Title: Quick Status Update
Date: November 27, 2009
Status: Coming Updates and What's in Store for Project Sestren!
Brief: Good Evening, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! And good luck on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal hunting. Anyhow everything is good with Project Sestren, though I figured I update a little so everyone is on the same page as I.
Long story short, I almost pulled a crazy move, and it wasn't because of lack of trying. Intel was having their Intel Mod Contest at The Intel Core Custom Challenge. And I did everything in my power as I was very adamant in entering. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. I could not secure parts in time, not to mention was still waiting on some parts from sponsors, and with the shops I contacted, things just did not click well enough. I was prepared to do credit card genocide, heh, so I guess it worked out best that I didn't as it was a big gamble. Though I do think I had a shot of getting in there with the finalists. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be, but thats the basic reason I was a bit absent early November, I was trying every day to see if I could get the parts, I had also cleared that my entry was legitimate with Intel, etc. So overall I am a little disappointed, because even if I didn't win, the secondary prizes, would have helped me alot, ie. Intel SSD's etc. Anyhow no use crying over spilt milk, the project still needs to go on, and go on it will!
Also I had to RMA my powersupply, the Enermax Rev85+ 1050w, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because some early models may have incompatibility problems with the Evga X58 Classified, and I figured not to risk it. Again I would like to Thank Tom Lac, for a quick and painless RMA, Enermax is top notch when it comes to customer service.
Anyhow after thinking about it, I am pretty satisfied with the steampunk radiator grill, and how it fits with the overall aesthetic of Sestren. Panzer Dragoon, has a bit of a steampunk aesthetic as well, so I think its meant to be. So I decided not to purchase the aluminum grills which would create disparity between the designs. Originally I was going to go full aluminum grills, however because of the scope of this project, the bills were racking up, I opted for the Steampunk grills instead as they are much cheaper and then was going aluminum in the back. I decided to go full steampunk as essentially it's the same thing. Honestly, I was very surprised with the quality of the steampunk grill, so I think it may even come out better than going aluminum, so Steampunk it is. I also ordered more fan steampunk fan grills, etc. So the whole theme will be fluid.
I updated the first page with all the parts list of the project, so check it out! As far as actual updates, I haven't updated in a bit, because I wanted to only update with pictures. But since I have to wait for the parts to come in, I'd figured might as well chime in a little. As like I mentioned previously I couldn't secure any sponsors on time for the project (I wanted to have sponsors secured as well as parts, at least 10 days before the contest deadline to be responsible on my part) and even in some cases were out of stock. For example MNPCTech, was out of stock of the steampunk grills, they are on their way to me right now, so it would have been too stressful to get in the contest, not to mention parts would have been missing, and its overall the reason I haven't updated.
So with this delay, I decided to merge both phases of Sestren and just go for it. However this will delay the project a little. Basically forget reason, and I am going to go for the Hexa Set up at the same time as well. So yea, I am going to need 5 Dell 3007WFP-HC's wish me luck on saving up heh! The actual build is still fairly similar, but also I decided that the SSD's must be 160 gigs or bigger, so thats another large cost dent. Also depending on price, I may go i9, but who knows. There's alot of factors involved and I am going to need alot of the community's help. Sestren isn't a computer to fulfill my needs nor one to simply show off. It's really a proof of concept, my desire to see if it really can be done. Hence the extremes on the project. Because quite honestly, I am using Tower (my temporary computer), with a Q9550 downclocked to 2.6ghz due to the limitations on my motherboard with 4 gigs of ram, that I bought years ago, with my trusty Radeon 3870x2, and its works fine for me. So there's no practical reason for Sestren to be hurried or done, etc. I just want to see if its possible to accomplish my vision/goal, and learn more about the computer and myself while doing it. I think so, though I will be frank, its a really really hard task to do. So I need your help!
Anyone that can donate or sponsor a part, please get in touch with me, if your just browsing the project, and sharing the experience with me, tell your friends, family, anyone, because the more exposure, more page hits, etc, the better chances, I can persuade a sponsor to work with me, so this really is a group effort. And I humbly ask for help! If you know any stores, friends with stores, or are a customer in said store, let them know about Sestren! I of course will also try to get as many sense-able parties involved as well as raise funds for the project. Because at the end of the day, its on my tail heh! But anything that can buffer the blows helps and helps alot!
SPECIAL THANKS!
to Petra's Tech Shop, for being the first guys for working with me, ironically when I had them as the first sponsor, the scope of the project was completely different, go figure! So while I had already gotten all needed parts from them, as well as bought all my water cooling from them a while ago, I think a big thanks is in order for helping kick start this project. I have all the parts I needed from Petra's.
Thanks for Enermax for great customer service. Although my wallet is sad when it recalls how much I paid for the Rev85+, their customer service is really top notch, and their reputation for it is well warranted and that combined with quality makes the price worth it. Made good friends over there, Hey Wei and Tom!. I now have all the parts I needed from Enermax for now, though I may add more fans, and am still looking for a good deal on my second Rev85+.
