Rate my PC build

Hitmeneer · Post by **Hitmeneer** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:15 pm

Hi,

After reading some guides on this sites and others and browsing true the forum I put this system together:

- HP W2207 TFT screen
- Intel Q9450
- Artic Cooling Freezer 7 (CPU cooler)
- GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB-ram
- Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 + 120 mm Nexus Real Silent (VGA cooler)
- 2 x 2 Gig RAM (OCZ or Kingston ValuaRam)
- Gigabyte GA-P35 DS3/4 motherboard
- Antec Solo Case (with one 120 mm and one 92 mm both from Nexus)
- Corsair CMPSU-520HXEU (Power Supply)
- Logitech X-540 (sound system)
- Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic (Sound Card)
- 300 GB Samsung HDD
- Logitech G15 Keyboard
- Logitech MX518
- Windows Vista 64 bit

This system will be mainly used for games and some 3d programs like SolidWorks.
My current system is quiet loud (almost a vacuum cleaner

) . So that's why I tried to use some better / more silent components. It doesn't have to be total sillent, I'm satisfied with a light hum

.

So any comments? Anything I missed or forgot

?

ame · Post by **ame** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 2:50 pm

You read well.
good choices accross the board in terms of value for money vs prformance. probably could have gone with the vx450 PSU but the modular cables and xtra watt or two couldt do any harm.
I dont know the Logitec speakers... but I allways prefer audio brands for audio related gear so logitc might be good (if youve listened and are stisfied..) but its basically a logo tagged on some speakers that you dont really know that are made in china for Logitec...

I'm really particular about the way things sound, so maybe it just me, but I dont like the sound of any computer branded speaker ever

Hitmeneer · Post by **Hitmeneer** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:02 pm

ame wrote:You read well.
good choices accross the board in terms of value for money vs prformance. probably could have gone with the vx450 PSU but the modular cables and xtra watt or two couldt do any harm.
I dont know the Logitec speakers... but I allways prefer audio brands for audio related gear so logitc might be good (if youve listened and are stisfied..) but its basically a logo tagged on some speakers that you dont really know that are made in china for Logitec...
I'm really particular about the way things sound, so maybe it just me, but I dont like the sound of any computer branded speaker ever

Ok, thanks

.

About the speakers. The speakers are nice for the price and pc use, but they indeed can't be compared to real quality speakers prob

. Do you have any speakers you would recommend for a good price (max 100 Dollar/Euro). I''m no audiophile, so I don't want to spend loads of money on speakers but I can hear the difference between a 25 dollar set and 100 dollar.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:08 pm

Get a pair of Grado S60 headphones. These sound identical to my father's $1500 Tannoy Saturn towers quality wise. Just an astounding difference and worth every penny. $65 last I checked. Absolutely nothing you've ever heard for the money matches it. I literally listened to every song I had in my collection when I got mine to hear things I didn't even know existed.

Oh - the S60 is identical to the others in the series other than the gold plating and ear muffs. The $300 models are superior, but under that price - jsut get the S60 and enjoy.

Oh - get the Audigy value. It's identical to the original Audigy 1, which is all you'll ever need unless you plan to do recording or sampling, as it's already above human hearing limits for audio playback(24/96 out, CD quality in)

Or just get a MB with a digital audio out(orange plug - most now have this) and use the on-board sound. Hooking directly into your HT system is a real eye-opener.

Conroy · Post by **Conroy** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:32 pm

If you don't already own the sound card, I'd try the motherboard's on board sound before buying one. They have gotten pretty good.

Hmm that's about all I have to say

tehcrazybob · Post by **tehcrazybob** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:11 pm

I'd say overall you've got some excellent choices. I'm going to agree with some of the above comments on audio, though:

First, you probably don't need a sound card. I have a GA-P35-DS3L (which I recommend, incidentally), and the onboard sound is the best I've ever used. If you want fancy EAX effects in games, get a proper card, but otherwise the onboard should be plenty. It's even got optical S/PDIF.

Second, unless you've got a way to properly distribute your surround speakers, you might find you're better off with high-quality stereo speakers. Take a look at something like these, and you'll probably get better sound at the expense of some positional awareness in games.

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:16 pm

http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/sr60.htm

Inexpensive and the sound in games where things are scrabbling around and making noises out of sight is really freaky realistic. $69. These with on-board sound will be more than enough.

