Advise on building this rig.

C

c0re

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
210
Want to build the best silent/stable rig possible for under $1100, With all the suggestions and additional research, this is what i'm gonna get around feb 1st. I am in the US, Don't want a carnival show for a case, the P180 looks horrible to me, side windows and doors are a big no no. A case should blend in, not stick out. Lots of cases look cheap to me, prefer to spend a little more to get quality. I plan to keep this rig for 2-3-years. thanks for all the comments/suggestions, has been very helpful, more than i expected. Miss those chieftec cases, they were great.

CASE: Antec NSK6580 Black/ Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Eathwatts Power Supply (dont want a door or side windows) - $80 US
MB: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $150 US - (requirements: 3 pci, 2pcix, 1pcix16, esata, 4ram slots, ieee, ps2/usb, onboard glan/sound, no raid)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail - $240 US
CPU COOLING: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - $22
RAM: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $45 US
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256H-ZL GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $99 US
SOUND: none for now, integrated to mb
BURNER: PHILIPS 2-Tone 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe $33 US
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $105 US
FLOPPY/CARD READER: Koutech IO-FPM220 3.5" Floppy Drive & Multi Card Reader Front Panel - $25 US
LCD: SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1(DC 3000:1) $280 after $40 rebate US
 
You would do much better to drop the E6850 for an E6750, as both chips have the same OC headroom and perform similarly at stock. With the extra cash, you can upgrade to a DX-10 card. Although, what do you particularly find amazing about that 7600GT?
 
c0re said:
Want to build the best silent rig possible for under $1000, researched for days and came up with this.. before i buy.. any changes to be made? haven't looked at additional case fans just yet. do i need thermal paste for the cpu?

CASE: Antec Sonata Plus 550 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 550W Power Supply - modular power supply/great reviews/expensive though--room for only 1 case fan--$180 bux
MB: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail DDR2800 - will use stock cooling
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail - fast. fast. fast.
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
GPU: EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - looks amazing
BURNER: PHILIPS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe 2-Tone SATA Model SPD6104BD - Retail
HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
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I'm going to assume this is in US dollars...

Ditch that case for a P180 and Corsair PSU instead. The price of that sonata plus isn't justified, IMO. $180 for a case and 550W modular PSU?!?!? :rolleyes:

If you don't need all of the features of the Abit IP35 Pro, drop down to something else that fits your needs better and saves you cash. Other boards to look into are the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, DS3R, Asus P5K, P5K-E, MSI Neo2-FR, P35 Platinum, and also the other Abit boards, IP35-E and IP35. What features do you need in a motherboard?

IIRC, Samsung optical and hard disk drives are quieter than the competition. Go for Samsungs instead if you want quiet.

I've been reading that the HD3850's are really quiet. You should look into one of those if you need more graphics processing power. The GPU fan is one of the loudest components in a system.

I agree with Mark. The extra $80 for the 333Mhz over the E6750 just isn't worth it, IMO. Say it 10 times out loud: 333Mhz for $80!!!
 
The EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT is $70 US at newegg, the other cards mentioned here are more money. the card has tv out, dvi and vga connectors, something i'm looking for in a gpu.

Regarding the P180 case-- first off, i hate cases with doors, useless feature for me. And i want a ps that is modular to cut down on cable clutter.

I'll look at the othe mobo's mentioned above as well. My mobo requirements are 3 pci, esata, ps2 and usb connectors, gigabyte lan, 4 dimm slots.

Should also mention i'm not a gamer and don't plan to overclock. Will look into amd config as well, my plan is for this rig to last 3 years--hopefully.

Thanks for the comments, very helpful.
 
c0re said:
The EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT is $70 US at newegg, the other cards mentioned here are more money. the card has tv out, dvi and vga connectors, something i'm looking for in a gpu.

Regarding the P180 case-- first off, i hate cases with doors, useless feature for me. And i want a ps that is modular to cut down on cable clutter.

I'll look at the othe mobo's mentioned above as well. My mobo requirements are 3 pci, esata, ps2 and usb connectors, gigabyte lan, 4 dimm slots. ....
Click to expand...

If you want to watch HD video content, you should get a vidcard that will help decode that content, like an 8500GT, 8600GT, 2600Pro, 2600XT, or higher. If you want it silent, look for one without a fan, since thats one of the loudest fans in a system.

You can leave the door open on the P180... it opens to be flush with the side. I think the the Sonata Plus 550 is way overpriced at $180. I just want to let you know there are other options out there... Since you don't like doors, you could go for the Cooler Master RC-690 instead. Its $75 - $35MIR at zipzoomfly. The Corsair 520W is also modular, but of better quality than the NeoHE 550W that comes with the Antec, despite both being made by Seasonic. Its $110 - $10MIR at zipzoomfly.

The Gigabyte DS3R (and DS3P/DS4) comes with a PCI bracket eSATA adapter to convert two of the 8 internal SATA ports into external. Also, you can buy such an adapter from newegg for $5 and use it on any board that supports SATA AHCI.

Overclocking or not, you won't notice a 333Mhz difference when it costs $80. The E6750 is already fast at 2.66Ghz, there's no need to spend an extra $80 just for 333Mhz. The E6750 for under $200 is a better value than the E6850.
 
ok, i made a lot of changes, really like what i have so far.
 
I'm assuming that you've already updated your list in the first post.

Anyway, don't go for that case and PSU combo. That power supply is NOT worth $70 or even $30 AR IMO. Just get the case itself and go with a different PSU. Since you wanted modularity, the Corsair 520HX that enginurd recommend is your best choice for a modular PSU:
Corsair 520HX 520W PSU - $109

Also, ditch the mobo. It's outdated since it's based on the P975 chipset and is not compatible with the new Penryn CPUs. Go for a mobo based on the P35 chipset since it runs coolers, and supports the newer Penryn CPUs.

If you're an Asus fan, check out the P5K-E. If not, check out the GA-P35-DS3R, GA-P35-DS4, and GA-P35-DS3P, and Abit IP35 Pro
 
c0re said:
Want to build the best silent rig possible for under $1000, researched for days and came up with this.. before i buy.. any changes to be made? haven't looked at additional case fans just yet. do i need thermal paste for the cpu?

CASE: not sure (dont want a door or side windows)
Click to expand...
If you want a "silent rig," then the Antec Solo should be at the top of your list. According to the folks at SilentPCReview, it it the best mid-tower case on the market for a silent PC. It uses thicker steel than most cases, has acoustically dampened side panels, rubber fan mounts, rubber grommets throughout, and suspension hard drive mounts to significantly reduce seek noise.

It comes with a 120mm fan, but you'll want to replace that. Order one Yate Loon D12SL-12 120mm fan (~$4) for the case and configure it to run at 7V in the IP35-Pro bios. If you intend to buy your own heatsink, order a second Yate Loon D12SL-12 for that.

c0re said:
PS: none, comes with case
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The Antec Solo doesn't include a PS, so you'll need one. The Corsair 520HX mentioned above is a excellent, but 520W is overkill for your system unless you plan on massive overclocks.

Grab yourself a Corsair 450VX -- it's just as good as the 520HX according to SilentPCReview -- for $49.99 shipped after GCO and mail-in rebate.

c0re said:
MB: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $180 US - (requirements: 3 pci, 2pcix, 1pcix16, esata, 4ram slots, ieee, ps2/usb, onboard glan/sound, no raid)
Click to expand...
Great choice for a silent PC.

This motherboard has excellent fan control options.


c0re said:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor, 1333MHz FSB - $190 US
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Today, the 2.66GHZ E6750 was discontinued and replaced with the new and improved 3.00GHz Core 2 Duo E8400. You can buy for about $200 @ Mwave, or $190 at Microcenter.

c0re said:
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $35 after $40 rebate US
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Not my first choice, but that should be fine. My first choice would be:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

c0re said:
GPU: MSI NX8500GT-TD256E OC GeForce 8500GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - $50 after $20 rebate US (must have dsub+dvi)
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You really don't want an 8500GT. It is just slow enough to reduce graphics performance in Vista.

I would step up to the 8600GT for about $20 more. If you expect to do any gaming, then you should step up to the 8800GT ($220) plus an Accelero S1 passive heatsink ($20).

Another option would be the 9600GT, which is planned for release on or about February 14th. Nvidia 9600GT cards will offer 2x the performance of the 8600GT for under $150.

c0re said:
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $110 US
Click to expand...
Good choice.


c0re said:
TV RECORDING: Leadtek TV2000XP/EXPERT Tuner Card PCI Interface - $40 US
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If you live in the US, you should forget analog recording and buy an ATSC/QAM tuner to record all your locals in HDTV. That will record HDTV locals from an off-air antenna, as well as cable.

For that, you would get the HDHomeRun @ $169. This has dual ATSC/QAM tuners so you can record two different local HDTV channels simultaneously from an antenna or cable. You can also watch one local HDTV channel while you record another.

c0re said:
Not sure if better case fans are needed, will use stock cooling for cpu..P180 is not for me, looks like a silver can-horrible-don't want door or side window, a case should blend in, not stick out. Lots of cases look cheap to me, prefer to spend a little more to get quality. This system will put Dell's top XPS420 to shame :)
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Your system is inferior to the XPS420 as a TV recording device. The XPS420 can be equipped with a CableCard dual-tuner device -- it's an option during configuration -- to tune and record all HDTV cable channels, including encrypted digital channels like ESPN-HD and HBO-HD. You can't build a PC to do that.
 
Yah, the E8400 is out and only $190 at microcenter.

You got an updated list of parts you plan on getting?
 
The E8400 still doesn't work right with the Abit IP35 Pro.

If you want quiet, I hope you replace that Antec NSK6580 which uses thinner steel. The Antec Solo is $50 AR, uses thicker steel, has suspended drive mounts, and insulated side panels.
 
enginurd said:
Yah, the E8400 is out and only $190 at microcenter.

You got an updated list of parts you plan on getting?
Click to expand...

This is my updated list.

