[Build Log] Second-and-a-half ever....

[Juan71287]

Hi, all. So I want to make a new personal computer. The first one I made like 4 years ago and got help here so why not do it again

I started a build a few weeks ago but I am changing it completely. This is what I got so far.... If anyone thinks something would be better or things my HDD could be better please let me know

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Computer Case - Tempered Glass Edition, Galaxy Silver PH-ES515ETG_GS
Mobo: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80662I76700K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2666 (PC4 21300) Intel Z170 Platform / Intel X99 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-2666C15D-16GVS
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Edition, ZT-P10800C-10P, 8GB GDDR5X IceStorm Cooling, Metal Wraparound Carbon ExoArmor exterior, Ultra-wide 100mm Fans, Spectra Lighting, PowerBoost, FREEZE fan stop
Power Supply: Cooler Master V850 - Fully Modular 850W 80 PLUS Gold PSU with Silencio Silent 135mm fan (6th Generation Skylake Compatible)
Storage: 1. Samsung 850 EVO - 500GB - M.2 SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-N5E500BW)
2. SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-75E250B/AM


SO here are some questions I have. I have very little knowledge of these sort of things so please be easy on me lol .

1. With the Samsung 850 EVO M.2, I see it all over the internet, M.2 drives, is this good for like the OS and programs like photoshop and premier and games for transfer speed?
2. Would this be compatible or I mean work well with the Samsung 850 EVO 2.5", so I can use it as a location where I can store my videos and digital work?
3. I actually had gotten this case, but since my desk is white and everything basically is like a silver look I changed it to the Phantex. Anyone think this one would have been better? : Fractal Design Define S Black Window Silent ATX Midtower Computer Case

Thanks to you all

 

[trents]

Hi, all. So I want to make a new personal computer. The first one I made like 4 years ago and got help here so why not do it again

I started a build a few weeks ago but I am changing it completely. This is what I got so far.... If anyone thinks something would be better or things my HDD could be better please let me know

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Computer Case - Tempered Glass Edition, Galaxy Silver PH-ES515ETG_GS
Mobo: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO ALPHA LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Overkill on the motherboard.
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80662I76700K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2666 (PC4 21300) Intel Z170 Platform / Intel X99 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-2666C15D-16GVS I would go with 3000 or 3200 mhz RAM. It will give you a sight performance improvement in some games and other applications.
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Edition, ZT-P10800C-10P, 8GB GDDR5X IceStorm Cooling, Metal Wraparound Carbon ExoArmor exterior, Ultra-wide 100mm Fans, Spectra Lighting, PowerBoost, FREEZE fan stop
Power Supply: Cooler Master V850 - Fully Modular 850W 80 PLUS Gold PSU with Silencio Silent 135mm fan (6th Generation Skylake Compatible) I would go with an EVGA Super Nova PSU. Better build quality. And you don't even come close to needing 850 watts of PSU. 550W would be plenty with only one GPU.
Storage: 1. Samsung 850 EVO - 500GB - M.2 SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-N5E500BW)
2. SAMSUNG 850 EVO 2.5" 250GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-75E250B/AM


SO here are some questions I have. I have very little knowledge of these sort of things so please be easy on me lol .

1. With the Samsung 850 EVO M.2, I see it all over the internet, M.2 drives, is this good for like the OS and programs like photoshop and premier and games for transfer speed? Yes. People usually put their programs on SSD because it dramatically speeds up load times. Many people then user a larger spinner hard drive for storage if they need a lot of space for "data."
2. Would this be compatible or I mean work well with the Samsung 850 EVO 2.5", so I can use it as a location where I can store my videos and digital work? Yes
3. I actually had gotten this case, but since my desk is white and everything basically is like a silver look I changed it to the Phantex. Anyone think this one would have been better? : Fractal Design Define S Black Window Silent ATX Midtower Computer Case Case choice is very personal and as long as there is good air flow and room for the components that will go inside it that's all that matters.

Thanks to you all

 

[Juan71287]

@trents Thanks so much. I have most of those parts already ... So that's why I placed them.

