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Fast and Silent System

V

Vitruvius

n00b
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
36
First off - [H]ard|Forum rocks!

I'm building a new AMD 64 system for my college dorm - I'm trying to make it balanced in terms of cost, speed, and moddability. Hopefully it will be a linux/windows dual boot (Fedora Core 4 June 6th!) that can be used as a workstation/rendering platform, as well as a server so I can get certain files in class. It will be my own personal server, so I don't care too much about networking speeds. Below is my order of preference for parts - I took a look at Newegg but don't know where to begin.

Speed > Silence > Coolness > Cost

I'm thinking liquid cooling (yeeehaaawww!!!) Sata HD (250 gig or more) PCI-E because that seems to be the way GPU's are going, and AMD 64 bit processing. But even with these specifics in mind, I couldn't narrow down the massive selection Newegg provided (Newegg rocks too). Any suggestions for parts? Links would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.
 
price range? I'm think a64 3500+ venice, asus mobo, audigy 2 platinum, dual 74gig raptors (WD), 6800gt, case of your choice, fortron 500w blue storm PSU, 1 gig of dual channel pc3200 ram, whatever has nice low timings and heatspreaders.
 
 
I probably won't overclock, simply because I need the system to last me about five years, with occasional upgrades. BTW Thanks for all the submissions!

Current List:

CPU: a64 3500+ venice

HD: dual 74gig raptors (WD) OR Maxtor 250 gb Sata

CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119023

GPU: 6800gt <--- thoughts on this?

MOBO: dfi board OR Asus

RAM: twinmosSP (I've never heard of them, thoughts?) OR twin Cosairs

COOLING: zalman cnps-7000 OR Liquid Cooling (does liquid cooling help keep down dust ?)
 
For hardrive get a Samsung as they are really quiet. For case I would look at the Sonata. For the 6800GT I think Gigabyte has a video card with just a heatpipe design cooler. THis would be quiet, but wouldn't cool well, but since you are not overclocking anyway it won;t matter.

As for RAM just get some Corsair Value Select. For mobo get the Chaintech VNF4.
 
KoolDrew said:
For hardrive get a Samsung as they are really quiet. For case I would look at the Sonata. For the 6800GT I think Gigabyte has a video card with just a heatpipe design cooler. THis would be quiet, but wouldn't cool well, but since you are not overclocking anyway it won;t matter.

As for RAM just get some Corsair Value Select. For mobo get the Chaintech VNF4.
Click to expand...

What? No way......

Get a Maxtor Diamond Max 10 for your HD, almost just as fast as the Raptor (just about 5% slower, its the second fastest consumer HD).

The gigbyte cards are nice, but get hot.

And stay away from any Caintech Mobo if you want no problems. Why would you get a second tier mobo ever?
 
Skrying said:
What? No way......

Get a Maxtor Diamond Max 10 for your HD, almost just as fast as the Raptor (just about 5% slower, its the second fastest consumer HD).

The gigbyte cards are nice, but get hot.

And stay away from any Caintech Mobo if you want no problems. Why would you get a second tier mobo ever?
Click to expand...
Chaintech makes very solid motherboards.
I had an APOGEE 7VJL and it was one of the most stable rigs I have seen.
 
Skrying said:
What? No way......

Get a Maxtor Diamond Max 10 for your HD, almost just as fast as the Raptor (just about 5% slower, its the second fastest consumer HD).

The gigbyte cards are nice, but get hot.

And stay away from any Caintech Mobo if you want no problems. Why would you get a second tier mobo ever?
Click to expand...

The Samsung HDD's are the quietest there is and still perform well. Also since he is not overclocking and is looking for a quiet system the Gigabyte card would be fine.

Also where are you getting this rubbish about the Chaintech mobo? The Chaintech mobo is a great budget board. An alternative is the EPoX though that is good.
 
I love my Samsungs. Even my Fujitsus are rather quiet at idle (NOT at seek, though, obviously), though they can't compare to the Samsungs.
 
 
TSS Modder said:
heres my recommendations:

Venice 3200+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103534
Seasonic 430W PSU http://www.chiefvalue.com/app/productdetails.asp?submit=property&item=17-151-023
TwinMOS RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820218405
Lian Li PC-7B+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112212
ASUS A8N-SLI http://www.chiefvalue.com/app/productdetails.asp?submit=property&item=13-131-524
As for the HDD, get a Seagate. theyre the only consumer drive w/ a 5 year warrenty and theyre relatively quite and fast.
Click to expand...


He is not overclocking so he would be fien with getting cheap Corsair Value Select 1GB RAM.

Also why not buy a Lian Li with a window :p Also no need for an SLI mobo. I would get the Chaintech.

Why Seagate makes very good HDD's if he wants quiet Samsung would be a better choice ;)
 
if hes not OCing, i also second the Corsair Value RAM. but i say get the ASUS A8N (non-SLI one).

