Description
Following the success I had building my gaming rig, I decided to replace the not so old but oh so cheap PC I used for web browsing/downloading etc. It was a low end Intel Pentium with a couple of gigs of RAM, so it struggled with multitasking. Aside from adding another stick of RAM, it had ZERO upgrade options - so it had to go.
Initially I wasn't going to spend so much, considering I don't need a GPU, since integrated graphics are good enough for what I needed, but then again I thought I might as well build a machine that looked nice, and gave me the option to turn it into a gaming rig in the future if I ever decided to. Buy cheap Buy twice is my motto!
I decided early on that I wanted to go mATX, space is at a premium and I didn't want some huge monster getting in the way. I like the look of the 350D - it looks smart and has a nice big window. It was expensive, but I decided I must have it - after all its what you see first. I also liked the fact that the power/reset buttons were on the front rather than on the top/side as with some cases.
Next up was the CPU/Mobo decision - I know I could've saved money by going for a different chipset, I don't really need the overclocking capabilities of a Z87, but again - it gives me the option down the line. I chose the Gryphon because I really like the look of the TUF boards with the armour, and I have the Sabertooth in my gaming rig and I haven't had any problems with it. Same reason I went with a top tier i5. I doubt I'd utilize an i7, and in any case, I have one in my gaming rig, so if the need does arise, I can always use that machine instead.
The Corsair RM550 was chosen because I like the low profile flat cables that come with it. They're also all black, so not too many multi-coloured wires on show (which drives me crazy!) 550 watts is overkill, I know, but again it gives me the option of adding a GPU if I wish, and with such a small power draw, the fan does not even spin, so it's deadly silent.
2 AF140 intakes were added, and to keep the colours matching, I sprayed the rings yellow. I'm not really happy with the way they came out, but they're good enough that I wont have to redo them. I replaced the stock fan on the H75 with an SP120 Quiet Edition, and sprayed the ring to match.
The Corsair H75 comes with 2 fans for a push/pull configuration, but since there is not a lot of heat going through the case, or a huge OC, I decided to just install one. I was kinda put off with Corsair here that they don't supply short screws with the kit so you can just have the one fan - I had to raid my collection and find some suitable ones in order to mount the rad straight to the back of the case.
For storage, I went with a 250GB SSD as a boot drive, and a 4TB mechanical drive. I like the green drives, they're quiet and since it's only for media storage, it doesn't have to be 7200RPM. The first one was dead on arrival, so it was RMA'd. The second one works fine and that was the only issue I had putting this PC together.
Thanks.
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