Project Galactus

[TtFr33k]

so uhh....in an interesting turn of events, ive just realized that my Sapphire 7990 isnt just any old 7990, but actually an Engineering Sample o.0

GPU-Z to confirm

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details.php?id=7h4yh

still trying to decide what it all means. haha.

[TtFr33k]

so, ive finally grown tired of my Antec 620w HCG, and decided i needed a new PSU, so i can finally start stretching the legs of the 8350 and the 7990.

now, my usual stockist (and hopefully soon to be sponsor) currently dont have the 1050w DPS, 1050w Grand or 1200w Grand in stock, so this has led me to a "temporary" solution.

introducing the lovely EVGA 1200w P2 Platinum

Installation pics to soon follow

[TtFr33k]

....sideways photos

i dont understand why they are sideways. everything shows them as portrait, even the sample when uploading, then BAM they are landscape o_0


any ideas?

[TtFr33k]

so, just ran a small, very quick benchmark  with 100Mhz GPU O/C and 75Mhz memory O/C

 

as the "budget" aspect of Galactus stands, ive spent a grand total of $1,250 to get this far.

 

not too shabby if i do say so myself.

[TtFr33k]

so, this is kind of a big deal.

from the start, the goal has been to break 10k on firestrike for the smallest amount possible, while still building a PC that people will admire, and be envious of.

as the hardware stands, i think ive now accomplished that.

http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4809986

[TtFr33k]

did a little CPU O/C'ing tonight, got a validated 4.9Ghz on a little 120mm AIO

doing some playing around tomorrow, aiming for a stable 5Ghz on the AIO, and over the weekend, aiming to break 11.5-12k on firestrike, by trying to fix my current GPU O/C stability issues.

stay tuned!

http://valid.canardpc.com/le3ktv

[TtFr33k]

*****MAJOR UPDATE*****

for the past few days, ive been weighing up what to do with Galactus. from the start, the aim was 5Ghz, a 10k Firestrike benchmark, and a computer that people can "wow" over, for the lowest price possible. admittedly, we havent reached the casemod state i wanted to to to Galactus, but they are still to come.

 

lets review what has happened throughout this build.

Galactus started as a dream. i wanted a "world eater" at the lowest possible price, to show people exactly what you can do, without spending a fortune. i feel ive accomplished that, and its now time to start spreading the word. i believe, at this point, i have the cheapest 10k Firestrike score in Australia.

---Breakdown of build and prices

FX8350 @ 5Ghz $100 (used)
ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula Z $175 (used)
Thermaltake Water 2.0 performer AIO $40 (used)
G.Skill Trident-X 2400Mhz 16GB (4x4GB) $135 (used)
Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB $159 (new)

Sapphire HD7990 $300 (used)

Thermaltake Core V51 $125 (new)

EVGA 1200w P2 Platinum $269 (new)

bringing it to a grand total of $1303, slightly over the $1200 target, but something i am incredibly happy with none the less. had to use more new parts than i expected, which inflated the price more. ideally, i wanted a used PSU and SSD, but that didnt happen. such is life.

 

so, what happens from here?

over the weekend, ill take some MUCH better photos, to be able to show it off online, and then we will drop the "budget" from the name.

what does that mean?

second 7990, custom loop, bigger case mods, more storage, and hopefully pushing 6Ghz. pretty much, we are super sizing everything. unsure if im going to continue to use the V51 or move up to the X9, thats a decision to make.


in closing, all of my "goals" (beyond the coming case mods) have been completed. from here on, we are putting Galactus on Steroids.




more to come.

[TtFr33k]

figured i should show it here as well, incase some people dont look at the modding thread, here is my cheap and VERY nice looking PSU shroud.

for tips on how to make your own, check out my thread in the modding section