CDs' System Upgrade w/Step-by-Step Pics!

Here are some before pics of my system. Specs are as follow:

s478 p4 3.2Ghz Prescott
2GB (2x 1Gb) 400Mhz OCZ Platinum RAM 2-3-2-5
Abit IC7-G
PowerColor 4670 1GB
OCZ PowerStream 520w PSU
250GB HDD, 320GB HDD, 500GB HDD

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121701.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121702.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...219121702a.jpg

Haven't blown / cleaned it out in a while. The clean streak there across the video card was from the night before from me opening the case and my daughter "checking" out my system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121703.jpg

Aside from the dirt that you see, here is the - up until now, what I thought was good - wiring job of my system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...219121703a.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121704.jpg

Just did a general cleaning out with the compressor. Big difference in the amount of dust. Still a small amount of dust here and there though.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121741.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...219121741a.jpg

Some of the wiring on the rear side of my system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1219121744.jpg

Beginning the backup of all my crap over from my 320GB HDD to my 500GB HDD.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1220121027.jpg

Beginning the tear-down of my old components

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1220121659.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...220121659a.jpg

My system fell over before the tear-down and the top case fan broke as a result. That was one of several unanticipated slow-downs I came across while building my system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1220121723.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1220121724.jpg

Motherboard is out!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1220121755.jpg

The motherboard itself.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...220121755a.jpg

Everything else is out.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121043a.jpg

Specs of my old PSU.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121045.jpg

The inside of my case all gutted.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121053.jpg

Another angle of the inside.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121053a.jpg

Mid-Case fan, flash off.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121054.jpg

Mid-case fan, flash on.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121054a.jpg

Here's that top fan I mentioned earlier.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121055.jpg

All the HDDs I intended on using.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121133.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121224.jpg
Core components of my new system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121230.jpg

I/O shield installed

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121232.jpg

Intel i5-3570k installed!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121239.jpg

Still an avid user of AS-5.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121240.jpg

CPU fan installed. This is a Scythe SCSMZ-2100 92mm Samurai ZZ Rev.B - Compliments of malmental.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121311.jpg

Other angles of the CPU fan.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121311a.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121312.jpg

I noticed that the DIMM slots were slightly angled. As long as all the pins are going through the interface, this shouldn't be an issue.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121312a.jpg

The RAM!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121314.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121315.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...221121315a.jpg

The RAM installed.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121316.jpg

My better, yet questionable quality, power supply.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121556.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121557.jpg

The top fan has been replaced with another identical fan.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121621.jpg

My 7870 Myst Edition video card!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121625.jpg

Front panel headers connected.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121640.jpg

Test fit with my new video card. As soon as I did this, I had a gut feeling that my video card wasn't going to fit. I did a few test fits with the top HDD tray with the 250GB HDD installed in both slots to see if it was going to fit or not. It doesn't. I need the case to be about a half in longer in order for the card to fit. :annoyed:

Oh yea. MoBo is installed.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1221121650.jpg

Took my system home. Was having issues getting my optical drives out.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120039.jpg

Took off the front panel to get the optical drives out.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120100.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120145.jpg

Thinking of how to continue

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120146.jpg

All my optical drives. The old ones and my new one.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120259.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...222120259a.jpg

SATA and IDE optical drives are in. IDE one is there just to fill space more than anything.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120304.jpg

My daughter exploring all the computer goodies.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...222120304a.jpg

Beginning the wiring job. Here, I've already done the front panel cables as well as the SATA cable from the optical drive.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120315.jpg

Power cables of my HDDs.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120339.jpg

My daughter "helping" me.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222120346.jpg

Another angle of my daughter helping me.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...222120346a.jpg

The power cables are a bit close to that bottom middle fan.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122323.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122324.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...222122324a.jpg

Heat will fix that.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...222122324b.jpg

Notice how far the cables "pop out".

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122325.jpg

Applying heat to make the cables maluable and put them in the position I want.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122329.jpg

Cables have cooled down now and are in the position I want.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122331.jpg

It's hard to see, but the cables are actually further away than before to the fan.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122345.jpg

Beginning cable management work on the SATA cables.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122346.jpg

Cable management of SATA cables done.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1222122353.jpg

My PSU has a mesh grille to protect the fan. This grille though pops out ever so slightly and causes it to "bend" up.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120013.jpg

Tried to use the PSU retention bracket. Long story short, it didn't work because of that "bend".

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120303.jpg

Attempting to slide the PSU in with that one fan there. Long story short, that doesn't work.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...223120303a.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120311.jpg

Case fan has been removed to make room for the PSU to slide in and get installed.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120330.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120340.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120341.jpg

Fan has been reinstalled.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120345.jpg

Another angle.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120346.jpg

My daugther helping me with cable management.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120352.jpg

Zip-ties!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120416.jpg

Moar zip-ties!!!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120504.jpg

Zip-ties are so awesome.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...223120504a.jpg

Finished!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120551.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120552.jpg

A blurry shot, I know. But here she is :).

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69203732/Fo...1223120553.jpg

Specs here are:

Intel i5-3570k
8GB (2x 4GB) AMD - By Patriot - RAM
ASUS P8 Z77-VLK
PowerColor 7870 Myst Edition
Sparkle-Nala 1250w PSU
3x 320GB HDD, 500GB HDD

If the 250GB HDD would have fit, that would have been my OS drive. Now, I'm going to have to do a 3x RAID 0 array which I didn't want to do. I might end up partitioning the array, but that will just defeate the purpose of having RAID 0 IMO.

I forgot the side panels at work, so right now it's missing those. Also, I haven't had the time to install windows as of yet. I should have time for that tomorrow.

Your host for pics suck FYI, taking way too long to load. I would use a different one like IMGUR.com As holy crap 5 mins later still loading half pics...lol

My host is my DropBox account.

Try refreshing the page. That works for me usually.

too many cd rom

Nice set up

Very nice, now to complete the system, you need an SSD.

Do you plan on leaving the IDE in to fill the space? I am guess you are doing this because you don't have a front cover to fill the space.