silentbobbo wrote:
It would also work with Windows 2008. However, I can't figure out if the ASUS motherboard will support a 3TB HDD
Any of the top name-brand boards will support hard drives larger then 2 TB. Both Windows Server 2008 or Windows
Home Server 2008 should work with 3 TB drives, but there are some (usually minor) issues.
silentbobbo wrote:
4) It seems 3TB drives are the maximum size available these days and I'm guessing this would be a good choice.
Western Digital Caviar Green WD30EZRSDTL
HFat mentioned that drives with a larger storage capacity have more mechanical parts (heads and platters) inside. These can lead to more heat and more noise.
If you are going to use the capacity (a huge collection of photos, movies, music, etc.) it makes sense to buy the capacity now. If you are not sure if you will use the capacity, then a smaller-capacity drive will make a tiny bit less noise (and cost less to buy).
Over the last couple of years, I have become a fan of the
Samsung hard drives. I believe that they have had a higher resistance to shock damage, when compared to my Western Digital drives. The Samsung drives also have a really quiet seek and a pleasant-sounding spin up.
Samsung's largest drive is just 2TB: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TBHFat wrote:
-Z68 is pointlessly expensive
I agree that most Z68 boards are, due to the milk-the-enthusiast factor. But the listed
ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX is only
$115 and that is only $10 more then the H67 board.
The Z68 chipset has Rapid Storage Technology. This lets you use a smaller SSD then would hold your whole system to act as a cache. That way silentbobbo can add a cheaper SSD without re-installing Windows.
If silentbobbo is going to keep this board for a couple of years, and possibly upgrade to an Ivy Bridge CPU, he should get the most advanced & most recent chipset available.
HFat wrote:
best spend money on an SSD
That
$10 is going to buy a SSD?
HFat wrote:
a better PSU [...] -that PSU might be too noisy
Silentbobbo has a limited budget. I thought that he should start with this supply, and upgrade if the noise is too much.
The ]url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026]CX430 ($25 after MIR today)[/url] is chosen because it is cheap and some people here have been satisfied with the low noise level. As I mentioned above, you can buy a much better PSU (power supply unit) if you are willing to
triple the amount of money you pay.
As silentbobbo thought that an off-the-shelf Gateway SX2800 produced a tolerable amount of noise, I do not think he heeds to spend $100 on a power supply. I also expect that he will not feel that Antec's "Tri-cool" fan is too noisy, as others on this forum have suggested.
HFat wrote:
-that case is pointlessly large
It is a $65 case that has many features that help it to make less noise, like hard drive anti-vibration rubber grommets. The Sonata Proto has a volume of 44 Liters. That is the same as other mid-size ATX cases like the Antec Three Hundred.
Silentbobbo never mentioned that he wanted a smaller computer, and smaller often makes more noise and costs more money. Smaller cases also limit the upgrades that a user might choose in the future.
HFat wrote:
-an external optical drive is more versatile and allows you to use a smaller case
But the OP did not request a small case. Also, more external stuff always annoys me as you have more to move around and more to plug/unplug. I think that the growth of All-In-One computers means that more people agree with me that external components are a hassle.
HFat wrote:
Personally, I'd use none of these components and I'd use extra components for various reasons (see above).
Remember, silentbobbo wants to keep the whole systems under $700. When I hear that someone has a limited budget, I assume that they would like to spend
even less then the budget they state if they can still get a nice computer. If silentbobbo follows my recommendations, he will spend
about $630 (including slow shipping), and get about $20 back someday in mail-in rebates (MIR).
Intel Pentium G840 for LGA1155ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATXKingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430WAntec Sonata ProtoSony Optiarc CD/DVD BurnerSAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TBMicrosoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM