Building my new computer - Day 1

Well, folks, I'm back from my holidays, all the components have arrived and it's time to start putting things together.

Where I should I start? I don't really know. I am guessing the smart thing is to put CPU and memory on the motherboard before putting the motherboard in the case.

Time to ask the internet for help:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/uncategorized/building-a-new-computer-part-2-putting-it-together/

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-build-a-pc-part-3,1382.html

It's good to know I don't need a grounded wrist straps because I don't have one. But I'll be touching my (metal) desk and (old) computer case every now and then.

***********4 hours later ************

Well, it's 1.30am and I just managed to finish putting most of it together, enough to try booting up a linux live usb drive. Did it work? I'll tell you at the end of the post.

Before, a few I learned along the way:

• The whole thing is a 80/20 kind of task: the last 20% of the work takes 80% of the time. For example: the first cables are easy to plug while the ones I left for last (audio connections from the front of the case to the motherboard) were extremely painful because once all components are in there's very limited space to use one's fingers. I had to use a screwdriver, a flash-light and a lot of patience.

• 3 point plugs for fans are compatible with 4 point plugs (just make sure you target the right 3 pins).

• A magnetic screwdriver is a MUST. In some places, ie between the PSU and the case there is only room for a screwdriver (not even a pinky finger fits) therefore that's the only way to lower the screw to its position.

•  A soon as you open the case you will start taking screws out. At the time, it's absolutely obvious where they are and where they belong. A few hours, or days, later all screws look the same. Even worse, I am still wondering the first two I took out are (the ones that hold the top of the case). Take my advice and start putting them in small recipients and labelling them.

• Considering putting the memory at the end. They get in the way of plugging the little cables like front usb connectors. Some websites I read said this is not advisable because putting the memory in place requires use of force. I don't know what to think. I know it was a pain to plug those bad boys. Alternatively, plug these cables before putting the PSU in place.
• The PSU was a pain. The holder needed to be bent to fit in its place again. If you have the same problem with the FTZ01 just mention it in the comments and I'll give you more details.

Sooooooo, what happened?

It's late, I've been battling the cables for hours and I just want to turn it on and see a post message and the bios (well, EFI). I plug the power cable, press the one button, the cpu fan starts spinning and look eagerly at the screen and....nothing. It's too late to even attempt some troubleshooting. I go to bed tired and in a bad mood.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'll try to find out what the problem is.

Building my new computer - Day 0

Wow, it's been three months since day -1 (kind of a non linear, Genesys-type, approach to counting days) and believe it or not the case that was supposed to be available in May is finally available...in July.
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.

Building my new computer - Day -1

Today was going to be the day 0 of my new computer. I was going to order all the parts online, went through a totally OCD, last-minute, check of online reviews of the components and I realized they are about to launch a better version of the case I had settled on. Excitement and disappointment in equal parts. The new case was supposed to be available already in March but now it's been delayed until mid April. Can't wait!

This is what I am waiting for now, the Silverstone FTZ01B:

Looking forward to day 0, when I'll order everything and write a short post telling you what I am getting and why.

Until then.