Been out of the SPCR scene for 3 years.. what's good now?

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wim
Posts: 777
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:16 am
Location: canberra, australia

Been out of the SPCR scene for 3 years.. what's good now?

Post by wim » Tue Jul 03, 2012 10:49 pm

Hi there! I used to be a quite active member on here, but I haven't posted for over three years. This is largely due to me satisfied in having built, with great help from this website and forums, a powerful and silent computer. I have not been bothered by computer noise so have not had any reason to visit spcr .. so first thanks to MikeC and all members for their great work. :)

After being out of touch for a long time I'm interested to know what's good to buy these days. My machine has been in silent faithful service for all that time, until dying a few days ago (think I damaged the motherboard when moving house). A few of my components were:
  • Silverstone ST30NF (fanless PSU)
  • Scythe Ninja with a Nexus 120mm fan, running through zalman fanmate (this single fan was only moving part in system)
  • Sparkle GeForce 8800GT (fanless)
  • OCZ SSD drives for no HD noise
  • Gigabyte EP-35C-DS3R mobo with Core 2 Duo/socket 775
Long time members might recognise a few items that were highly recommended several years ago .. :lol:
I'm at a crossroads whether to simply replace the motherboard, which should be cheap and easy (I don't need a particularly powerful machine because I run linux these days), or to go ahead and build a new system.

My question is, if I replace the motherboard is there even anything available to buy these days which will be compatible with my old stuff?

If I'm to rebuild, what will I need to buy again? e.g. Will my scythe ninja work on newer sockets (I do still have the other brackets it came with)? RAM, CPU, cooler, and everything..will even things like PSU need replacing, given that specs about 12V or something changed in the last couple of years (I noticed the silverstone retired from recommended list)?

What are the most commonly recommended items these days?

lodestar
Posts: 1683
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 3:29 am
Location: UK

Re: Been out of the SPCR scene for 3 years.. what's good now

Post by lodestar » Wed Jul 04, 2012 1:35 am

wim wrote:My question is, if I replace the motherboard is there even anything available to buy these days which will be compatible with my old stuff?
There still seem to be new motherboards available for socket 775, mostly if not entirely using the G41 chipset. So if you want a replacement motherboard and would prefer to stick with Gigabyte the GA-G41M-Combo is still available for around $70 and will take all your old parts including the memory. This is a possible source http://www.expresspcparts.com.au/Items/ ... %20/%20GBL. Details on the Gigabyte website here http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/pro ... id=4213#ov.

cmthomson
Posts: 1266
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:35 am
Location: Pleasanton, CA

Re: Been out of the SPCR scene for 3 years.. what's good now

Post by cmthomson » Wed Jul 04, 2012 8:32 am

wim wrote:If I'm to rebuild, what will I need to buy again? e.g. Will my scythe ninja work on newer sockets (I do still have the other brackets it came with)? RAM, CPU, cooler, and everything..will even things like PSU need replacing, given that specs about 12V or something changed in the last couple of years (I noticed the silverstone retired from recommended list)?
Motherboard (socket 1155, zillions of choices), CPU (low-end Sandy Bridge), memory (DDR3), heat sink (several choices comparable to the original Ninja).

Everything else should be okay, including the power supply. Since you want a single-fan system, any motherboard will do. If you want to switch from manual to software speed control, you'll need a PWM fan, but your existing stuff will still work if you're happy with the fanmate.

The CPU HS I like is Megahalems. It works as well as my old Ninja, and has a very sturdy and simple mounting system.

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