The Ram ( a side line)

I started to get a bit tired here. So I figured a would do something simple. Installing Ram is like putting gas in your car, pay attention and its easy. Do it distracted and it could mean flames and death (figuratively of course)> again like the cooler I would have bought a slightly better Ram now. I do not plan on OC'ing the RAM so I guess the XMS are ok. Might go dominator next time.

So snapped em in place. Its worth mentioning that this board the sister banks are separate. They color coded them so the only people who should have a problem would be color blind (grey and black), and even then you have the Manuel pointed out which banks go together.

Next I mounted the board. (in the case not physically)

The Cooler

Ok I freely admit it, the Zalman 9500 is not the best cooler on the market, but it does win in the "holy cow that things cool" catagory. This was the first part I bought and hence, the least researched. I thought the specs were good, and they were, but some better choices have come along since 10/07. It does work really well though (35c idle). Here is the Zalman and its components. The fins were sharp and delicate. So actually handling it was tough.

Of course i used arctic silver 5 for the compound, it is not as easy to apply as many make out. This stuff is sticky. I used the side of a credit card to spread it....and man it took some serious time to clean that credit card off, so use an old one, or better yet borrow someone else's and use that. :)

First Drama......

The bracket that fits on the back of the MOBO did not sit flush. I have read about this issue with the 680i and I figured I may encounter it with the 780i. Many people did not have an issue. The main problem was a large soder point for one of the transistors. Seems someone was a bit excessive with the lead here. I have read of some folks who have had a perfect fit first try. Mine didn't. So out can the trusty dremel tool. I shaved a few millimeters off the bracket at the offending spot, then it fit flush and snug...

Here I made a decision to install the RAM and mount the board before I fitted the top part of the cooler...

Next Step

THE MOTHERBOARD

Now comes the sticky stuff. I suggest you familierize yourself with the MOBO by reading the manuel and looking at the damn thing ALOT before you actually begin working with it. Leave in in its package (Evga has given it a clear plastic case for such a reason) I felt turning the rig on its side would reduce fatigue and aide in keeping the screws from getting lost. As stated before I placed the I/O shield in place first. (BTW I have a full carpeted basement , known for it electric nature. My kids actually have "shock warz" down there. Unfortunately Its the best place to build for me. It only takes 1 discharge to ruin a 300.00 MOBO ( I paid 249.00!) Just remember to be careful righting the rig after ....

IS SOMEONE TRYING TO SCREW WITH ME??? (sorry couldn't resist the pun)

Seriously this is alot of screws and I didn't use half of them.

Here is the first shot of the MOBO. I mounted the CPU (q6600) first . In retrospect I would have mounted the cooler bracket first due to unforseen problems here.

I didnt take many picture here. I was nervous and excited and forgot. Anyway Its really simple. I did stumble a moment when I realized that the socket contained a dummy cpu to protect it (2 actually). But after that just move the backward j shaped clamp out (it slides out) then pull it upwards. This Zero force socket it fantastic, the last processor I installed was a p2. Man you have to be careful with those things.

Cpu went in without a hitch.

Next up my first problem.....

THE POWER SUPPLY

BEFORE I DID ANYTHING ELSE I GROUNDED MYSELF. It is really important you do this.

This thermaltake is BIG. It took a bit of manuvering to get it into position. I could not use the bracket included with the case because it was just to long. But because it was so big it most likey will not come out of this case ever....

The modular design is a godsend. and I HIGHLY recommend modular cables for a first time builder.

I removed the HD cage to get better access to this area. I also removed the 120mm fan in the rear , again for ease of access.

There you go . Screw it in and your good.

I know its been a while but i do have a job....

The software installation has been the largest problem. but it is coming along nicely. I did have 1 hardware failure, more on this later. It is up and running, and I will game on it tonight!!!!

THE CASE

I began by cleaning my work space. i gave my self plenty of room.

Next I opened the case and inspected it. This thing is HUGE. But it is a great case for a first time builder. It is also HEAVY, so no LAN partys with this (unless your hosting). I cleaned it with a rag to get out any creepy things (there were none) and took the moment to remove the I/O shield.

I got familar with the connections and turned my attention to the power supply.

ITS ALIVE......ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!

More updates soon. PIcs are coming pulled an all nighter last night, had to move some components around (that will teach me to do the wiring last.) But got it up on my second post. Stupid error on the first try. Details to follow, thanks guys!

BTW for all new 780i builders the FF post is for FREAKIN FINE! (had to call evga to verify this cuz it stay on) . Pic to follow.

Thanks again.

XIPO

Here are the components. The build Starts tomorrow first thing AM. Look for more posts then.

1. Case: Thermaltake Armor VA8003

2. Power Supply:Thermaltake toughpower 850W

3. Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (1066MHz FSB) (8MB Cache)

4. Motherboard: nVidia 780i SLI (By: eVGA)

5. Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair XMS2 800MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (High-Performance)

6. Hard Drive : 750GB Western Digital Caviar(16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) AND 250GB Western Digital Caviar

7. Optical Drive : 2 Lite-ON DL DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 20x / CD Reader 40x)

8. Video Card: (nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB (By: eVGA) (G92)

9. Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE

10. Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2)

11. Samsung 20" flat panel LCD

12. Cooling : Zalman 9500

1. Love and compassion, (and the desire to kill lots of things on a REALLY fast PC)

XIPOTEC

3 Months in the Making

$1500.00 spent (before rebates).

Weeks of Sleepless nights researching and Posting on this forum

Its all come down to this.

Welcome to the making of my new rig. I decided to post the build as a small thank you to all the poster who helped me along the way. Hopefully it will inspire a few people who are sitting on the 'fence' about building or buying.

At first I too thought ; Hmmmmm Alien ware? Maybe one of the various other companies who charge huge fees to build a PC.But NO! I priced the components and found that the average price for a pre-built was $2500.00 more than the actual price of components.

So thanks for all the encouragement from everyone here. So far it has been a very rewarding experience. I hope this post will inspire a few people to cross over into the realm of rig building.

Please keep reply posts to subjects that may assist others in a build or comments on parts that may be added or more updated than then ones I am currently using.

Once again thank you GameSpot for having such a great site for gamers to come together.

A special thanks to these guys for there candid advice, even if I didn't take it,

namelessplayer

hacker_xyzzy

04dcarraher

yoyo462001

bumsoil

XIPOTEC

me too , thanks for the backup

Xipo

replace the entire keyboard its not that hard, buy the part of ebay.