Jafo's OK PC Build of 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015 by Jafo | Discussion: Personal Computing
Following on with ID's thread re new PC build.... and I'd only hijacked Starkers' one to describe what I'd been doing to date...so here's my own thread with the ins and outs of what's what.
My old machine [also home-grown] was a [then] reasonably OK machine....
Lian Li PC-A6010 case [black]
Antec TruePower Quattro 1000w PSU
ASUS P6T-se X58 i7 MoBo
Intel i7 920 2.66Ghz LGA1366 CPU
12G OCZ Triple [6x2G] PC12800 DDR3 Gold Ram
CoolerMaster V8 CPU Cooler
Vantec EZ2 Sata hot-swap racks [x2][black]
1TB Seagate Sata2 7200 HD [x2] [redundancy backup/data]
2TB Western Digital Caviar Green Sata2 HD [x2]
500G WD Sata2 7200 HD [game backups]
250G Seagate Sata2 7200 HD [x2] [secondary/alternate OS installs in racks]
240G SanDisk SDSSDX240GG25 [for OS]
ACR-105 Multi card reader
LG Sata DVD-RW [x2][black]
ASUS GTX590 3GB GPU
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit RTM.
That was its final specs...having doubled the ram from 6 and adding a 'faster' GPU.
The stumbling block was really 'just' the CPU. For FSX it's a case of 'the faster the better' - so just before Xmas I started researching....
More to come...![]()
Reply #102 Friday, May 15, 2015 2:23 AM
Since that BSOD event...I have rebooted 3 times....and each of them has been painless...no issue of having to hard reset 2 or 3 times before a boot succeeds.
I imagine I have had a Windows update and/or a driver update somewhere along the line that has cured it.
That's good to know... being I'll have a similar setup, with a different mobo but the same CPU and DDR4 RAM.... with the newer RAM being the possible cause of your failed boots.
As for my current mobo upgrade from Z87 to Z97, my supplier has been unable to access it due to the ASRock Z97 Extreme6 being discontinued. Despite the manufacturer still making it, the licensed importer has decided to drop it from his catalogue and will replace it with the ASRock Extreme6/3.1. It adds USB 3.1 but will likely add 60 - 70 bucks as well. Oh well!
The shipment doesn't arrive 'til next week so I'll have a bit longer wait, not that it bothers me. The Cosmos II case will be shipped to me at the same time, and it's not like I'm in any hurry there, either.
Reply #103 Monday, May 18, 2015 3:37 AM
Treated myself to another piece of kit to compliment the Level 10 ....a Level 10 Hybrid mouse....makes the old MS Explorer look a little....lame...![]()

Reply #104 Tuesday, May 19, 2015 8:58 AM
Treated myself to another piece of kit to compliment the Level 10 ....a Level 10 Hybrid mouse....makes the old MS Explorer look a little....lame...

I did have thoughts as to getting one of those myself, but having already spent a fistful on the Level 10 system itself, plus already having a functional mouse/keyboard combo was reason enough to give it a miss.
Anyway, it's looking like my planned i7 5960X build will be have to be cancelled... well, for this year at least, and maybe most of next. More pressing concerns have arisen over the last couple of days, I'm having to spend the allotted/earmarked funds fot the rig on health related matters instead.
Oh well, it's what happens when you're getting on and have gotten banged around some over the years. Never mind, I am getting to upgrade my i7 4790K rig with a better mobo, so it's not like I don't get to satisfy my tech obsession at all... and when the time comes around for a new build, I only have to worry about a CPU, mobo and RAM cos I have the case and everything else.
Reply #105 Thursday, May 21, 2015 7:32 PM
Given that Thermaltake only produced 500 Level 10 Titanium Editions, I find it unbelievable that traders still have them for sale.... or at least advertising that they still have them in stock. Today, while on my internet travels, I discover yet another company with such a claim/ad.... see here
Now I'm wondering if I call 'em out on it... threaten legal action when they can't supply me one... or insist they scour the internet to get me an original model.... from whatever obscure corner of the web one might be hiding.
