Custom Build !

So I chose to do this build for something new and to try out the glorified Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition processor. I want to test out the processors power and to see how far it goes. It is also a budget build, including rebates it came out to a little under $650. The parts I chose were specific to my needs, at this point, with plenty of room for improvement. 

First thing first are the parts that I chose. Thanks to PCPartPicker I was able to view all of my components and prices. You can click on the link below to view them along with current prices and compatibility or just read off of the list provided. I personally like to see things for my self and I'm pretty sure many of you would like to as well. 

Part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/rayrod92/saved/4vyH99

Parts: 

CPU (central processing unit): Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M Liquid Cooler

            Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H LGA 1150

            Memory: Kingston Fury 4GB DDR-1600

            Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB

                 SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB

GPU (graphics processing unit): EVGA FTW GeForce GTX 750Ti 2GB

            Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 (mid tower)

            PSU (power supply unit): EVGA 500w 80+

            Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer

Rosewill RNX-N600PCE, Dual Band Wireless N600 Wi-Fi Adapter, IEEE 802.11a/11b/11g/11n IEEE.

Tools I used to put everything together:

            Screw driver

            Zip ties (for neatness)

            Scissors (to cut zip ties)

Let's begin!

1. Let's take a look at the motherboard. I used the Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H. The reason I chose to go with this motherboard was because it was cheap and had just what I needed and nothing extra. Sure I could have gone with a more expansive board that has more USB slots, SLI compatibility, and etc but I don't need a lot of USB slots and I don't plan on using two or more graphics cards. The motherboard does support Windows 7-8.1 and hopefully with a bios update 9 or 10. It also supports 4^th and 5^th gen processors so when I'm finished with the Pentium I can upgrade to an i5 or anything equivalent or better to it.

Taking it out of the box and removing all of the nice protective plastics, its always good to leave the CPU cover on, just to be safe. As you can see the motherboard comes with a manual, drive disk, panel shield, and two SATA 3 cables (180 to 90 degrees).

2. is the CPU. When the Pentium came out everyone was spectacle of it because well it was a Pentium. They have a record of low power and not much capability but this time Pentium has made amazing upcoming with this years G3258; clocked at 3.2 GHz with two cores. Now I know that doesn't sound amazing but the G3258 comes unlocked. Yes, UNLOCKED. This processor has a record of hitting 4.5, even 4.8 GHz over clocked. So ladies and gentlemen that is the reason for this must have processor. The processor comes with a manual, and factory heat sink. 

Putting the pieces together were simple. To make sure all of the static electricity was cleared from my body I plugged in the power supply, leaving it off, and touched the metal parts of it every so often. The last thing anyone wants is to short their brand new motherboard. 

In order to put the processor in its new home, the lever on the CPU housing needed to be lifted, but leaving the plastic cover on. Gently placing the processor in the socket was tricky because the socket had its diagram well hidden but after figuring it out following the arrows provided it was a snap. Lowering the lever onto the processor and clipping it back in place, the plastic cover popped right off without me touching it. 

3. The motherboard can go up to 32gbs but right now the Pentium doesn’t need much memory so I’ve gone and bought a 4gb stick of Kingston HyperX Furry ram running DDR3 1600. 

Putting it in was a piece a cake. Place it on the correct way, push down, and ‘snap’ its in.

Since I got a single stick of ram when its time to move on to a more powerful CPU, I will install another 4 gig stick to give the CPU the support it needs.

4. Time for the GPU or graphics card. In my search for a low budget card, the EVGA FTW GeForce GTX 750 Ti popped up. It has 2 Gbs of GDDR5, core clocked at 1.19Ghz, 640 CUDA cores, PCI Express 3.0, 128-bit memory interface. It supports DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.4, is 3D VISION game ready, and is G-sync capable. It has 3 display connections 1-HDMI, 1-display port, and 1-DVI-I with max resolution of 4096x2160. In the box was the card, a DVI to VGA/D-sub adapter, and power cable. 

5. For the power supply I chose a good enough unit. My build doesn’t require much power so I went with the 500w EVGA 80+ unit. I actually saw a lot of great reviews for it so I figured I go with it for the price. 

6. For the case I decided to go with is the Thermaltake Versa H22. It’s roomy, has thumb screw panels for extra security, and great venting. It supports micro and standard ATX motherboards along with three 120mm fans. On the front panel it has two USB ports, 1-3.0 and 1-2.0, and an HD audio jack. 

7. Since I plan on overclocking the CPU I needed to be on the safe side and keep it nice and cool. Many people have used the stock heat sink/fan but it gets hot where this computer will be so a liquid cooler is needed. My choice of cooler was the Cooler Master Seidon 120m liquid water cooling system with radiator and fan. All hardware and instructions were great and straightforward. Everything needed, plus extra were included. 

Before installing the cooler a pea size of thermal paste was placed in the center of the processor. After looking around and reading I found that Arctic Silver 5 high-density polysynthetic thermal compound was a good and popular choice. Unfortunately I didn’t realize the cooler had came with its own brand paste but at least now I have extra. Installing is easy just match up the brackets to your motherboard, screw the cooler to the bracket, then the fan onto the radiator, and both of them together to the case. Just make sure the tubing is bent too much and try to keep a nice flow. 

8. To store all of my data I went with the Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 Tb hard drive running at 7200rpm. To boot up my operating system I went with the SATA 3 Kingston SSD Now V300 with 120gbs of space. Now the motherboard did provide two SATA 3 cables which will be used for the storage units.

9. Most builds don’t include optics drives but I like to think of it as an incase part. Now nothing had to be fancy about the drive, such as blu ray burning, so a standard optic drive for occasional use was good enough. You never know when something needs to be burnt on a disk or downloaded from one. In this case I chose the Samsung DVD burner 224DB/BEBE. Seeing as this drive is SATA compatible and the motherboard only provided 2 sata cables I need to purchase an extra to connect them, a little of a pain but hey. The cable I bought was a Coboc black 10 inch Sata 3 cable with one end 90 degrees and the other 180.

10. Where the computer is located there is no way I can run an Ethernet cable to it. I know I could go with making a bridge, accesses point, or even the powerline route but it would be best to just keep it simple. Since my router is a 300/300n, I figured this Rosewill N600 adapter would do the trick. It has 2 antennas, can connect to a, b, g, and n routers, and has good upload/download speeds. 

The only thing left to do is some cable management, boot her up with an operating system and enjoy the pleasures of a job well done. So I hope you enjoyed the write up or the pictures at least. Thank You For Reading !!!