Command and Conquer DEN - games by Westwood & EALA

Lion's Computer Building Project

October 2005

In the past I have purchased many pre-built systems, but was never fully satisfied with them. I usually ended up performing upgrades. Most of the computers were from DELL. Upgrading those, since they are not fully non-proprietary, were a pain in the arss to say the least. In the spring of 2005 I decided it was time for a new gaming computer. I spent the next six months deciding what I wanted. It was a toss up between Alienware and Falcon-Northwest. After doing some research, I realized I could build a blazing fast computer for at least a thousand dollars less than I could buy one for. I'd done the standard upgrades in the past, but never a complete build from scratch. In August of 2005 I decided to build my own, and started the long process of choosing just the right hardware. I spent many hours of research on the web, and made my choices. I started the actual build on October 19, 2005, and finished up three days later. I could have completed it all in one day, but I wanted to enjoy the process and not rush anything. My first build turned out to be a resounding success. Below are details of my project, which includes a listing of the hardware I used, links to where I did my research and purchased the hardware, and of course pictures of the building process from start to finish.

Special thanks to all of the Command & Conquer fans who gave me advice for this build. It was much appreciated. If anyone has comments about my build, or why I chose the hardware I did, please feel free to EMAIL me.

PS: On September 17, 2007 I upgraded the RAM Memory to 2GB. With the extra memory I can run virtually any recent game released with ease. The two year old GEForce 7800GTX is able to handle any game I throw at it, so I have no plans to go with another one for this build. This is probably the last upgrade I'll be doing since Socket 939 is becoming outdated, unless I can find a new FX-57 AMD processor, which is mighty rare these days. I was able to overclock my Athlon 64 4000+ to over 2.7GHZ, which is close to the stock speed of the FX-57.

Future? My next build is complete. You can see build 2008 HERE.

Hardware & Accessories Listing:

COOLER MASTER Praetorian 730 RC-730-KSN1 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI-PFC ATX12V 510W Power Supply
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 2.4GHZ San Diego Overclocked to 2.64GHZ (1GHz FSB) Socket 939 Processor
ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan
OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1024MB) Dual Channel Ram - Rated Timing (2.3.2.5 1T)
BFG Tech BFGR78256GTXOC (overclocked) Geforce 7800GTX 256MB
Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
CoolerMaster Hard Drive Cooler with hd/case temp probe/led readouts
CoolerMaster case fans - two 120mm (intake) and three 80mm (exhaust)
PLEXTOR Black IDE DVD Burner Model PX-716AL/SW (8MB cache)
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty sound card with 64MB on-board ram
Intel PRO 10/100/1000 Ethernet Card
Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
DELL UltraSharp 2005FPW Digital 20.1-inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor
Logitech Cordless Desktop/Mouse MX 3100 Laser
Microsoft Windows XP Pro
Norton Anti-Virus (Internet Security Edition)
Comcast High Speed Cable Connection
APC back-ups (model 1250) 45 minute run time

Some of my research sites:

Toms Hardware - http://www.tomshardware.com
Hard Forums - http://www.hardforums.com
Motherboards - http://www.motherboards.org
Xtreme Overclocking - http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/
BRnR - http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
Tweaktown - http://www.tweaktown.com

Where I purchased my hardware:

New Egg - http://www.newegg.com
ZipZoomfly - http://www.zipzoomfly.com
Fry's Outpost - http://outpost.com/
DELL - http://www.dell.com

Benchmarking programs used for testing the build:

3DMark03 - http://www.futuremark.com/download/?3dmark03.shtml
3DMark05 - http://www.futuremark.com/download/?3dmark05.shtml
PCMark05 - http://www.futuremark.com/download/?pcmark05.shtml
SiSoft Sandra 2005 - http://www.sisoftware.net/
CPUZ - http://www.cpuid.org/cpuz.php#download

