WEBVTT 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:27.760 Welcome to our next better system build guide. Now, a better system involves 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:32.480 parts that still deliver great value for the dollar without going over the top 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:36.320 just for bling, but also means that we're not really skimping on anything. 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:41.840 So, our target budget for this system was $2,000. Now, in our last build 00:00:39.120 --> 00:00:46.239 guide, we went with a straight gaming build. So, we didn't really spend extra 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:51.039 money on anything unless it gave us more cooling or more gaming performance in 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:54.719 some way. This system is going to be more about well-rounded overall 00:00:53.120 --> 00:01:00.960 performance. So, it's still going to be a rocking gaming machine featuring the 00:00:56.800 --> 00:01:02.640 Intel Core i7 4770K unlocked processor. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:07.360 We're still going to overclock it, but maybe not quite to the same extent. And 00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:11.280 it also features because it has hyperthreading, because it's got lots of 00:01:09.360 --> 00:01:17.200 RAM, and because we're using silence optimized components, a very quiet 00:01:14.720 --> 00:01:21.439 workstation like element to it as well. So, it's going to be the silent machine 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:26.159 that's suitable for gaming as well as light workstation use such as HD video 00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:31.680 editing. Now, we're going to show you how to build step by micro step exactly 00:01:29.600 --> 00:01:35.360 the system we have in front of us, but many of these principles will be able to 00:01:33.520 --> 00:01:38.479 be applied to other systems as well. So, we'd love for you to come back and 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:42.560 reference this video when you're building your own system. With that in 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:46.240 mind, we've made some menu navigation. So you can go to the main menu up on 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:49.759 your top right and you can navigate between chapters on the bottom right 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:53.360 allowing you to skip in between the parts that you find most interesting. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:57.200 Now it should be noted we're using annotations to make that functionality 00:01:55.360 --> 00:02:01.280 work. So if you're watching on a mobile device you may not be able to access 00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:06.240 that functionality. If you switch over to a desktop that'll work just fine for 00:02:03.360 --> 00:02:11.120 you. Now without any further ado, let's get started with our better 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:17.040 gaming/lightworkstation build optimized for silence. Now with our better class 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:20.400 of system sort of nomenclature in mind, we did give ourselves a bigger budget 00:02:18.959 --> 00:02:24.080 this time around because we were trying to do a couple of more specialized 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:28.400 things. That is to make the machine great for not only gaming but also light 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:33.599 workstation use as well as make it quieter. So with that in mind, for our 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:35.519 CPU, we went with the 4770K. This is a 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:41.040 Core i7 processor, meaning it has hyperthreading technology. So, while it 00:02:38.480 --> 00:02:47.920 doesn't really offer much tangible performance benefit over a top tier Core 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:50.879 i5 like a 4670K in gaming applications, 00:02:47.920 --> 00:02:58.160 the 4770K will deliver a significant performance improvement in things like 00:02:54.160 --> 00:03:00.319 video editing or 3D work to justify its 00:02:58.160 --> 00:03:03.560 additional cost. Now, the 00:03:01.480 --> 00:03:09.920 i74770K is an LG150 processor, meaning that it is 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:12.159 compatible only with LG150 motherboards. 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:15.599 So, we went with a saber-tooth D87 board. This supports all the 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:19.680 overclocking features of the chip as well as other Intel technology such as 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:24.720 smart response technology with SSD caching and all that good stuff. And it 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:29.040 also has some ASUS exclusive features as well. It's got their thermal armor, 00:03:26.959 --> 00:03:33.120 which is a dust coating that goes over top of the entire board and even you can 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:37.840 have little pieces to cover up the slots, allowing you to keep the board 00:03:35.440 --> 00:03:41.760 operating in pristine condition for the extent of its lifetime. It has their 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:45.920 thermal radar 2 technology, which allows you to quickly and easily diagnose 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:50.239 hotspots on the board as well as monitor the board, make sure your entire system 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:54.000 temperatures are good. It has their fan expert 2 technology allowing you to 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.799 control all the fans in your system and keep everything nice and cool and 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.760 optimized. You guys noticing a theme here. And it also looks fantastic. And 00:03:59.760 --> 00:04:06.080 since we're using a windowed case, that is an advantage. Last and certainly not 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:12.959 least, the reason we went with a saber-tooth tough series board for our 00:04:09.040 --> 00:04:14.799 workstation e better gaming build is the 00:04:12.959 --> 00:04:19.720 fact that it uses tough components and comes with a 5year warranty. ASUS 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:23.520 supports this board for 5 years. That's industryleading, meaning that if you're 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:28.400 buying something that you want to really work for a long time, a tough series 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:32.720 board like a Saber-Tooth is never a bad option. The one thing you may recognize 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:37.520 from our last better build guide is these Corsair Vengeance DDR3 modules. We 00:04:35.919 --> 00:04:44.080 didn't change our memory configuration cuz I still feel that a 2x8 gig DDR3600 00:04:41.280 --> 00:04:48.240 kit is pretty much the best bang for your buck. It does a number of things. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:52.080 It gives you upgradability options for the future, meaning you can move to up 00:04:49.840 --> 00:04:56.400 to 32 gigs without any difficulty, without taking these out and tossing 00:04:53.919 --> 00:05:00.400 them in the bin. And it gives you definitely more memory than you need for 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:04.880 any modern game, as well as probably enough memory for your light workstation 00:05:02.400 --> 00:05:09.360 load. However, if you're doing a lot of Da Vinci Resolve or, you know, After 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:13.600 Effects rendering or whatever else, then you may want to right from the get- go 00:05:11.520 --> 00:05:18.639 step up and get two of these kits for a total of 32 gigs. Now, our budget gave 00:05:16.320 --> 00:05:23.440 us a ton of options in terms of graphics cards. We could go with an entry-level 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:28.000 Quadro. We could go with a dual GPU solution with fairly high-end cards. We 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:34.160 could go with a very high-end single card solution such as a GTX 780. That's 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:36.400 the route that we ended up going. And 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:41.440 the reason we did that is because a single GPU solution still delivers the 00:05:39.039 --> 00:05:47.440 best performance regardless of micro stuttering or SLI profiles in any game. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:52.160 It also runs extremely quietly, runs cool, and it's going to offer great CUDA 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.800 performance for applications such as Adobe Premiere or Da Vinci Resolve. Now, 00:05:55.039 --> 00:06:02.400 why we might go with some of those other options? Dual GTX 660Ti would have been 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:07.120 better for gaming performance, but would have added heat output, power 00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:11.039 consumption, as well as a little bit of inconsistency in terms of the 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:15.440 performance. And I usually prefer a stronger single card to two weaker ones 00:06:13.520 --> 00:06:18.880 whenever possible. We could have gone with an entry-level quadro. And 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:22.960 honestly, if I was going to take advantage of the 10-bit color output or 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:26.960 if I was going to take advantage to some of the CAD applications that can be 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:31.600 accelerated by a Quadro, then I might go that route instead. But that won't offer 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:36.880 a satisfying gaming experience like a GeForce card will. Now, we could also 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:40.880 pony up and spend more and get a GTX Titan, but that contributes nothing to 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:45.120 the gaming experience and is more useful for someone like a CUDA developer that 00:06:43.039 --> 00:06:50.400 needs the double precision floating point capabilities of a GTX Titan that 00:06:47.919 --> 00:06:54.479 are cut down significantly on the 780. Last but not least, if we were leaning 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:59.120 more towards the gaming side and we were willing to wait for Adobe to upgrade 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:02.800 their suite to support Open CL with all the features, or if we didn't need some 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:07.280 of the CUDA only features right now, you could go with a Radeon graphics card 00:07:04.400 --> 00:07:11.599 such as a 7970 GHz edition. And you'd also get some free games to go along 00:07:08.960 --> 00:07:16.639 with it with their never settle bundle. And we're going to make the most 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:19.120 exciting video ever about storage. 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:23.120 All right, storage isn't that sexy, but we've got an Intel 520 series SSD. This 00:07:21.599 --> 00:07:27.120 is their highest performing consumer grade SSD, and we went with that because 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:32.160 again, we had a slightly bigger budget. We also up the capacity. We've got 240 00:07:29.919 --> 00:07:36.240 gigs. Now, that gives us flexibility. We can either install a ton of apps and 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:41.039 games on it or we can segment 60 gigs of it to use as a cache to accelerate our 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:45.919 mechanical drive. Now, this is where it's going to come down to personal 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:48.000 choice. We went with a three terbyte WD 00:07:45.919 --> 00:07:53.199 green drive and the reason for that is that with its low power consumption and 00:07:50.400 --> 00:07:58.879 quiet operation. It was a good fit for our build here. However, if you wanted 00:07:56.479 --> 00:08:03.360 to use a dedicated scratch disc or if you needed more storage for large video 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:07.840 editing projects, you might end up with an internal RAID array for example and 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:12.240 then an individual dedicated scratch disc rather than going with this single 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:17.840 green drive solution. So, the options are totally out there. But remember 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:21.759 guys, green isn't like it was before where you were getting great power 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:25.840 consumption and low noise at the cost of performance, particularly in sustained 00:08:24.080 --> 00:08:30.720 performance. They're right up there with many 7200 RPM drives now. So, you don't 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:36.399 have to make that trade-off. And that's why we went this 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:38.159 route. Whoa. Excuse me. Now, I've talked 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:41.360 a lot about the silence optimized aspects of the system, but I haven't 00:08:39.599 --> 00:08:45.120 shown you how we're doing it yet. It starts with the power supply. A loud 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:49.040 power supply is difficult to deal with because you can't just swap out the fan 00:08:46.880 --> 00:08:53.920 without special training or pretty serious danger. So, we've gone with a 00:08:50.880 --> 00:08:55.920 CIC G series. CIC has a legendary 00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:59.680 reputation for building quiet as well as high performance power supplies. In 00:08:57.839 --> 