The SR80 are the same thing with a different pad on them that puts the driver a TAD closer to your ear.

Call of Duty 4, for instance, you have to turn your sound DOWN as the effects begin to be too loud(these have bass like a rock concert if you want - way WAY better than any headphone they sell at places like Circuit City).

A game like Vampire if you're playing the Malkavian, is fantastic as well, because the character is supposed to be insane. So you hear tiny voices talking to you and distortions and such in the background that you can't possibly hear with PC speakers and still keep the sound down low enough to retain the creepy feeling.

Any of the Aliens series is also a total mindjob with these

I swear I jumped a foot in my seat the first time I got ambushed. Bing...(nothing) bing...(dots) bing...(more dots)... (sound of aliens scrabbling around) turn turn - look... Spinning around looking for the things... oh crap oh crap... where are they.... WHAM!!!!!

You just can't get that any other way except with a very expensive surround sound setup and a dark room.

Hitmeneer · Post by **Hitmeneer** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:26 am

Thanks for the tips

I rather go for speakers then for a headphone. It's hard to explain, but with headphones the sound is really near your ears and enclosed and with speakers the sound is more 'voluminous' (?). And although you are right with the two speakers are better then a 5.1 set of the same price, I will miss the surround function. Because with a 2(.1) set you can't hear if something comes from behind of from upfront. So I think I'll stick with my logitech set

But thanks for the tips, it atleast made me reconsider my options and choises.

My last question is, do I need a fan-controller or something to controll my vga cooler and case fans?

tno · Post by **tno** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:45 am

Looks like a great set up, I have something similar and really the only dissapointment I have is the really loud PSU fan, so I'd research that PSU for silence before committing the cash. Cheers,

tno

Hitmeneer · Post by **Hitmeneer** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:33 am

tno wrote:Looks like a great set up, I have something similar and really the only dissapointment I have is the really loud PSU fan, so I'd research that PSU for silence before committing the cash. Cheers,

tno

I thought that the Corsair PSU fan was really quiet? :O

Plekto · Post by **Plekto** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:00 pm

Hitmeneer wrote:Thanks for the tips

I rather go for speakers then for a headphone. It's hard to explain, but with headphones the sound is really near your ears and enclosed and with speakers the sound is more 'voluminous' (?). And although you are right with the two speakers are better then a 5.1 set of the same price, I will miss the surround function. Because with a 2(.1) set you can't hear if something comes from behind of from upfront. So I think I'll stick with my logitech set

Surround sound is very overrated, IME. I always recommend that one should go for quality over quantity, especially in games. Do yourself a favor at least and listen to these headphones. The sound quality is fantastic and I honestly don't miss the very few sound effects coming from the rear.

sorenbro · Post by **sorenbro** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:02 pm

I have the 520W Corsair PSU, and I'm satisfied with it, can only hear it when i put my ear close to the exhaust, then there is a slight clicking sound.

I have the Gigabyte motherboard AND the Creative Xtreme Music soundcard. I'm very satisfied with the Creative soundcard, but I have not bothered to test it against the onboard, but seeing as the soundcard costs almost the same as the motherboard (and based on reviews) I should think there is a difference.

Strid · Post by **Strid** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:17 pm

I'm switching back and forth from my Creative Audigy4, which I bought 1Â½ year ago for it's good sound quality and the my Gigabyte onboard sound. For music, I can't hear any difference at all. Even classical or jazz, it's a tie. The on-board on my now-replaced ASUS nForce4 Ultra was horrible (relatively) compared the the Audigy4, but the Gigabyte is excellent!

But yeah, if you're die-heart (spelling?) gamer, you probably can't get around the X-fi which even doesn't cost too much for the low-end versions.

Consider an E8400 or Xeon E3110 if you don't want to wait for the quad core. They'll probably overclock higher and when do you need four cores anyway??

Other specs look good!

Hitmeneer · Post by **Hitmeneer** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:31 pm

Thanks for all the help

About the availability of the Q9xxx serie. I will buy I cheap E1/2 series for a few dollar so I can use the pc for 1-2 months (my current pc crashes all the time). As soon I can get the 9450 I'll replace it and will sell the E1/2 to my neighbour for a good price