That means day 0, ordering day, is finally here and I can write about what I am getting and why. I am actually glad I waited to write this as I changed the processor in the meantime. What happened? Well, the wait was so long that in the meantime Intel released their 5th generation processors (Broadwell if you are into these things, and you probably are if you are reading this). More about this happy coincidence below.
The computer of my dreams
I am just kidding, I have more interesting dreams than computers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPH4XM8Q-w
But anyway, I wasn't going for gold here, just something good for everyday use but with enough room for some extras:
Virtual machines: my main OS is Ubuntu and I use VirtualBox a lot to get a Windows desktop when I need one. Some apps I use like Drumburp only run on Windows. I also have Linux VMs for things like checking out new distros (Mint, XBMC) or experimenting with some OS changes that I don't want to risk on the host.
Light gaming: after all these years I am still a fan of Sins of a Solar Empire.
Real time sound recording: I have a usb cable that I use to tape myself playing bass. I don't know what I need but obviously free, easy to access usb ports is one requirement.
In summary, I don't need much. Once you look at the list, you'll realize I probably got much more that what I needed. Sue me :-)
Without further ado, this is the bad boy
Case: Silverstone FTZ01
Power supply: Silverstone
Mother board; Asus H97I-Plus
CPU Intel i5-5675C
Memory: 16GB
The rest comes from my old computer: 500GB HDD, 256GB SSD, screen, mouse. The video card (I have a Nvidia GT640) I am still not sure if I'll bring across. The Iris Pro 6200 might be enough for what I need.
Why these components?
The biggest decision to make was the form factor. Would I be happy with another tower? I am not unhappy with my current one, but I thought maybe I could turn up the cool factor a bit, which shouldn't be difficult to do since my current computer is a very plain all black tower.
So, one of the candidates was something like this:
Very bad ass, isn't it? It also cries "I am 29 and still play with my Transformers", but I've never been the one to shy away from that.
A second option would be a NUC:
I already have one in the living room working as HTPC and I am extremely happy with it. Ultimately, I thought the limited extensibility would be a liability in the long term. However, while considering the NUC I realized it would be nice to get rid of the big chunky tower under my desk and started exploring option for something bigger than the NUC but still possible to put on the desk. Long story short, after checking many many cases that would fit on my desk underneath the monitor I settled for a Mini-ITX case, especifically the Silverstone ML07 which not only looks great but also has really good reviews, in part thanks for its innovative design that allows to plug a really big video card (for a mini ITX case, that is).
I was just about to click "buy" and then I read that the ML07 would get a aluminum version, the FTZ01. I just could resist. Maybe one day this computer will be my next HTPC and I don't want a worn out plastic case if that happens.
I haven't received the FTZ01 yet, it should be coming this week, but by checking the dimensions from the specs I am really impressed (and was skeptical at first) that such a small case could fit a full sized computer. Of course, with NUC I bought last year I had seen what modern, laptop oriented, processors could do inside such a small package but deep inside I am still a guy that grew up buying tower cases in the 90s (and doesn't own a laptop). Clearly the case is bigger than a laptop, but this is still a computer that will be assembled manually by me not in a factory in China.
CPU and motherboard
Once I had the form factor and case I had to choose the mobo and processor. Given the small factor, energy efficiency was a must so I decided to go with Intel and their Haswell processors. I didn't have so many options for the mobo so I decided to go with Asus which is a brand I trust (has yet to let me down after the Nexus 7 and my current pc). Basically I could choose their H97 or Z97 line, the latter being the version with all the bells and whistles (including the overcloking). I didn't really need that much so decided for the H97I. I considered getting a version with wifi but after some investigation found out that the onboard chip might not work well under Linux. Oh well, there has to be some downside to using Linux and hardware compatibility is one of them. For example, the intel 7260 I bought for my NUC does not work well under Wifi 802.11N, I have to force it to connect as G. Can't wait to upgrade to AC but I am worried to buying an AC router just to find out that AC does not work under Linux either.
Back in March, the CPU I settled for was the i5-4590S but after the 3 months wait for the fancy case I found out that the new Broadwell processors were out including those with the powerful Iris pro 6200. In the original assessment (when I chose the 4590s) I had first looked into getting a processor with the Iris Pro 5200 (Haswell's top GPU) but it is not available for retail. If you'd like to know more about the Iris GPU you read Ars Technica's article on Broadwell. As you can see, back in Jan, there were no indications that a retail 6200 would come out. But then, in June, still waiting for the case, I found out there would be 6200 chips available in retail processors.
The rest
Yeah, a computer is more than the cpu, but the choice for power supply and memory are mostly functional and a function of case and mother board. I went for a 80+ rate power supply which I hope will keep the temperature down and as for the memory, I chose 16GB because I am complete tabs addict. Right now, while writing this I have over 80 tabs open, over 4 windows and two different browsers (don't ask, I use Chrome and Firefox and the same time). Plus, working with VMs is quite memory intensive.
What's next?
In the next posts I'll put a few pictures of the components as they arrive and will tell my experience building my first computer. In particular I want this to be of help for other Linux users. I spent so much time getting my NUC to work with Linux last year and I always regretted never documenting the struggles for other people.
Until Day 1.
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