00:09:04.080 fact, many of the power supplies you see in the market with other brand names on 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:08.160 them are actually manufactured by CIC. This one is 80 plus gold, meaning we 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:12.160 don't have to remove as much heat from the inefficiency of the power 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:16.160 conversion. It is also semi-odular, meaning that we don't have to have 00:09:13.839 --> 00:09:20.080 unnecessary cables jumbling up the case, so we don't have to have our case fans 00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:23.600 spinning louder. It uses a single strong 12volt rail, meaning you don't have to 00:09:21.920 --> 00:09:27.279 worry about what plugs into where. And last but not least, it has a 5year 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:32.480 warranty to go along with that 5year warranty on your motherboard. Now, those 00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:37.040 two components that fail most often over time, the motherboard as well as the 00:09:34.560 --> 00:09:41.519 power supply, have 5-year warranties in this system. Now, it's only a 550 W 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:44.240 power supply, but I'm going to show you guys what the power consumption of the 00:09:42.959 --> 00:09:50.399 system looks like when you're done. And I think you're going to be pretty impressed at the way it handles it, even 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:53.760 though NVIDIA recommends a 600 watt 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:55.839 power supply for a GTX 780based system. 00:09:53.760 --> 00:10:00.480 Next up, we've got a Dark Rock 2 CPU cooler. It looks great. It's quiet. It 00:09:58.560 --> 00:10:03.920 runs cool. No complaints about it whatsoever. We decided to go air cooling 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:08.160 with this build rather than liquid cooling. We showed you liquid cooling last time, so we're going to shake 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:12.080 things up. Finally, we've got the Fractal Design Define R4. This is the 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:16.720 black windowed version, but it's available in different colors or without 00:10:13.839 --> 00:10:21.279 a window if you prefer. It is again silence optimized with acoustic 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:25.440 dampening materials as well as it has the ability to provide ample air flow 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:28.640 with ventilation in the front and it gives you the option to remove some of 00:10:26.880 --> 00:10:33.440 the silence optimized material and add more fans with their modu vent 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:35.320 technology should you so desire. Not 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:39.839 only that, but it looks fantastic. Oh, my case is gone. I guess 00:10:38.640 --> 00:10:46.160 that means we're going to talk about peripherals now. We're going to start with the Razer Death Adder 2013. I think 00:10:43.839 --> 00:10:50.720 it's a fantastic value, even though it's a little bit of a higherend mouse. So, 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:54.399 while the peripherals don't fit into my $2,000 budget, the goal here was to pick 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:57.920 peripherals that I thought were appropriate for someone spending two 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:02.560 grand on their tower. And the Death Adder 2013 has great heritage. The Death 00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:06.320 Adder is extremely well regarded, but it's got some tweaks. A higher 00:11:04.160 --> 00:11:10.160 sensitivity optical sensor, making it great for gaming without any 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:14.480 acceleration issues. It's got tweaked ergonomics as well as rubberized grips 00:11:11.760 --> 00:11:19.600 that make it feel great and I just like it. So, there you go. Next up, we've got 00:11:16.959 --> 00:11:24.000 the Filco Magistouch Ninja. We've got a Cherry MX Brown full-sized keyboard. 00:11:22.079 --> 00:11:27.920 This gives a good balance between a typing experience and gaming experience. 00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:31.839 I personally love Cherry MX Brown key switches, and it looks fantastic and 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:35.600 very professional with the key caps printed on the front rather than on the 00:11:33.839 --> 00:11:39.040 top. That also means that the printing will last forever because it won't wear 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:42.640 off with your fingers. For our mouse pad, we've gone with the Steel Series 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:46.160 QCK because regardless of budget, I use it for everything. I love this mouse 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.720 pad. Just just get one. Even if you're not building this system, don't worry 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:54.160 about it. Now, let's talk about the peripherals that you don't generally touch. We went with the Custom One Pros 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:57.680 from Bayer Dynamic for our headphones. These are closed, making them great for 00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:02.000 going off to your own little world, whether it's work or play. They sound 00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:05.360 fantastic. They have an adjustable bass port, meaning you can decide, okay, I 00:12:03.680 --> 00:12:09.040 want a ton of bass for this music or not as much for another one, which is 00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:13.040 actually very, very cool. And last but not least, they are incredibly 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:16.639 comfortable. These are the personal headphone of choice for Slick right now. 00:12:14.880 --> 00:12:21.760 The one drawback being they don't have a built-in microphone, so you will need a 00:12:18.959 --> 00:12:27.120 standalone microphone. For our monitor, this is what I expect to be a bit of a 00:12:24.160 --> 00:12:32.560 contested topic. Now, many gamers will opt instead for fast response TN panels 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:37.600 because those are going to give you less motion blur as well as less input lag 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:41.760 when you're gaming. Now, Slick and I discussed it at length and we decided to 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:48.000 go with a PA248. This is a ProArt series from ASUS because we prefer the vibrant, 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:52.320 rich colors and better viewing angle to the faster response time for our gaming 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:56.720 enjoyment. With that said, neither of us are pro gamers. So, what's the advantage 00:12:54.160 --> 00:13:00.560 of this monitor? It's 