Dells are usually just a couple screws to get to the hdd but on some models it's pretty ridiculous.

 

Most Dells too

 

Hmmm...
Decided to convert my old 2.4ghz core 2 duo machine to a file server.

Gonna pick up a quieter cheep video card and new cpu fan.

I think my mobo supports 3TB drives so I'll pick up a few WD Reds.

Eventually down the line I'll get a new case with more 3.5" expansion slots.




Pretty happy with the performance of the late 2012 2.3ghz i7 Mac mini I picked up. Just need to pop in more ram and a SSD.

 

this is the dell i have.

 

laptops so old, id just scrap it IMO.

 

I've had to do that a couple times

 

I've been running two 20" monitors off of a HD6570 for quite some time now, with little complaint. However I play Euro Truck Simulator 2, and having a third monitor would really help with the bezels being basically right in the middle of my driving view.

So, I'm considering a third monitor. My initial research on this shows it is a bit more difficult a proposition than just adding a monitor or swapping the card out. Perhaps dual cards? I don't know how this would impact my primary use - work. I run a VPN with IE in full-monitor mode on the right, my local space on the left monitor. I would probably keep the same size monitors due to space concerns.

Or, I could upgrade monitors to about 23-24 (perhaps even 27) with a higher resolution, which I've wanted to do for awhile. I would live with the bezel arrangement and just adjust my view so that the bezels wouldn't be as intrusive, as I've done before.

 

^120hz+ master race

 

Well after realizing it would be a while before I could build a gaming rig (owning a home is expensive) I decided to sell my iMac instead of trying to keep it. Listed it on CL and it was sold 2 days later.

So I built a new rig over the weekend.



Case: Corsair 200R (non window)
PSU: EVGA 750 G2 Gold
Mobo: Asus z97-Pro Wifi
CPU: Intel i7 4790k
Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400
GPU: Asus Strix 970
HDD: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro (Windows 8.1), 2 WD Black 1TB

It's a BEAST! I was getting 1200 FPS in CS:GO on the same setting I had to run it at on the iMac. Lol. I will be getting a new HSF shortly. The shop I bought most things from didn't carry Noctua. I'm getting the HD14 and should be able to push this new i7 to 4.6ghz or even 4.8ghz.

Currently stuck using an old 19"w LCD until I grab a new one. I'm not sure if I want to buy a really nice 27" gaming monitor or get a nice 24" gaming monitor and then get a nice 27"+ IPS... Currently looking at the Benq XL2720z though.

 

Anyone have any experience with Noctua heatsink and fans?

 

Nice rig Chad

 

Thanks man.

The BenQ should be here tomorrow. Going to order the Noctua DH14 today for my birthday and then I am completely set up.

 

What's the cost on that build?

 

The PC minus the SSD & HDDs I already had came to about $1250. Throw on another $80 for the HSF and another $480 for the monitor.

I got $1100 for my iMac though. So I'm not in too deep out of pocket.

 

My setup is similar to your but i had to buy the SSD's and HDDs. and it came to about 1200 as well. had the monitor already though.

 

I paid a bit extra for that board (pretty much just for wifi - that I'll never use lol) and that video card was damn expensive.

Since I was so happy with what I got for the iMac I just went all in. I could have shaved $300 off the total pretty easily.

Now I'm completely set for gaming and literally have every hand picked item I wanted.

Case: Corsair 200R (non window)
PSU: EVGA 750 G2 Gold
Mobo: Asus z97-Pro Wifi
CPU: Intel i7 4790k
Memory: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400
GPU: Asus Strix 970
HDD: 256GB Samsung 840 Pro (Windows 8.1), 2 WD Black 1TB
Headphones: Sennheiser 598
Mic: Blue Yeti
Mouse: Logitech G400s
Keyboard: Logitech G710+
Monitor: BenQ XL2720z 144hz

All to play a game based on a 10 year old engine. Lmao

 

lol i just bought a usb wifi for 10 bucks on amazon just to run the chromecast.

