Dishonored Video Game Review (PC)

10/15/2012

(Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

When I arrived at work today, I saw a package with a Post-It note on it, it was from my girlfriend! When I opened the package, there it was, Dishonored for the PC! She is awesome! :]

I have heard a lot about this game and I've watched a lot of YouTube videos of it as well and this added to my excitement of the game, because the concept is something that I personally like, it's played from the first-person perspective and emphasizes on gamer choice, each mission can be carried out in either a stealthy approach, a head on kill everyone approach or a combination of both, each choice of approach merits a different outcome which ultimately affects how the story plays out.


The game takes place in a fictional city called Dunwall which reminds me of how London looked during the classical era. You are Corvo Attano, the bad ass bodyguard of the Empress of Dunwall that becomes the fall guy when she is murdered which drives you to become an assassin and seek out those who conspired against you and exact your vengeance upon them, you must also seek out and find her kidnapped daughter. But you are no ordinary assassin, you are empowered by a foreign entity that gives you magical abilities to help you on your quest.

(Maxed Out Settings)

(Maxed Out Settings)

Installing the game was a breeze, if you've ever played Modern Warfare or any game that works with Steam then this should shorten your installation process. In my case, I hadn't installed Steam on my rig yet, so I had a lengthier installation time, approximately a total time of 15 minutes. Once installed, you will have a simple introduction of all the folks that contributed to the development of the game and then you are brought to the main menu, a simple and straightforward menu. First tab I went to was the Graphics tab, since I also wanted the game to test my system, I maxed out the settings. I decided to select FXAA instead of the MLAA because I wanted to give the new Anti Aliasing technology a shot as it is supposedly better but I've never played a game that uses FXAA so I decided to give it a shot, most games I played use MLAA or MSAA.

(Light and Shadow Details)

After finalizing the graphics settings, I decided to start a new game, selected my difficulty and off we go. The game starts out in a beautiful sea setting as Corvo is on a boat on his way to Dunwall. You get to look around and observe your surroundings, so I made the most of it and did look around, left, right, behind me then up and down. I had FRAPS running so I took the liberty of taking some photographs of my boat ride to Dunwall. The detail of the environment is very well created and I was quite impressed at the lighting, shadow and reflection details that the game has to offer so far. 

(Yes, that is a whale.)

Since I am not a big fan of spoilers, I will not go heavily into the story. But I will touch on how malleable this game can be. This is actually the heart of the game, there is a certain connection that is developed between the gamer, the character and the story. Every gamer has his or her own style of play, but one can never truly apply that due to story restrictions and whatnot, only a few games allow this kind of freedom and this freedom returns in the form of Dishonored. As I mentioned earlier, the game emphasized gamer choice. Each choice directly affects your current mission and subsequently affects future ones as well. You have the freedom to rip through each level, but this will cause Chaos which is the somewhat like the stars you get in Grand Theft Auto but in this case, it doesn't decrease. More chaos means more guards, more rats (You'll get it when you play the game, trust me.) and increasingly more difficult missions and a darker ending. Or you can choose to go stealth mode and hold back the urge of just killing your way through missions, this is challenging, but possible and yields in longer playing time but easier succeeding missions, and results in a lighter ending. Or you could go with a balance of both choices. The point I'm trying to make is you can play this game on pure emotion, impulse or simply based on how you feel at the time that you're playing.

(Dual Wield = More Fun!)

The controls are quite simple whether you play it using your keyboard and mouse or the a controller which is supported by the game. As you progress through the game, you will be placed in scenarios wherein you get to familiarize yourself with the controls. I'm using the keyboard and mouse combo so it takes a little getting used to, but nothing you can't pick up quickly. Corvo is pretty much an all offense character, built to adapt the killing machine approach or the stealth approach depending on the gamer's playing style. He utilizes both hands as tools. The left hand is used to wield projectile or ranged weapons as well as his supernatural powers and the right hand is used to wield his sword for melee attacks. The combat sequences are quite straightforward but leaves you enough room to get creative depending on how you play. The game may seem huge in scale, but in reality, what gives the levels scale is the presence of multiple opportunities to complete levels and solve problems that arise, no matter what your style of play is.