1920 x 1200 instead of 1080, giving you a little bit 00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:04.399 more vertical resolution. It comes pre-calibrated, meaning those colors are 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:10.240 going to be accurate right out of the box. And honestly, having gamed on this 00:13:07.920 --> 00:13:14.720 monitor a fair bit, I don't notice any particular input lag. I don't notice any 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:19.600 particular ghosting even compared to TN panels. So, I'd say for the price, given 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:24.320 that the 248 isn't that much more expensive than a TN panel, especially a 00:13:22.160 --> 00:13:31.560 gaming grade one, I would go with this option. But of course, the choice is 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:33.839 yours. And now it is step by 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:38.800 step. I got kind of far away from the mic there. Time to build this PC. So, 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:43.279 we're going to start with our usual procedure where we install the 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:48.160 components. We assemble them together before putting them in the case to make 00:13:45.040 --> 00:13:50.079 sure that everything is working a okay 00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:53.600 before we make more work for ourselves when we're trying to swap things in and 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:58.880 out and they're inside a chassis. The motherboard box makes a fantastic test 00:13:56.120 --> 00:14:03.120 bench. Before we get started, here's everything you need. A nice anti-static 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:07.680 place to work. I don't recommend working on carpet if you can avoid it. We are 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:10.800 actually using a Modmat Extreme from ModRate, which is a nice rubberized 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:16.639 surface, so we're not going to damage anything. It's not going to slip off away from us and it's anti-static. I 00:14:14.880 --> 00:14:21.279 recommend using an anti-static wrist strap that you then attach the other end 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:25.519 to either a grounded out power supply or similar or to a grounded wall outlet. 00:14:23.760 --> 00:14:30.000 And finally, you'll need a standard Phillips head screwdriver. First up, 00:14:27.839 --> 00:14:34.399 once we've got our motherboard on our well makeshift anti-static test 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:38.560 platform, is to install the CPU. The only things you need from the CPU box 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:42.079 are the processor itself and the stock heat sink, which we're only going to use 00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:46.800 to make sure that the system's working outside of the case. Step one is to lift 00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:50.399 up the retention ARM. There shouldn't be too much force that you need to apply. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:55.519 Once it's out of the way, you can actually lift up the entire hold down 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:58.000 plate. Next up, align the golden 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:03.519 triangle on the corner of the CPU with the triangle or dot on the CPU socket. 00:15:01.199 --> 00:15:08.600 There should also be two indentations. The CPU only fits in one way. Never 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:12.279 force it. The socket is very fragile. Give it a little wiggle to make 00:15:10.800 --> 00:15:18.160 sure it's in the right spot. Lower the cover plate and then 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:21.519 bring down the retention ARM. There should be a little bit of force required 00:15:19.760 --> 00:15:24.959 this time. You'll have to swing it out a little bit wide and then hook it 00:15:22.880 --> 00:15:29.199 underneath the hold down clip. And what you'll notice is that protective 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:33.760 covering over the pins in the CPU socket now pops off completely on its own and 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:39.040 your CPU is installed. Installing the stock heatsink is a snap. Well, four 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:43.040 snaps, actually. It has thermal compound pre-applied, so you don't have to worry 00:15:40.880 --> 00:15:47.399 about that. Just make sure that you have enough slack on the four pin CPU fan 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:52.639 connector to reach the header on your motherboard. I'm going to plug that in. 00:15:49.839 --> 00:15:58.320 There we go. Then apply pressure in a diagonal fashion to the four hold down 00:15:55.560 --> 00:16:01.320 pins until you hear them snap into place. 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:08.959 Installing RAM is easy as pie. 3.14 that 00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:13.040 is. I usually recommend using the two slots that are furthest away from the 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:16.880 CPU socket. And then all you have to do is make sure that you align the notch in 00:16:14.959 --> 00:16:20.800 the bottom of the RAM with the notch in the socket. In this particular 00:16:18.800 --> 00:16:25.120 motherboard, you can see only one side has a retention clip. So, put that side 00:16:22.959 --> 00:16:33.480 in. Put the side with no retention clip in first. Then press down firmly until 00:16:28.800 --> 00:16:36.560 the clip goes into place. Rinse and 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:38.480 repeat. Please don't rinse your memory. 00:16:36.560 --> 00:16:42.240 Now it's time to move on to the case. So, we're going to open up the side 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:45.680 panels, both side panels, because we're going to need access to the back of it 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:49.920 for all of our cable management. Keep your screws somewhere safe. I recommend 00:16:47.680 --> 00:16:55.279 keeping them in a small dish, such as the one that I of course have readily 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:59.279 available right here. thumb screws go in there and put your side panels somewhere 00:16:57.199 --> 00:17:03.360 safe. The last thing you want to do is trip over them or something like that 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:06.880 and scratch them or dent them before you even have a chance to put together your 00:17:05.199 --> 00:17:10.959 computer. I recommend putting them in the box that they came in with the 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:15.919 packing foam in between. This is an optional step, but I like to do it. So, 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:20.400 you take the box or baggie or whatever the accessories for your case comes in, 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:24.240 open it up, and dump them all out. Make sure they're all there. This particular 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:27.520 case comes with a little inventory on the back of the box that tells you 00:17:25.520 --> 00:17:31.840 exactly what should be inside. Then you take all those pieces and dump them in 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:35.039 your tray. That way you know where everything is when you're looking for it 00:17:33.600 --> 00:17:39.520 and you don't have to be fumbling around. The next thing to install is the 00:17:37.520 --> 00:17:42.960 IO shield. You're going to regret it if you forget this one, so I recommend 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:47.200 doing it first. All you have to do is take it out of the motherboard box, 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:50.160 position it at the back of the case. Sometimes there's a placeholder there. 