My New Gaming Rig

[Darshan Singh]

Hi guys,

So here I am with my new gaming rig. I had posted on this forum around 3 months ago for your suggestions for the components and I am very thankful to those who helped (particularly bssunilreddy and player100). That qurey is on the 3rd page of "PC Components/ Configurations" section titled "New PC for gaming - Budget 1,30,000".

So I want to share my experience of buying my new rig which I think would be incomplete without a short background. So here it goes: I belong to Nabha, a small town in Punjab. My father had gifted me a PC on my 18th birthday, exactly 13 years ago, in my first year of B.Tech., which had the following configuration:

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz
Motherboard: Intel D845GLLY
RAM: 128MB 133MHz SDRAM
HDD: Samsung 40GB
Monitor: Samsung 17" CRT
Speakers: LG 2.1 speakers
Keyboard: Samsung
Mouse: Logitech ball mouse
Graphics Card: None
PSU: Antec
Optical Drive: Samsung DVD ROM (later upgraded to Sony DVD R/W and Moser Baer DVD R/W)
Cabinet: Unknown

*i.imgur.com/b0x0nro.jpg

While I was in B.Tech., I slowly grew a charm for computer games which slowly became a passion. I used to play some light games on the PC such as Midtown Madness and Quake 3 as it could not handle bigger ones. Well, long story short, I became desperate to buy a gaming rig but I did not want to force my parents to buy me one. So I decided to buy one when I get into a job. So I got into a government job in 2011 and in 2012, I purchased a laptop which was HP Pavilion dv6 6121tx which had the following configuration:

Processor: Intel Core i7 2GHz
RAM: 4 GB 1333MHz (later expanded to 8GB)
HDD: 640GB
Graphics: AMD Radeon 6770M

Although this laptop can handle games at medium settings, I wanted more, a beast of a machine. Therefore, I started collecting money. So now was the time. I asked for suggestions on this forum and some guys were happy to help. After deciding on the components, I convinced my father to go to Delhi with me and on 19th September, 2015, I and my family (mom, dad and wife), started for Delhi at 4:30 in the morning and after a couple of stops on the way and after asking a number of times for the directions, we reached Nehru Place at around 11:30. I headed for a shop and asked for the motherboard I wanted (Asus B85 Pro Gamer). They inquired on the phone and said that it was not available and it could only be available at Cost to Cost computers but I couldn't get it there too. So I settled for Asus H97 Plus, an alternative I had decided on earlier. I purchased this motherboard and the processor from a shop and then I headed to Computer Bazare, the shop which I went to earlier and liked the staff there. I purchased all the other components from this shop, which are listed below along with their prices:

1. Cabinet: Cooler Master 690 III- Rs.6571
2. GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4GB- Rs.28,285
3. Monitor: BenQ EW2440L 24"- Rs.11,904
4. SMPS: Seasonic 520W- Rs.4904
5. RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz 16GB- Rs.6875
6. Liquid Cooler: Corsair H80i- Rs.6476
7. WiFi Adapter: TP Link WDN 4800- Rs. 2380
8. SSD: Samsung Evo 250GB- Rs.7999
9. HDD: Western Digital 1TB Black- Rs.5238
10. Optical Drive: Asus DVD R/W- Rs.904
11. Mouse: Logitech G5020- Rs.4714
12. Mouse Pad: Razer Goliathus Control Edition- Rs.762
13. Headphone: Steelseries 5HV3- Rs.6190
14. Antivirus: Kaspersky- Rs.268
15. Power Strip: Belkin- Rs.750
16. Dust Blower: Rs.600
17. Anti Static Wrist Band- Rs.250

VAT- Rs.4673
Total- Rs.99,743

Motherboard and Processor purchased from a different shop:
Motherboard: Asus H97 Plus- Rs.8900
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790- Rs.21900
Total: Rs.30800

*i.imgur.com/m6Dklpk.jpg

*i.imgur.com/jQV6dAw.jpg

Total: Rs.1,30,543

I could not get any mechanical gaming keyboard from there which was a strange thing as I always thought that you can get every PC component from this place. Therefore I purchased Roccat Ryos MK Glow mechanical keyboard online for Rs.11,000.