For every obstacle you encounter there are at least three or four ways to overcome it. For every locked door, there's likely a balcony up high you can Blink to, or a gutter down below that can be accessed by a possessed rat. Now this game is starting to sound like you are almighty but the developers put a balance to counteract the abuse of your supernatural powers and skills, your health and mana do not regenerate. In order to regenerate these, you need to use health and mana potions which can be purchased from a specific person but will deny you the chance of gear upgrades or can be picked up around the levels, but they are scarce resources. But fret not, you have the quick save anywhere option (except during combat) which allows you to experiment various ways to resolve a specific issue, making every bullet and supernatural power count.

(Heads will roll, pun intended.)

There is a certain aspect of the game that is very reminiscent of the Splinter Cell games, not just the stealth aspect. But the fact that you have a lethal and non-lethal approach to enemies, as well as a variety of choices in terms of hiding or disposing the bodies of your foes so as not to alert suspicion. You also have the ability to pick up certain items and throw them to create distractions or divert the attention of enemies in order for you to either go about your business undetected or set them up for a killing spree. Another thing that I enjoy with this game is the gore (sadistic, I know.), I like blood and gore because it adds realism (although sometimes exaggerated, I'm not complaining >:]) to the game. Dishonored is no stranger to this, which adds to the overall awesomeness of the game.

Due to the many choices you can make and options presented to  you, the game is easily replayable, many many times.

If I say anymore, I would definitely spoil the game, so go out and grab a copy and experience the the epicness for yourself!

Here are few a screenshots to help you see the graphical greatness that this game has to offer.

(Shadow Details.)

(Shadow Details.)

(Where's your head at?)

(Don't go swimming.)

(Environment Effects.)

(Smoke Effects.)

(The Outsider.)

(Blink.)

(Sunrise.)

(What better way to get your point across?)

(Headless.)

(Corvo's Ink.)

Ranking:

Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 7/10


_____________
The Wraith:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3
GPU: Sapphire HD 6870
RAM: G. Skill Sniper (16GB)
HDD: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black
PSU: AeroCool Strike X 1,100w 80 Plus Gold Modular
Case: Antec LanBoy Air


Monitor: Viewsonic 24" VX2439WM 1920x1080 Full HD
Sound System: Creative Inspire 5.1 A500 SBS Surround Sound System

Getting My Nerd On (Part 3)

(Laying It All Out, Photo By Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

Finally, the long wait is over! All the pieces are in possession and it's time to build! For this, I have asked my good friend Martin to come over and help oversee the operation as he has more experience than I do. I've laid out all the parts in preparation for the assembly, that's the first step, getting organized.

(The Mounted Phenom II X6, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

Now we move onto the second step, the preparation phase. The first item to prep is the Motherboard, before laying it out, I took about 4 pieces of my rubber mats that I use for grappling and stacked them, I chose these because they are non conductive materials, but for added safety, I left the small foam lining that helped store the Motherboard and laid that out on the mats, on top of the Motherboard box, before touching the Motherboard, I made sure to grasp a hold of a metal surface in order to discharge any static electricity I may have, I have silver bracelet on but I just wanted to be extra cautious, I also made sure I handled the Motherboard by it's corners. After placing the board on the laid out surface, I opened up the processor socket latch to prepare for the mounting of the processor. I unboxed the processor and repeated the static discharge action on the metal leg of my table before removing the processor from it's plastic casing. I then proceeded to line it up correctly onto the socket before securing it in place with the latch. After which, I attached the heatsink fan onto the processor and locked the mount into place. The next component I mounted were the RAM modules. These are fairly easy to do, so long as you line them up correctly and make sure they lock into place. 

(All Lined Up, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

(Motherboard Secure On Tray, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

The next step was to unscrew and unmount the motherboard tray, I removed the Power Supply cage as well, this may not be possible with all cases but in my case, I am using the Antec LanBoy Air, which is considered to be one of the most modular and most customizable of cases to date. In order to do this, you must first remove all panels of the case, this will make it easier to get all the cable management and wiring done once you've mounted the motherboard onto the case. After unmounting the motherboard tray, the motherboard is placed on top of the tray, making sure the slots on the board are lined up with the standoffs on the tray. Once these are aligned, the necessary screws can be placed and tightened, securing the motherboard onto the tray.

