Summer Build (P182)

mike86 · Post by **mike86** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:40 am

Hi,

Great site! The reviews have been very helpful in helping me choose components for the machine I will be building over summer.

My shoppings list is as follows:

* Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
* Cooled by Thermalright HR-01-775 and 120MM TriCool on low
* Asus Striker NF680i
* MSI 8600GTS Passively cooled (perhaps two of these)
* 2x 36GB 10KRPM WD Raptors in RAID0
* 750GB Seagate
* 2GB Corsair PC6400 4-4-4-12 with heatsinks
* Antec P182
* Pioneer SATA DVD-RW
* Corsair HX620W PSU

I have a number of questions:
* is it feasable to run a system with a passively cooled SLI setup? I will install a VGA fan in the P180 which should help.
* Are the Raptors noisy?
* What would you reccommend to cool a Core 2 Quad CPU? I may have the money to get one.
* Are there any passive or silent coolers for the 8800GTS? Would I be better off with 2x 8600GTS or 1x 8800GTS?
* What do you think of the airflow in this diagram (definitely not to scale :p) ? Can it be improved?

TIA,
Mike

mike86 · Post by **mike86** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:41 am

The forum software wouldn't let me post a link in my first post. This is the diagram.

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Sat May 26, 2007 7:28 am

mike86 wrote:I have a number of questions:
* is it feasable to run a system with a passively cooled SLI setup? I will install a VGA fan in the P180 which should help.
* Are the Raptors noisy?
* What would you reccommend to cool a Core 2 Quad CPU? I may have the money to get one.
* Are there any passive or silent coolers for the 8800GTS? Would I be better off with 2x 8600GTS or 1x 8800GTS?
* What do you think of the airflow in this diagram (definitely not to scale :p) ? Can it be improved?

1) Yes, Passive SLI is feasible. Yes the fan should help
2) I don't have any direct experience, but some people have found them acceptable, and others have said that they idle quietly, but seeks are noisy. I would not consider one to be used in a quiet system. (IMO) But I do think that having two will be noisy. For what purpose do you need 2?? RAID 0? Just having 1 raptor should satisfy any user's need for speed.
3) 2 8600GTS will out preform a single 8800GTS. As for a better cooler, Have you seen the Thermalright HR-03? It is very powerful.
4) Airflow looks good. Some people have sealed off the top exhaust for better cooling. I don't know how this helps though.

Hopes this helps.

derekchinese · Post by **derekchinese** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:51 am

Hey dude, as cool as SLi is, there is a reason why you don't see people who SLi two 8600gts. This is because 1 8800gts > 2 8600gts!!! Roughly the same price too! Furthermore, unless you really like the striker extreme, you could go for a different (maybe cheaper) motherboard without the SLi option.

As for raptors, iirc the 72gb raptors are better than the 36gb raptors. However, I have heard of a better (cheaper and Quieter solution) seagate 7200.10's. Search google (something like raptor vs 7200.10) and you will find that they are very close. Save money and noise with 7200.10s!

Why not use an ultra 120 instead of the hr 01? From what I believe, the ultra should outmatch the hr 01.

Quad core is nice and it still is something to brag about, but I know over here the e6600 is ~260 Canadian. On july 22nd, the quad core should be around ~260 Canadian. If you buy both chips, the total would be 520. Right now quadcore costs more than 520. So if you just buy the e6600 now, and the quad later, you will come out ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Derek

mike86 · Post by **mike86** » Sat May 26, 2007 11:50 am

Thanks for your replies

The 74GB raptors are definitely a lot better and don't cost much more than the 34s, so I'll probably get those. If they ruin the silence of the machine, well, I'll have to live with it. I do a lot of disk-intensive work, sometimes involving huge files, other times involving tens of thousands of small files. I definitely have a need for the raptors. My current setup of 2x Maxtor 7200RPM 8MB 80GB HDDs in RAID0 aren't fast enough for my liking.

The results at Tom's Hardware consistently show the Raptors to be faster than the 7200.10s.

The HR-03 certainly looks the business

I'll probably give that a try too.

What I like about the HR-01 is that it comes with a 120mm duct so you can take the heat from the CPU straight out of the system. Thermalright claim this can lower the ambient temperature, and I think that would be significant in a system running passively cooled graphics cards. I think in such a case, it would be slightly better than an Ultra-120. Indeed, the conclusions drawn here suggest there is very little difference between the HR-01 with fan duct and the Ultra-120. With a fan attached to the HR-01 it would be a definite winner.

You both have different opinions on 2x 8600GTS vs 1x 8800GTS. What do other people have to say?

