I'm getting ready to build a new PC and would really like some advice and comments. This will be the 4th one I've built, but it has been 18 months since my last one, so I have to do my research all over again.
My goals, in order of importance, are:
1) Future-proof design
2) QUIET!!!!
3) High Quality
4) Reasonable price.
My plan is to use the latest MB to support the newest hardware and allow plenty of upgradeability. but also use a more modest processor to keep costs down.
My anticipated usage is:
- Web surfing: 30%
- Photo editing: 30%
- MS Office Stuff: 20%
- Video capture, editing, DVD Burning: 10%
- Gaming: 10%
This is my anticipated configuration:
- Antec P160 Case
- Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe MB
- Athlon 64 processor- Winchester core 3500+
- Corsair TWINX1024-3200 1GB Kit DDR400 XMS3200 Dual-Channel RAM
- Enermax Noisetaker EG425P PSU
- Pioneer DVR-A08XL DVD Burner
- GigaByte GeForce 6600 GV-NX66256DP (no fan) (Just one Video Card)
- Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 Capture Card
- (2) 160GB Seagate ST6160023AS SATA HDD
- Win XP Home
I am undecided what to use as a CPU cooler and need some help on this one. I don't mind having a fan/heat sink combination there as long as it is relatively quiet.
Any feedback you have on the configuration in terms of quietness, better performance at a lower cost, etc. would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!
Advice / Feedback On A New System
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
on the components:
- i'm pretty sure the 6600 card you've listed is not sli-capable (usually, only 6600 gt's and 6800's are).
- following on, why an sli board? the current nvidia implementation is a bit of a hack (only works on certain games, etc.) - single-16x pci-e boards are cheaper. perhaps an msi k8n neo4, with a zalman nb47j replacing the chipset heatsink/fan. also gets you firewire for your digital movies.
- you could go with value pc3200 ram instead of xms, unless you want to overclock.
- i'd go with a nidec-motor samsung hdd over a seagate, they're generally accepted as being quieter. for larger sizes, maxtor dm10's seem promising.
- the seasonic s12 psu range would be quieter than the 2-fan enermax, though you may need a high-wattage model to get all the power cables that future-proofing would require.
- if i had to buy a heatsink/fan right this second, it'd be a thermalright xp-90 with a 92mm nexus fan. xp-120 strikes me as overkill, but for an overclocker the extra air-flow cooling the motherboard would be helpful.
general thoughts:
- don't use a fan on the heatsink, duct it to the rear case fan (exhausting). if you undervolt the cpu, you could probably duct the heatsink straight to the psu and remove the rear case fan altogether, as long as the psu doesn't ramp up its fan too much in response.
- you'll need airflow for the vga card, so consider ducting it too - have a duct from the front intake fan, blowing onto the suspended hard drives, from that onto the vga card and exhausting through removed pci-card-slot covers. this duct would also get you some airflow over the nb47j if you went with the neo4 motherboard.
this post was longer than i expected! i assume a few mistakes on my part as well, some other posters will no doubt have some better suggestions for you
- i'm pretty sure the 6600 card you've listed is not sli-capable (usually, only 6600 gt's and 6800's are).
- following on, why an sli board? the current nvidia implementation is a bit of a hack (only works on certain games, etc.) - single-16x pci-e boards are cheaper. perhaps an msi k8n neo4, with a zalman nb47j replacing the chipset heatsink/fan. also gets you firewire for your digital movies.
- you could go with value pc3200 ram instead of xms, unless you want to overclock.
- i'd go with a nidec-motor samsung hdd over a seagate, they're generally accepted as being quieter. for larger sizes, maxtor dm10's seem promising.
- the seasonic s12 psu range would be quieter than the 2-fan enermax, though you may need a high-wattage model to get all the power cables that future-proofing would require.
- if i had to buy a heatsink/fan right this second, it'd be a thermalright xp-90 with a 92mm nexus fan. xp-120 strikes me as overkill, but for an overclocker the extra air-flow cooling the motherboard would be helpful.
general thoughts:
- don't use a fan on the heatsink, duct it to the rear case fan (exhausting). if you undervolt the cpu, you could probably duct the heatsink straight to the psu and remove the rear case fan altogether, as long as the psu doesn't ramp up its fan too much in response.
- you'll need airflow for the vga card, so consider ducting it too - have a duct from the front intake fan, blowing onto the suspended hard drives, from that onto the vga card and exhausting through removed pci-card-slot covers. this duct would also get you some airflow over the nb47j if you went with the neo4 motherboard.
this post was longer than i expected! i assume a few mistakes on my part as well, some other posters will no doubt have some better suggestions for you
Read the recommended heatsinks page and the relevent reviews.
Read the recommended section in general.
And read the P160 case review.
Ask any questions you may have on relevent products, but do a search first to make sure that it hasn't already been answered before.
Read the recommended section in general.
And read the P160 case review.
Ask any questions you may have on relevent products, but do a search first to make sure that it hasn't already been answered before.
I totally agree with yeha, but I have two comments to make:
On the other hand, Seagate is a great choice as long as it's PATA, not SATA (the latter can be quite loud in seek).
I also think that XMS Corsairs are an overkill for what you plan to use the PC. You should definetly go with cheaper sollutions, like the value RAM suggested above.
Also, you might want to check NEC DVD-writers out, too, as they are less demanding on DVD-blank discs (they work well on cheap ones, too) in which case you should consider getting an extra optical drive for reading (NEC doesn't excel at this) - I recommend you a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo for this purpose.
yeha, really nice ideas on ducting.
However, I think that one could have a really quiet PC even when using fans on the PC case.
AbelBK, provided that you would use 12 cm fans on the Antec P160, you should have in mind the sollutions offered by Papst and putting them on the case using the rubber *thingies* instead of metal screws.
As a 6600GT I recommend you Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP (also has passive cooling and can reach through overclocking nice frequencies like 550/1150 MHz).yeha wrote: - i'm pretty sure the 6600 card you've listed is not sli-capable (usually, only 6600 gt's and 6800's are).
Aren't nidec-motor Samsungs out of production? Or am I wrong - I could bet that I've heard somebody saying that the new Samsung HDDs are all on JVC motors.- i'd go with a nidec-motor samsung hdd over a seagate, they're generally accepted as being quieter.
On the other hand, Seagate is a great choice as long as it's PATA, not SATA (the latter can be quite loud in seek).
I also think that XMS Corsairs are an overkill for what you plan to use the PC. You should definetly go with cheaper sollutions, like the value RAM suggested above.
Also, you might want to check NEC DVD-writers out, too, as they are less demanding on DVD-blank discs (they work well on cheap ones, too) in which case you should consider getting an extra optical drive for reading (NEC doesn't excel at this) - I recommend you a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo for this purpose.
yeha, really nice ideas on ducting.
However, I think that one could have a really quiet PC even when using fans on the PC case. AbelBK, provided that you would use 12 cm fans on the Antec P160, you should have in mind the sollutions offered by Papst and putting them on the case using the rubber *thingies* instead of metal screws.
I have the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe (BIOS 1004 final) and the chipset fan is incredibly loud. Mine also vibrated - it ran at 8,800-9,300 rpm instead of the 8,000-8,400 I expected! Until I get the Thermalright NB-1 to replace it, I have fanmated it and running about 5,800 rpm. Of course, I'm not overclocking for the moment. When I did, I took my 3200 Winnie to 2.4 GHz at 1.475V. But my memory, Kingmax DDR500, didn't work 100% reliably with 1T at that speed (maybe a new BIOS will fix that). I would recommend getting a PSU with 24-pin connector and high amperage on 12V, if you ever plan to run two graphic cards.