Lian-Li's w/ windows get kinda expensive... esp if he wants a quiet one. the PC-7s have a 120mm fan in front, which keeps things cool and quiet.

Seagates are still pretty quiet. if hes gonna be keeping this system for approx 5 years, i highly recommend the Seagates because theyre the only ones w/ the 5 year warrenty.
 
i agree with everything TSS said but i would recommend 1gb of ram.

as for video cards, might as well save some money if you were planning on the 6800gt, get an x800xl instead, it is just as good and significantly cheaper.
 
shoes said:
i agree with everything TSS said but i would recommend 1gb of ram.

as for video cards, might as well save some money if you were planning on the 6800gt, get an x800xl instead, it is just as good and significantly cheaper.
Click to expand...
the Corsair ValueRAM is 1GB. its 80$ for a gig. thats what i recommend.

but if he gets ATI he wont get SLI.... :p
 
oh, i was referring to your other post with the twinmos 512.


btw if you end up going with the DFI nf4 board, get twinmos sp
 
shoes said:
oh, i was referring to your other post with the twinmos 512.


btw if you end up going with the DFI nf4 board, get twinmos sp
Click to expand...

Yet again he is not overclocking.
 
Did you specify if you were planning on buying JUST a computer? Or did you imply that you also wanted a monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc. as well? That makes a big difference in overall price.
 
SKYY said:
Did you specify if you were planning on buying JUST a computer? Or did you imply that you also wanted a monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc. as well? That makes a big difference in overall price.
Click to expand...
im very sure he means just the PC. no accessories.

 
Ya, just the PC is fine.

Also, what are the pros and cons of overclocking? I originally thought I shouldn't - I don't want to burn out my comp after all, but I really don't know that much about OCing a comp. Thoughts?

Thanks
 
KoolDrew said:
Yet again he is not overclocking.
Click to expand...

Still, why would you settle for less? Just because someone doesnt overclock doesnt mean they should settle for budget stuff. Sure the Chaintech board may be fine, but I will not settle for a lower quality board when I want an all around great system.
 
Skrying said:
Still, why would you settle for less? Just because someone doesnt overclock doesnt mean they should settle for budget stuff. Sure the Chaintech board may be fine, but I will not settle for a lower quality board when I want an all around great system.
Click to expand...

He would gain nothing from going DFI if he is not overclocking. The Chaintech is not a low quality board either.
 
KoolDrew said:
He would gain nothing from going DFI if he is not overclocking. The Chaintech is not a low quality board either.
Click to expand...

But it offers more performance at stock speeds. Do you represent Chaintech or something..... or is it the fact that you bought their board?

If you want the best stock performance and dont want to OC then get a higher grade board. Its just that simple.
 
Thanks for the awesome response!

All right - AMD Athlon 64 3700+ ClawHammer/Hammer ?

San Diego? Venice? ClawHammer?

3200+? 3000+? 3700+?

Anyone have strong opinions on these matters?
 
venice processors are great for overclocking. But they are also great @ stock speeds. 3700+ if you have the money.
 
Vitruvius said:
Thanks for the awesome response!

All right - AMD Athlon 64 3700+ ClawHammer/Hammer ?

San Diego? Venice? ClawHammer?

3200+? 3000+? 3700+?

Anyone have strong opinions on these matters?
Click to expand...

Stay away from Clawhammer and either get a Venice or a San Diego, Venice is the better OCing core.

Dont get a 3000+, get a 3200+ if you want to stay budget and get the 3700+ if you can afford it.
 
You posted the CoolerMaster case and they make good cases but I'd get the Thermaltake Tsunami instead. It has the same look, full aluminum also, cool side window, has dual 120mm fans, plus a side 92mm fan so it will move more air than the 2 80mm fans in the CoolerMaster and it'll be quieter at the same time. The fans are also blue led which in my opinion look cool as well the front panel has blue leds. It comes with or without a window and with or without a 400watt powersupply.

Thermaltake w/window and 400watt PSU $139.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133139

Thermaltake w/psu no window $123.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133141

Thermaltake w/window & no psu $105.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133133

Thermaltake w/no window or psu $ 100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133136

CoolerMaster $129.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119023

If you're not going SLI/not overclocking then I'd get the DFI NF4 Ultra-D or the MSI K8N Neo 4 Platinum which both will have great stock performance and give you the option to overclock later if you decide too.

DFI NF4 Ultra-D $132.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

MSI Neo 4 Platinum $142.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130484

If you want a more future proof board meaning the ability for dual video cards then I would get the DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-DR or the MSI K8N Neo 4 Platinum SLI. Their both great overclockers and give you great stock performance as well as the ability to upgrade to a second video card down the road.

DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-DR $174.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136157

MSI K8N Neo 4 Platinum SLI $175.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130487

As far as rams goes...I'd get some OCZ platinum rev 2 pc 3200 2x512mb if you're not overclocking. If you think you'd like to overclock then check out (cf)Eclipe's sticky at the top of the Amd Processors threads and get the twin mos sp that he recommended b/c it's great cheap overclocking memory.

