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Ghostwheel
Hello all, it's been a very long time. For those that remember me, I haven't been around in about three years. I know this, because my son is 2 and a half now. A couple of years ago my main rig died an untimely death, freak storm came up in the night and it was struck by lightning. So alas, no more Animus. I picked up a good deal on a gaming machine on Craigslist to replace it temporarily, my intention was to build a new rig a little at a time. Well, a couple of months ago the temporary rig refused to start meaning I had to actually get to work building a new machine. I didn't want to rush it though, and that's hard when you're only access to the internet is your wife's Mac (how I hate these things).
After collecting a few parts over the past few months I'm nearly ready to get to work in earnest. This however is going to be a continuing project, since I've gotten the go ahead from my good lady wife to add my own personal touch to the house via computers. The Ghostwheel project will encompass all of the various machines I'm building. Right now, that includes the following: 2 Gaming Rigs, File Server, and 7 Raspberry Pi based gadgets. I will also be building a 3rd "budget" rig that will be the general purpose machine for the house, it'll be capable of gaming, etc. But it's going to be somewhere in the $300 range.
For those curious about the name of the project, it comes from the Chronicles of Amber. Each machine will be named sequentially as part of the larger project. Now to the stats on the rig I'm currently building.
GHOSTWHEEL INDEX
PERIPHERALS
GHOST
SPECTRE MK I
SPECTRE MK II
GHAST
More coming soon, I actually had to RMA the board and processor already since it refused to post on my test bench, so it's probably going to be a couple of weeks before I get to fire the thing up.
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PERIPHERALS
Coming soon...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Keyboard: Corsair K95 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair M65 RGB Wired Laser Mouse ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Headphones: Superlux HD668B Headphones ($42.47 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Logitech Z506 155W 5.1ch Speakers ($65.65 @ NCIX US)
Other: Audio Technica AT2020 ($99.00)
Other: Focusrite Scarlett Solo ($99.99)
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I've been juggling and barking at retailers, I've received some, but not nearly all of my parts at this point. One disadvantage of using multiple sources. I ended up with three video cards, I ran into a guy who got into BitCoin mining but wanted out and had no interest in gaming other than tabletop/paper and dice. Long story short, I snagged a pair of MSI 290s and a 270. All used, but only just. This coupled with a bit of good luck lately and I've decided to push forward with my new build. I've updated the parts lists above to reflect the changes.
I'm expecting at minimum to receive the case and processor for the Mk 2 tomorrow. I haven't ordered anything for Mk 1 yet, I will likely order it all in June. I want to iron out the details on the smaller machine first, get it OCd and stable before I switch focus to the bigger brother of the two. If all goes well, I expect to have some pics of the Mk 2 ready next week. Though with the weather I may have to hold off on some of the painting I've got planned (we've had brutal storms here over the past few weeks).
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I wanted to hold off on posting pics till I had more to show, but parts finally started getting here. Enough to at least get some work done (Motherboard and OS won't be here till Weds). There are some custom things I want to add, but these are mostly bolt on things I'm already planning/fabricating. With the way I'll have these two PCs displayed in my setup however, this machine won't really be that visible so I'm not too concerned about making it super pretty, just clean.
And look what Brown did for me this weekend!
First lets look at the case, then we'll get a look at some of the other goodies going inside. This is the NZXT S340. I am actually in love with this little case now. Mine is the black and red version, which comes with a matte finish for the black. I actually really like the finish, but I will say that it scuffs REALLY easily. It's definitely something to consider, if you're obsessive about keeping the thing looking clean. The window is okay, but I've heard it scratches very easy. I'll be replacing the window in the main machine with something a little more durable, once I get to work on it. Also, if you've ever worked on an NZXT case you'll know they're solid so you might be a little shocked when you realize how LIGHT this thing is. It's still solid, but NZXT did a good job of trimming the fat with this case. Which really seems to be the mantra of it's entire design.
Frustrating not being able to install the main components in the machine, but there was plenty to keep me busy for a couple of hours. Hopefully once the final package arrives Weds I'll have a pretty easy install so I can get to work putting the new system through it's paces. A note on the CPU cooler, if you do like I did and replace the stock fan (recommended), be very careful with the retaining clips to either side. They are plastic and can give you a heart attack if you're not careful. Fortunately, they seem to be suitably flexible rather than rigid. So, I didn't have to get creative making things work.
I have salvaged two of these for this build, giving me 4tb of mass storage to compliment the 500g of OS, Programs, and Games I'll have on the SSDs.
Some Preliminary Wire Management, I would like to note here that if you're interested in building a machine with this case that you install and route the cables for your SSDs prior to installing the Power Supply - otherwise you're going to have a bad day.
That said, this case delivers on hiding wires. And I really like the way the SSDs are presented inside the system.
Funny enough, after I took these pictures the Be Quiet! fans arrived. Since this machine isn't really the showpiece of the setup I'm using 4 fans from Be Quiet and a Noctua for the Heatsink salvaged from my old rig.
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That is a neat little case, but I'm a little suspicious about the front intake airflow. It all feeds into that red slot on top? Is it enough?
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Top and bottom, it's sufficient. It's on par with the front intake in a Similar Fractal Design case.
For the price it's a pretty solid case, definitely enough left over to buy good fans after picking it up.