Right - My proper "it's arrived post" ;)

[garamo]

My machine landed on Friday but I haven't been about over the weekend much so pics etc. have been a bit delayed! First off, here is the machine:

FRACTAL DESIGN R3 - BLACK PEARL CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8P67 (NEW REV 3.0): USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD6870 - 2 DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD) (£9)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£72)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Miscellaneous
FREE Total War Shogun™ 2 with any AMD® Radeon™ Graphics card!

System arrived on Friday morning around 10:30. The courier was very friendly and package had reached me in 100% perfect condition.

I'm yet to test it out on a game as I've not been about much but my free copy of Shogun 2 is currently DLing. 8) Speed tests in the 2 DAW’s I’ve used are very positive and it’s running like a dream. My projects that where giving me some serious issues on my old core2duo setup are now running effortlessly.

I’m looking forward to testing Shogun when I get in tonight but I’m off on holiday tomorrow so I wont get much time with it until I’m back unfortunately.  At least I’ll have something to look forward to on my return.

My only gripe with the machine is that it isn’t as silent as reviews of the Fractal Design R3 had led me to believe it would be. Not PCS’s fault of course but just thought I’d throw it in their for anyone looking to build a silent machine for music production & gaming.

Big thanks to all who worked on the system and everyone who helped with my enquires at PCS and on these forums. I’m very happy with my 2nd PC Specialist machine and will be using them again for my next one.

Processed Date 11-05-2011
Pre-Production Date 17-05-2011
Build Date 26-05-2011
Test Date 01-06-2011
QC Date 01-06-2011
Awaiting Dispatch Date 02-06-2011
Dispatch Date 02-06-2011

Who Worked on This Order?

Built By John Mellor
Tested By Wayne Robinson
QC'd By Craig Whiteley
Packed By Anthony Cunliffe

 

[MrShteeeve]

Very nice setup, hope it performs well on Shogun and look forward to hearing back . +rep for pics

 

[garamo]

Thank you! As my monitors are only 19" (1280x1024) it should eat it for breakfast I'm hoping. I will be sure to report back. Looking forward to grabbing The Witcher 2 and Duke Nukem on my return as well. 8)

 

[MrShteeeve]

Ah yeah that'll play them no problem whatsoever, it's only when you get to 1920x1080 it'll start really pushing it . Have fun!

 

[garamo]

That's the benifit of not having massive monitors I guess haha. They still seem huge to me compared to the 15" monitor on my first PC anyway. Thanks, will do.

 

[bg92]

Nice setup. +rep for the pics.
Considering the noise level of the machine you might try checking the fan profile at which your cpu cooler is working at. Mine was working in high performance mode, it was running at full rpm all the time. And when I've changed it to quiet mode the difference in the noise level was significant.
Also the caviar black might be a bit noisy, and the only way of having a really silent storage drive is buying an ssd.
This case should have a fan controller for 3 fans, check if these are connected to the controller and have a play with it.

I have a question for you.
Do speaker stand actually make a difference in sound quality? I'm considering buying Audioengine A5 speakers and there are speaker stand that I could buy for these, I'm just not sure if they're worth it.

 

[garamo]

Thank you. Cheers for the tip too!

How would I go about changing the cpu cooler's fan profile? I'm pretty sure it isn't the fans as I can hear very minimal difference at their fastest and slowest speeds. Don't think it will be the drives either as the noise is consistent, definitely sounds like an internal fan so you could be right with the cpu cooler. Must be either than or the HD6870.

I think it does help yes. It brings them to the correct height for starters and it has got rid of all annoying vibrations I used to hear from my desk/equipment. You could simply look into MoPads or a home made alternative if you are just trying to reduce vibration though. Mind you I certainly find having the tweeters at ear level the optimal position so it's worth doing. Basically it wont make your speakers better (obviously) but it will help you hear what you are supposed to be hearing.

 

[bg92]

I had a CD that came with my motherboard, it was included in the welcome pack, and there was a program that lets me change fan profiles, can't remember was it was called.

 

[bg92]

Its called Asus turboV i think.

 

[DeadEyeDuk]

Awesome stuff. Rep for pics and hope you enjoy that setup alot!

 

[garamo]

Thanks mate. I'm sure I will!

Its called Asus turboV i think.

Cheers! I shall inspect my welcome back a bit closer. I skipped over looking properly with a quick PC - Check, Shogun 2 - Check, ready to go.

 

[Fear]

Looks a nice setup but i think them speakers are a little bit small for what you need so you can send them to me if you want + rep for the pics.

 

[garamo]

Haha thank you. If only my neighbours shared your view on my speakers. I’ve done some pretty extensive soundproofing but when you are semi detached there are limits to what you can get away with.

 

[Fear]

Haha thank you. If only my neighbours shared your view on my speakers. I’ve done some pretty extensive soundproofing but when you are semi detached there are limits to what you can get away with.

Erm yes you don't need to remind me of the neighbours i am sure they love listening to my Music,Games,Guitars and Bass or maybe not

 

[garamo]

Haha such a pain aren't they. I miss the days when the house next door was completely empty and I could make all the noise I wanted. If only I could resist spending all my money on new equipment, I might be able to afford to move out and get a detached house.

 

[Fear]

Yeah but then you would not have the funds for getting all the stuff to irritate the neighbours

 

[garamo]

True. No point in having a detached house if all you've got to make noise is an old tape player/radio and a Spectrum.