So i'm looking at putting together a MicroATX system, and i'm not seeing much in the way of cases for such. The list of case recommendations breaks down into big boxes, horizontal boxes, and tiny boxes. Are there not enough mid-size cases to justify breaking them out separately? It turns out the hor...

Have you bought these component and started using them? Actually, i'm still in the budgeting stage. I'll probably buy a component or two each paycheck until i can put it together. I'm wondering how your PSU temps are. The PSU is in the top of the Solo, and there aren't any exhaust ventilation _on t...

Alright, here's what i've got so far: MoBo ASUS P8Z68-V PRO CPU i5 2400 [using integrated graphics] PSU SeaSonic X series SS-400FL [also considering the SeaSonic S12II 380B] case Antec Solo cooler Noctua NH-C14 optical HP 16x DVD-RW memory 2 * Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) dri...

One thing i can say about the socket 1366 setup i was looking at earlier is that this corner of the market is well supplied with features that i find useful. By comparison, the 1155s seem stripped down... The features they do typically offer don't seem very beneficial to me. RAID? Quad SLI/Crossfire...

Why not use integrated graphics if you are only doing SW development? That way you don't have to have an additional component (GFX card) in your system. And you'll save some money also. Sandy Bridge integrated graphics should be enough for your stated computer usage, it'll even play HD video ;-) We...

Idk if mac supports intel build in gpus though. Yeah, Apple has to. For a few years they made models that relied on Intel's integrated graphics, but they stopped it because it made these Macs incapable of loading just about any commercial game. My wife's old Mini is like that, can't even run 2D gam...

Just as a suggestion, maybe will be better to build around a Sandy Bridge, the i5 2500/2400 are $200 CPUs and very fast... This sounds like it will fit my needs quite well, thanks for mentioning it. Now i'm wading through a few hundred MoBos to pick my new list. There's a lot more 1155 slot setups ...

I would use Noctua NH-C14 CPU cooler and experiment with how many fans at what speed you need. If you aren't overclocking you will probably do fine with one fan at its lowest speed. I will look into Noctua, thanks. I would use a Seasonic PSU. Believe it or not, i was already looking at the X400. Tu...

So i found a review that claimed to measure 284 watts max for this specific CPU and MoBo. I couldn't find any published info on how many watts the GPU consumed, but an nVidia rep told me that their version should have a 300 watt PSU. When pressed, he finally gave me a figure of 50 watts. 284 + 50 is...

My goal is to build a system that has enough horsepower for software development without spending an arm and a leg. I've already decided on the following components: CPU - BX80601950 [i7-950 Bloomfield][socket 1366] MoBo - ASUS Sabertooth X58 [full ATX] Mem - 3 * 2 GiBi PC3-8500 Vid - PNY GeForce 94...