(Mounted Video Card, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

The next item I mounted was the video card. Making sure that it was lined properly on the correct PCI-e slot. This may require you to wiggle it until it clicks into place. It will feel loose and a bit wobbly at first which may be freaky but then it will be secured once you line it up onto the case and add more screws to secure it's position.

(The PSU, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

The next item that I focused on is the Power Supply Unit or PSU. As mentioned above, the case I am using is built to be very modular and customizable and in this particular situation, it is possible to have the PSU mounted on top or on the bottom, I opted to go with the bottom mounted setup to keep things simple so that my hardware isn't at risk in the weird event that the PSU falls from the top, destroying everything in it's path, in this case, that would be everything attached to my motherboard which is not a good thing. I'm exaggerating of course, but you really can't tell. So better safe than sorry. To mount the PSU, you need to slide it into the provided PSU cage and then this will allow you to slide it back onto the case via the rack that is a part of the case. The orientation of the PSU is up to your personal preference, orientation meaning the fan facing up (showing off the Strike X design which is the cage covering the exhaust of the PSU) or facing down. I decided to go with the orientation having the fan facing down because it's never a good thing to have hot air blowing upward onto the rest of your hardware like your video card and CPU.

(All Mounted, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

Now that everything is where it should be in terms of the motherboard, it is time to put it back into the case. Carefully, the motherboard tray is slid into place using the rails on the case. I had to ask my friend to support the video card as I was sliding the tray back because I was paranoid that it might somehow detach itself and fall off, thankfully it didn't. After the motherboard tray was secured into place, the PSU cage with the PSU was next to follow and secured. After it was in place, the next move would be to secure the back panel of the case, but before doing so, the stock I/O Shield was removed and replaced with the one that came with the motherboard. I also removed the 2nd and 3rd PCI slot covers on the back panel of the case in order to accommodate the ports of the video card. 

(The Mounted Optical Drive, Photo by of Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

The item I mounted was the Optical Drive. I chose the 2nd slot because I was having some difficulty putting it on the 1st slot due to the wiring that was coming from the ports on the front side of the case. Mounting the Optical Drive was a very simple process, simply remove 2 screws that secure the panel slot on the front of the case and slide the drive right in, screwing it into place after. A unique thing about this case is that you also have the option to mount your drive in a sideward orientation, meaning the drive tray would be coming from the side part of your case if you choose to do so. I opted to go with the normal, front facing orientation as this was the simplest and hassle free way to go about it.

(1TB WD Caviar Black on AirMount, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

The next item I mounted was the Hard Drive. This is another unique feature that only this specific case has. Antec uses what is trademarked as the AirMount. The AirMount is basically a hard drive mount that requires no case rails. It has detachable rails that you screw onto your hard drive and within these rails is a piece of flexible rubber tubing, something like bungee cord (one on each side) that has 2 hooks on each end. Now these hooks attach to the designated slots on case frame, thus leaving your hard drive suspended in the air, nothing surrounding it but air, hence the name. Now I know that most of you will think that is somewhat scary, it is at first, but then, after securing the hooks, the hard drive remains securely in place, there is a little play though, due to the fact that the rubber tubing is a bit long, giving the rails/hard drive some movement, if this bothers you, you can put some zip tie between on the tubing so that it doesn't move around. I opted to leave it as is because in reality, who shakes their rig around anyway? Again, you have the option to mount the hard drive in a sideward orientation or the traditional front facing orientation, which I decided to go to as well, simply because it would be easier to plug the cables. Another neat thing about this AirMount system is that it reduces vibrations and noise (not really noticeable noise because everything else is louder. Haha!) when the hard drive spins up because it won't be vibrating against any surface. Also, this system allows more airflow to keep your hard drive cool. The hard drive cage on this case has many levels (about 7), so you're free to place them wherever you see fit, I chose to keep it on the lower 4th level because it would be situated right in front of the 2 front side intake fans, this would mean optimum cooling. After mounting the Optical Drive and Hard Drive, I proceeded to connect the necessary cables used to power and operate these 2 components.

