got some computer questions for you guys....

[ganesh]

Well I went and bought my parts for my computer build monday. Its not exactly what I posted in my last post.
ThermalTake V9 black editions case
Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX mobo
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU
XFX Radeon HD 6950 2GB DDR5
Patriot G2 Series 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
Corsair TX750 power supply
Microsoft Win 7 64bit Home premium builders OS
Corsair H50 CPU cooler
Asus DVD burner
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 rpm 32mb Harddrive

Now I gotta say. This is my first time building a complete system from scratch. All my other computers were walmart cheapo's that I've swapped out parts over time to get as much as i could from them. That said, my last POS that still runs fairly well....Comcrap presario that was new in 2004.

All my machines had AMD in them. Not really an AMD freak. Just wanted to try to get as much as I could with what I had to spend.

So far Im pretty dang happy with what I got. Of course my last cpu was a sempron 3000+ single core, hehe. Did I pick well? Everything seems to be running tip top. Only problem ive had is installing EQII and getting it to finish up and run...But anyone whos played EQII knows or knows of the "Installer woes ". So I dont think my system is the problem with that.

I do plan on changing things up some in a month or two. For one, Ill be addin two more sticks of the Patriot G2 memory. And for sure, replacing the case. Its a nice case, but way to small for this build. The GPU barely fit, an 11 inch card is a bit of a tight squeeze in this case. And all those power cables for that corsair make the inside an ugly mess....

Thank god I got a steal of a deal on the V9 case with a solid side panel with fan over the one with window built in. Oh ya and I had to remove that cool 230mm fan in the side panel to be able to attach said panel. Couldnt close it up cuz the corsair h50 cooler mates up just inside where the panel attaches and the 230mm fan was in the way. Lets see....Keep the 230mm fan or keep the nice cpu cooler?....hmmmm. Yep...cya Mr side panel fan, hehe.

Im hoping I've learned to plan more ahead on what fits and what dont for next time.

Oh ya, I seen Dark mention using Microsoft security essencials and Malwarebytes for the security of a computer. How well do these two do? I really didnt want to use webroot again. Ive used it for a few years now, and I havent had any real problems. But I dont mind trying something new. So I put those two on my system, but since shes only a full day old now...not like I've put her through much to see any problems.

Tell me what ya think of the system, sorry no pics...Maybe I'll take a few and post em sometime. Ill deffinately do so when I replace the case. The board and GPU are mighty sexy lookin together, hehe.

Anyhoo, any helpful criticism for a first time builder would be much appreciated.

[ganesh]

awwww come on guys....I know theres a few computer buildin freaks in here. Even if yer an Intel fan, theres gotta be some good pointers to share. Only knowledge I have is from whats read or mistakes Ive done in the past.

Plenty of views, just no speaky speaky.

[jim]

Congrats on your first full build. It's always nice when it fires right up heh.

Too bad about the case. I've been getting bigger cases for a couple years now. Better, quieter cooling and no more fighting for space.

The last one I built I used this case:
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194

It's the biggest mid tower and the quietest case I've ever used. Pretty easy to build in and has all the room you'll ever need. I got it on sale for $130 with free shipping but have seen it a little cheaper. It's (L x W x H) 22.30" x 10.00" x 21.70" compared to your 19.10" x 8.19" x 18.19". It was really a pleasure to build with this one.

I put it on a shelf on the side of the guys desk so it's not more than 18" away from his ears. It's so quiet you have to look to see if the lights are on heh.

edit: Did you try to mount your side panel fan on the outside of the panel? At least you would have the air flow to cool your video card and you could always put some type of screen or speaker cover material on it to keep from banging the fan blades. Save a bunch of money that way heh.

[Lastat]

ive been using the two software apps that Darkk suggested. they are a great team. i have been using malwarebytes for years now, the only thing i have noticed is that it nonresponds during processing. between the two cathes most probs that i have had i also run spybot as well on occasion.

if i install windows on a new machine it is what i suggest people use then and for pre-installed systems. try them out see if they work for you is all i can say. i hate resource hogs that run when i dont want them to. every AV app i have does both.

have fun with your new machine!

[ganesh]

thats a pretty nice lookin case. ya I almost put the side fan on the outside. But with the front 120mm fan, top 230mm fan and rear 120mm fan mated with 120 mm fan pushin for the corsair h50. She keeps my cpu about 10 degrees cooler than my house. Course I sure the readings arent exact. My gpu runs at idle at about 38-40c At full chug it varies back and forth from around 67 to 70 c

They said the corsair h50 should be placed to work as a pull instead of a push type. But not enough length to reach to pull from front, so I ended up piggy backin it to my back fan to push air out.

So far all is well, tho I tried to install EQII on this beast. EQ's installers suck royally. If i use the CDs then once it goes to do the updates....i get a error in the launcher update. It tried to put it in a file i guess win 7 wont recongnise. So I tried loadin all of it via the launcher and a digital download. With that i can get on and play....And boy o boy is eq2 sexy in max settings. But when the digital down load finishes...I can still play, but when i log off and get back on, it has the same problem as before. I tried 10 separate full installs of the game to no use. So reluctantly, i closed my account and said farewell to my friends there.

WoW loaded up painlessly and all settings set to ultra looks good tho not nearly as sweet as EQ2, but they are totally different in what they are going for in graphics anyways.

Just hope it goes well for RIFT BETA 6 tommorrow, and daydreamin of Guild Wars 2 in the hopefully near future.

[Aeife/Niamb]

Grats on your new machine! Sounds awesome. I've never had the guts to try building on myself yet.

[DarkkHero]

Grats on your new PC! Looks nice.
I'm still using this old clunker:
doj.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=GDB&action=display&thread=5035


For Windows 7 64bit, if you require a more robust firewall, as I do, Comodo is great. Do not use Zonealarm for Win7 64bit. It will crash your machine, known issue.

Comodo offers free Anti-Virus also. I still recommend Microsoft Security Essentials.
If you choose to go with MSE as Anti-Virus: when installing Comodo, make sure to uncheck Anti-Virus, and Buddy.
Do choose to use Comodo's servers. Then once installed, open Comodo, find Settings, and disable Comodo Message Center, so you get no pop-up adverts.

personalfirewall.comodo.com/free-download.html