16 replies to this topic

[cSand]

So.. sold my laptop, and put this together with some money to spare (only like $20 but hey ) Many parts were on sale at NCIX and they did a nice price match on my processor!

So in a moment of self-indulgence, I'm here to show my shiny new MWO rig off to ya'll

Specs:

Case: Bitfenix Shadow (on sale fo half price!)
Mobo: Gigabyte H97-D3H
CPU: Intel Xeon 1231 3.4 - 3.8 GHz
Cooler: Coolermaster EVO 212
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz
GPU: Club3D R9 290 4GB (decent price @ $355 after a discount and a free G/C.. came with a choice of 3 AMD games I haven't decided on yet... Star Citizen is one though so I may try it out )
SSD: Adata SX900
HD: Seagate Constellation 750GB (Got from work for cheap )
Power: XFX XTR 750 80+ Gold
OS: Wnidows 8.1 Pro 64bit

...annnd a TP Link 450Mb Wifi card, and a cheapo DVD writer I got for free from work.


A few pics:




So... any desktop tips from you pros for a desktop n00b? I had to adjust the BIOS so the RAM was at 1600MHz but other than that...
I ran 3DMark Firestrike and scored a 9492, which seems pretty decent to me. Though... I don't know a lot about this stuff.


edit:

After some testing and a whole lot of messing around with settings, I have found this machine to run MWo quite nicely. The AMD card just needs to be, uh, persuaded, a little bit

Edited by cSand, 29 September 2014 - 04:02 PM.

[Redshift2k5]

Looks good. I'm jelly.

What Star Citizen goodies came with the GPU? Is it an actual game package or ships or just the AMD themed skin for the Mustang?

[FogOfW4r]

Nice rig, I hope to upgrade to something similar in a few months. Also gotta point out that case looks really nice (to me, at least).

May I ask how much everything cost?


Edit: added mystery word.

Edited by FogOfW4r, 26 September 2014 - 07:08 PM.

[cSand]

Fog.. that case looks really what? lol

Was just under $1400 CAD after taxes.

Redshift: No special stuff for SC, the card just came with a choice of any 3 games from a selection AMD provides, and SC was one of them.. haven't looked at them all yet though so we'll see what they have to offer

[Alaskan Nobody]

cSand, on 26 September 2014 - 07:04 PM, said:

Redshift: No special stuff for SC, the card just came with a choice of any 3 games from a selection AMD provides, and SC was one of them.. haven't looked at them all yet though so we'll see what they have to offer

What were the other two?

[FogOfW4r]

cSand, on 26 September 2014 - 07:04 PM, said:

Fog.. that case looks really what? lol

I left that as a mystery for you to guess.


Now excuse me while I fix my post. *walks quickly to post*

[cSand]

Shar Wolf, on 26 September 2014 - 07:08 PM, said:

What were the other two?

Hey Shar !

Hard to see, but they are on this site here. I haven't activated my account yet though so I haven't been able to see them all, but I can choose 3 from that selection there:

http://sites.amd.com...ver-settle.aspx

[Lordred]

Looks pretty clean, was that taken with a Cellphone? If so I can give ya some tips to make it look awhole lot cleaner if you wanna show it off more

[cSand]

Haha, yes sir, taken with my sgs2 They're no Lordred screenshots, that's for sure

And please sir, tips away!

[Lordred]

Flourescent lighting provides one of the worst light when it comes to taking pictures, so I happen to have a SGS3, we have similar Cameras, so here is what I would do if you have the option.

Find an old Incandescent light, or even better would be a halogen reading lamp.

If that is not an option, set the ISO to 100. Now here is the tricky part, DO not use the flash, find something that can hold you phone very still, and blow the EV out to +2 or +3, this will take a long exposure which will allow you to get all the light you need with out using a flash, the reason we set the ISO to 100, is to keep the 'light noise' down as much as possible.

While its not DSLR quality, it is very clean for a Cell Phone with out perfect lighting.

(Spoiled, this is not my thread, but just an example for the OP to see that he can take much better photos with his Cellphone )

Spoiler

Cellphone:


Nikon D80 DSLR

Edited by Lordred, 26 September 2014 - 08:02 PM.

[Redshift2k5]

cSand, on 26 September 2014 - 07:04 PM, said:

Fog.. that case looks really what? lol

Was just under $1400 CAD after taxes.

Redshift: No special stuff for SC, the card just came with a choice of any 3 games from a selection AMD provides, and SC was one of them.. haven't looked at them all yet though so we'll see what they have to offer

Ah, the website clearly lists what SC content it offers, and it's not very much: Access to the arena commander alpha, murray cup racing alpha, and an exclusive Mustang ship. It does not seem to actually include the game, and probably doesn't count you as a "backer" so you probably don't get any of the wide range of backer freebies and you probably would need to buy a copy of the game itself when it comes out (in a year or two)

The ship itself is an exclusive, so that alone might be worth it, depending on the other games you may prefer moreso than Star Citizen's alpha and a single cheap ship. If you are possibly interested in SC it would be a great way to try it out before buying a larger gamer package (which range from $40 to hundreds)

You may also be able to sell the ship on the grey market for a tidy profit or give it to a friend (ships can be gifted once)

Quote

The Star Citizen Mustang Variant Racer release date has been communicated as October 1, 2014, but Gamers can choose it now and receive their offer code on release date. Along with the Star Citizen Mustang Omega Variant Racer you also get access to the Star Citizen multiplayer module “Arena Commander” and the “Murray Cup Race Series”. The Star Citizen Mustang Omega Variant Racer can also be used to play Star Citizen (the full game) but additional fees may apply. For more information, visit https://robertsspaceindustries.com/.

Edited by Redshift2k5, 26 September 2014 - 07:52 PM.

[cSand]

Damn Lordred, that looks amazing for a cellphone shot When you say EV, what do you mean exactly? (Phono n00b here too, lol)
Much appreciate the tips sir, a tip of the hat to ye!

Redshift: Thanks for the heads up.. I was planning on getting SC one day anyways so depending on what other games they are giving out I'll make some choices here ... my main problem is that 3 games is almost too much for me cause I won't have time to play them all, lol. MWO is a harsh mistress

[Lordred]

cSand, on 26 September 2014 - 08:21 PM, said:

Damn Lordred, that looks amazing for a cellphone shot When you say EV, what do you mean exactly? (Phono n00b here too, lol)
Much appreciate the tips sir, a tip of the hat to ye!

EV is 'Exposure Value' most DSLR's measure in seconds, as they actually have shutter that opens and closes.

Most Cellphones have an EV value of -2 to +2, and this just determines how long it collects light for the photo.

[auniqueid]

Quote

So... any desktop tips from you pros for a desktop n00b? I had to adjust the BIOS so the RAM was at 1600MHz but other than that...
I ran 3DMark Firestrike and scored a 9492, which seems pretty decent to me. Though... I don't know a lot about this stuff

Nice rig!!]
Any room to route some of those wires behind the mobo? Doesn't look like there are any cable management holes in the case
is that score for firestrike or firestrik extreme? if that's an extreme score that is remarkably good!

[xxREVxx]

Looks badass, good luck with it.

[cSand]

Thanks guys.

I crammed as much cables behind there as I could but there's not much room to work with! Not a showpiece though so I don't mind too much, haha.

I will say, MWO really doesn't like that 290... so it may be getting sent back and changed for something else.

@Jimbobbob: I'm not sure which one, it was the free Firestrike that you can download from their site with 3dmark (it comes with a few others too like a Skydiving girl one)

[auniqueid]

Looks great, Love the red led on the bottom :-)