This was the easy part. Now for the more challenging aspect of this build. Cable Management.

(Successful Cable Management! Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

After connecting the PCI-e Power cords to the video card and the 24-pin ATC connector as well as the 8-pin CPU power connector and the 4-pin Molex plugs for the case fans and the front panel connectors to the PSU and motherboard respectively, we are left with a multitude of wiring (despite the PSU being a modular one) to hide behind the motherboard panel which will be shielded by a mesh exterior case. It was quite a challenge trying to get it as clean as possible, hiding cables and wires in the nooks and crannies of the case without causing any interference or blockage to any of the moving parts in the system (the fans!). This took about thirty minutes and an extra set of hands to get the panel in place while making sure no wiring was protruding or casing the panel to bulge extensively. The last step to the assembly process was to connect the 4-pin Molex plugs for the rear fan and the 2 side panel fans to the PSU, hiding the wiring accordingly before fitting the side panel back and screwing it in place. And that's it, the assembly is done!

Now the moment of truth, fire up the machine! Random moment, during my first attempt at firing up the machine, it actually didn't power on. And I was like "Oh shit!" then it hit me, the PSU power switch wasn't flipped on yet. Too much excitement caused the memory lapse. But then once the PSU switch was flipped, the rig fired up with no issues. Like a plane taking off. The Wraith (Yes, I named my PC) was alive.

Here are some photos of The Wraith. :]

(The Wraith (rear), Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

(The Wraith (front), Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang) 

(The Wraith In The Dark, Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

(The Wraith (side), Photo by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

After the PC started up, the Operating System was installed and the hard drive was partitioned accordingly.

My current specs are:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition, currently running stock at 3.3GHz. I have yet to overclock it. >:]
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3
GPU: Sapphire HD 6870, currently running stock at 900MHz. I have yet to overclock it as well. >:]
RAM: G. Skill Sniper 1600MHz DDR3 CL9, 1.25v, 4GB x 4 = 16GB, I have yet to overclock this too. >:]
Storage: Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit
Chassis: Antect LanBoy Air
Other items:
-Logitech K260 wireless keyboard and mouse (temporary)
-Viewsonic 24" VX2439WM 1920x1080 Full HD Monitor
-Creative Inspire 5.1 A500 SBS Surround Sound System


Stay tuned for my next post to see how the system performs when using games as benchmarks as well as some regular benchmarking tools!

Also stay tuned for when I put the Antec claim of positive airflow to the test by adding 10 more fans to the current setup! 

To see the steps I took to put this machine together, check the following links in sequential order.


For Part 1, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-1.html
For Part 2, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-2.html
For Part 2.1, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/07/getting-my-nerd-on-part-21.html
For Part 2.2, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/07/getting-my-nerd-on-part-22.html
For Part 2.3, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/07/getting-my-nerd-on-part-23.html
For Part 2.4, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/08/getting-my-nerd-on-part-24.html
For Part 2.5, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/08/getting-my-nerd-on-part-25.html

Getting My Nerd On (Part 2.2)

Today (July 13) is payday, fortunately for me, this payday also included our annual performance bonus. In short, more money. This granted me the wonderful opportunity to purchase another part for my rig without going hungry until the next paycheck. Haha. So again, I referred to my build checklist and decided to get my Video Card/Graphics Processing Unit. Now Graphics Processing Unit or GPU could turn out to be one of the priciest aspects of your rig (depending on the goals of the said rig of course) but if you're like me, who wants to get some decent gaming done on his/her rig, then it would be wise to pick a card that suits your needs and budget. The card I have chosen doesn't essentially fall under the high end category in terms of performance, but it should get the job done, in terms of quality of game playing. And price wise, it falls under a generally moderate range (in PhP). Because it's higher priced relatives offer almost the same performance output but for an exuberant price. This observation is a fruit of my research when finding alternatives or back ups in the event of item unavailability. To all the nVidia users out there, I am not waging any wars, it's just personal preference! :]


The card I have selected was initially the PowerColor HD 6870, but due to the seemingly unending availability issues I've been encountering during this build, I went for the Sapphire HD 6870 instead, which is about 20 bucks (PhP) more expensive than its PowerColor variant. I was able to stick with my card of choice though, which is a good thing despite switching brands. And as always, I did my research before making the switch, I've read a lot of good things about Sapphire, but of course, I don't take it all on reading, watch some test videos and finally, I'll see for myself once the build is complete.