I was wondering, what MOBO do you think I need? I am going ot be doing video editing and sligt gaming, mostly videos.

The RAM I will change for sure. I just dont know what to do with waht I have already. I want to sell it but with eBay fees and crap I will lose all the money .

 

[trents]

Keep the RAM then. Moving up to a higher frequency will make very little difference in actual performance.

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132566

What will you be cooling the CPU with. If you intend to overclock that 6700k you will need good aftermarket cooling.

 

[Juan71287]

@trents Cools, I'll leave the RAM for now . You think I should get rid of the MOBO I have now and get the one you suggested me?

This is the cooler I have: NZXT Kraken X61 280mm All-in-One CPU Liquid Cooling System (RL-KRX61-01)

I will be overclocking it, hopefully.

If I change MOBO, what thermal paste should I get? I heard some are good and some suck :/

Thanks

 

[trents]

I was just trying to save you some money on the motherboard. If you already have the Maximus VIII hero in place I was not suggesting you make a change. It's a great motherboard.

I wish you had been more clear about what you had already purchased and what you still had to purchase. When you said, "I started a build a few weeks ago . . ." I took that to mean you started to make a parts list. We don't often get people asking for component suggestions that have already purchased them unless they are having problems. It also sounds like some of the components you list were carried over from another build, for instance the PSU.

It would have been more helpful if you had differentiated between what you were considering returning and what you were settled on keeping.

The Kraken X61 will do you well.

 

[Juan71287]

@trents Sorry for the confusion .... I got these parts a while ago... Like in July... I never did anything with them . I may have been very vague on what I had or didn't . I actually have all those parts I mentioned except the GPU and the SSD (M.2). I have a 980 Ti brand new that I want to replace for the 1080. So I need to sell the 980 Ti. But other than that, I have all the parts.

I also have the Case, I want the Phantex one though as it looks nicer in my place.

 

[trents]

Okay, so what is it you are asking advice about exactly?

 

[Juan71287]

No clue.. LMAO. I just wondering what you guys think maybe I should change or add? I may just throw in here pictures of what I have made so far and call it a day

 

[trents]

Well, the parts you already have assembled will work together just fine. I've given you some suggestions for things I would have done differently but I'm not sure the differences are significant enough to be worth hassling with returns. Maybe just assemble it now?

 

[Juan71287]

@trents and whoever can help me... I need some help .

So, I am not in any way the best PC builder ever, but I have done this before without issues. After getting all the parts above, putting it together, I am having issues left and right and it is starting to annoy me as I cant figure it out . I will post the issues with a video or picture just so you all can see and maybe help me out.

1. *NO BIG DEAL* The Kraken x61 logo stays ON even after the PC is turned off. I researched and its because the MOBO has option for USB header to always stay on or something like that. I will research some more, I know the answer for my MOBO and how to turn that off is out there, but if anyone knows exactly without me having to go crazy I would appreciate it.


2. *ANNOYING and WHY* So, I installed windows on a M.2 500GB SSD (called SSD?). Awesome, every time I boot it's super fast and I love it. I want more space so I decided to add a second SSD in 2.5 format connect to the SATA header 1 according to my MOBO manual. After I do that, every time I boot I get this annoying screen and I dont know why. FYI, I set the MOBO settins to RAID as I wanted to do RAID configuration with 2 SSD, but saly I didnt get the second one and never changed teh settings. Is that why this screen keeps showing up? Should I change BIOS back to the normal settings (cont recal the name right now)?
[video]https://vid.me/ozUS[/video]

3. *Normal?* I have 3 fans on the Case. 2 in the front and 1 in the back. I have them connected to a PWM hub that came with my Phanteks Ethos case. I always see these online and I thought it was super cool as I think you can control all fans from just the 1 header I connected on the MOBO. First, I have no clue how to change their speeds as on my MOBO settings it is a bit hard to edit the speeds... I mean, what is a good RPM for them to run at, I have no clue. Right now they are at like 1000+. Many issues, but the issues here is why does it take about 10 seconds for the fans to start? Is that normal? Should I remove them from the PWM hub? Is there a better way to control that PWM hub if that is the best way to have them?
[video]https://vid.me/SJ8u[/video]

