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Onion Blog » My first custom built desktop

My first custom built desktop

Aaron recently posted a request for advice on a suped up PC since we have been doing a lot of work recently with VPCs. I was on the verge of ordering a system from http://velocitymicro.com when Keith talked me into trying the custom built route where I would save almost $1k and could order exactly the parts I wanted. I took the leap, and placed orders with http://mwave.com (for the components) and http://frozencpu.com (for the case and power supply). Here's what I got:
  • Lian-Li PC-6070b case
  • Antec TruControl 550W power supply
  • INTEL BOXD925XCVLK w/ P4 3.4Ghz, 2Gig DDR2 RAM
  • 2 x WD 74GB SERIAL ATA 150 10,000RPM 8MB Buffer HD
  • 1 x WD 250GB 2500JD SERIAL ATA 150 7200RPM 8MB Buffer HD
  • Plextor Dual 12x8x4/DVD+-RW SATA INTERNAL
  • EVGA 6600GT 128MB PCIEXPRESS DDR3 Video Card
  • Creative Labs SoundBlaster audigy2 zs platinum pro pci card
  • Creative labs gigaworks s750 7.1 7-pc speaker system
 
This was my first time assembling a PC from scratch, although I have certainly added/replaced components over the years. It was surprisingly easy, although I wish I had found the large color poster with step-by-step directions that came with the motherboard before I finished :) I configured the 2 74Gig 10kRPM drives in a RAID0 setup, which makes for an amazingly fast 140Gig drive. So far the setup has worked flawlessly, and is blazingly fast - my VPCs now run about the same speed as my native operating system on my laptop, which is incredibly enabling!
I'm feeling so confident building my own system now that I've even ordered a water cooling kit to get rid of the fan noise so I can truly appreciate my s750's - wish me luck :)
Posted Nov 30 2004, 07:17 PM by fritz-onion
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Comments

Kirk wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 11-30-2004 6:36 PM
so how much was it altogether? if you don't mind me asking... :)

did it end up being cheaper?
Fritz Onion wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 11-30-2004 6:56 PM
It came in just under $3k, which looking now is about $600 less than the equivalent setup at velocitymicro.com. Plus I got the Lian-Li case which is buffered for sound and has a sliding motherboard tray. If you drop the fancy sound card and 7.1 speakers, it's about $2400.
William D. Bartholomew wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 11-30-2004 8:22 PM
Superb brand choices... You can't go past the design of the Lian Li cases, everything is where it should be and they are so light. I only ever buy Intel motherboards (I recently bought a non-Intel one but immediately realised the error of my ways and exchanged it). And Western Digital hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Rob N wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-01-2004 7:43 AM
Hopefully you backup often because those Raid 0 setups are scary. One damaged drive and say goodbye to all of your data.

How's the gigaworks s750 7.1 sound? I've got the same audio card in my home PC as the one you have on your list.

PS I've been attending the ASP.NET webcasts and I'm loving it. Keep up the good work.
Fritz Onion wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-01-2004 8:34 AM
I do back up regularly - that's what the 250Gig and DVD/+-rw drives are for :) Although, I don't see that it's much more dangerous than using a single drive which is what most people do anyway (alright, maybe it's twice as dangerous - but that doesn't strike me as dramatically more prone to failure).
I love the s750's, esp. with DVD audio - it sounds like you're sitting in the middle of the band while they're playing, truly amazing with a properly mastered 5.1 recording!
stefandemetz wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-01-2004 9:25 AM
why not a second CPU?
It always helps when running antivirus/antimalware progs or ASP.NET/ MSSQL
and it makes it more "futureproof"
Ken D wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-01-2004 11:04 AM
Yeah, I like the my dual XEON Dell Workstation 450!! Only thing is now I can't work anywhere else without getting real impatient!
Angel wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-07-2004 2:19 PM
I found that building your own does not really save anything. If you consider the time you invested in the project. But good bad or indifferent you get what you want and it is not terribly difficult as project go. Your raid configuration sound like you are not mirroring or even doing raid-5
Jason wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 12-22-2004 10:23 PM
I was gonna say the same thing as Rob N.
I witnessed the failure of one of those raptor drives you have in Raid0. Not good. :-)
Tony wrote re: My first custom built desktop
on 02-13-2005 9:12 PM
I did the same thing you did only a little crazier
asus p5ad2 premier bd
6800 gt ultra
2 gigs cosair ram
where it gets interesting is I cannot stand the pazy sound systems offered for computers so I baught 2 15" drivers and two four hundred watt amps and bult a subwoofer from HELL. and added polk bookshelf and a optical hookup.
Had police at house twice for sounds of gunfire it was DOOM 3
as for the falure of raptors they are just jeleous cause they can't afford them I myself have 4 of the 74/10,000.
Onion Blog wrote Liquid cooled no longer
on 02-17-2005 7:21 AM

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