$50,00--Antec Solo Black/Silver ATX Case(no door/windows) {$30 rebate-exp. 2/14} - newegg #N82E16811129018
$70.00-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply - {$10 rebate-exp.2/14} -}newegg #N82E16817139003
$150.00-ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard {$30 rebate-exp.2/15} - newegg #N82E16813127030
$240.00-Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - newegg #N82E16819115037
$27.00--ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Socket 775 Cooler - newegg #N82E16835186134
$40.00--Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 {$25 rebate-exp.2/24} newegg# N82E16820146565
$200.00-EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card {$20 rebate-exp.2/29} - newegg #N82E16814130082
$33.00--PHILIPS 2-Tone 20X DVD Burner with LightScribe - newegg #N82E16827248011
$25.00--Koutech IO-FPM220 3.5" Floppy Drive & Multi Card Reader Front Panel - newegg#N82E16813998514
$280.00-SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" LCD Monitor ($40 rebate-exp.2/29) - newegg #N82E16824001096
$1115.00
 
Don't use the after-rebate amounts when you're configuring the total price, as you still have to pay the full (before-rebate) amounts first. (In fact, don't even count the rebate amounts until you receive all of the rebate checks in your hand.) The overall total of your setup actually comes out to around $1270, plus shipping/taxes.

Check other stores, such as ClubIT and ZipZoomFly, and/or use Google Product Search (aka Froogle) to find parts at lower prices. Whatever amounts that you lose in rebates you might be able to recoup in the form of lower/sale prices, bundle deals, and/or free shipping.

I also suggest a better CPU cooler for the E8400:

Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
The Abit IP-35 pro has compatibility issues with the E8400. Even when these issues are resolved, the processor will not work out of the box with the motherboard w/o a BIOS update.

You should keep the E8400 and consider an alternative to the IP-35 Pro. The ASUS P5K series, the Gigabyte P35-DS3/DS4 series, and the DFI LanParty P35 are great alternatives. For the ASUS and Gigabyte, purchase the board which best fits your I/O requirements.
 
Markyip1 said:
The Abit IP-35 pro has compatibility issues with the E8400. Even when these issues are resolved, the processor will not work out of the box with the motherboard w/o a BIOS update.

You should keep the E8400 and consider an alternative to the IP-35 Pro. The ASUS P5K series, the Gigabyte P35-DS3/DS4 series, and the DFI LanParty P35 are great alternatives. For the ASUS and Gigabyte, purchase the board which best fits your I/O requirements.
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thanks for the info, i'm looking for components that don't involve a rebate.as tiraides pointed out, the rebate may never arrive. some companies aren't sending checks--there sending prepaid visa/mastercards in the amount of the rebate.

Case cant be more than 17" in height, have plenty of info now from this board. thanks all.
 
Yet another revision, ordering parts tomorrow. Trying to keep it under $600. Have hard drive.

$110.00-Antec Sonata III 500 Black w/500W PS
$87.00-ABIT IP35-E LGA 775 Intel P35 Mobo w/integrated sound-nic
$20.00-Koutech IO-FPM220 3.5" Floppy Drive & Multi Card Reader
$100.00 EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB GPU {before $30 rebate}
$190.00-Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 cpu
$65.00-Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 {before $25 rebate)
$33.00-PHILIPS 2-Tone 20X DVD Burner with LightScribe
$27.00-ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Socket 775 Cooler
$632 before $55 rebates.
 
If you're buying everything from NewEgg, that's your first problem right there. See if you can find a second (and/or third) store where you could buy some parts for less money.

Additionally, the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is about as effective as the stock HSF, so if you're not planning on overclocking the E6750, get rid of it. That will save you about $30. Microcenter, I believe, still has the E8400 for $200 deal. (That adds $10 to your total, but it is a better processor.)

Instead of relying on a mail-in rebate to save money (and it really doesn't save you any money right off the bat), pick up some cheaper memory. This G.Skill dual-channel kit is only $45, but it has free shipping. Fry's also has a deal on a 2GB stick of Patriot DDR2 800 memory for $40 plus shipping.

NewEgg now has the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L available for $80 plus shipping. It has most (if not all) of the same features as the IP35-E.

If you don't need LightScribe, you could find several DVD burners, including the ever-popular Lite-On LH-20A1S and the Samsung SH-S203B, for around $30. If you do need one, there is a Sony/NEC drive available for $30 plus shipping. Or, you could look at the Samsung SH-S203N for $34 with free shipping.
 
wanted to say thanks for all the help, this config is amazing. really appreciate all the feedback, saved me a lot of headaches.

$110-Antec Sonata III 500 ATX Mid Tower w/500W Power Supply {newegg}
$200-Core 2 Quad Q6600 Retail-stock cooling {got it microcenter}
$40AR--Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC2 6400 or CORSAIR XMS2 2GB - $33 AR {newegg}
$80-GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L {newegg}
$75AR--XFX GeForce 8600GT #PVT84JUDD3 {newegg}
$20-Koutech IO-FPM220 3.5" Floppy Drive & Multi Card Reader {newegg}
$30-SAMSUNG 20X DVDRW SATA Model SH-S203B {newegg}
$157-Seagate 750GB SATA {got it fry's}
 
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