And if they find/get me one, demand a very heavily discounted price for the inconvenience and the time I had to wait.
Reply #106 Thursday, May 21, 2015 7:54 PM
Ad says 'order in' which means it's not in stock.
More than likely [by now] it's a 'captcha' to suck you in.
Over this week I've been 'reviving' 2 laptops with clean installs of Win 7 Home Premium.
One needed more ram [a second 2gig stick] and I found one online at 'laptops online' or whatever...grand total of $22 [used - it's an old format] and yesterday it arrived.....
....in a box big enough to hold a computer keyboard....[it literally was a keyboard box].
Inside was a roll of bubble wrap and inside that was a zip-lock bag and a stick of laptop ram....
Ya just gotta love packaging....![]()
Reply #107 Thursday, May 21, 2015 8:15 PM
More than likely [by now] it's a 'captcha' to suck you in.
That's exactly what it is... a come in spinner to sell you some other stuff you didn't really want/go there for
Well it didn't suck me in.... was there checking out PCIE to SATA cards, not that I found what I was looking for exactly.
Somebody 'll have it, though, just gotta keep looking... otherwise the Techbuy offering will suffice.
Reply #108 Friday, May 22, 2015 8:47 AM
I've just read through this thread for the first time. I had no clue how far this tech had come!
*falls off chair...lights out*
Reply #109 Saturday, May 23, 2015 2:58 AM
Took 5 months, but I finally had confidence to relocate the machine properly on the desk so it doesn't dominate the entire office area quite so much.
Of course that meant redoing all the connections/cabling but it's now quite a bit tidier than it was.
I'll upload a pic of the resulting desktop layout shortly...![]()
Added that ASUS Blu-ray burner I was going to....too...![]()
Reply #111 Saturday, May 23, 2015 12:49 PM
Reply #112 Saturday, May 23, 2015 7:24 PM
Finally, Jafo's caught up with burner tech.... he's got a Bluray, hooray, hooray!!!!
Tis sad, though.... that he waited so long and the next new thing is just around the corner.
Define next new thing.
Um!!! Pink-Ray... which burns discs 50% faster and leaves the room smelling of roses.
Seriously, I haven't a clue as the what the next new thing is, but I do know that if you wait around too long to buy/try it out, it's obsolete before you know it. It's like the CPU Jafo has in this rig, the Intel Core i7 5960X, it isn't that old in terms of shelf life for a high-end CPU, yet it will be superceded and likely upstaged by the Skylake range in just a few months. And it's not like one can just swap out the 5960X for a Skylake successor. Skylake will have a different socket altogether, meaning that 2011/2011v3 motherboards will be old hat, too.
I was going to build a similar specced rig with the same CPU around August, but considerations regarding my health have come up and it's probably off the drawing board until mid-2016, by which time the Skylake series and respective hardware will have taken over as the tech to get... that is unless AMD's Zen range surprises everybody.
Reply #113 Saturday, May 23, 2015 10:12 PM
Actually, blu-ray is the next standard, most likely. It will be h.265 instead of h.264 encoded, sporting 4k resolution compression on existing discs and requiring higher end processing power than the current players have. Jafo's burner, being on a PC, will rely on his cpu/gpu and software kit, thus still be viable for 4k discs.
If they stick with h.264, they'll need a new disc though. 4k isn't likely to see widespread adoption any time soon though, it will likely be several years to get a decent number of people to abandon their 1080 televisions for a better picture most people are too blind to see anyway. Blu-rays are already stagnant as is, they can't seem to do much better than 30% market share in physical disc movie sales.
Reply #114 Sunday, May 24, 2015 2:27 AM
I just wanted something that'd outlive me....it's a M-disk burner that supposedly lasts 1000 years....
Of course....if the disks don't last that long I'll be first in line to claim under warranty.....and sue for misleading advertising....