 

He's got a better GPU than you. And IIRC you have the locked multiplier version of the i7-4790.

 

yes he does but i wasnt going to overclock since its not a gaming system.

 

3.6ghz vs 4.0

I'm just saying, the unlocked version costs more.

 

yeah the k was 80 bucks more. when i was looking at it on amazon. but for what i got at newegg wasn't bad at all.

 

Kind of wish I built my new computer, but I love how small and quiet the 2012 2.3 quad i7 Mac mini I picked up is.

Really fast too, just need to upgrade the ram to 16GB mainly because the memory pressure starts turning yellow when I'm in the develop module of LR5, otherwise 4GB is plenty for my needs which is just surfing the net and prawns.

 

I had everything picked out on Newegg and Amazon and then ended up just getting it all at Microcenter sans the HSF and monitor.

Their mobo/cpu combo deal couldn't be beat. I got that board and CPU for $450. The mobo sells for $210 on Newegg and the CPU sells for $340! That's a $100 discount I couldn't even come close to finding anywhere else.

And yea, once I get the Noctua on there, 4.6ghz will be ez pz.

 

Planning on putting a new workstation together some soon...
W7, and will have some assorted storage drives and possibly a synology 1813...
Also, will probably also double the RAM to 64GB when the DDR4 prices come down a bit.

 

 

Truthfully, wondering if anyone has suggestions for power and reliability. This is a work machine that does a lot of data processing, so horsepower is important. the weak link in my previous machine (that this is supplanting) was the video card (I think) as I had a lot of trouble finding stable Nvidia drivers that would not cause graphics adapter crashes. I had the same card in two machines, same issues on both machines. I am still using 314.00 drivers even though Nvidia is up to 380 or something. I never got stable performance for java applications above 314.xx.

 

I would recommend a different fan/heatstink combination, preferably one with a 140mm fan. Not sure if a 140mm fan/heatstink would fit in the case you selected, but heres my recommendation.

Cooler Master Hyper D92 - CPU Air Cooler with Dual 92mm Offset Push-Pull Fans and Accelerated Cooling System - Newegg.com

 

Thanks for the link. Looks like it has dual 92mm fans in push/pull.

I don't see a compatibility chart for socket types, any idea if it will work with a socket 2011-v3 processor?

 

EDIT: NVM, I zoomed in on the packaging and it says 2011 compatible...

 

Me wonders if stogie found a spider in his old computer. Burnt it, now building a new one.

 

 

If I were building a new workstation, I'd use a huge radiator instead of an air cooler for the quiet.

And this case:

 

Wow, that's a beast Mike!

 

Gutting my previous Hackintosh and upgrading it:

Gigabyte Z97x
i7 - 4790K
32 GB RAM
Two 250 GB Samsung 850 EVO's

I need to pick a graphics card though. It'll triple boot Win 10, OS X and Ubuntu

 

I think you may be surprised how quiet a good heatsink/fan can be. The common h series cooling systems are louder than most of the noctuas.

Did you really put a hackintosh in a mac pro case? Lol

 

interesting scenario, looking for some thoughts.

I built two nearly identical computers. The only differences are that machine 1 got an i5 and 8GB RAM with a 128GB SSD primary drive and machine two got an i7 with 32GB RAM and a 256GB SSD primary drive. Power supplies, motherboards, video cards are all the same. The i5 machine has dual 1680x1050 monitors via DVI and the i7 has a single 1920x1200 via DVI.

Both machines have the exact same driver version for the video card and bios for the MB.

The windows experience scores for graphics are different, with the i5 getting a 7.1 and the i7 getting a 6.1.

 

^^^ drop the I7 res to 1680 x 1050 and run it again....

 

NFN, that took it form a 6.1 to a 6.2 on the i7...

 

vid cards are plugged into the same slot on each mobo? the mobo definitely supports both cpus?

 

well, it did get a better score.