Soo.. I'm gonna build one Serious Games machine!!! And you can forget the recession!

[mahashel]

drooool..
I have such a weakness for high-end build-it-yourself PC hardware. I love the Cosmos case, and didn't realize that they offered a black edition.
I wanted to build a decent gaming system a while back, but didn't have nearly the budget that the OP has.
I'm running Vista64 on:
Q6600 (OC'ed to 3GHz on decent air-cooling)
4GB DDR2 800 RAM (OC'ed to roughly 1066)
GeForce 260 (not OC'ed, since my board barfs when you tinker with the PCI-E clock)
I won't bore you with the rest of the tedious bits..
I wanted to go liquid-cooled, but ran out of mooolah.

As for those who assert that a 64-bit OS struggles with running 32-bit software (such as games), think again. *DRIVERS* are the only issue in 64-bit Windows. You need true 64-bit drivers which can be a challenge, but you can run pretty much any software you want, regardless of 32 vs 64 bit.
As for those who do not see the value of such a machine, I understand; but I also must admit that my system has spent more time chewing through my DVD collection at breakneck speed via Handbrake than it has spent running games and I couldn't be happier.

 

[twoodcc]

nice case! now just get to work on the inside!

 

[Eidorian]

Yeah?

Well, I got the limited edition version with a couple of improvements over the original Cosmos. Feast your eyes at this. It even comes in a black box, erm two infact...

The only major differences I can find at the color scheme, side panel, and power supply. The layout is the same though.

 

[UltraNEO*]

nice case! now just get to work on the inside!

Finally!!
I can make uses of that Dremel.

The only major differences I can find at the color scheme, side panel, and power supply. The layout is the same though.

basically yep.. the black label are individually numbered 001~500... that's about it.

 

[chewietobbacca]

Ah nice to see some PC building enthusiasts

Warning: Showing lots of pics of computer and geek pr0n

Anyways, so back in September I overhauled my big PC (thanks for the 30% off Live cashback Microsoft!). Basically, all I had kept were my hard drives, disc drives and memory:

Hard Drives:
Western Digital 150GB Raptor X
Seagate 7200.11 1TB
Seagate 7200.10 500GB

Memory: Crucial Ballistix DDR2 1066 (4 x 1 GB)

Fans: Yate Loon 120mm's

So I gathered my new hardware:

Case: CM Stacker 830 SE (Black)
PSU: Corsair 1000HX 1000W PSU
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula X48
Video Card: Sapphire HD 4870X2

I decided to go extreme and built two water cooling loops. Loop One (CPU Only):

Radiator - Swiftech MCR-220QP
Pump: Laing DDC 3.2
Pump Top: XSPC Acrylic Top
Reservoir: Swiftech MC-RES
CPU Block: D-Tek FuZion v2 w/ Quad Core Insert

Loop 2: (GPU and Northbridge)
Radiator: Thermochill PA120.3
Pump: Laing DDC 3.2
Pump Top: XSPC Acrylic Reservoir Top
NB Block: EK NB S-Max Acetal
GPU Block: EK Full Cover Copper 4870X2 Block (holy cow this was heavy)

And lots of Tygon 3603 7/16" ID tubing and 'Fat Boy' fittings.

Oh and I can't forget.. my monitor setup is a Dell 3007WFP-HC 30" monitor with a Dell 2007FP (the flat panel, not the widescreen version) set in portrait mode to its side (perfect alignment).

If you have questions, just ask!

Pics follow:

 

[Eidorian]

basically yep.. the black label are individually numbered 001~500... that's about it.

Yeah I read up about that Limited Edition numbering as well. SHEESH, was it worth it?

 

[UltraNEO*]

Yeah I read up about that Limited Edition numbering as well. SHEESH, was it worth it?

Well Yeah!
Considering I got it at trade prices, I've saved a petty penny right there!! It's a pity Apple doesn't make another limited edition system, but this time perhaps they should make it with the latest and bested equipment.. then ask for a steepish price!! I'm sure I'll buy one, or two.. Wouldn't you?