...or just to haunt whom-ever has survived that long...![]()
Reply #115 Sunday, May 24, 2015 12:16 PM
Even though I can't do the high end stuff I can do an alternative. I set myself a budget and within ten months I'll have a decent laptop to work with. All I'll need after that is a 50 inch monitor or 48 inch, whichever comes first. I have a complete surround sound system, an external drive for the HD from my first laptop and a blank 1 TB HD. The TV/Monitor won't be hard to do. The local Kmart has a lease plan than lets you pay over time. I could have one in six to seven months but be using it from day one. Then its just a matter of hooking it all up.
Reply #117 Sunday, May 24, 2015 3:04 PM
The local Kmart has a lease plan than lets you pay over time.
Just a heads-up that many times those lease plans translate to an expensive borrowing rate (in general, not just KMart in particular). Just make sure you know how much it'll cost you vs. just waiting to get the tv and go from there. Hate to see anybody get gouged without knowing it.
Reply #118 Sunday, May 24, 2015 6:43 PM
The local Kmart has a lease plan than lets you pay over time.
Just a heads-up that many times those lease plans translate to an expensive borrowing rate (in general, not just KMart in particular). Just make sure you know how much it'll cost you vs. just waiting to get the tv and go from there. Hate to see anybody get gouged without knowing it.
Yeah, precisely! Sometimes an item purchased this way can cost almost twice as much, what with interested calculated on monthly balances... and penalty rates can apply for missed payments. I know somebody who learnt this leasing thing the hard way, with a $1395 TV costing her almost $2200 by the time it's paid out.... and should she miss a payment for whatever reason, interest for that particular month is calculated as double, thus increasing the balance payable and eventual payout figure.
Given that the price of flat screen TVs has dropped considerably, and therefore making them more affordable these days, Uvah, you might want to consider looking at a lay-by purchase instead. That way there is no interest and no penalty payments to worry about. I generally save for things I want or need and pay cash on the day [discount for cash can save quite a bit], but for more expensive items that are too big to do in one hit, I'll always use the lay-by method because I hate paying out money for nothing, True, you don't get your purchase then and there, but waiting those extra weeks/months can save a shipload of money at the end of the day.... and let's face it, when you don't have a lot to begin with, it's far better in your pocket than theirs.
Okay, that's Economics 101 for today, you will be returned to regular viewing shortly.
Reply #119 Monday, May 25, 2015 12:46 PM
Believe me, I'm in no hurry. I ask a lot of questions first. Now...getting back to Jafo's WMD. Lol
Reply #120 Monday, May 25, 2015 1:24 PM
Believe me, I'm in no hurry. I ask a lot of questions first
Good, I'm glad to hear it, and it's better when you're in no hurry. I've seen people who want it all now get into so much financial trouble. usually because some smooth talking salesperson talked them into taking stuff out on credit they really couldn't afford.
As for flat screen TVs, you can get a pretty decent 32" for under $400 here in Aus these days. Now I'm not sure of US prices, but I imagine that with a healthy deposit you could lay-by a 32" TV and pay it off in a couple of months or so. That's what I do when lay-bying things, pay a decent deposit to cut down the balance payable, then formulate a budget to reduce the amount in affordable increments until fully paid. A lot of people opt for credit because they don't like the lay-by system, but for mine it is the easiest and most cost effective way to purchase goods with larger than usual price tags
Anyway, I'm sure you'll figure it out and do what's best for you.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!







Reply #101 Thursday, May 14, 2015 11:37 PM
Since that BSOD event...I have rebooted 3 times....and each of them has been painless...no issue of having to hard reset 2 or 3 times before a boot succeeds.
I imagine I have had a Windows update and/or a driver update somewhere along the line that has cured it.
On a related note....after about a decade of using my Logitech Dinovo Edge...I figured it was er timely to give it a clean....[was getting a wee bit crusty].
Did so...worked a treat...looks as good as new...except for the "polished' wear marks of the most-used keys. [their surface is slightly textured....part of the quality of a good tactile interface...
It all means I don't have to drag out my 'spare' Edge I'd bought a few years ago - just in case....yet...