Thanks for MNPCTech, which is quite simply the best shop period for accessories I seen. Big big thanks for its owner, Bill Owen, who not only helped me through MNPCTech, Bill is one of the big reasons, I decided to push hard on this project. Because Bill expects and demands alot from a builder, and that push, is what made me strive to become better each update. I will continue to do so. Bill is definitely the biggest outside factor that pushed this project along, as well as a great guy in general. MNPCTech has alot of cool stuff, and really reasonable prices. So thanks alot Bill, I hope to work with you in the future! I have all the parts I needed from MNPCTech for now,
This is a tentative list on what I believe still needs to get bought for Sestren to be part's complete.
To buy Sestren Parts List.
Computer: $4000
1x Evga X58 Classified $394.99 – $30 Rebate
1x Bitspower Black Freezer EIX58NSC $ 165
1x Bitspower Black Freezer MOS EI58DP II $45
1x Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050w $220
4x Icy Dock 2.5 to 3.5 $99.99
1x Intel Core i7 $240
4x Intel 160 gig SSD G2 $415
2x Corsair 6 gigs $330
1x Bitspower and Fittings $400
1x Tube Cutter Advanced $14.95
1x LED $50
2x Dell Active Mini Display Port to DVI $100
10x USB Extensions $20
Graphics Card: $2100
8 Monitor Graphics Cards
3 Waterblocks
2x Radeon 5970 $599.99
2x Radeon 5970 Waterblocks $200
1x GeForce 285 $400
1x GeForce 285 Waterblock $99
1x GeForce 285 Single Slot PCI Bracket or Mod.
Monitor Stand: $2000-$3000
Monitors: $6000 +/- $360 tax
5x Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC $1199.99 each
Misc: $200
List and Prices are tentative, and subject to change, depending on budget, availability etc and I tried to round a bit up, as its always better to lower costs, and not be surprised by exceeding costs. Basically overbudget > pass budget. These costs are definitely unreasonable so time to get creative, and work my butt off, and most likely not eat for a while heh!
As far as pictures updates, they are coming soon, you will get two more updates for sure before the years end. However since everyone is shutting down operations in December, the build will most likely go into Q1 of next year. So be on the look out for two more updates this year, and I'll work around the clock to get this build up and running asap! Trust me I tried everything possible and a few crazy things that it's better I didn't do, to get the build finished this month of Nov, and hit Dec with it completed, but just isn't possible. But don't worry, this just means theres more time to make it better! Wish me luck! Help out if you can! And lets keep IT GOING!
Take care,
- PC1X1
Date: November 27, 2009
Status: Coming Updates and What's in Store for Project Sestren!
Brief: Good Evening, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! And good luck on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal hunting. Anyhow everything is good with Project Sestren, though I figured I update a little so everyone is on the same page as I.
Long story short, I almost pulled a crazy move, and it wasn't because of lack of trying. Intel was having their Intel Mod Contest at The Intel Core Custom Challenge. And I did everything in my power as I was very adamant in entering. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. I could not secure parts in time, not to mention was still waiting on some parts from sponsors, and with the shops I contacted, things just did not click well enough. I was prepared to do credit card genocide, heh, so I guess it worked out best that I didn't as it was a big gamble. Though I do think I had a shot of getting in there with the finalists. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be, but thats the basic reason I was a bit absent early November, I was trying every day to see if I could get the parts, I had also cleared that my entry was legitimate with Intel, etc. So overall I am a little disappointed, because even if I didn't win, the secondary prizes, would have helped me alot, ie. Intel SSD's etc. Anyhow no use crying over spilt milk, the project still needs to go on, and go on it will!
Also I had to RMA my powersupply, the Enermax Rev85+ 1050w, not because there was anything wrong with it, but because some early models may have incompatibility problems with the Evga X58 Classified, and I figured not to risk it. Again I would like to Thank Tom Lac, for a quick and painless RMA, Enermax is top notch when it comes to customer service.
Anyhow after thinking about it, I am pretty satisfied with the steampunk radiator grill, and how it fits with the overall aesthetic of Sestren. Panzer Dragoon, has a bit of a steampunk aesthetic as well, so I think its meant to be. So I decided not to purchase the aluminum grills which would create disparity between the designs. Originally I was going to go full aluminum grills, however because of the scope of this project, the bills were racking up, I opted for the Steampunk grills instead as they are much cheaper and then was going aluminum in the back. I decided to go full steampunk as essentially it's the same thing. Honestly, I was very surprised with the quality of the steampunk grill, so I think it may even come out better than going aluminum, so Steampunk it is. I also ordered more fan steampunk fan grills, etc. So the whole theme will be fluid.
I updated the first page with all the parts list of the project, so check it out! As far as actual updates, I haven't updated in a bit, because I wanted to only update with pictures. But since I have to wait for the parts to come in, I'd figured might as well chime in a little. As like I mentioned previously I couldn't secure any sponsors on time for the project (I wanted to have sponsors secured as well as parts, at least 10 days before the contest deadline to be responsible on my part) and even in some cases were out of stock. For example MNPCTech, was out of stock of the steampunk grills, they are on their way to me right now, so it would have been too stressful to get in the contest, not to mention parts would have been missing, and its overall the reason I haven't updated.
