• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.
  • The forums have been upgraded with support for dark mode. By default it will follow the setting on your system/browser. You may override it by scrolling to the end of the page and clicking the gears icon.

First Time Builder Wants Input !!

F

FACEoSPADES

New Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2012
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
Hello all, first timer here. Ive taken apart many computers over the past few years and have yet to build a custom one. Red and black are my favorite colors so i decided to go with that as my main idea for the case, as well as trying to keep it semi-cheap. Here are some pictures of what i have done.
Parts list:
Antec df-85 case
Antec cp-1000 power supply
Asus crosshair iv formula motherboard
spinq vt cpu cooler is on the way
as well as mod/smart sleeve, i hope it looks as good as the paracord i used on the fan cords.

been looking at this graphics card
ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI/1GD5 GeForce GTX 560 (Fe...

thats all that i have as of this post, i just ordered a phenom ii black edition 965 and a friend is giving me some ram until i order some. i figure all thats left is a graphics card, plan on getting multiple in the future. Ill update as parts come in and look forward to comments and ideas.
s/n all pics are taken with my cell phone- HTC amaze 4g on t-mobile.
NKiDg.jpg

fxXgF.jpg

TyTBt.jpg

Y8lwH.jpg

vYsj6.jpg

4j6SG.jpg

8qAXU.jpg

Xc8Dw.jpg

fNbmw.jpg

yBhNH.jpg

zNMnI.jpg



the following pics are my attempts at wire sleeving and tucking. The df-85 has 7 case fans and they all come with molex connectors, so i spliced and extended the wires to the block. Im very happy with the results, couldve actually measured the wires and set up everything perfect but i didnt. Please comment and tell me what you think for a first timers build so far.


Thanks -Face
 
Last edited:
Welcome aboard- subscribed :cool:

Your fan harness work is a good start but a few suggestions:

- cover the terminal strip when finished so you don't end up with any shorts against the side panel.
- shrink wrap on bare metal terminals will look a little cleaner than the plastic from the crimp terminals you're using.

Good Luck on your build :toast:
 
something like this?
edit: btw i checked and it clears the side panel when its on. Didnt think it would at first.

k3rs3.jpg

U1d8O.jpg
 
Welcome to TPU:toast:
 
they can call that case the Darkfleet 85 all they want but its just a Antc 1200 underneath
 
sorry, i know im new here and should've looked around before posting in the wrong section. However, mods if theres any way we can move this thread to project logs that's be amazing as i think this thread better fits there. Thanks
 
FACEoSPADES said:
sorry, i know im new here and should've looked around before posting in the wrong section. However, mods if theres any way we can move this thread to project logs that's be amazing as i think this thread better fits there. Thanks
Click to expand...

Just PM a Mod and ask them to move it over there- I'm pretty sure it's not a big deal ;)
 
Very cool looking man. May I ask why you went with a Phenom II 965?
 
FACEoSPADES said:
One of my good friends suggested I go with the phenom ii black editions, so I did. Do you suggest something different?
Click to expand...

Well have you looked at intel? The new 2500K/2600K pretty much beats anything AMD has ATM in terms of gaming and other stuff.
 
I already have the Mb and its AMD, I was looking at one of the fatal1ty boards with an Intel CPU but my buddy pretty much steered me away from Intel. I think he wanted me to do an AMD build as my first.
 
FACEoSPADES said:
I already have the Mb and its AMD, I was looking at one of the fatal1ty boards with an Intel CPU but my buddy pretty much steered me away from Intel. I think he wanted me to do an AMD build as my first.
Click to expand...

I hate to say it but he steering you wrong when it comes to performance. A 965BE is still a good chip but can not hold its own with even a I5 2400 beats it quite badly

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=363
 
For a first time overclocker, 965 Black is a decent choice. Would had done more research and went 960T though. Nice looking fan mod btw! ;)
 
FACEoSPADES said:
I already have the Mb and its AMD, I was looking at one of the fatal1ty boards with an Intel CPU but my buddy pretty much steered me away from Intel. I think he wanted me to do an AMD build as my first.
Click to expand...

You made a decision and went with it... nothing wrong with that. If you decide to go another way on your next build, that is entirely up to you. Your system will run just fine, sure there is better stuff out there but there is only one:

FACEoSPADES build #001 :rockout:

Quote- When you come to a fork in the road you take it- Yogi Berra

Enjoy your rig :toast:
 
brandonwh64 said:
I hate to say it but he steering you wrong when it comes to performance. A 965BE is still a good chip but can not hold its own with even a I5 2400 beats it quite badly
Click to expand...

The 965 is on par with the Nehalem i3's.
 
Thanks for the support guys, I'm at work today patiently awaiting my sleeving. I'm gonna try and work on a decal to etch into the top hotswap bay. I'm thinking a face made of spades. Lol... Will post once I create it.
 
Any suggestions as to cutting a larger window? I'm talkin huge, like whole side panel. I've measured and have a piece of lexan to cut for the window as well as attaching hardware. I'm limited to tools, I have a dremel and a drill as well as a multitude of hand tools. Also I live in an apartment and most of my dremeling is done on the front porch. I'm thinking hole saw the corners and dremel to them, ideas are much appreciated. Also thinking about putting a layer of painters tape before cutting...

Edit: cut the lexan to size for the window and got a rough draft of an etch for the top HDD quick port or whatever its called.
9ARul.jpg


FACEoSPADES
 
Last edited:
ordered the grapics card yesterday, been slacking the past couple months. Will be sleeving the psu cables with paracord, i found i like the look of paracord over the sleeve that is offered. need to get off my arse and start putting this together now that the last piece is on the way. only thing left is os and display.
 
I saw the title of your thread (First Timer) and thought you just lost your virginity.
I changed it to be a little more descriptive.

Welcome to TPU and you are off to a great start. Let us know how everything goes for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top