Industrialisms

Here’s a step by step picture log of my new gaming PC rig. The specifications and links to Newegg (where I purchased from) are listed in this separate post. After the build, Windows 7 Pro was installed, and I had EvE installed and working the same night. The build took roughly 4 or 5 hours with another hour or three messing around with the desk and installing the OS.

A couple build notes about the selections. I have always used Crucial RAM. Seems in their gaming line, they supply LED blinky type RAM sticks. I didn’t buy a case with a window since the case won’t probably be anywhere where I’ll see it, but the RAM came highly recommended by reviewers. The case was selected as it was the exact dimensions to fit in my desk setup (due to come out in a later post to keep up with the Evespaces meme). The motherboard, although it didn’t have USB3.0 or 6Gb SATA, was very much worth the money. I splurged a bit on the PSU as Corsair had received good ratings. I know the video card was a little overkill for running EvE, but I know this rig will run just about any game currently out, and has room for 4 more gigs of RAM should I need it.

All in all it was a good build experience. I’m glad I took the time to select the vendors I did, because the build quality was very good for the components I purchased. I paid a little more for it, but it was worth it in the end. None of the components arrived in bad shape or DOA. Everything just worked. This was the first time I’ve ever built my own PC from scratch in the 18 years I’ve been experimenting with and supporting computers and networks. I’ve always ended up buying pre-built ones over the years. It was a very rewarding experience, and one I will definitely do again.

I do have to note that my digital camera sucks at taking closer shots, but it’s also many years old, so the next project will be to replace my camera.

Questions or comments are most welcome.

Update (March 02, 2010): I am pleased to report that everything is still working great after a couple days of use, and I engaged in PvP last night with all settings on high. This is a drastic change for me, as with my old laptop I was having trouble with any sorts of engagements. Voice quality over Ventrilo was excellent using the Plantronics Gamecom headset. I did note that I had some trouble last night getting Vent set up, but that was due to the fact the motherboard uses HD audio, and Vent had to be forced to use the HD audio input for mic use, otherwise the receiving party would get static. I’m looking forward to a much improved experience using this new rig.

See more pictures of the build documented here: