Page 1 of 1

Need advice for a quiet computer on a budget

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 am
by 60beetle60
hi guys putting together a new computer for uni work and to watch 1080 stuff, just want some advice on the parts before I buy anything though. Dont want to spend more then $900AU if it can be avoided

Currently planning to do the following:
CPU:AMD 7750 ($88 ) or maybe wait just a little for a phenom x2 550 ($165ish)?
CPU Cooler: Scythe Ninja 2 ($95) hows it compare to the Noctua NH-U12P at $85?
MB: Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H ($187)
RAM: Transcend 4gb ddr2 800 ($67)
HDD: 1tb Samsung "HD103UJ" ($144) hows it go against a 1tb 32mb cache wd green power at the same price?
GPU: on board
Optical: Pioneer 216 ($31) (will upgrade to bluray player later, too much $$$ for now)
PSU: Corsair VX-450 ($130) or is there anything quieter for similar money?
Case: Antec Solo ($135) or maybe sonata III and bundled PSU for $212? I do prefer the hdd mounting of the solo but is it worth paying extra after the PSU?
Total: $877 or 824 with sonata and bundled psu
Going to add in some quieter case fans aswell, I have a couple of nexus 120mm silent fans lying around so half way there for fans

I would like to upgrade to a 45w or 65w phenom quad when they arrive though at some stage, so keep in mind CPU will be temporary long term.

BTW all prices are for stores local to me (adelaide australia) Any advice you can give would be great

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 4:34 am
by loimlo
Scythe's feet, well, I mean mounting system is by far the most poor choice by my standard. Dangling about 1KG from the motherboard without secure mounting would cause me nervous about other components. I recommned Xigmatek 1283 or Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 9:59 am
by hybrid2d4x4
It's probably just me but I'd avoid any of the 65nm Phenoms, including the ones that are deceptively named Athlon X2 7xxx. They generate a lot more heat and use more power than a higher-clocked "real" 65nm Athlon at about the same performance and price level.

You don't need much CPU to do 1080p with the IGP you chose, so I'd get the cheapest available 65nm Athlon X2 since you plan to upgrade anyways.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 10:33 am
by alleycat
You might be interested in a setup similar to mine:
CPU: Intel E5300 (msy $116)
CPU Cooler: Ninja Mini (Scorptec $79 + postage) plus Xigmatek Crossbow mounting kit (about $10 I think)
MB: Gigabyte G31M-ES2L (msy $74)
RAM: same
HDD: I wasn't too pleased with the WD that I got
GPU: Nvidia 8500GT (passively cooled), I got it on ebay $50 but you can get a new 8400GS for similar price
Optical: same
PSU/Case: I've always used the cheapest case/psu combo that I didn't hate the look of, but I've usually ended up replacing and/or undervolting the case and psu fans. Having the two Nexus fans gives you some options. If I were going to spend some money, I'd probably get an Antec NSK4480B-II.
Total: about $50 less so far, not counting potential savings on case/psu. E5300 is easy to cool and overclock; I'm very happy with it, although I will go quad core one day.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 5:13 pm
by loimlo
hybrid2d4x4 wrote:It's probably just me but I'd avoid any of the 65nm Phenoms, including the ones that are deceptively named Athlon X2 7xxx. They generate a lot more heat and use more power than a higher-clocked "real" 65nm Athlon at about the same performance and price level.

You don't need much CPU to do 1080p with the IGP you chose, so I'd get the cheapest available 65nm Athlon X2 since you plan to upgrade anyways.
Phenom II dual cores will enter the market next week, so 60beetle60 can purchase the Phenom II dual core instead of Phenom dual cores. Athlon II X2 250 not only has lower TDP(65W), but it carries higher performance compared to Athlon 7750. Athlon II X2 250 seems to be a good balance for 60beetle60 for the time being despite its slightly expensive price tag, 120USD.

As for Intel combo, the IGP is inferior to AMD 780G/790GX. I'd get at least 780G for myself anyway.