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:53.600 Don't worry, you're not supposed to use that. just take it out. On this case, we 00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:59.039 don't have that, though. And then press on all four corners firmly until you 00:17:56.080 --> 00:17:59.039 hear them snap into 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:05.760 place. Next, we're going to prepare the case to have the motherboard inside it. 00:18:03.520 --> 00:18:10.000 Fractal includes a little adapter from Phillips head to the hex pieces that are 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:15.200 the motherboard standoffs that you're going to screw into the tray. They also 00:18:11.919 --> 00:18:18.400 clearly label with an A for ATX and an M 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:20.320 for MATX or shorter motherboards where 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:23.960 you need to put in the standoffs. We're going to put in nine standoffs in all 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:28.559 the ones marked A. Next, the motherboard goes into the 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:33.480 case. I'd really recommend laying your case flat before doing this. 00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:39.200 Then what you do is you position the IO 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:44.799 on the back of the motherboard with the IO in the back of the IO panel which you 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:48.799 just installed. Slide it into place very carefully without scraping the back of 00:18:47.120 --> 00:18:52.640 the motherboard against the motherboard standoffs that you also just installed. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:56.240 I recommend holding the motherboard by the CPU heat sink, that stock heatsink 00:18:54.640 --> 00:19:00.240 that we're going to take off, in order to prevent touching sensitive parts on 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:05.440 the motherboard or putting undue strain on other parts of it. Once it's in 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:07.679 position, put in at least one screw so 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:11.120 that it holds in place. Then put in the other eight screws and your 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:14.320 motherboard's installed. Now we're ready to get that stock CPU cooler out of 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:17.919 there and replace it with our aftermarket one. Now, the reason we put 00:19:16.320 --> 00:19:21.360 the stock one in in the first place was just in case we had some weird clearance 00:19:19.679 --> 00:19:26.080 issues while we were trying to install things in the system. We didn't want to, 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:30.000 you know, have to take an aftermarket one back off because it can be a little 00:19:27.679 --> 00:19:34.720 bit more difficult than the plastic push pins that are used on the stock one. So, 00:19:32.080 --> 00:19:39.039 I've pulled that off. Now, boop. Now, all we got to do is install our 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:43.559 aftermarket one after, of course, cleaning off the CPU. So, use 99% 00:19:41.919 --> 00:19:49.200 isopropyl alcohol, wet a piece of toilet 00:19:46.760 --> 00:19:53.360 paper, clean off the bulk of the thermal compound, then follow up with a lintfree 00:19:51.679 --> 00:19:57.280 cloth. That's going to allow you to make sure that there's no residue left on the 00:19:55.080 --> 00:20:00.559 CPU. Next up, you're going to put some thermal compound on. Your cooler is 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:05.760 going to come with thermal compound. Put on about the same amount as uh about a 00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:10.880 cooked grain of rice is what I would go for for a modern 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:14.799 CPU. Now, we need to make a decision about how we're going to orient the heat 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:19.280 sink in our case. Now, if we had top exhaust, we might consider mounting the 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:23.280 heat sink horizontally like this so we could take advantage of it. But we left 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:26.640 the module vents in, which means we don't have top exhaust. So, we're going 00:20:25.120 --> 00:20:31.120 to opt to position our heat sink vertically like this. Then, when we 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:35.200 install our fan afterwards, we're going to install it pushing air towards the 00:20:33.280 --> 00:20:40.799 back of the case, pulling air through the heat sink so that we're leveraging 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:42.400 that rear 140 mm exhaust. Now, to 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.360 install it, you want to make sure that you have enough clearance around your 00:20:43.840 --> 00:20:49.840 RAM for the side that you're going to have your fan on. If we had the fan on 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:53.039 this side, say for example, like this, we wouldn't have room with this 00:20:51.120 --> 00:20:57.039 high-profile RAM. So, something you might want to consider is going for a 00:20:54.720 --> 00:21:00.960 lowprofile Vengeance RAM kit rather than a high-profile one like this if you're 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.840 going to use an air cooling heat sink. Instead, what we're going to do is we're 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:09.440 just going to turn it around. So, our fan is going to be right next to our exhaust fan right here on the heat sink. 00:21:07.679 --> 00:21:14.240 The good news is that mounting this be quiet! Dark Rock 2 is quite simple. All 00:21:11.520 --> 00:21:17.679 you do is position the heat sink. Then you can actually squeeze the back plate 00:21:16.159 --> 00:21:24.000 under the thermal armor on the saber-tooth, which is kind of neat because it holds it in place and screw 00:21:21.760 --> 