4. *BIG DEAL* The noise that comes from these fans are killing me. I know I have to adjust my RPMs on the fans but that is a bit tricky as I asked in question 3 some help there. But honestly, they should not be so damn loud. It is driving me crazy. I feel like selling all this and going back to my 2012 Mini ITX that I build and just chill. I really want a nice PC with as OK parts as I could afford but this is just so annoying. I hope the video can show just how LOUD this damn fans are. Funny, when I played the video back on my PC I couldnt hear it... as my actual PC fans overpowered the sound from the speakers.
[video]https://vid.me/wCrF[/video]
[video]https://vid.me/frR9[/video]

5. *Why?* So, after I connected the second SSD and I also have an external HDD connected t the back of the PC, every time I start it up, it goes through what I can only describe as its finding from what drive to boot windows from. It seems to be that my M.2 is not the first one it tried even though I set that up in BIOS. Again, all sorts of problems for no reason. PS. in the video, the external HDD was not connected so only did 2 cycles of that, if it would have been connected it would have done that blinking thing cycle 3 times. PSS. I thought that connecting a M.2 and installing the OS on it would take priority over anything else? When I run Disk Managment, its shows the M.2 as DISK1 and the extra SSD I put in and formated for extra space as DISK0. I think that should not be correct specially after I had all drives removed and only had the M.2 when I installed windows (I have installed windows in the past 3 day about 15 times, I am just so lost and annoyed).
[video]https://vid.me/bsot[/video]

6. *NO BIG DEAL* My memory sticks are 2666MHz. It only shows them as 2133. After looking that up, I found that I need to enable XMP and select the correct profile. I did that and I selected 2666. I see 2666 in certain parts and 2133 still shows in others. Do I worry? Do I leave it alone and who cares?


I am so sorry for the annoying questions but I just don't know if either I messed up somewhere or if this is normal or if I am just a "I want everything perfect" idiot.

Thanks for the help in advance.

3 days of this and I still haven't been able to use my new PC.

 

[trents]

@trents and whoever can help me... I need some help .

So, I am not in any way the best PC builder ever, but I have done this before without issues. After getting all the parts above, putting it together, I am having issues left and right and it is starting to annoy me as I cant figure it out . I will post the issues with a video or picture just so you all can see and maybe help me out.

1. *NO BIG DEAL* The Kraken x61 logo stays ON even after the PC is turned off. I researched and its because the MOBO has option for USB header to always stay on or something like that. I will research some more, I know the answer for my MOBO and how to turn that off is out there, but if anyone knows exactly without me having to go crazy I would appreciate it.
Switch off the PSU at the back of the computer when you are not using it. Even when the computer is powered down the PSU sends a trickle charge to the motherboard for the ACPI stuff and that is why your Kraken logo is still lighting up.

2. *ANNOYING and WHY* So, I installed windows on a M.2 500GB SSD (called SSD?). Awesome, every time I boot it's super fast and I love it. I want more space so I decided to add a second SSD in 2.5 format connect to the SATA header 1 according to my MOBO manual. After I do that, every time I boot I get this annoying screen and I dont know why. FYI, I set the MOBO settins to RAID as I wanted to do RAID configuration with 2 SSD, but saly I didnt get the second one and never changed teh settings. Is that why this screen keeps showing up? Should I change BIOS back to the normal settings (cont recal the name right now)?
[video]https://vid.me/ozUS[/video] I would not use RAID 0 with SSDs. You will only see performance gain when transferring very large files and your will actually see a performance hit in random seeks because of overhead involved in coordinating the RAID.

