The AKS \"MegaRig\" Thread

If money was no object, I'd get that Lian Li case. I've read a lot of great things about their cases. I like their style as well. But I was trying to keep within the $150 to $170 range for this build. I hadn't seen any Corsair cases before. I usually associate that brand with power supply units. It also looks very sharp.

 

Doh! More expenses! I guess I may have to get the PSU earlier than anticipated.

 

I threw caution to the wind and just bought most of the stuff for the MegaRig today. My credit card bill will be massive next month. I should never buy anything immediately after enduring lots of stress and meeting milestones. I tend to get myself into trouble. I had a lot of frustration built up and went wild with the budget. I'm really going to have to watch my spending for while.

 

I updated my original post with the changes.

Here are the parts that I have purchased or already owned.

Summary of Current Components:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge (w/ Cooler Master Hyper 212+ cooler)
XFX 6950 1GB (temporary)
G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866
MSi P67A-GD65 Motherboard
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200
Cooler Master HAF 932 Blue
Hitachi 1TB HDD (temporary; already owned)


The very pricey XFX 6990 and hard drive/ solid state drives will have to wait until late this year or early next year. My CPU upgrade will be enormous going from a stock 2.33GHz Q8200 quad to an overclockable Sandy Bridge i7-2600K. The RAM is also pretty speedy. It's still 8GB, but DDR3 at 1866.

 

Spending a grand when money will be tight on computer parts is already pretty irresponsible. I've got that covered.

I'm not sure about the GTX 460 1GB. I want to see how the 6950 works. I suppose I'll consider selling it if there is interest. I was going to keep the GTX 460 and SLI it, but subsequent releases like the GTX 560Ti turned me off to that idea. I just decided to go all MegaRig crazy since then and went with closer to top of the line stuff.

 

Lots of parts came in today. Something somewhat irritating that happened is that they sent me a slightly cheaper case than I paid for. However, the shipping for the Blue case was free, making the price roughly equal, and it appears to be based on a slightly updated design, the "Advanced" design.

What I ordered:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213&cm_re=haf_932-_-11-119-213-_-Product

What I got instead:

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160&cm_re=haf_932-_-11-119-160-_-Product

I think I'll just keep what I have, the black case. I really don't want to repackage this 30 lb. case and send it back while I wait for a second case. I have a limited time to assemble this thing and make sure all the various parts I bought work, and I haven't even received some components yet. Would keeping this case cause me any issues regarding the warranty? This warranty is 1-year longer compared to the Blue model. Would you bother contacting newegg over the mixup? If something about this case ends up being defective or broken, I want to be able to send it back.

 

No, the one I got is a bit better. I wanted something a bit unusual in terms of aesthetics with the blue model, but this black Advanced model will probably work out better because it's been updated. I also like the black interior. I guess I'll try to contact newegg and see what they say.

The PCIe slot is going to be a tight fit with this card. The SATA ports are in a terrible place on the board that touches the edge of the 6950. I'm going to have to be careful not to break that tab that holds the thing in. Everything else about the motherboard seems reasonably well designed except for that. I don't really want to use the lower slot, as it would be pretty close to the PSU. I'd like to position the 6950 in the middle of the case rather than right above the PSU for maximum airflow. I'm not sure if a 6990 will fit in the top PCIe slot.

BTW, I notced that the 6900-series is 2.1 x16 and the board is actually only 2.0 X 16. Will that cause any issues for me? I think I read it doesn't make a major difference.

 

I prefer the larger, slower moving fans. They are much quieter.


Also, one other question while I'm tooling around with all this gear: what sorts of other cards, controllers, or gizmos might I need that isn't included in my stuff? There are several ports built into the case. I picked up a cheap DVD drive, CPU cooler, tool kit, and an extra 120mm fan. But I feel like I'm probably missing something.

 

Will do. I don't even have all the parts yet. I also need to pick up a copy of Windows 7 on disc from my university next week. I can get a discount on Microsoft products.