First System Build

FÃ«anor · Post by **FÃ«anor** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:06 am

Alright, so as a little bit of studying for my A+ certification I'm going to build a much-needed computer. It's replacing an old Dell Windows ME machine I was given (yep, free; it's THAT bad).

Here is what I'm looking at right now (prices already include any shipping and rebates I know about):

Basic PC

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Case - Antec P182 ------------------------------------ $135
Mobo - Biostar TForce TP35D2-A7 Intel P35 ------------ $100
CPU -- Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 ------------------------ $180
RAM -- OCZ Platinum Rev. 2 DDR2800 2Ã—1GB ------------- $65
GPU -- MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256EZ GeForce 8600GTS FANLESS  $145
HDD -- Hitachi Deskstar 7K160 160GB ------------------ $60
PSU -- Zen 400W FANLESS ------------------------------ $125
Optical Drive - Asus DRW-1814BLT DVDÂ±RW -------------- $40
OS --- Windows XP Pro -------------------------------- $20

TOTAL------------------------------------------------- $870

So right there I have a pretty good computer. But I want a very quiet computer, so I'd also like to add:

Silencing Components

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"Homebrew" HDD Enclosure (idea from SPCR members)
-----Case - Die-case aluminum w/gasket 8.74 Ã— 5.75 Ã— 2.17 in -------------------- $40
-----Gel for Gel-packs - Two 12g tubes of Arctic Silver 5 ----------------------- $40
-----Bags for Gel-packs - Waterproof antistatic heat-sealable polyethylene bags - $20 for a pack of 100

Passive CPU Cooling
-----Heatink - Thermalright HR-01 775 ------------------------------------------- $60
-----Hardware - HR-01 Bolt-through kit ------------------------------------------ $15 
-----Goop - Arctic Silver 5 ----------------------------------------------------- $10

Other
-----Fans - Three Noctua NF-S12-800 --------------------------------------------- $75
-----Acoustic Insulation - AcoustiProducts' AcoustiPackâ„¢ Deluxe v2 -------------- $80

TOTAL --------------------------------------------------------------------------- $340

So that's what I'm looking at, around roughly $1200.00.

I plan on suspending the hard drive enclosure using some kind of elastic. It'll be suspended in the lower HDD area of the P182 (I will remove the Antec HDD cage).

There will be one fan in the lower section pulling air over the HDD enclosure and pushing it out through the fanless PSU. The other two fans will be at the top and rear of the case. I'm going to cut out the finger guards from the case to reduce turbulence.

What type of performance increase would I see if I upgraded to a 10K Raptor for my hard drive? It would need to be a pretty good performance increase to justify the extra $100+. Also would I have temperature problems with such a fast drive in the enclosure?

laguz1 · Post by **laguz1** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 1:49 pm

just fyi, the ultra 120 > HR-01 for about the same price

otherwise than that, you won't need any silencing foam/insulation - the p182 already has that built in the side panels (partly why its so heavy for a case)

a single raptor vs a single 7200 hd won't be super great performance increase, but you will notice a shorter boot time and some quicker heavy app/gaming performance. If you want faster performance, just get 2 7200rpm hds, RAID 0 them, then you are pretty much about a single raptor performance.

and yes, a raptor runs a couple degrees warmer than other hds, but you'll hear a louder seek noises too...the temp won't be an issue as long as you have some air going over them

FÃ«anor · Post by **FÃ«anor** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 5:05 pm

laguz1 wrote:just fyi, the ultra 120 > HR-01 for about the same price

Fanless? I was under the impression that the ultra 120 wasn't meant to be used passively. I don't need much cooling capability since I don't plan on overclocking.

laguz1 wrote:otherwise than that, you won't need any silencing foam/insulation - the p182 already has that built in the side panels (partly why its so heavy for a case)

Yeah, if I have to make budget cuts, the insulation will probably be one of the first things to go.

laguz1 wrote:a single raptor vs a single 7200 hd won't be super great performance increase, but you will notice a shorter boot time and some quicker heavy app/gaming performance. If you want faster performance, just get 2 7200rpm hds, RAID 0 them, then you are pretty much about a single raptor performance.

I had thought about a RAID setup but I figured that the noise from 2 drives would be too much.

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 5:15 pm

I ran my ultra120 extreme fanless on an E6600 (stock) with antec fans on low, i got about 55C load..

I'd rather get a Samsung 500GB than that 160GB.. the 500GB runs about $105-115 anyways, so its not horribly more expensive, for a faster drive and alot more space.

FÃ«anor · Post by **FÃ«anor** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 6:10 pm

Wibla wrote:I ran my ultra120 extreme fanless on an E6600 (stock) with antec fans on low, i got about 55C load..

I wonder if it'll work. The Noctua fans on high are still weaker than the Antec fans on low. Also, my fans will already be cooling a fanless PSU and a fanless video card, so it's hot air being pulled past the CPU. I think I'll play it safe and stick with the HR-01 but it's interesting to know that the Ultra 120 Extreme can be run fanless.

Wibla wrote:I'd rather get a Samsung 500GB than that 160GB.. the 500GB runs about $105-115 anyways, so its not horribly more expensive, for a faster drive and alot more space.

How much faster? I really don't really need the space and would prefer not to add cost if there's not a good performance increase.

Drexl · Post by **Drexl** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 4:02 am

Where are you getting XP Pro for $20?

FÃ«anor · Post by **FÃ«anor** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:47 am

I can get XP Pro for <$20 from MSDN Academic Alliance since I'm taking classes at the local community college.

I could get XP Pro or Vista Business for free, but I would only get to borrow the disc from the college and install once. I wouldn't actually own the software. Since I can just purchase XP Pro from them for $20 I'm good with that