As far as the video card goes I'd get the 6800GT definitely if you get an SLI board b/c you can add the second card. If you don't think you'll get a second card for SLI then get an Ati X800XL for almost identical performance and better in some games at a cheaper price. The 6800Ultra and X850XTPE etc are overpriced for the performance gains. Ask most people here and they will agree. Any of the cards are a great choice.

Processor wise if you aren't overclocking then get the best processor you can afford. I'd say 4000+Sandiego or 3700+Sandiego. If you think you'd like to overclock and want to spend less then check out eclipse's guide once again and pick up a 3200+ Venice or 3500+Venice. Once again you can't go wrong with any of these processors.

Hope this helps, if you choose any of the above you can't go wrong and personally I'd get the Thermaltake case b/c of price,cooling and the over all look is the same. Plus I like Thermaltake's products a lot. :) Good luck with the new rig man!!
 
A big problem with overclocking is that you often need a loud fan to pull it off reliably. You can get a mild OC with a big heatsink (XP-90 or big zalman) without a loud fan, but then it probably isn't worth the time/effort. Get a higher rated cpu and run it stock or undervolt/underclock it, and put a really quiet fan on a big heatsink.

I have a 6800GT and I like it. If you get an "OC" model, expect it to be louder.

Don't cheap out on the PSU or you'll get one that you can't quiet down.

Look for a case with 120mm fans or multiple 80mm fans that you can throttle down with either adjustable fans or fans that come with thermal probes that automatically adjust based on the speed of the thermal sensor.

If you're not going to OC, get the "value" line from a name brand manufacturer. I have used and recommend memory from crucial.com because they have a great RMA and warranty program, sell high quality sticks that are reasonably fast for the price, and they're not too expensive. You can easily double or triple your cost for memory and get less than 5% real-world performance gains. If you aren't into benchmark bragging rights, get high quality "value" memory and spend the extra $100-$150 you will save on the case, psu, or cpu.

If you need a decent monitor, the 19" Dell ultrasharp LCD is very nice and is usually priced well under $500. It works great for games, is a full 8-bit panel so you get less color banding and improved color sharpness, and it has a good overall design. Don't be fooled by the new "8ms" panels, because most of those are 6 bit screens instead of 8 bit screens, so you've just traded color quality for response time. I have a generic 25ms lcd and don't ever see any ghosting, so don't buy into the response time hype. Try to see the monitor in action at a store before buying if possible. Otherwise, everything I've heard points to the Dell LCD being a purchase you won't regret. If I was buying a monitor tomorrow, I'd wait for a sale or figure out how to get one of those dell "upgrade" discounts (10% off I think) and buy the dell monitor.
 
AOM said:
You posted the CoolerMaster case and they make good cases but I'd get the Thermaltake Tsunami instead. It has the same look, full aluminum also, cool side window, has dual 120mm fans, plus a side 92mm fan so it will move more air than the 2 80mm fans in the CoolerMaster and it'll be quieter at the same time. The fans are also blue led which in my opinion look cool as well the front panel has blue leds. It comes with or without a window and with or without a 400watt powersupply.
Click to expand...

Definately STAY AWAY from TT PSU's, I got suckered in by the price and the "Silent Purepower" in the name. Silent my ass, thing is easily the loudest thing in my rig, the cases look nice, but I'll be damned if I get a TT again.

-wil
 
Sweet! Thanks for all the help!

I think I'll go for the Venice or San Diego chips - as good as I can afford

I think I'll stick with the coolermaster, but it definitely merits more research - thanks for the Thermaltake advice, its a good looking case.

As for the mobo - whats the difference between
DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

And

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

There only seem to be some minor differences in Raid Connectors and LAN brands. Which one is better?
 
i'd go for the UT, it's a better deal. you probably won't use most of the stuff the more expensive version comes with anyhow ;)
 
Vitruvius said:
Also, what are the pros and cons of overclocking? I originally thought I shouldn't - I don't want to burn out my comp after all, but I really don't know that much about OCing a comp. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The cons are basically nill in my opinion, as long as its done safe. Hardware thats futility forced past its limit in desperate hopes that one can have the overclock they want is prone to damage. But overclocking, especially on current AMD hardware, can be so simple and fruitful. With a Venice or San Diego CPU, once you learn, you can throw a simple not-pushing-it-too-hard overclock on there and it will be perfectly stable, even without adding any extra voltage. If you want to dive in a little deeper, get the twinmos RAM and you can gain some performance by overclocking there too. Since you seem mildly interested I think you should just go with your gut. Even if you don't/can't overclock the RAM you choose, you will be getting a Venice or San Diego and you can put a solid overclock on that and gain performance. There's almost no way you can avoid getting hardware that will give you something extra out of it. Just don't bother buying older revision CPU's (stick with Venice or San Diego) unless there's some special reason.
 
Thank you for the concise advice on overclocking! It answered some questions that the FAQ didn't.
 
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