3. *Normal?* I have 3 fans on the Case. 2 in the front and 1 in the back. I have them connected to a PWM hub that came with my Phanteks Ethos case. I always see these online and I thought it was super cool as I think you can control all fans from just the 1 header I connected on the MOBO. First, I have no clue how to change their speeds as on my MOBO settings it is a bit hard to edit the speeds... I mean, what is a good RPM for them to run at, I have no clue. Right now they are at like 1000+. Many issues, but the issues here is why does it take about 10 seconds for the fans to start? Don't Know. Is that normal? Should I remove them from the PWM hub? Is there a better way to control that PWM hub if that is the best way to have them? The only way to control the PWM fans is through bios settings. You could also look into an analog fan speed controller which will give you much better granularity in control. That's what I use. The mount in a drive bay.
[video]https://vid.me/SJ8u[/video]

4. *BIG DEAL* The noise that comes from these fans are killing me. I know I have to adjust my RPMs on the fans but that is a bit tricky as I asked in question 3 some help there. But honestly, they should not be so damn loud. It is driving me crazy. I feel like selling all this and going back to my 2012 Mini ITX that I build and just chill. I really want a nice PC with as OK parts as I could afford but this is just so annoying. I hope the video can show just how LOUD this damn fans are. Funny, when I played the video back on my PC I couldnt hear it... as my actual PC fans overpowered the sound from the speakers.
[video]https://vid.me/wCrF[/video]
[video]https://vid.me/frR9[/video]


5. *Why?* So, after I connected the second SSD and I also have an external HDD connected t the back of the PC, every time I start it up, it goes through what I can only describe as its finding from what drive to boot windows from. It seems to be that my M.2 is not the first one it tried even though I set that up in BIOS. Again, all sorts of problems for no reason. PS. in the video, the external HDD was not connected so only did 2 cycles of that, if it would have been connected it would have done that blinking thing cycle 3 times. PSS. I thought that connecting a M.2 and installing the OS on it would take priority over anything else? When I run Disk Managment, its shows the M.2 as DISK1 and the extra SSD I put in and formated for extra space as DISK0. I think that should not be correct specially after I had all drives removed and only had the M.2 when I installed windows (I have installed windows in the past 3 day about 15 times, I am just so lost and annoyed). As I said, get rid of the RAID. You would need to wipe the RAID metadata from the drives, however.
[video]https://vid.me/bsot[/video]

6. *NO BIG DEAL* My memory sticks are 2666MHz. It only shows them as 2133. After looking that up, I found that I need to enable XMP and select the correct profile. I did that and I selected 2666. I see 2666 in certain parts and 2133 still shows in others. Do I worry? Do I leave it alone and who cares? Install a free program called "CPU-z" and check he "Memory" tab. Multiply whatever freqeuncy you see it report x 2 and that is the speed your are actually running at.

I am so sorry for the annoying questions but I just don't know if either I messed up somewhere or if this is normal or if I am just a "I want everything perfect" idiot. Some of that, I think.

Thanks for the help in advance.

3 days of this and I still haven't been able to use my new PC.

You could also replace the fans with quieter ones. But I can't imagine that 120mm fans turning at only 1000 rpm would be noisy. Ear plugs?

You do realize, don't you the danger of RAID 0? If one drive of the two fails you lose everything.

 

[Juan71287]

@trents THANKS SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING. I know it is not a lot and you probably dont need it, but I would love to DONATE to you $5 for all the help and attention. Again, its nothing, but it could buy you coffee if you drink it .... Again, no much but anything is something

I will be showing some pictures of the final product soon. Lets just start it off with this one.

 

[trents]

Wow, I've never had anyone on the forum offer to compensate me for helping them! I'm touched by your generosity but it would bring me more pleasure if you would give that $5 to your favorite charity or buy a burger and fries for a homeless person.

Looking forward to seeing pics of the finished (if we ever really finish them) product. That will be it's own reward.

 

[Juan71287]

Well, first I want to say thanks for your kind words. I know $5 is nothing but it is what i cna offer . I honestly do my best I can do help out were I can. On thanksgiving I made 6 meals for homeless in my community, and for new years I made 12. I am a softy for people in need and I donate to charities every paycheck so I got you

Just some of the meals I made

https://imgur.com/a/DDcFQ

 

[trents]

Thank you for understanding. I did not wish to insult you.