After a few revisions, I've come up with the following components. A few things are left out (I already own a monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, et cetera). These are the guts of the machine, though. Any feedback is appreciated. I hope someone will find this information useful.
My primary focus is power, but low noise takes a very close second. Price is not much of an issue, so certain decisions were made without taking price into consideration (the excessive RAM, namely). Here it is:
- ANTEC SLK3700AMB Case (which I already own)
- Nexus 120 mm Real Silent Case Fan (x2)
- Seasonic Super Silencer 400 (SS-400AGX)
- Asus A8V-Deluxe Via K8T800Pro Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard
- AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX-53, 1MB L2 Cache, Windows Compatible 64-bit Processor
- Zalman CNPS7000-Cu CPU Cooler
- Arctic Silver 5
- Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, 184 Pin 2GB(1GB x 2) DDR PC-3200PT (x2)
- High Tech ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "EXCALIBUR R9800PRO ICEQ"
- SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model SP1614C (x2)
- Plextor 12X DVD+/-RW Drive, Model PX-712A Black
- Mitsumi USB Digital Card Reader/Writer W/FD (Black)INTERNAL, Model FA404A/404M
- Creative Labs Audigy II ZS Platinum Pro
- Zonet V.92 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem, Model ZFM5620-CF
- CyberPower 8 Outlet Surge Protector, Model "880"
- Plantronics .Audio 90 Stereo Headset with In-Line Volume and Mute Control
- AcoustiPack™ Pre-Cut Kit for AcoustiCase™ C6607 (AP C6607) - for SLK3700AMB
- TOTAL (with 4GB RAM): $3417.66
- TOTAL (with 2GB RAM): $2808.66
- Do I need 2 120mm case fans, or can I get away with just one?
- Do I need the AcoustiPack foam? The SLK3700AMB is already pretty heavy. I don't mind it if it'll make a real difference, but if it'd add significant weight and won't help much, it might not make sense. When I'm back up at school, I will be sleeping next to my computer, so the quieter the better, but I also have to transport it back and forth, so the lighter the better
Chris