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Building New SFF - Need Help

C

Cbl12886

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
357
I just got married and I am going to be building a new computer for myself and giving the old one to my wife. I will be getting new cases for both and using the 550w modular for my new pc. I will probably go with an Intel chip but if not I will take off the orb heatsink and us it. Here is what I am currently deciding on.

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 541 MicroATX Mini Tower
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L
CPU: E8400 or E7200 (Stock Cooling)
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB)
GFX Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 or EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX
Optical Drive: Samsung 22x SATA DVD Burner
Hard Drive: Western Digital 640GB
Case Fans: 2 Enermax 80mm & 1 Enermax 120mm
Operating System: Windows Vista or XP Professional

Total Price - $545-600 + Cost of Wife's new case.

Please let me know what you think of my selections. If there is something better in the same price range for each component let me know. I will not be overclocking and this computer will be used for Gaming/Watching Torrent TV/Schoolwork. After the computer I want to get a 24" or 26" LCD or I maybe getting a 22" for Christmas from my parents.
 
1. The Centurion 541 is an odd case. The motherboard is upside down. This must have certain implications. One of which (I think) is that the gfx card will end up facing the HD slots. So forget about long gfx cards like the GTX. I'm not even sure the Radeon will fit (check it). If you really want a cheap case, why not a CM Elite 340. Or maybe a NSK3480 (this one comes with a PSU, a fan and rubber HD mounts for quiet operations - something that the CM cases really would need).

2. I'd say the Radeon is better. But with SFF cases, a dual slot 'exhaust' cooler might preferable (hot air is pushed out of the case). I'm pretty sure there's such a 4850 available. Don't know what its price is though. Or if you really want the nVidia, there's this one that you should consider: EVGA 9800 GTX+ with the caveat expressed in 1.

3. The E8400 is clearly the better CPU for gaming. That being said, a mild overclock on the E7200 (push it to FSB1333: easy peasy, the stock cooler should handle it) will yield similar results at a cheaper price. Dunno if this mobo will let you do it though.
 
Case is solid for the price. Mobo is inverted, but the the HD cage is not near the video card. Plus there is a 120mm in the front and 2 80mm or 92mm in the back (can't remember) Its a solid case. Also get the 8400 snice you are not O/Cing. Get a decent heatsink like the Xigmatic 963 base sink. You can find these for 10-15$ AMIR.
 
It is not that I want a cheap case. I am willing to spend $30-40 more. I just want a clean simple case that will just have enough room for everything. I don't need anything fancy like the lanbox or anything. It is going to sit on the desk or under and not really get looked at.
 
Cbl12886 said:
I actually like the Cooler Master Elite 340 better. Anything wrong with that one?
Click to expand...

I personally like this case more. 2 inches less depth is nice and two 120mm fans give a solid airflow path. This case is exactly the same as the SIlverstone TJ08, but with a plastic bezel. I believe this is the smallest mini tower you can get that will fit large heatsinks with any orientation over the processor. Personally, I don't consider mini towers as being small form factor though - they're already "matx form factor". My definition is that all dimensions must be 12x12x12" or less. Cases like the Shuttle P chassis are questionable but ITX is a nice sff standard. If a full size videocard can fit in the system, then it's likely not "small" unless it is thin and uses a 90 agree pci-express adapter. It all comes down to ease of transport I guess.

Anyways, if you're wanting better aesthetics, you can always get the Silverstone. If not, the half priced plastic bezel case will cool well, hold plenty of hard drives, and fit where mid/full towers do not. As for the rest, I'm not sure which to recommend between the 4850 and 9800. My 4850 apparently broke with the latest drivers as a fullscreen movie placed on my second screen will have the right 1/4 of the video be blank until I change and apply the gpu scaling settings, even if gpu scaling itself is turned off. Second video, I change the setting back again to its original (all while the video must be open and in fullscreen). ATI's drivers leave some to be desired but the card is plenty fast when it does work.

I think your choices are fairly well matched in terms of their performance.
 
I think the Elite 340 is a decent case. Especially for the price. I have one next to my desk, empty (the components are now in a mini P180). As said, it will do the trick if the plastic bezel doesn't bother you. The front audio connector is a AC'97 and not HD Audio, but usually The Realtec (or other brand) Azalia driver has a setting to get around this. The only thing that bothered me was that the HD's can really be heard, especially seeking. The chassis really transmits HD vibrations. If noise is a concern for you, and you want a small case, the NSK is the way to go (check silentpcreview.com). You won't be restricted GPU-wise, HD mounts are rubber (or silicon?) and the PSU sits in a different chamber. And the case is quite small (ok not quite as small as a Sugo SG03...). But maybe the Centurion is a better fit for you. As for the GPU, I personally feel a little bit more confident with nVidia drivers, but YMMV.
 
How do you like the P180 Mini? I have been looking at that one but the price is a little much. I could always consider the larger version since it is not that much bigger and cheaper.
 
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