*i.imgur.com/cjF18QI.jpg

*i.imgur.com/rdnwVRE.jpg

Final Total: 1,30,543+11000= Rs.1,41,543

I also had to get a table made according to my requirements which set me back by Rs.13000.

So after coming home, I had to wait for a week to assemble this machine. I decided to assemble this rig myself. Altough I had never assembled any PC before, I had fairly good idea how to do it. I seeked the help of my wife in assembling the system. Although she had no knowledge of this, she helped me in holding the components and giving me a hand here and there. So I started off with installing the processor. The heatsink that came with it was rendered useless as I was going to install the liquid cooling kit. After installing the processor, I installed the backplate for the pump unit and then installed the pump. Then I installed the motherboard in the cabinet after fitting the standoffs. Then my wife helped me in installing the radiator at the top of the cabinet. But then I realized that I hadn't connected the power connector of the CPU and the socket for this was inaccessible now, after installing the radiator. So we removed the radiator and connected the CPU power cable. Then I installed other components such as RAM, HDD, SSD, optical drive, WiFi adapter and then made all the connections. I tried my best to reduce the cable clutter as much as possible and manage the cables at the other side of the cabinet. The CPU power cable could not be routed through the back as it was very short. The cabinet provides very good cable management options. The cable ties provided are very good choice as they tighten the cables properly. I also removed the middle drive cage as I installed the disks at the bottom cage. The only disappointing thing in the cabinet that I found was that the fans presupplied with the cabinet have 3 pin cables. Therefore they operate in either DC mode or PWM mode. Everything else about the cabinet is great.

*i.imgur.com/R1Rrgb0.jpg

*i.imgur.com/r6gKhBw.jpg

*i.imgur.com/Y00sMF9.jpg

*i.imgur.com/TBWfseN.jpg

So considering that this is my first PC assembly ever, I think I did fairly good with managing the cables as can be seen in the photos above. This assembly gave me great confidence. So now, although I was pretty sure I had done everything properly and made no mistake, I wanted to start it up as soon as possible to check if it was working properly but it could not be set up until the table was made. So I had to wait for almost 2 weeks. And then the day came. The table was ready and I set up the PC, connected all the peripherals and started it up. It started up all right, I went into BIOS and changed the boot configuration, rebooted and installed Windows 10 on the SSD. It booted up properly. I started with installing the drivers of all the components. But when I tried to install the drivers for the WiFi adapter, it failed. The card could not be detected. I tried several times but of no use. Then I checked the manual which said that the card should be installed in the PCIe slot. I had installed it in PCI slot as it matched the size of the card. I removed the card and installed it in the PCIe slot. The drivers got installed now and the Internet was up and running. All the drives were installed now and the system is working properly now. I am busy gaming on it.

*i.imgur.com/vLOg8Ya.jpg

The GPU is a beast. I have installed a few games such as Crysis, Burnout Paradise, Dirt 3 etc. I could not record the frame rates of Crysis although it works smoothly at the highest settings. Dirt 3 gives around 170 fps with 8x MSAA and other settings at full.

So, thank you guys for helping me in building this rig. I hope you'll keep on sharing your knowledge with the ones who need it. Keep up the good work guys.

 

[snap]

Re: hello

Congrats!

 

[Hrishi]

Gg for your first build.. You can still improve on cable management.

 

[Darshan Singh]

Gg for your first build.. You can still improve on cable management.

I have modified the cable management many times and in the end I could only get here. There seem to be more cables in the front section because of a number of reasons.

Firstly the PSU is not modular. Thus a cable bundle at the bottom.

As I mentioned before, the CPU power cable could not be routed through the back as it is not long enough.

The two thick rubber cables on the right side are for the front headers and are actually tucked at the back. But because of the absence of the middle cage, they seem to be on the front side.

The build seems more complicated because of the liquid water cooling assembly although I have even routed all the cables of the pump and the radiator fans through the back.

I have tried every bit to improve the cable management as I understand the advantages of doing it good. Anyways, any suggestions are always welcome.

 

[Hrishi]

never mind.