A short overview of it's specifications:

GPU	900 MHz Core Clock
Memory Power Requirement	1GB 256 -bit GDDR5 500W PSU required

For full specs, check:  http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1037&pid=496&psn=&lid=1&leg=0#

(Sapphire Radeon HD 6870, Photo taken by Thomas Joseph C. Huang)

I paid a visit to Gilmore IT Center once again (mentioned in Part 2: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-2.html), took my ever supportive girlfriend with me and headed straight for a shop called PCHub (I headed straight for this shop because I did my canvassing and availability checks prior to the visit (very useful tip when building your own rig, saves you a lot of trouble.) Dealing with the people in this shop is a very pleasant experience, they are very accommodating and the way they relate to customers is very professional and friendly. One thing I liked too is that after you make your purchase, you are offered to test what you just bought, an option that I took to assure that the video card I bought is working, which thankfully it is.

Having purchased this part, this puts me at about 60% completion based on my checklist. The only items left are the following: RAM Sticks, Internal Hard Drive and a chassis.

Just wanted to update everybody on the progress of my build!

(Me and the GPU!, Photo courtesy of Janine Lyn David)

Thank you PCHub for the awesome service and for the video card!


Stay tuned for the next part of the Getting My Nerd On series as I continue my quest for the completion of my rig!
























For Part 1, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-1.html
For Part 2, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-2.html
For Part 2.1, check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/07/getting-my-nerd-on-part-21.html

Getting My Nerd On (Part 2)

Now this is where the fun begins. Step 2. Hardware shopping.

(Gilmore IT Center, Photo courtesy of Janine Lyn David)

For my first shopping trip, I invited two of my friends (Martin and Fred) to come join me in my quest. We met at my apartment for some strategic planning and final blueprinting as well as going over a checklist I had put together. After some tweaking and fine tuning, we decided to pay a visit to a known computer parts zone near in a city about 30 minutes from where I live. This place is called Gilmore IT Center, they have a multitude of shops located in the area, it's basically like a shopping mall for anything related to computers.


We stormed the place, checklist in hand, cash in my pocket.


Like I mentioned in Part 1, I went in search of what I consider the main organs of the rig first. My initial checklist for these two pieces of hardware were as follows: an AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition for the CPU.


This actually changed as we scoped out all the shops in the zone. The processor I was initially looking for was no longer available, apparently, these processors are already being phased out to make room for the newer FX series aka "Bulldozer" processors of AMD. This was something I initially missed out during the intelligence gathering phase which caused me to make adjustments on the spot. But I suppose this was bittersweet, after asking all the stores, apparently the Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition was no longer available on the market. All hope seemed lost but I went back to 1 store that had very knoweldgeable salespersons and they said they had 1 piece remaining for an AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition. I said I would come back after doing a quick check of it's specifications and canvassing around in other shops (one shop actually used the same item from store I previously went to and tried to raise the price on me!), I finally decided to go back and take the last piece from the very first store I had checked.


The processor I have selected is the AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition, it is a 3.3GHz Hexa Core CPU, I won't go into deep detail since everyone reading this probably has access to the AMD website anyway. :] Unfortunately though, I went over budget for this one because I had to shell out a little more cash for the processor I chose since the original one was no longer available. I had to sacrifice purchasing my Motherboard on that same trip which was the original plan because I went over budget, but for a well worth it purchase I think. 