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 12:41 am
by 60beetle60
loimlo wrote:
hybrid2d4x4 wrote:It's probably just me but I'd avoid any of the 65nm Phenoms, including the ones that are deceptively named Athlon X2 7xxx. They generate a lot more heat and use more power than a higher-clocked "real" 65nm Athlon at about the same performance and price level.

You don't need much CPU to do 1080p with the IGP you chose, so I'd get the cheapest available 65nm Athlon X2 since you plan to upgrade anyways.
Phenom II dual cores will enter the market next week, so 60beetle60 can purchase the Phenom II dual core instead of Phenom dual cores. Athlon II X2 250 not only has lower TDP(65W), but it carries higher performance compared to Athlon 7750. Athlon II X2 250 seems to be a good balance for 60beetle60 for the time being despite its slightly expensive price tag, 120USD.

As for Intel combo, the IGP is inferior to AMD 780G/790GX. I'd get at least 780G for myself anyway.
Doing a bit of a search and found some Australian stores listing the 250 around 140, and other stores listing the phonom II 550 at 150, would it be better to go for the athlon for the 20w lower power draw? or the phenom for the extra cache?

BTW, I found a shop in another state thats currently offering free shipping, they've got PSU's cheaper than what I've been able to find locally.
They have:
cx400w for $89
HX450W for $138
VX450W for $114 and
HX520W for $167

or what about the seasonic s12 II 430w at 93?

Which of the PSU's would be the best bang for buck silence wise for my build, assuming a power draw of 180w?
If I were to add a discrete graphics card later on, say 4770, how would the PSU recomendation change?

As for case I'd like to stick to the Solo as it looks to be a better case with the HDD suspension and other noise reduction features

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:49 am
by Hezu
60beetle60 wrote:Which of the PSU's would be the best bang for buck silence wise for my build, assuming a power draw of 180w?
If I were to add a discrete graphics card later on, say 4770, how would the PSU recomendation change?
I would not forget Nexus Value 430 as a possible PSU assuming it easily available for affordable price in Australian shops. And quick web search reveals 4770's TDP is 80W, so I see no big problem running that and your current proposed setup with ~400W PSU .

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 3:07 pm
by 60beetle60
Hezu wrote:
60beetle60 wrote:Which of the PSU's would be the best bang for buck silence wise for my build, assuming a power draw of 180w?
If I were to add a discrete graphics card later on, say 4770, how would the PSU recomendation change?
I would not forget Nexus Value 430 as a possible PSU assuming it easily available for affordable price in Australian shops. And quick web search reveals 4770's TDP is 80W, so I see no big problem running that and your current proposed setup with ~400W PSU .
I actully can't find the Nexus value at all, doesn't seem to have found its way down under yet. Do you have any other suggestions?

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 1:15 am
by loimlo
You need to figure out what performance you really need by yourself. Were I you, I'd purchase a 780G board with Phenom II 710 combo anyway.

As for PSUs, CX400/VX450/HX450 all based on Seasonic S12 II design. Their noise volume, characteristics are more or less the same at idle. So it depends on your priority. For example, budget-minded: CX400; Cable-mess-minded: HX450. 180W is pretty modest load for all these PSUs.

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 3:22 am
by 60beetle60
loimlo wrote:You need to figure out what performance you really need by yourself. Were I you, I'd purchase a 780G board with Phenom II 710 combo anyway.

As for PSUs, CX400/VX450/HX450 all based on Seasonic S12 II design. Their noise volume, characteristics are more or less the same at idle. So it depends on your priority. For example, budget-minded: CX400; Cable-mess-minded: HX450. 180W is pretty modest load for all these PSUs.
Ahk cheers for that, didn't realize the designs were so similar. If they're all pretty much the same at idle I'll just go the s12 II then as it can be had locally and because the computer won't get stressed too often. Not worth the $4 saving for a cx400 when I have to stuff around with postage.

Btw the 720 can actually be found cheaper than the 710 here in Oz, so id go the 720 if i chose to go triple core. But I reckon the phenom 550 will have plenty of guts for what I want atm, and might even try core unlocking on it, quad core for $160 AU is pretty good I reckon, just as a comparison 720s go for around $215