Thanks for the warning about the coming Quad Core price drop. It will be around then that I would be building the machine, so I'll certainly wait until the prices drop.

mike86 · Post by **mike86** » Sat May 26, 2007 1:29 pm

mike86 wrote:You both have different opinions on 2x 8600GTS vs 1x 8800GTS. What do other people have to say?

After reading this thread and this review, it seems a single 8800GTS beats two 8600GTS. If I have the money, I'll get an 8800GTS that is roughly the price of the two 8600s.

I found this card, which with a memory clock of 1700MHz and a core speed of 530MHz is a good compromise between the low-end 500/1600 cards, and the more expensive 550+/1800 cards. I would silence it with an HR-03 Plus.

derekchinese · Post by **derekchinese** » Sat May 26, 2007 2:02 pm

mike86, dude you have to be one of the only people on the SPCR forums who actually listens to what other people have to say! I like that you really are acknowledging others' advice.

That is really cool how you ACTUALLY have a use for raptors. Most people just buy them for bragging rights.

The HR-03 will suit the 8800 just fine! Good choice.

Looks to me like your ready to build.

Derek

mike86 · Post by **mike86** » Sun May 27, 2007 7:23 am

Thanks, Derek

This is my full list of components so far:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz (when prices drop)
- Cooled by Thermalright HR-01-775 with a 120mm Antec TriCool
2GB (2x1GB) CorsairTwinX XMS2 4-4-4-12 PC6400 (two pairs of these if the cash is available)
Asus Striker NF680i
320MB XFX 8800GTS 1600MHz/500MHz (or better if I have more money)
- Cooled by Thermalright HR-03
500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T (for storage)
2x 74 Gb Western Digital WD740ADFD 10,000RPM RAID0 (OS and apps)
Antec P182
Pioneer DVR-212BK SATA
Corsair HX620W PSU
Creative I-Trigue 2.1 3800IR
Sony USB Floppy Drive
Windows Vista Ultimate OEM DVD
Dell E228WFP 22" TFT
Ratpadz GS Mousemat
Logitech Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
Antec TriCool 120mm for VGA
Linksys WMP54G PCI Wireless Card
Sony USB Floppy Drive (for those rare emergencies)
Some sort of card reader in the 3.5" external bay - reccomendations?

I still have to choose a keyboard

Comments and suggestions are welcome

derekchinese · Post by **derekchinese** » Sun May 27, 2007 3:34 pm

Do you still need the Striker extreme since you do not need to run SLi? I have the p5k deluxe and I really like it. The p5k deluxe also has built in Wi-Fi so you don't have to use that linksys wireless card. It really is up to you though. The striker is one nice mobo too--it has many nice and very flash features.

As for ram, if you want 4gb, you are probably better off with 2x2gb chips if you can get them. 2 DRAM modules is faster than 4 DRAM modules, and it should be a little easier to overclock too.

That monitor is absolutely gorgeous! I am looking at mine right now. Great deal too. Probably the best $300 I spent on any computer equipment.

Derek

derekchinese · Post by **derekchinese** » Sun May 27, 2007 9:13 pm

Also Mike, I gotta say that from what I have seen, the p5k deluxe can outperform the striker extreme in quad core overclocking

Just another thing to consider

Derek

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Mon May 28, 2007 8:15 am

i'm not sure what you'll see in this, however, instead of getting a USB floppy drive, you could always get a combo drive, which means you'll have the rare floppy [if ever] but a pretty sweet card reader set in the front. it'll beat having to buy a ton of USB card readers, and it'll stick it up front. that'll knock out your need for an external floppy, and give you a card reader.

also, i think that derek is right, if you're going for 4 total gigs, get dual sided RAM, not single sided. its more efficient. just make sure you're running 64bit or its pretty much useless.

about keyboards, well, i like the Enermax Aurora a lot, laptop style keys, but its still the 102? standard key layout. i can't say i know of many keyboards to get though.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Mon May 28, 2007 11:59 am

If you haven't already bought them I'd avoid buying the extra tri cool 120mm fans. You can get YATE LOON 120mm Case Fans - D12SL-12 for $3.50 each plus S&H

You end up with a quieter fan for way less cost. You can use the existing tri cool fans in a position where you need the higher RPMs or the heat resistance of ball bearings.

You may find once you have the system together that it cools better on a specific worst case reading or on average of all readings if you remove a fan, reverse a fan, or block off the vent where a fan could be mounted. There is no single configuration of fans that will work best for all configuration of other components.

Just be sure to use the Tri Cool in the top position if you use a fan there. The horizontal mounting is not ideal for all fans but a Tri Cool is ball bearing and won't be affected.