Yellowhello kicks off a new HardwareLogic editorial with a bang! He is a very active forum member and has taken the time to give us a quick look at the partially watercooled system he has finished put together over the past few months!
HardwareLogic is always looking for new, interesting content to keep you (the readers) excited and coming back for more. After two years, we've gathered quite the group of forum members with a very unique range of systems. Our forum community has grown into a surprisingly informal, close-knit group of guys and gals who all get excited in one way or another about computers and technology. We start and carry on conversations about everything under the sun, but very rarely do we get a close look at the systems these people have put their heart and soul (and hard earned money) into building, maintaining, and modifying; that is why we are happy to bring you the HardwareLogic Spotlight System! This is your chance to stand in the spotlight and get a place on the front page to show off your pride and joy. For more information about what is involved with getting your rig featured, just register yourself in our forums (for free) and check out this thread. But without further delay, let's take a look at the very interesting system Yellowhello has pieced together and dubbed "The Toaster".
Specifications:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
DFI Blood Iron P25-T2RL
2GB G.Skill 800MHz
BFG GeForce 8600GT
Silverstone Decathlon 650W
Western Digital 250GB
Mountain Mods H2G0
Cooling:
D-Tek Fuzion CPU water block
Thermochill PA120.2 radiator
Swiftech MCP-355 pump with Petra Tech DDCT-01s top
Danger Den Dual 5.25" bay reservoir
Zalman VF-900-CU GPU heatsink/fan
Peripherals:
Gateway FPD1975W 19" LCD monitor
Generic keyboard
OCZ Equalizer mouse
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers
What are the primary uses of this system?
I primarily use this system to troll the HL forums. I know, your thinking, "what a waste of a computer!" but I will be gaming on it once I get enough money to buy games. The rig itself cost a lot of money.
How well does this system perform its duties (is it fast enough)?
For what I'm doing right now, the system performs very fast, with ample overclocking headroom. I think once I start playing games like Call of Duty 4, Crysis, Metal of Honor: Airborne, and more, it will be lagging in the graphics department, and once again it will be time to upgrade.
What is/are your favorite component(s) and why?
My favorite components has got to be the DFI Blood Iron motherboard. It was relatively cheap compared to other high-end, overclocking-friendly boards out on the market, and boy does it perform.
Was there any particular focus you had in mind when piecing this computer together?
When I was buying and assembling The Toaster, I had two things in mind: looks and performance. I think I achieved both. I love the Mountain Mods H2G0 case, and the water cooling also adds to the aesthetics, not to mention performance. The water cooling loop also allows me to really crank the voltage and overclock really high. I currently have the CPU running at 3.2GHz stable at 1.45V.
If you had to give one (or two) pieces of advice to new users looking to build a similar system as yours, what would it be?
To the beginner I would say: do not be frustrated with your components. If something does not look the way you want, make it. Do not settle for second best. Go all the way, don't stop half way through it. It will turn out well if you really try.
