I’ve finally got all the parts I need to start building my brand new gaming rig. This thing is going to be a beast when its complete. Its got a 3GHz Core 2 Duo processor, from the new 45nm Wolfdale line, the WD RaptorX 10,000RPM HDD, an 8800GTS 512MB factory-overclocked GPU, 4GB of RAM, 1,000W PSU, water cooling, the works. All housed in a Coolermaster Stacker 830 Special Edition case. I’ve tried not to get too excited, because I know how shit likes to go wrong, so I prepared for the worst. And of course, Murphy’s Law kicks in on cue…

Things started to get rocky when I noticed I had ordered OEM hard-drives that didn’t include any cables. For some reason I must have overlooked this. So I went on a hunt to find a few SATA cables for my drives. First place I went was Radio Shack. They had the cable, but it was only 19″ and I wanted a longer one just to be safe. So I keep walking. Went into a few stores I was just sure would have a better selection, like BestBuy, but of course they don’t carry them.

Walking around a bit more I somehow stumble upon this hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop computer shop. So I waltz in and inquire about the SATA cables. A young Asian guy opens a drawer chock full of SATA cables and sells me a 2-pack for $10. Not bad. But they’re the same size as the Radio Shack ones and bright red, which I’m not really feeling. Whatever, at least I got something.

But then on the way back I decided to get the ones from Radio Shack anyway since they were black UV-reflective and would match the case I got. So I stop in and buy another 2 cables. Great, now I’ve got 4 cables, I should be set.

Heres the kicker: when I get home and start looking at the rest of the parts I notice that my motherboard actually came with 6 SATA cables! I must have known this when I ordered it, then somehow forgot. So now I have a total of 10 SATA cables for 2 hard-drives and I spent my afternoon jumping from store to store for no reason at all. Hopefully the black cables will at least look nice with the LED lights.

No biggie, I think. At least I’ve got some extra supplies. So I proceed to open up the case I got and start planning out the build. Here’s were it gets really hairy. For some reason the spacers that attach to the motherboard tray are wrong. I can get them on the tray, but then the screws are too small and just spin around. I’ve contacted support already, but this is just going to delay the build. There’s probably some extra screws in my house somewhere, but I spent a lot on this rig I don’t want some ghetto-ass rusty screws up in that shit.

So I’m left waiting. Its not so bad, I guess. Since I’ve been trying to put this machine together for over a year, a few more days aren’t going to kill me. I’ll be posting some more photos as I progress with the build. Stay tuned.

Tags: Hardware, Ramblings //