00:21:27.919 the four screws in from the back. Then all that's left to do is mount the fan 00:21:26.159 --> 00:21:32.880 to the heat sink using the included clips. Plug the CPU fan connector into 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:37.919 the header on your motherboard and you're done. Your heatsink is now 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:42.240 mounted. Next, we're going to install the power supply. So, you have the 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:46.400 option of either having the fan on the bottom of the power supply or on the 00:21:44.320 --> 00:21:49.919 top, but we're going to go with the fan pointing down this time around. This 00:21:48.159 --> 00:21:54.640 case does have a filtered intake down there, so you don't have to worry about it getting completely clogged up with 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:59.039 dust. But the main reason that we're going this route versus the other way 00:21:56.320 --> 00:22:02.159 around is that it looks like our cables are going to have a little bit of 00:22:00.080 --> 00:22:06.400 trouble reaching the very top where our eight pin CPU connector is unless we 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:10.880 install it this way. Because the fixed cables on this power supply, the 24 pin 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:16.400 and the 8 pin are going to be over on your right hand side, my left, if I 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:20.559 install it with the fan down. To attach the power supply to the case, we simply 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:24.039 use the four screws that come in their own little baggie that are threaded 00:22:22.320 --> 00:22:29.360 correctly for the back of the power supply. So now it's time to start 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:30.720 running some of the connectors. So we're 00:22:29.360 --> 00:22:35.840 going to start with the 24 pin connector. This provides most of the power to your motherboard. We get to go 00:22:34.080 --> 00:22:39.919 through that nice cable management hole down there at the bottom, through this 00:22:37.840 --> 00:22:46.000 other nice cable management hole up here at the top. Then we curve around, plug 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:48.559 that bad boy in, and we have wired our 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:53.039 24 pin connector in a nice, neat, tidy, clean way. Next, we've got our eight pin 00:22:51.120 --> 00:22:57.520 connector, which is also going to route behind the motherboard tray. So, it's 00:22:55.520 --> 00:23:03.440 going to go right through that bottom spot there. Then is going to come back 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:05.440 up the There we go. top left of the 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:09.200 motherboard tray and plug right into that eight pin connector up at the top 00:23:07.120 --> 00:23:12.720 left. This part's a little bit tricky, so if you can't get it yourself, maybe 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:16.720 get someone with small hands to help you out with it. Now, this is the point in 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:20.640 the build guide where it's all about social 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:23.919 networking or making connection. Yeah, making connection connecting things. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:27.679 That's what I was looking for, right? Connecting things. So, we're going to 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:33.280 start with our front panel connectors. USB 3 is a large block of a connector, 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:36.960 usually blue, very thick, very inflexible. You want to run that as 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:40.000 close as you can to your front USB 3 port, which in the case of this 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:43.280 motherboard happens to be right angle, which is awesome, meaning it's going to 00:23:41.919 --> 00:23:48.559 look nice and tidy, and you don't have to have a big loop toloop. Next up, 00:23:45.679 --> 00:23:53.679 you've got front USB 2. These ones have a small missing pin, so it only goes in 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:58.200 one way. Plug that block into any of the USB 2 headers on your motherboard. 00:23:55.679 --> 00:24:04.159 Usually, there are a couple of them. Finally, we've got front panel 00:24:01.280 --> 00:24:10.320 audio. Front panel audio usually has a couple of different options, HD and 00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:15.120 AC97. This one only has HD. That's great because it's been a long time since any 00:24:12.159 --> 00:24:20.320 motherboard required an AC97 pin out. Once again, missing one block in the 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:24.080 pins. So, just plug that into the front panel connector. Guys, this is the point 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:27.640 in the build where don't be shy about checking out the motherboard manual to 00:24:25.919 --> 00:24:34.400 double check where all of these things are, which leaves only the front power 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:37.600 button, reset button, and power LED to 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:40.159 plug in. Now, I normally show you how to 00:24:37.600 --> 00:24:44.159 plug these in directly to the board, but because I'm a bit of a purist, but there 00:24:42.159 --> 00:24:48.240 is an easier way. ASUS has what they call their Q connector, which allows you 00:24:46.080 --> 00:24:51.760 to plug them all in easily where you can see what you're doing and then take that 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:55.600 whole block and plug it into the motherboard. I still insist on doing it 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:59.520 the other way simply because it makes the connector slightly more low profile 00:24:57.919 --> 00:25:02.480 so there's less chance of them interfering with anything and I 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:07.360 personally think it looks better this way. But you have either option. We've 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:12.799 got two drives to install. One's a 2 and 1/2 in SSD. The other is a 3 and 1/2 in 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:16.960 hard drive. We're going to opt for using the lower of the drive bays. This is 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:22.159 just to make cable management a little bit more tidy. And to mount our SSD is 00:25:19.760 --> 00:25:26.240 very, very simple. You orient the ports towards the back of the case, the side 00:25:23.919 --> 00:25:29.520 that we're not working from. Put in at least a couple screws. Let's face it, 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:37.200 it's a non- mechanical device. It's not like it's going to get broken if you don't put in enough screws. And 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:39.520 then