 

[chimera201]

Nice.
Should have routed the CPU power cable directly from the left even if it comes in front of the GPU.
Don't have cables run through the bare back side of the motherboard.
Could have hid the extra cables in the lowest HDD cage.

 

[bssunilreddy]

I have modified the cable management many times and in the end I could only get here. There seem to be more cables in the front section because of a number of reasons.

Firstly the PSU is not modular. Thus a cable bundle at the bottom.

As I mentioned before, the CPU power cable could not be routed through the back as it is not long enough.

The two thick rubber cables on the right side are for the front headers and are actually tucked at the back. But because of the absence of the middle cage, they seem to be on the front side.

The build seems more complicated because of the liquid water cooling assembly although I have even routed all the cables of the pump and the radiator fans through the back.

I have tried every bit to improve the cable management as I understand the advantages of doing it good. Anyways, any suggestions are always welcome.

You can use the following 8 pin eps cable to extend a bit at the back:CNCT SMPS 8 PIN EXTENSION IN 0.20M - 8 pin male to: Amazon.in: Electronics

 

[gagan_kumar]

I am out of words, nice rig man....... Well deserved upgrade....

 

[Vyom93]

Congo Nice Rig
You should have gone with semi or fully modular PSU it would help some cable management
Mount Radiator at rear exhaust

 

[Darshan Singh]

You can use the following 8 pin eps cable to extend a bit at the back:CNCT SMPS 8 PIN EXTENSION IN 0.20M - 8 pin male to: Amazon.in: Electronics

I'll check it out. Thanks

- - - Updated - - -

Congo Nice Rig
You should have gone with semi or fully modular PSU it would help some cable management
Mount Radiator at rear exhaust

I too wanted a modular PSU but they are costly. Fitting the radiator at rear wouldn't make any difference as the radiator fans are set as intake and I would have to install the rear fan at some other place as exhaust.

 

[vito scalleta]

Congrats man.
you could've chosen a better cabinet for the price. But the setup does look good.

 

[Vyom]

Congrats Darshan. I can imagine how it feels like to move from Pen 4 to modern era. I moved from Pen 4 to 4th generation Core i5 and was ecstatic to do that. Your's rig is only better.

I like how you even after upgrading your rig, including the table, you still have kept the old speakers. Like you wanted to have something familiar, so that you know from where you have come.

 

[Darshan Singh]

Congrats man.
you could've chosen a better cabinet for the price. But the setup does look good.

Thanks buddy. Well, I chose the cabinet after very careful consideration. Actually that goes for everything. I researched for more than a month to chose the right components. The cabinet is quite good. I couldn't find a better one in this price range. Although I was expecting to pay more for this but I got it for cheaper. It has everything going for it: a lot of space, modular drive cages, three dust filters, good cable management support. Although it disappoints at one or two places such as the included fans have only 3 pin connectors which forces them to work in DC mode or PWM mode and somewhat less space for top radiator mount. I could fit the radiator with a lot of difficulty after connecting the CPU power connector. It now pushes against the cable.

- - - Updated - - -

Congrats Darshan. I can imagine how it feels like to move from Pen 4 to modern era. I moved from Pen 4 to 4th generation Core i5 and was ecstatic to do that. Your's rig is only better.

I like how you even after upgrading your rig, including the table, you still have kept the old speakers. Like you wanted to have something familiar, so that you know from where you have come.

Thanks Vyom.
Yeah definitely, even my old computer is working perfectly. Although it is of no use to me, I will keep it for memory.
Actually I care for my things a lot although I believe this is not so good because one should not get attached to materialistic things too much because when you have to depart from them, it gives pain.
I also have an age old laptop, Compaq Presario V2000 which is 9 years old and working perfectly fine.

 

[dan4u]

Congrats on the build, I'm sure it feels awesome gaming on a proper rig compared to a laptop. btw are you using a UPS for power outages?

 

[Darshan Singh]

Congrats on the build, I'm sure it feels awesome gaming on a proper rig compared to a laptop. btw are you using a UPS for power outages?