Eton Cyberpod Corinthian (Photo courtesy of Janine Lyn David)

Now for the Motherboard, I had originally chosen the ASRock 970 Extreme 4, and to avoid the "on the spot" adjustment, I decided to give the target shops a call to check on the availability of the Motherboard, and it's a good thing I did the day before because upon asking about the availability of this item, I have been informed that shipping is apparently on hold for this item with uncertainty of when it will be available. (I think it's just bad luck for me!) So I had to adjust again (at least I had a 1 day buffer to really think and do ample research on the adjustment I'm going to make) and I ended up choosing the ASRock 990FX Extreme3, it's about 900 bucks (Philippine Pesos) more than the original board of my choice which isn't so bad. Again I won't go into deep detail for this, just a side note, it's an ATX form factor board (I mentioned this here because this will come into play when choosing a Casing/Chassis, another tip I learned just recently). This is my second round buying parts, I brought my girlfriend with me for this trip (yes, she is that supportive. :D) this time, we head to another location known for composed of stores that sell PC Hardware which is called Eton Cyberpod. This location is nearer than the first place I went to, it's about 10 minutes from where I live and I made sure to reserve the item beforehand to ensure item availability, it took me just 10 worry-free and hassle-free minutes to make the purchase.


As of this moment, I have completed what I consider the main parts of my rig. Now it's on to Phase 2. To be honest, I'm not too sure what Phase 2 would consist of, but rest assured my mental gears are turning to identify these. My rig build checklist is pretty much set but of course, I have left room for variables such as part unavailability (this seems to be quite common.) and price hikes/drops.

ASRock 990 FX Extreme3 (Photo courtesy of Janine Lyn David)

Thank you to PCNetmiles (Eton Cyberpod Corinthian) for my Motherboard and CKY Planet PC (GIlmore IT Center) for my Processor!

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition (Photo by Thomas Joseph Huang)

Stay tuned for the next part of my series which is Phase 2 of the Hardware shopping step (Step 2).


For Part 1: Check it here: http://tomhuang03.blogspot.com/2012/06/getting-my-nerd-on-part-1.html

Getting My Nerd On (Part 1)

A few weeks ago, my trusty MSI EX 460 laptop was called into Silicon Valley Heaven. It was a sad day. From getting me through some school work, to passing the time, to daily activities, to a 24 hour LAN party with friends, this laptop has been through a lot with me. I suppose you could say it served it's purpose quite well. What added to the sadness is that I now have to resort to using my iPhone 4S (which isn't a bad thing, except for the small screen size) as well the office laptop (an old Dell Latitude D630) at home for my daily activities. This sparked a thought, "Why not go back to the Grade School and High School days? Why not build my own PC rig?" and this led to me "Getting My Nerd On".


Ever since I was about 14 years old, I've always had a fascination with technology, tinkering with it, taking it apart and putting it back or simply taking it apart and appreciating all the details (also because there were times when I couldn't put it back together. -_-).  With that being said, I guess it was only a matter of time before I got back into it. And since I have decided to build my rig from scratch, that childlike excitement got renewed in me. 


And this is where my quest begins.


Step zero. Goal setting. Begin with the end in mind. My goal is to build a mid-performance, mid-budget rig. This may be a subjective category though.


Step one. Due diligence. Researching like a beast. Reading specifications. Reading reviews. Watching reviews. Comparing reviews. Comparing parts. Window shopping. It's a very tedious process, but it is a necessary evil. It could also save you a bunch of money if you look well enough. Because in the technological world, things aren't always what they seem, faster is not always better, more expensive is not always the best. This was the simple advice from Martin, a very good friend of mine who has ample experience in rig building.


The first thing I gathered intelligence for was to find the main organs of the rig. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the Motherboard. Finding these is like preparing for marriage, the two need to be compatible or else there will be problems. The first piece I looked for was the CPU and the motherboard. Something I learned recently (courtesy of Martin) was the wattage capacity of the Motherboard (e.g. Processor Thermal Design Power (TDP) is 125w, Motherboard only supports 95w). I had no idea about this and it would have become an issue if I hadn't gotten this tip. This certainly helped me narrow my searches for parts.


This will serve as the first part of the series I will be putting together as I progress through my build.


Stay tuned for the next part when I begin purchasing the hardware!