LED Quad Core Build

I always wanted to build my own computer rather than buying it off the shelf. I started my computer build by thinking about the aesthetics of the machine, what would it look like, how large it would be, and what cool colors I could use in lighting it, all my LED's are blue and I have to say it does look cool.

Unfortunately by taking this approach I ran into issues when it came to fitting all the components into the machine properly. In particular I chose a motherboard layout that could fit all the components I wanted such as the ability to run the latest quad-core processor and handle a lot of RAM. The downside to this approach was I was now limited both in my component selection ,stuff was more expensive than I wanted, and my cooling layout gave me trouble once I populated the components. I was forced both to change out (or secure) a lot of the cables, and I also added three more fans to keep the box running well and not overly hot.

I was very fixated on making sure parts would work together and they are all compatible but two issues really threw me for a loop. The first issue was that I wanted to link two Nvidia video cards together and I had read that there were some good ways to do this even with a non-certified board but it turned out that Nvidia broke some of the hacks so I had to return the two cards I had gotten and replace them with one larger card. This then ran me into the second issue which was the video card was so long that I could not fit all of my SATA connectors into the motherboard, 4 were fine but the last two were blocked.

I would say what I learned was that having a plan and a parts list is not enough but really its understanding the physical layout that was most taxing and something I will pay closer attention to next time.