Picture	Description
	I started the build on October 19th, 2005. Picture shows the CoolerMaster Praetorian case and the PSU installed inside. Prepping the mobo is step number one. When I first install the power supply unit, I thought to myself...how am I gonna cram all these wires into this case? But it worked out ok and wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.
	This picture shows the ASUS mobo installed with the Corsair memory, cpu, Zalman cpu cooler, and video card. The removable mobo tray really made my job of installation very easy. At this point of the build it was time to see if the BIOS would boot up before installing the hard drive, DVD player, sound card, etc. The BIOS did indeed boot, and I breathed a very HUGE sigh of relief.
	This picture shows a closer view of the monster Zalman CPU cooler. It sounds like a small jet plane taking off, but it does come with a remote variable speed switch I mounted at the back of the computer. Keeps the CPU nice and cool. At this point all of the hardware is installed, and the only thing left to do is tidy up loose ends and tuck the remaining wiring.
	Here you see the completed build. Nothing left to do but fire it up and take it for a test run. The BIOS recognized all of my hardware, so it was time to install WINXP Pro. Installation of the operating system was a breeze. And after it completed, I installed all of the latest drivers for the hardware. I chose to go to each of the manufacturers websites to get the latest drivers instead of using the supplied drivers. Finally, I checked to make sure there were no conflicts with hardware. Every thing was good to go. The only things left to do are hook up the accessories and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
	This picture shows the front view of the COOLER MASTER Praetorian case. It's all aluminum construction throughout, and very sturdy and roomy. It is a bit pricy at over $160, but well worth the investment. Comes with one 120mm (filtered) intake fan at the bottom front and two 80mm exhaust fans. I added another 80mm exhaust fan at the top of the case. Hot air rises, so it made sense to do that. And the ZALMAN CPU Cooler helps to cool everything on the mobo. The WD Raptor hard drive also has it own independent cooler. And the interior of the case never gets above 33c/89f even under heavy load times. The pictures of this case just don't do it justice. It's truly a work of art.
	There's a front door on the COOLER MASTER Praetorian case. It's heavy and feels like quality. The thick hinge pin to the door runs from top to bottom. It's built like a tank. In the pic you can see the X-FI Fatal1ty sound card panel. You can plug in a set of headphones. Nice for gaming when you can't run the Z-5500s. I can even plug in my guitar and play through the sound system. Near the bottom of the case it looks like it's scratched, but it's not. Just the way the light is reflecting. There are no marks on the case. I took great care during the building process. And the cats haven't bother it so far, hehe.
	This is a side view of the case. There's a vented port that helps with the case cooling. You can see the ZALMAN CPU cooler when you look inside. After I took the picture I mounted another 120MM exhaust fan in the inside of that port. It can be done with a little modification. The brushed aluminum finish looks very eye appealing and easy to keep clean. And it's cat scratch proof!
	Obviously the back of the case. Very solid all aluminum construction, and the case is completely tooless entry. Just remove the nice big thumb screws to get inside. That little black thing on the lower right is the variable speed switch to the ZALMAN CPU cooler. I run it on high when gaming, and crank it down a tad for normal stuff. But even on low speed the cpu temp doesn't get above 35c/91f. And if it does get too hot, the ASUS mobo will sound a warning.
	This is a pic of the computer at it's new home. You can see the glow of the blue lights coming from the interior of the case. At night it looks awesome! The front is aluminum mesh with a nice filter system so no dust gets inside the case. Yea, I know the floor needs a bit of work. But I like the rustic look, and it's easy to keep clean. I prefer it over carpet. I may stain it some day. But that's a project for the future.
	I suppose no build would be complete without a new monitor to go along with that. I chose a DELL UltraSharp 2005FPW Digital 20.1-inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor. The 7800GTX video card supports the resolutions, and as you can see in the picture, the CNCDEN wallpaper fills in nicely at 1680X1050 resolution. There's virtually no ghosting in FPS games. And when there is, it's barely noticeable unless your actually looking for it. Battlefield 2 is breathtaking on this monitor, and that game, as well as many others supports wide-screen. And for those that don't, there are easy work arounds. Even Generals and Zero Hour look great on WS, and via the INI I was able to force the game to run at my chosen resolution.
	Another picture of the DELL WScreen with the Z-5500 front speakers. The gadget on the right is the controller for the surround sound system. I cranked up the speakers to see what they could do. It's just like sitting in a movie theater. The bass unit sits under the desk, and there's two rear speakers that provide the surround sound effect.
	This is where I do all of my gaming. I'm using the logitech MX1000 laser mouse and keyboard set. Very fast and responsive, and quite accurate. Notice the APC sitting near my new comp. If the electric goes out, I can keep running for about 45 minutes. And it helps to provide clean 'spike' free juice and protect the comps components.
	After I completed the build, my next task was to organize everything. I sit at a station with three computers. The one on the right and the one in the middle (both DELLS) are used for updating the DEN websites. And on the left is my gaming station. I can sit in my chair and just turn to whatever station I need to be at. Of course, I'd much rather be gaming!
	I'll end this with a shot of Sheba, one of my female cats. Seen here sitting on the box that the Z-5500 speakers came in. My cats would visit me throughout the three day building process and lay claim to all the boxes that the hardware came in. Yea, I know the floor looks crappy. I'm gonna be painting it soon. =)