Opinion: Antec P150, AMD X2 3800, Asus A8V system

aviavi · Post by **aviavi** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 6:05 pm

I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the following:

-Antec P150 case
-Asus A8V motherboard
-AMD X2 3800+ processor
-Saphhire Atlantis Radeon 9600SE 128MB DDR AGP video card
-Airnet 3+1 Port 1394 PCI Host Adapter
-CORSAIR ValueSelect (2 x 512MB) DDR 400 (PC 3200)
-Seagate Barracuda ST3160812AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive
-LITE-ON White ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-160P6S - OEM
-Scythe SCNJ-1000 CPU Cooling Heatsink

There have been reported compatibility problems with the Antec P150 power supply and Asus (and other) mother boards, but as far as I can tell, the A8V is OK in the P150 case. Not sure if I really need the Scythe Ninja...

I'd be using this as a Pro Tools rig and general computing. I'm not a gamer, so don't care about video so much. I just want it to work and be quiet.

Feedback is most appreciated.

Avi

Jagdeep · Post by **Jagdeep** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:24 pm

I don't know much about computers at all but I have been lookin' at the p150 case and so I'll give my 2 cents.

Firstly, I think all the parts that you'll end up puttin' in might make thingss a tight fit due to the small size of the 150.

Also, I've read for non-gamin' purposes...Intel is better but at the same time since you're gettin' a duel core it doesn't make much of a difference.

But you could probably get a cheaper Intel duel core with the same performance since you won't be playin' games.

How about a sound card as well?

Try also gettin' an SLI video card...I know, you're not interested in gamin' but I don't know of any other Asus cards of that quality that come fanless which will make things quieter.

On the other hand, i'm sure there must be fanless Intel motherboards somewhere that are non-SLI...

If you want it to be extra quiet, try buyin' a phantom power supply but hey that will cost over 100 dollars.

Sorry, that's all my inexperienced voice knows.

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:08 pm

Any particular reason why you're getting an AGP system? Even though you have no intention of gaming, PCI-Express is still the new standard for expansion cards (not just video cards) and a budget AGP card will cost about the same or even a bit more than an PCI-e these days. Is that Airnet thingy a firewire card? If so, it might be cheaper to get a slightly more expensive board with firewire built-in.

aviavi wrote:Not sure if I really need the Scythe Ninja...

No one needs a Ninja (even though some deserve them

) but it is a very good cooler if you want to keep the noise level of your PC down.

Jagdeep wrote:Also, I've read for non-gamin' purposes...Intel is better but at the same time since you're gettin' a duel core it doesn't make much of a difference
(snip)
Try also gettin' an SLI video card...I know, you're not interested in gamin' but I don't know of any other Asus cards of that quality that come fanless which will make things quieter
(snip)
Sorry, that's all my inexperienced voice knows

I'm sorry, but your inexperience is showing. Perhaps you should try to get your facts straight before offering advice to others? Most things you posted do not make sense to me at all. I do not mean to sound rude, but bad advice can potentially be worse than no advice at all.

csl · Post by **csl** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:25 pm

teejay - because music PCs require stability, not bleeding edge graphics. AGP/PCI systems also mean we can use third-party professional PCI DSP cards and interfaces.

I have a similar music PC:

Antec P150 with Nexus 12cm exhaust
A8V Deluxe
X2 4400
2GB Corsair XMS 3200PT
Ninja HS with 12cm Nexus
Seasonic S12 500W

It's not especially quiet, as both Nexus fans are at 12V, but it is very cool and stable. The P150 provides enough room to work, and is an awesome case, but I'd DEFINITELY get a different PSU as the NeoHE would not boot up my system with 2 UAD-1 cards in - it's just too much for the low current Neo PSU. The Seasonic is a superb PSU, and I'll probably be sticking with Seasonic for as long as I can.

So yeah, go for it!

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 3:04 pm

Good point csl, I didn't know that such relations between audio stuff and AGP platforms existed. I just wanted to make sure aviavi wasn't going to buy something (slightly) outdated without a proper reason.

Off topic, but are you sure you can't undervolt those Nexus fans a little without reaching critical temps? That way you can drop your noise level a bit...

Jagdeep · Post by **Jagdeep** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 4:59 pm

Fair enough Teejay,

but like I said I didin't know much about computers so it's not like I was tellin' him to listen to everything I had to say...lol

Also, I only replied since no one had bothered all day and I figured why not.

I hear ya though.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:02 pm

Greetings,

In case you missed it, there is often an issue between Asus motherboards and the Antec PS that comes in the P150 -- the newer ones are okay, but be warned. The problem causes them to just shut down.

Also, I would avoid the LiteOn optical drive -- they tend to be rather noisy. Samsung, or Asus are quieter.

I would definitely stick with the Athlon 64 X2 dual core... I've heard you should avoid core duels -- something always gets hurt!

anabellita · Post by **anabellita** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:54 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Greetings,

In case you missed it, there is often an issue between Asus motherboards and the Antec PS that comes in the P150 -- the newer ones are okay, but be warned.

I had understood that, precisely because the newer are ok, that by now this was no longer an issue for those who set out to buy one as of today. I saw quite a few comments in that sense. If that were true, then the poster could certainly go for it.

...of course, I personally haven't quite made up my mind because SPCR still has that recommendation on hold, and that is worth more to me than forum posts.

So what do you think? Is NeoHE + Asus MoBo a safe bet by now?

Matt · Post by **Matt** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:14 am

I can confirm that the P150 + NeoHE 430 and the A8V are a safe bet -- I'm posting from a brand-new machine with that very combination.

I'm currently using a rather low-end AGP card -- a Rage 128 -- until I move my fanless 9600 non-pro from my old rig. There's a great deal on the P150 at NewEgg right now (if you're in the USA, anyhow), and the A8V dropped by $5-$10 a week or two ago.

My P150 + A8V + 3200 rig is much quieter than my old dual-Athlon machine, but nowhere near silent; even under my desk, with the included tri-speed fan set to slow, I can hear a soft whine and a touch of airflow noise, probably from the CPU fan. I'm looking into either one of the new OEM CPU coolers with heatpipes and 80mm fan (which I can swap for a Panaflo or similar), or an aftermarket cooler.

The NeoHE's fan is virtually silent at idle / low usage; even with my ear up against the exhaust grille, I can barely hear it. Kudos to Antec for a sweet PSU -- thank goodness it worked with my motherboard of choice!

The A8V fits snugly in the P150. You should install the CPU and RAM on the board before installing the board in the case. You'll probably have to slide the board into the case at an angle.

Cable routing may be tricky, but it's possible. Routing ribbon cables so they're out of the front-to-rear airflow path was pretty tough for me, but this has been my first serious cabling job. I think I did a particularly nice job with the floppy ribbon cable -- some serious cablegami hides every inch of the cable itself, leaving only the connectors on either end exposed.

Thanks Ralf for inspiration!

Front-panel LED and switch leads should be connected to the motherboard headers with all the labels facing down.

Opinion: Antec P150, AMD X2 3800, Asus A8V system

Opinion: Antec P150, AMD X2 3800, Asus A8V system

A8V + P150 works great