Thanks dan4u. Yes, it feels really awesome. This is for the first time that I have seen games in their full glory. Firstly I completed Crysis on this rig as this game brought all the cards to their knees it its time. So I wanted to check how it fares on this PC. Although I could not record the frame rates because no tool (including fraps) worked on it but I can tell you that it did not stutter a single time on Ultra settings and 1080p. Currently I'm playing 'The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings' which gives an average of 60-70 fps with Uber sampling disabled and some other games such as Alan Wake, Burnout Paradise, Dirt 3, Darksiders.

For the time being, I am stuck with my old PC's UPS which is Intex 600 Va. Although it is strictly OK for this rig since it can't handle the PC on full load but when I'm not gaming, it gives some backup time. That's why I'm going to upgrade to a 1 kVa UPS in a month or two.

Hey buddy, I see that you have the same monitor as mine. Do you think you have got what you wanted because I feel deceived. This monitor was advertised to have almost zero bezel. In the photos too, it looked like it had just 1-2 mm bezel but this is not the case here. Although the monitor has a 1mm bezel only but the viewing area starts after a good 3-4 mm. This was not what I expected. I purchased this monitor only for its thin bezel. How is it with you?

I thought this thread was dead. I checked it accidentally today.

 

[dan4u]

Thanks dan4u. Yes, it feels really awesome. This is for the first time that I have seen games in their full glory. Firstly I completed Crysis on this rig as this game brought all the cards to their knees it its time. So I wanted to check how it fares on this PC. Although I could not record the frame rates because no tool (including fraps) worked on it but I can tell you that it did not stutter a single time on Ultra settings and 1080p. Currently I'm playing 'The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings' which gives an average of 60-70 fps with Uber sampling disabled and some other games such as Alan Wake, Burnout Paradise, Dirt 3, Darksiders.

For the time being, I am stuck with my old PC's UPS which is Intex 600 Va. Although it is strictly OK for this rig since it can't handle the PC on full load but when I'm not gaming, it gives some backup time. That's why I'm going to upgrade to a 1 kVa UPS in a month or two.

Hey buddy, I see that you have the same monitor as mine. Do you think you have got what you wanted because I feel deceived. This monitor was advertised to have almost zero bezel. In the photos too, it looked like it had just 1-2 mm bezel but this is not the case here. Although the monitor has a 1mm bezel only but the viewing area starts after a good 3-4 mm. This was not what I expected. I purchased this monitor only for its thin bezel. How is it with you?

I thought this thread was dead. I checked it accidentally today.

Yes its a huge change from laptop to a proper gaming rig. I also recently upgraded, there's a huge backlog of games to be played. About the monitor, on the website it looks like zero bezel but it truly isn't, the only time it looks like that is when the monitor is off, But honestly other than that I've got no complaints, I love the low blue light feature, great in dark rooms. But are there any other monitors that are truly zero bezel in this price range?

 

[Darshan Singh]

Yes its a huge change from laptop to a proper gaming rig. I also recently upgraded, there's a huge backlog of games to be played. About the monitor, on the website it looks like zero bezel but it truly isn't, the only time it looks like that is when the monitor is off, But honestly other than that I've got no complaints, I love the low blue light feature, great in dark rooms. But are there any other monitors that are truly zero bezel in this price range?

I myself don't have any other qualms about this monitor. Its low blue light and flicker free panel really seems to work well, colours are good. Everything else is good but I purchased this monitor specifically for its advertised zero bezel. I mean, its main advertised feature was this only. In the photos too (in the ad that I saw in Digit) the bezel seems to be non-existent. I wonder how could they show this in the photo if it is not truly bezel-less or maybe it is a photoshop trick. Other than that, I love this monitor. It looks great.

I could not find any dust cover for it as 24" cover don't seem to be selling much. So I'm having a hard time finding an appropriate cloth cover material in order to get it stitched from a tailor.

I also have a big collection of games but less time to play. Besides, I am a married man and my wife and parents are not very approving of playing games and watching movies. So for now, I'm trying to find a balance in life.

 

[AloNe ForeVer]

Congrats Bro !!

 

[Darshan Singh]

Congrats Bro !!

Thanks buddy

 

[rock2702]

Congrats on your awesome rig