slide the cage into place. For the 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:44.520 hard drive, the process is slightly more complicated. Retrieve the sled. We're 00:25:42.320 --> 00:25:50.720 still using the same ones. Grab the screws that have the 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:56.080 spacer on them because there are rubber grommets in the sled positioned 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:57.840 perfectly for 3 and 1/2 in drives. Then 00:25:56.080 --> 00:26:01.600 orient the ports towards the back of the case that we're not working on. Screw 00:25:59.760 --> 00:26:04.320 all four in securely. Remember, this is a mechanical 00:26:04.520 --> 00:26:10.320 device. And then slide the sled into the 00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:13.840 case. Those rubber grommets are going to help prevent vibrations from being 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:17.159 passed from the drive to your case, which is going to make it operate much 00:26:16.320 --> 00:26:21.760 more quietly. Now, we've got to connect those 00:26:19.600 --> 00:26:25.279 drives that we just added to the system. This power supply is modular, though, so 00:26:23.600 --> 00:26:30.480 there's no SATA connectors attached to it. Go into the usually a little baggie 00:26:27.919 --> 00:26:35.440 or box inside your power supply box and grab a dual SATA connector. So, this 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:39.840 will allow us with one cable harness to plug in both drives. You can plug the 00:26:37.840 --> 00:26:47.039 six pin connector into any of the outlets on the power supply itself as 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:47.039 long as they are the same. So, six pins. 00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:53.360 Then, plug each of the SATA power connectors into the back of the 00:26:54.360 --> 00:27:00.960 drives. Once you're finished with power, grab a couple SATA data cables. These 00:26:59.520 --> 00:27:05.840 will be included in your motherboard box. I would recommend grabbing one 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:11.440 straight one and one right angle one. Plug the other ends where they're both 00:27:08.159 --> 00:27:11.440 straight into the 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:19.760 motherboard. Then plug the straight connector into the SSD and the right 00:27:18.080 --> 00:27:24.480 angle connector into the hard drive at the back. As we get close to the end, 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:29.279 you guys are probably starting to notice that this is a really, really tidy 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:34.240 looking build. You can hardly see any wires. This is what great cable 00:27:31.600 --> 00:27:37.760 management, a wellthoughtout build, and modular cables will do for you because 00:27:35.919 --> 00:27:42.080 we're only going to plug in one more modular cable harness. And this is going 00:27:39.840 --> 00:27:46.960 to allow us to get power to our fan speed controller as well as the fans 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:51.200 that are integrated to the case. We're going to allow the ASUS motherboard to 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:55.279 control the CPU fan because it does a really good job of that and it can be 00:27:52.799 --> 00:28:00.120 controlled from within AI Suite. So, all we need to do now is plug the modular 00:27:57.360 --> 00:28:04.159 connector into the power supply, run it through the back just 00:28:02.399 --> 00:28:09.120 like we've done with all the other ones, and we can power all of the fans in this 00:28:06.159 --> 00:28:14.080 case simply by plugging one Molex connector into the Molex lead that comes 00:28:11.760 --> 00:28:18.399 out of the front panel. Now, at the back of the case, connecting our fans is 00:28:16.159 --> 00:28:23.039 simple. We've only got two fans in the case, one at the back, one at the front. 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:27.600 So, we take those leads and plug them into ones that are coming out of the 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:31.440 front fan connector. So, there's one short one. I'd recommend running that 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:35.120 one to the front. And there are two long ones. I'd recommend connecting one of 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:38.640 those to the back. And you can use that other one for something else in the 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:43.120 future should you desire. Maybe an additional front fan if you decide to 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:46.880 add that. So close, guys. Time for a little bit of cable management. Now, 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:51.919 here's a tech tip for you. A lot of your components are going to come with twist 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:53.600 ties. I usually put those with the zip 00:28:51.919 --> 00:28:57.360 ties that came with my case because it gives me even more cable fasteners to 00:28:55.600 --> 00:29:01.120 use. Some of the zip ties can be particularly long. And these are great 00:28:59.600 --> 00:29:04.720 for when you want to take a nice big bundle of cables, take one of those 00:29:03.120 --> 00:29:10.640 little hooks that are on the back of the motherboard tray, and then tie the whole 00:29:07.760 --> 00:29:14.159 bundle together all in one place like so. Because there's so much cable 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:18.480 management room on the back of the motherboard tray in the Define R4, you 00:29:16.399 --> 00:29:23.039 don't have to worry too much about bulky cables causing you to not be able to 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:29.520 close up the side panel once you are done. And now it's time to put that sexy 00:29:26.159 --> 00:29:33.440 GTX 780 into your rig. So find the top 00:29:29.520 --> 00:29:37.039 PCI Express slot, PCIe16 is the long 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:39.520 slot, and remove the next two PCI slot 00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:45.840 covers down from that. So that means removing the thumb screw, not letting 00:29:41.600 --> 00:29:48.000 the PCI bracket cover fall onto anything 00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:52.960 random because that might be bad. Okay, loosen the thumb screw. Undo it again. 00:29:49.840 --> 00:29:52.960 This time not letting it 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:58.240 fall. That time I let the thumb screw fall. Don't worry too much about this, 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:02.480 folks. Don't worry. We got this. We're experts here. All right. Now, you 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:08.240 position the graphics card with the PCI Express 16X slot aligned with the PCI 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:10.200 Express 16X slot in your motherboard. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:15.039 Make sure everything is lined up correctly. Press down firmly. Then all 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:19.919 you have to do is put those two thumb screws back 00:30:17.159 --> 00:30:24.880 in. And then once you're finished with the thumb screws, in much the same 00:30:22.399 --> 00:30:32.080 fashion as you did before with your SATA drives as well as your fan controller, 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:34.320 plug the two PCI Express connectors into 00:30:32.080 --> 00:30:39.840 your power supply. Run them up the back of the motherboard tray. bring them up 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:42.559 to your graphics card and plug one six 00:30:39.840 --> 00:30:48.159 pin connector in. So that's with the two extra pins just left dangling and one 00:30:45.360 --> 00:30:55.000 eightpin connector in to your graphics card. Now it has all the power it needs 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:57.840 to deliver all that juicy 3D 00:30:55.000 --> 00:31:04.000 goodness. And there you have it, guys. If that's not a gorgeous build, then I 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:09.559 don't know what is. It goes to show you how optimized components as well as 00:31:07.760 --> 00:31:14.000 somewhat careful assembly. I mean, we weren't totally militant about the way 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:19.039 that we did our cable management, but it goes to show you how those things 00:31:15.520 --> 00:31:21.279 together can turn into a very, very nice 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:26.399 looking rig that you'd be proud to call your gaming machine, but not embarrassed 00:31:23.840 --> 00:31:30.159 to call your professional workstation. Now, performance. One of the most fun 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:35.279 things about getting a new computer is comparing it to your old one and going, 00:31:32.120 --> 00:31:37.120 "Yeah, that's a lot better." So, I 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:41.440 always like to run some rudimentary benchmarks just to see how much time I'm 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:45.840 going to be saving. But, I guess I'm wasting some of it running the benchmarks. Don't worry too much about 00:31:43.840 --> 00:31:49.120 that because we're touting this machine not only as a gaming machine. So, you 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:52.880 might want to run some 3D Mark benchmarks or some built-in benchmarks 00:31:51.120 --> 00:31:57.360 in some of your favorite games, but also as a workstation machine. We're going to 00:31:54.720 --> 00:32:02.640 run Cinebench, which is a free application for benchmarking, and that 00:31:59.919 --> 00:32:06.080 shows off the rendering prowess of your computer. So, we're going to run the CPU 00:32:04.080 --> 00:32:10.000 benchmark there. Not only can you evaluate how much of an improvement you 00:32:07.760 --> 00:32:13.760 got over your old system, but also how much of an improvement you got by 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:19.360 overclocking. By turning our CPU up from 3.5 GHz, which turbos up to 3.9 with one 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:25.200 or two cores active, all the way up to 4.4 4 GHz on all cores all the time. We 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:29.919 were able to get more than a 25% performance improvement in Cinebench, 00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:32.960 which is going to be noticeable in the real world when you're actually working 00:32:31.360 --> 00:32:38.240 on things, which I personally think is incredibly cool. And all of that is 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:42.000 while maintaining the silence of this machine to the point where you pretty 00:32:39.840 --> 00:32:47.200 much have to put your ear next to it in order to hear the fans. But what's 00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:52.320 performance without efficiency? Haswell offers unprecedented C states, that is 00:32:49.919 --> 00:33:00.159 lower power states for the CPU to the point where this machine with a GTX 780, 00:32:56.000 --> 00:33:03.039 that's a Titanbased GPU, so GK 110 with 00:33:00.159 --> 00:33:09.760 a Haswell 4770K, so it's got your hyperthreading, it's got your 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:11.679 overclocking up to 4.4 GHz, idles at 55 00:33:09.760 --> 00:33:16.640 watts drawn from the wall. That means the system is actually consuming less 00:33:14.159 --> 00:33:21.039 than 50 watts once you factor in the inefficiency of the power supply 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:25.360 converting AC to DC power. Not only that, but when we created a load 00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:31.120 scenario that was completely unrealistic running Firmark as well as Ida's CPU 00:33:28.159 --> 00:33:35.919 test, we were only able to draw a total of 465 watts from the wall. That means 00:33:34.159 --> 00:33:40.320 the actual system power consumption maxes out around 400 watts. Remember 00:33:38.159 --> 00:33:44.080 when I said that 550 watt power supply was going to be just fine in this 00:33:41.679 --> 00:33:48.640 system? There you go. I wouldn't exactly go and add another GTX 780 to it without 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:51.760 upgrading the power supply, but you'll certainly be able to do small 00:33:49.919 --> 00:33:56.240 incremental upgrades like maybe a little bit more RAM or a couple more drives 00:33:53.679 --> 00:33:59.440 without any difficulty whatsoever. Now, all of that's fine and good. So, now 00:33:57.679 --> 00:34:03.039 we've got power and now we've got efficiency and performance and all that 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:06.799 good stuff. But what about temperatures? Because silence optimized is all fine 00:34:05.120 --> 00:34:10.800 and great, but if it's running really hot, you're not going to be comfortable 00:34:08.399 --> 00:34:14.800 with it. Even with our overclock, check this out. Running our stress test, we're 00:34:12.560 --> 00:34:20.000 running at 63°. Now, this room's a little bit cool. So, let's say maximum 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:25.359 70°, even if you're in quite a warm room. That is pretty darn impressive. 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:27.599 Your Core i7 4770K is going to perform 00:34:25.359 --> 00:34:31.440 great and last for a long time with those kinds of temperatures in this kind 00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:35.960 of environment. I hope you guys have enjoyed this build guide with featuring 00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:40.079 Intel's Haswell fourth generation 4770K. Don't forget to subscribe to 00:34:38.240 --> 00:34:44.240 Effective for more unboxings, reviews, and other computer videos. And please 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:47.440 guys, leave a comment under the video. Let us know what you'd like to see for 00:34:45.839 --> 00:34:52.359 future build guides because I can promise you more of them are coming.