - and - was + !

I will maybe post a picture later, it looks really cool with the lights on.

Wow, you are already trouble shooting! Post a photo

Got mine set up yesterday and started transferring data. Did a chunk of 407G overnight and will transfer another chunk today. My D drive has 1.19G of data. I am not sure when I'll be ready to install my programs with Thanksgiving coming up. I don't think the family wants to skip the meal this year.

[Gerlinde]

I'm up and running John, but have still ways to go. I installed Windows 8 Pro and spend a good part of my time yesterday to figure out how things work. I actually really like it and don't find it to be too much different from Windows 7, once you are past the Metro interface. I still have to update all the mobo drivers and the bios. I'm a bit leery to update the bios, because it says on the AsRock site not to update it if things are working.
One annoying thing, the computer does not stay asleep. I have to completely shut down at the moment to turn it off. I also have not installed any programs yet.
I bought the new version of Pinnacle Studio 16 Ultimate ( which is really Avid Studio 2) from the Muvipix store. I also got an offer I can't refuse from Magix ( just in time! ) for MEP Premium 2013. Now I hope for a good offer from Adobe to buy PE/Pre 11.

I am not sure when I'll be ready to install my programs with Thanksgiving coming up. I don't think the family wants to skip the meal this year.

Same here Cheryl. Why do people always want to eat? You have to post a photo of your set up too. What kind of case did you get? I still have to clean up the mess I made in my office and put the computer in his spot under my desk before I take a picture.

[momoffduty]

Same here Cheryl. Why do people always want to eat? You have to post a photo of your set up too. What kind of case did you get? I still have to clean up the mess I made in my office and put the computer in his spot under my desk before I take a picture.

The case is In-Win. The power supply was purchased separately. My office is a mess too. Got a couple of the drivers updated and will wait for the others when I swap things out after Thanksgiving weekend. I'll install a few programs today and each night will transfer more data.

We moved the My Documents folder & Public folder to the D drive today.

My tech guy showed me an add on for Firefox (other browsers can too) for MyWOT.com When you go to a website or even in google search, it shows a wreath. Green is for good, yellow warning and red bad sites. You can then click on the wreath at the top toolbar and will show ratings and comments. Looks very handy.

[Gerlinde]

Finally got around to take some pictures.

Computer.jpg

I have 2 Acer 23" monitors, they are different models. Colors are quite different. I'm still trying to color calibrate them. I will be probably starting a new thread about that, if I can't figure out how to do it. I managed to use my old Spyder 2 on the right monitor ( the one with the flower), but then it would not work with the 2nd one. It was a lot easier with my laptop and the external monitor. I just did some adjustment by eye comparison.
The 2 pictures of the case are showing it on the left with fan lights off and on the right with lights on. It does not look too impressive in the picture, but makes for a lot of ooooh and aaaaahs when it's dark in the room.

[Dave McElderry]

How is it for fan noise?

[Gerlinde]

It is absolutely quiet. I find myself checking with my hand for air movement, to make sure the fans are working.

[Dave McElderry]

It is absolutely quiet. I find myself checking with my hand for air movement, to make sure the fans are working.

Awesome! With all those square inches of fan blades that would have been a concern. How tall does this case stand?

[Gerlinde]

The dimensions are 20.50" x 8.10" x 20.00", the height is 20". The case is very open, which is great for air flow, but I wonder how much dust will collect on the inside. There is a removable dust filter on the bottom of the case for the psu, but everything else is not protected.

[Peru]

Awesome! With all those square inches of fan blades that would have been a concern.

When larger and many fans are used, the RPM is usually set lower, resulting in more quiet operation.
The quality of the fans probably makes a difference, too.

[Dave McElderry]

Thanks for the dimensions - very close to mine (big case!). Manufacturers generally don't put filters on air I/Os because once they become clogged they just don't pass hardly any air at all and most people don't clean them. The problem with the PS is that they're (generally) not made to open up, so you can't get to the inside to clean it and its fan(s). Probably why they put a filter on yours, which is a good thing if you make a point of cleaning it. Mine doesn't have a filter so I use canned air to blow as much out of the PS as possible. Of course without filters on the other I/Os the dust collects (as you mentioned) inside on the fans, boards, and heatsink (that's bad). My system gets a full physical cleaning once a year. To do it right takes me about an hour, and well worth it. I've cleaned a lot of computers for clients, but the worst are some of my business clients. A couple that come to mind are a veterinary hospital and a hair salon. Both horribly dirty environments for computers. Those get cleaned every 6 months and that's none too soon.

I think this is great that you took this project on. Now if I decide to build my own one of these days I know you're one of the people who's been there, done that. Still very interested in your ongoing impressions of the system. BTW, what's the boot time with that SSD? They say they slow down with time. I'm also interested in knowing if that becomes noticeable. Still probably a whole lot faster than a HDD.

[Dave McElderry]

When larger and many fans are used, the RPM is usually set lower, resulting in more quiet operation.
The quality of the fans probably makes a difference, too.

Good points. The fans in my Dell aren't particularly large, but the system is incredibly quiet. One of the things that I was very impressed with. Even when I'm doing something very processor intensive and the fans start winding out it's still not particularly loud.

[hpharley90]

That's a cool looking tower. I've never seen anything like that before.
Would it be to much to ask to see the back?

[Gerlinde]

John, it took 40 sec from the moment I pushed the button to the welcome screen. I have problems to get my Epson Stylus Photo R1800 installed. Actually the driver seems to install, but when I try to print I get an error message. The message is not very helpful, it just says it can't print. I use the firewire port connection, maybe I have to try USB.

hpharley90 here is a link for the case, when you click on the picture it opens up to all kind of different views, one shows the back. If that is not what you would like to see, post back and I take a picture.