new 2D non gamer quiet machine

[skanan]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot on this forum for a new system. Here is what I plan:

1. Samsung 2.5" 40GB drive, hang suspended
2. Sempron 2800+ and socket 754 motherboard.
I'll run this with Crystal CPU ID to get CPU down to 800 MHz. I can get
this bundled for $79.
3. For the case, I can't decide between
3.1 Antec Sonata II case
3.2 Antec SLK3000 + Seasonic Super silencer 300W, S12-330 power supply, or
Fotron Zen fanless PS.
4. 1GB Memory
5. Skype Katana Heatsink or Arctic Freezer 4 and probably not using fan.

I'll run mostly 2D non cpu intensive application (vnc, gvim, excel,
firefox) and I don't play game. I tried the mini-ITX and they were a bit
too slow for me.

I realize that S12-330 is more quiet than Smartpower 2.0 at higher load
but my system does not use much power so it may not matter that much. I
can buy Sonata II $95 from local vendor (Central computer). The SLK3000 +
something else would have costed me more. I already have Super Silencer
in one of my system and I can still hear it.

I already have an AGP ATI Rage-3D graphic card and an old Toshiba CDROM.
Both are fine for me.

I'd like to passively cool the CPU if possilble.

I'm openning to any suggestions. I don't mind to get Turion or Pentium M
CPU but if I can get by cheaper with the same noise level, I'd opt for
cheaper solution.

I feel that the Antec case is still too big for me. However, I can't find
other smaller case that can give me less noise. The 300W power supply is
overkill. If someone make a small case with laptop style power supply, it
might be a good solution for me.

Thanks,
Nick

[cAPSLOCK]

How about the Antec Aria? http://www.silentpcreview.com/article146-page1.html It's quite easy to find a 754 matx mobo with integrated gfx.
Also, if you invest a bit more, you can get a Sempron 3000+ (or better) that has Cool n' Quiet, so it goes down to 800mhz anyway.

[stromgald]

It looks like a good setup. If both cases are too big for you, consider getting an Evercase 4252 which is a bit plain, but has good airflow. An Antec 2650 would also be good. If you want to passively cool your CPU, you will need a case with good airflow and an exhaust fan near the CPU cooler. The Aria doesn't have good airflow, so you'd probably need a fan on the CPU if you get the Aria.

For the PSU, I would recommend getting the Super Silencer 300W or the S12-330 (whichever is cheaper for you). Although it is silent, the Fortron Zen is very expensive for its power level.

[skanan]

I ended up getting HP machine with Sempron 3000+ for $150 after rebate. It came with Samsung Spinpoint 80GB 3.5" inch drive already. I added more memory, replaced PS with Super Tornado 300W. I also replaced the CPU heatsink with Arctic Silencer 64 Ultra TC. I suspended the Samsung drive with cable ties. Now it is quiet enough for me and I'm happy with that.

So far I spent $93 extra for memory, PS, and CPU cooling.