So with this delay, I decided to merge both phases of Sestren and just go for it. However this will delay the project a little. Basically forget reason, and I am going to go for the Hexa Set up at the same time as well. So yea, I am going to need 5 Dell 3007WFP-HC's wish me luck on saving up heh! The actual build is still fairly similar, but also I decided that the SSD's must be 160 gigs or bigger, so thats another large cost dent. Also depending on price, I may go i9, but who knows. There's alot of factors involved and I am going to need alot of the community's help. Sestren isn't a computer to fulfill my needs nor one to simply show off. It's really a proof of concept, my desire to see if it really can be done. Hence the extremes on the project. Because quite honestly, I am using Tower (my temporary computer), with a Q9550 downclocked to 2.6ghz due to the limitations on my motherboard with 4 gigs of ram, that I bought years ago, with my trusty Radeon 3870x2, and its works fine for me. So there's no practical reason for Sestren to be hurried or done, etc. I just want to see if its possible to accomplish my vision/goal, and learn more about the computer and myself while doing it. I think so, though I will be frank, its a really really hard task to do. So I need your help!
Anyone that can donate or sponsor a part, please get in touch with me, if your just browsing the project, and sharing the experience with me, tell your friends, family, anyone, because the more exposure, more page hits, etc, the better chances, I can persuade a sponsor to work with me, so this really is a group effort. And I humbly ask for help! If you know any stores, friends with stores, or are a customer in said store, let them know about Sestren! I of course will also try to get as many sense-able parties involved as well as raise funds for the project. Because at the end of the day, its on my tail heh! But anything that can buffer the blows helps and helps alot!
SPECIAL THANKS!
to Petra's Tech Shop, for being the first guys for working with me, ironically when I had them as the first sponsor, the scope of the project was completely different, go figure! So while I had already gotten all needed parts from them, as well as bought all my water cooling from them a while ago, I think a big thanks is in order for helping kick start this project. I have all the parts I needed from Petra's.
Thanks for Enermax for great customer service. Although my wallet is sad when it recalls how much I paid for the Rev85+, their customer service is really top notch, and their reputation for it is well warranted and that combined with quality makes the price worth it. Made good friends over there, Hey Wei and Tom!. I now have all the parts I needed from Enermax for now, though I may add more fans, and am still looking for a good deal on my second Rev85+.
Thanks for MNPCTech, which is quite simply the best shop period for accessories I seen. Big big thanks for its owner, Bill Owen, who not only helped me through MNPCTech, Bill is one of the big reasons, I decided to push hard on this project. Because Bill expects and demands alot from a builder, and that push, is what made me strive to become better each update. I will continue to do so. Bill is definitely the biggest outside factor that pushed this project along, as well as a great guy in general. MNPCTech has alot of cool stuff, and really reasonable prices. So thanks alot Bill, I hope to work with you in the future! I have all the parts I needed from MNPCTech for now,
This is a tentative list on what I believe still needs to get bought for Sestren to be part's complete.
To buy Sestren Parts List.
Computer: $4000
1x Evga X58 Classified $394.99 – $30 Rebate
1x Bitspower Black Freezer EIX58NSC $ 165
1x Bitspower Black Freezer MOS EI58DP II $45
1x Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050w $220
4x Icy Dock 2.5 to 3.5 $99.99
1x Intel Core i7 $240
4x Intel 160 gig SSD G2 $415
2x Corsair 6 gigs $330
1x Bitspower and Fittings $400
1x Tube Cutter Advanced $14.95
1x LED $50
2x Dell Active Mini Display Port to DVI $100
10x USB Extensions $20
Graphics Card: $2100
8 Monitor Graphics Cards
3 Waterblocks
2x Radeon 5970 $599.99
2x Radeon 5970 Waterblocks $200
1x GeForce 285 $400
1x GeForce 285 Waterblock $99
1x GeForce 285 Single Slot PCI Bracket or Mod.
Monitor Stand: $2000-$3000
Monitors: $6000 +/- $360 tax
5x Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC $1199.99 each
Misc: $200
List and Prices are tentative, and subject to change, depending on budget, availability etc and I tried to round a bit up, as its always better to lower costs, and not be surprised by exceeding costs. Basically overbudget > pass budget. These costs are definitely unreasonable so time to get creative, and work my butt off, and most likely not eat for a while heh!
As far as pictures updates, they are coming soon, you will get two more updates for sure before the years end. However since everyone is shutting down operations in December, the build will most likely go into Q1 of next year. So be on the look out for two more updates this year, and I'll work around the clock to get this build up and running asap! Trust me I tried everything possible and a few crazy things that it's better I didn't do, to get the build finished this month of Nov, and hit Dec with it completed, but just isn't possible. But don't worry, this just means theres more time to make it better! Wish me luck! Help out if you can! And lets keep IT GOING!
Take care,
- PC1X1
. I need at least 7 outputs, and this gives me that, and as a bonus a physx card. It certainly isn't the most cost effective, nor power efficient set up, but suits me 
