SPCR

Greetings

Planning my first small rig build and components I have in mind are listed below.
Nothing is finalised yet, still some ifs and buts as you can see.

Please suggest anything I should consider adding/changing.

Case: Antec NSK2400
PSU: 380w Antec (included in case)*
Board: Abit NF-M2 nview
Ram: ????????? (Possibly Crucial pc4200 initially)
CPU: AM2 X2 3800+ or 4200+
HSF: Stock til I know what will fit (eg Thermalright/Scythe)
HDD: ????????
DVD Writer: ????????

I would appreciate views on my selections and suggestions for ram/hdd and dvd writer.

I could live with a black dvd drive so not bothered about fascia color.
Main requirement for dvd and hard disc is decent performance without too much noise.

Would a shorter dvd drive be much benefit over a regular one given the small case choice or would it make little difference?

Wondering if running Folding@home on a rig based on this chassis would be ok?.....Should be a good test for case cooling.

I want a quiet rig but I don't need it to be ultra quiet given the noisy full size chassis I am used to.

Anyway, if you have any views or hardware suggestions please post them up








* If more psu muscle is required I can swap out for a Seasonic S12-430.

Uh oh.........just showed pic of the case to my eldest daughter......now she wants one too

Samsung makes SATA DVD burners, like this one that are not too much more than IDE ones. They make for nice cabling too.

For Nice Quiet Hard Drive, Can't really go past Samsung Spinpoint They are quiet and when coupled with say a Scythe Hard drive silencer you will get nice quietness!!

Yes, I had already noted a sata drive......added neatness.
Also had Samsung Spinpoints noted, but have read conflicting reports re reliability.

My original idea was for:

Abit NF-M2 nview and X2 4200+ (or 3800+).
Main reason was because I really like the Abit board.

However, given the limitations of the small form case it seems to me that the following may be a better choice:

Asrock ConRoe945G-DVI.
Intel E6300. (possibly the E6400)

Abit/4200+ v Asrock/E6300 weigh in at pretty much the same price.
Given that overclocking would be severerely limited would I be correct in thinking the Intel combo would be the better choice?

Seems that the Intel would have the edge in "out of the box" performance.

Only other question is.........what low profile hsf would work with the Intel in my choice of case?

Seems the Freezer 7 Pro would be just a tad too tall.

vaio wrote: Only other question is.........what low profile hsf would work with the Intel in my choice of case?

Seems the Freezer 7 Pro would be just a tad too tall.

Not many tower heatsinks will fit in the NSK2400. The Zalman 7000B-AlCu should be enough to cool the Intel, but I think only some versions are LGA 775 compatible. Make sure before you buy. It could work on the AMD, but I'm not sure how quiet it will be since the Athlon64 X2s do produce more heat IIRC.

Another option to try if you're daring is to just use an Thermalright XP-120 passively. Orient the heatsink so the fins allow for airflow to and from the side exhaust fans. With the large size of the XP-120 you may be able to cool the Intel passively.

Hi

Decided that I don't particularly want to go AM2 at this time sooooooo.....
I have ordered a cheap lil matx s754 board to utilize a spare Sempron 3100+ I have.

Thought it would be cool to utilize that lil old cpu for my first foray into the the small rig building arena.

Board info here
Nothing fancy but should be ok for my "starter rig."

My plan is to swap out for an Allendale/Conroe once Abit release a decent matx 775 board.

Antec NSK2400 is being shipped with the board, along with a keyboard and mouse.

Still to buy a hard disc (sata 2?) and a dvd drive.

Would appreciate recommendations for these two items.

Was considering the Pioneer 111 dvd writer or the Samsung 182.....others I should consider???
Would a reduced length drive be beneficial given the small case dimensions or would the difference be negligible?
Note that I don't mind if the dvd drive has a black bezel, could always mod it later or swap out if a perfect match comes along.

Seems that Samsung drives are a popular choice here, from a noise perspective, but which series???
Are other manufacturers drives that much noisier?
Would welcome suggestions for the hard disc/dvd writer.

Not looking to get the quietest rig on my first build.....just looking for a decent budget build initially......can always swap out for better components later and utilize spares elsewhere amongst my folding rigs.

As an aside, is Windows MCE worth the additional cost?

Thank you for taking the time and your input/feedback is appreciated.