Assistance needed with ultra-quiet midrange gaming rig
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 8:33 pm
I'm planning to do a major PC upgrade this month, replacing the cheap case and everything in it but keeping the peripherals. My current system is terribly loud, so this time around I'm focussing on ultra-quiet operation with midrange gaming prowess. I only have a 15" LCD so I don't need to be able to play with high resolutions and heaps of filtering, and I'm not too concerned about putting graphics sliders all the way up (I'd rather have solid framerates). I don't intend to overclock it (and by very little if I do), so I'm happy to sacrifice overclocking potential in exchange for quieter operation.
I think I've worked out most of the specifics, but I've never built a computer before so I've come here for some much-needed advice. I'm in New Zealand so I'll be referring to parts from a national retailer (Ascent Technology) rather than Newegg or the like. Anyway, here's what I'm currently planning to get:
Case:
Antec SOLO ATX. I like the look, and its Apple-themed cousin got a really good review here.
Motherboard:
This is one of the departments where I'm really not sure. I'm looking at the Intel DG965RYCK Motherboard, Socket 775, 1066MHz FSB, 4xDIMM DDR2, PCIe-16, 3xPCI, 3xPCIe-1, 10xUSB2, Audio, Video, ATA, SATA, ATX or something similar. I don't need SLI, so that's not an issue. The DVD drive I'm looking at is IDE, so any mobo I get needs both ATA and SATA (unless someone suggests a good SATA drive of course). One thing I'm not sure about is whether it supports the full speed of the SATA-2 HDD I'm going to get. I've picked an Intel under the assumption that it will provide good compatibility with their CPUs, but I'd certainly be interested in superior alternatives in the same rough price bracket. Would I get more bang for my buck with an nForce chipset?
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4 GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775 with a Scythe Ninja PLUS Rev.B (which will fit nicely judging by this thread). If possible I want to omit the fan and let the rear extractor do the job. The other option is the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme but I gather that the Ninja is a better choice for passive cooling.
Hard drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE Hard Disk Drive, 500GB, 7200rpm, 16384KB Cache, SATA-2. From what I've read here this is a good quiet option.
Optical drive:
Pioneer DVR-112D. It's cheap, it's black, and it includes Nero. I've read that its speed can be decreased using software, so this sounds like a decent option for basic DVD functionality. I'm not against using cracks/images if it still isn't quiet enough. Of course if someone knows of a better quiet rewriter for around the same price I'd definitely be interested.
RAM:
Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2LLK2/2GN, 2x1GB, DDR2-800, PC2-6400, CL4, DIMM. Again I don't quite know what's best with all these speed and timing things, so if this isn't a good option do tell me.
Video card:
Gigabyte GV-NX86S256H 8600 GTS. The other option is the Asus Extreme EN8600GTS, but the heat arm seems a bit awkward since I'm aiming to get heat out of the case with as few fans as possible (and it might get in the way of the Ninja). I don't intend to overclock the GPU so I don't mind that the passive cooling reduces the potential.
Power supply:
Ideally I'd go with the Silverstone ST30NF--would this be feasible with this configuration, or would the lack of GPU (and possibly CPU) fans result in unsafe temperatures? The other option is the Sea Sonic S12 Energy+ 550W, but if a passive PSU can work that's of course a better option for my dream of a "whisper-quiet" rig.
OS:
I already have XP Home (32-bit). Am I right in thinking that this x64 configuration can still run 32-bit XP, or will I need to buy the 64-bit version? Also, my copy is the first release (Version 2002), which I've read has a 137 GB HDD cap--is it possible to install this basic release onto the 500 GB drive I'm getting and then patch it to SP2 to access the rest of its storage, or do I need to make a slipstreamed SP2 CD?
Anyway, as I said I'm a total noob when it comes to hardware so any advice tweaking this rig to be faster/quieter/cheaper/etc. would be greatly appreciated.
I'm really excited about having my very first quiet PC.
I think I've worked out most of the specifics, but I've never built a computer before so I've come here for some much-needed advice. I'm in New Zealand so I'll be referring to parts from a national retailer (Ascent Technology) rather than Newegg or the like. Anyway, here's what I'm currently planning to get:
Case:
Antec SOLO ATX. I like the look, and its Apple-themed cousin got a really good review here.
Motherboard:
This is one of the departments where I'm really not sure. I'm looking at the Intel DG965RYCK Motherboard, Socket 775, 1066MHz FSB, 4xDIMM DDR2, PCIe-16, 3xPCI, 3xPCIe-1, 10xUSB2, Audio, Video, ATA, SATA, ATX or something similar. I don't need SLI, so that's not an issue. The DVD drive I'm looking at is IDE, so any mobo I get needs both ATA and SATA (unless someone suggests a good SATA drive of course). One thing I'm not sure about is whether it supports the full speed of the SATA-2 HDD I'm going to get. I've picked an Intel under the assumption that it will provide good compatibility with their CPUs, but I'd certainly be interested in superior alternatives in the same rough price bracket. Would I get more bang for my buck with an nForce chipset?
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4 GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775 with a Scythe Ninja PLUS Rev.B (which will fit nicely judging by this thread). If possible I want to omit the fan and let the rear extractor do the job. The other option is the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme but I gather that the Ninja is a better choice for passive cooling.
Hard drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE Hard Disk Drive, 500GB, 7200rpm, 16384KB Cache, SATA-2. From what I've read here this is a good quiet option.
Optical drive:
Pioneer DVR-112D. It's cheap, it's black, and it includes Nero. I've read that its speed can be decreased using software, so this sounds like a decent option for basic DVD functionality. I'm not against using cracks/images if it still isn't quiet enough. Of course if someone knows of a better quiet rewriter for around the same price I'd definitely be interested.
RAM:
Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2LLK2/2GN, 2x1GB, DDR2-800, PC2-6400, CL4, DIMM. Again I don't quite know what's best with all these speed and timing things, so if this isn't a good option do tell me.
Video card:
Gigabyte GV-NX86S256H 8600 GTS. The other option is the Asus Extreme EN8600GTS, but the heat arm seems a bit awkward since I'm aiming to get heat out of the case with as few fans as possible (and it might get in the way of the Ninja). I don't intend to overclock the GPU so I don't mind that the passive cooling reduces the potential.
Power supply:
Ideally I'd go with the Silverstone ST30NF--would this be feasible with this configuration, or would the lack of GPU (and possibly CPU) fans result in unsafe temperatures? The other option is the Sea Sonic S12 Energy+ 550W, but if a passive PSU can work that's of course a better option for my dream of a "whisper-quiet" rig.
OS:
I already have XP Home (32-bit). Am I right in thinking that this x64 configuration can still run 32-bit XP, or will I need to buy the 64-bit version? Also, my copy is the first release (Version 2002), which I've read has a 137 GB HDD cap--is it possible to install this basic release onto the 500 GB drive I'm getting and then patch it to SP2 to access the rest of its storage, or do I need to make a slipstreamed SP2 CD?
Anyway, as I said I'm a total noob when it comes to hardware so any advice tweaking this rig to be faster/quieter/cheaper/etc. would be greatly appreciated.
I'm really excited about having my very first quiet PC.