 

[UltraNEO*]

Ah nice to see some PC building enthusiasts

Warning: Showing lots of pics of computer and geek pr0n

Anyways, so back in September I overhauled my big PC (thanks for the 30% off Live cashback Microsoft!). Basically, all I had kept were my hard drives, disc drives and memory:

Hard Drives:
Western Digital 150GB Raptor X
Seagate 7200.11 1TB
Seagate 7200.10 500GB

Memory: Crucial Ballistix DDR2 1066 (4 x 1 GB)

Fans: Yate Loon 120mm's

So I gathered my new hardware:

Case: CM Stacker 830 SE (Black)
PSU: Corsair 1000HX 1000W PSU
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula X48
Video Card: Sapphire HD 4870X2

I decided to go extreme and built two water cooling loops. Loop One (CPU Only):

Radiator - Swiftech MCR-220QP
Pump: Laing DDC 3.2
Pump Top: XSPC Acrylic Top
Reservoir: Swiftech MC-RES
CPU Block: D-Tek FuZion v2 w/ Quad Core Insert

Loop 2: (GPU and Northbridge)
Radiator: Thermochill PA120.3
Pump: Laing DDC 3.2
Pump Top: XSPC Acrylic Reservoir Top
NB Block: EK NB S-Max Acetal
GPU Block: EK Full Cover Copper 4870X2 Block (holy cow this was heavy)

And lots of Tygon 3603 7/16" ID tubing and 'Fat Boy' fittings.

Oh and I can't forget.. my monitor setup is a Dell 3007WFP-HC 30" monitor with a Dell 2007FP (the flat panel, not the widescreen version) set in portrait mode to its side (perfect alignment).

If you have questions, just ask!

Pics follow:

Geek p0rn! lol

I think most of us was former PC users before we discovered Mac's...
or is that the other way around?
Well.. anyway.. I'm a switcher!

Coming from Mac → Windows PC → Mac → Windows PC


Eh?
Is your radiator mounted at the base of the tower?
Or is the whole case upside down?

 

[chewietobbacca]

Geek p0rn! lol

I think most of us was former PC users before we discovered Mac's...
or is that the other way around?
Well.. anyway.. I'm a switcher!

Coming from Mac → Windows PC → Mac → Windows PC


Eh?
Is your radiator mounted at the base of the tower?
Or is the whole case upside down?

I mounted my Swiftech radiator at the base of the tower and I mounted my Thermochill PA120.3 behind the tower (I cut holes in the back so I can put the tubes through)

I don't know if you can see it in my attached pics, but there's the swiftech at the bottom of the case (with the 2 fans + fan filters) and in the other pic, the tubes go through the bottom

Yes I did reverse my desktop tray to put the computer in the BTX layout with the video card on top and CPU at the bottom. It's different and more conducive for airflow

And I've always been a nerd for PC hardware, so I don't think I can ever give up PC's even if I use Macs too. Mac's have a lot of great software, but PC hardware is just too much fun (for gaming especially)

 

[UltraNEO*]

ah cool...
but looking at your fans, it looks like the fans are taking cool air in,
so... your system will be warmer!! doesn't sound too logical to me....

 

[Eidorian]

I got my Accelero S1 Rev. 2 yesterday. I'm enjoying silent overclocked goodness now.

 

[UltraNEO*]

I got my Accelero S1 Rev. 2 yesterday. I'm enjoying silent overclocked goodness now.

...and here i was thinking you're a dedicated mac user...

 

[Eidorian]

...and here i was thinking you're a dedicated mac user...

Why would I want to do that? 100 MHz core overclock and it's just as cool if not cooler than old fan + heatsink.

 

[chewietobbacca]

ah cool...
but looking at your fans, it looks like the fans are taking cool air in,
so... your system will be warmer!! doesn't sound too logical to me....

No no...

The cool air is being drawn in from the bottom (where air is cooler) and from the front but is being sucked out the back by the triple radiators

Also, since almost every component is water cooled within, my temperatures barely change (im running in 27-35 C on the CPU and GPUs)