First time builder seeks comments on proposed configuration

donu · Post by **donu** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:20 am

I want to build a quiet, fast, dual monitor PC.

I'm not a gamer. I'm a software developer.

I'm a first time builder.

I'm going to dual boot Vista Ultimate and Ubuntu.

I haven't picked a sound card yet.
I'll add another hard drive later.

Will it be possible to add another video card to drive a 3rd monitor?

Do I need a CPU cooler?

Thanks for any input. I've learned a lot reading these forums.

Case: Antec Performance One P180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129154

Power Supply: ZALMAN ZM460B-APS ATX12V 460W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817379004

Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131045

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115002

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820146565

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136073

Video Card: GIGABYTE GV-NX76T256D-RH GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Silent Pipe II
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125025

Monitor (2): UltraSharp 2007FP 20 inch Black Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/product ... u=320-4687
(I already own the 2 monitors)

where?wolf · Post by **where?wolf** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:29 pm

Hi!

Most of that stuff seems good. But consider getting a Samsung hd instead if you want a quiet hd. Western D. hdds are good. But not the most quiet hd in the bunch.

The Zalman psu I have my doubs about. Check these out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151023

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817104934

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139001

All those psu's, including the Zalman are 20 + 4 main power connector. And the Core Duo motherboards are 24 pin main power connector. So you may need this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6812145002

If you tape up the case vents around the Psu, and flip it upside down, when mounting it in the lower tunnel of the P180. You probably wont have to use any extra fan down there. The psu's fan, should be enough to draw cool air over the hd.

You probably wanna replace the stock Intel heatsink with a Scythe Ninja, with a silent Nexus or Noctua 120mm fan. The P180 and Ninja, seems to be made for eachother. Or a cheap but more quiet and effective cooler than the stock sink, Arctic Freezer 7.

It could also be a good idea to invest in Arctic Silver 5 or Ceramique, thermal paste too. This will lower the cpu temp a couple of degrees more when it have settled.

Replace the pretty noisy Antec Tricool case fans with Nexus , Noctua or Yate Loon, 120mm fans. Do not mount the fans with screws. Use elastic cords or rubber fan pegs instead.

Good soundcard: Creative X-FI series. The cheaper Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer is a good one. I have this myself. And beeing a bit of an audiophile myself. I like what I hear, when playing classical music for ex. with this card. The "Xtreme Music" verison of this card, is said to have some problems with static noises.

vincentfox · Post by **vincentfox** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:40 pm

Get the Corsair 520HX PSU. As long as you are buying Dell LCD I'd go for the 2007WFP or 2407WFP. No reason not to go wide-screen these days, I have one and it's fantastic.

stromgald · Post by **stromgald** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:44 pm

I was about to post most of the same things as wherewolf, but he beat me to it. I agree with all his comments except for a few. I don't think you'll need the power converter adapter. I'm pretty sure 20+4 and 24 are the same thing. The advantage of 20+4 is that you can break off the extra '4' pins and use it on older systems that only have 20 pin power connectors.

IMO, the new WD HDDs are great and there's not much to be gained going to Samsung unless you've got extremely sensitive hearing. But, from tests I think the Samsungs are slightly quieter. I would just get whichever is cheapest or has the best warranty.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is your choice of processor. Core 2 Duos are ridiculously easy to overclock. If you plan on overclocking, I would recommend saving some money and getting an E6600 instead of the E6700. The performance/price ratio is much better, and only gets bigger when you do overclocking.

Also be careful with the Scythe Ninja. Those heatpipes might interfere with the capacitors near the socket that many Core 2 Duo motherboards have. Make sure whatever heatsink you get is compatible. You can check out the SPCR recommnded list for some good choices: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article30-page1.html .

DeltaForce · Post by **DeltaForce** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:54 pm

I agree with Wherewolf's post. Samsung HD's, and Seasonic PSU's. Isn't the Corsair PSU made by Seasonic? So that should be good too.

You could get Zalman Fan Mate speed-controllers from quietpc.com for your fans. It's possible to regualte the fan voltages in other ways, but that is a sure way. You could also install a central fan-speed controller on the front of the case.

Any reason for the P180? They are good cases, and people love them on this site, but an Atec P150 or Solo might be easier for a first time build, and just as effective. I prefer the standard ATX configuration where the PSU fan helps vent the case better, and then you don't have the extra hole on top of the case -like the 180 has, which also has trickier cable routing with the PSU on the bottom. The P180 is still good, so it's not a major decision, but the P150 reviews are good too.

Crucial memory makes their own memory, and they have good customer support on the phone, so that is a plus if you have any issues with it.

Good Luck.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:32 am

Hello,

Have you installed Ubuntu on a Windows system before? I just did it on an old Win98 system, so if you have any questions, I may be able to help you. The way I did it was to partition the HD with FDISK and install Windows on one partition, and leave the other unformatted. Then, have Ubuntu use the "largest empty space" and it will do what it needs to. (For Win98, I had to format it's partition FAT32 ahead of time, but with Vista, it will do it for you -- be sure to use the Quick Format if it is an option (if Vista is anything like XP!)

donu · Post by **donu** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:52 am

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
I've got some more research to do now.

2 responses mentioned the Corsair 520HX PSU.
I like the Zalman ZALMAN ZM460B-APS based on this review:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/ ... -psu6.html

A few responses:

where?wolf:
- Why flip the PSU upside down when mounting?
- Some forum comments regarding Scythe Ninja and Asus P5B Deluxe installation issues have scared me off the Ninja. I'm looking at Noctua NH-U12F and Noctua NH-U9F for CPU cooling. Leaning towards the NH-U9F (it's lighter) as I'm not planning on overclocking.
- I'll get some Arctic Silver 5.
- I'll get Noctua NF-S12 120mm fans.

vincentfox:
- I already own 2 Dell 2007FP (1600 x 1200).
- I'd like to add a 3rd monitor, and it'll likely be 1920 X 1200.

stromgald:
- I've since read many other recommendations to go with E6600 instead of the E6700. Thanks!

DeltaForce:
- Thanks for the Zalman Fan Mate tip.
- Despite being a first time builder, these reviews
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article254-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article255-page1.html
make me think I can handle the Antec P180.

NeilBlanchard:
- Yes, I've installed Ubuntu on a Windows system.

Thanks again! SPCR rocks.

Cerb · Post by **Cerb** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 3:51 pm

Especially as a first time builder, especially, you may want to think about AS Ceramique, instead of AS 5.

Anyone can handle any case, as long as you have patience. Same with the CPU HSF and TIM--patience.

If you want more than just the little fanmates, you can't go wrong with the Sunbeam Rheobus, which is now pretty cheap at Jab-tech and SVC. Its LEDs can be moved, and I think even taken out, without harm.

donu · Post by **donu** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:48 pm

Thanks Cerb.
Ceramique it shall be.
Patience. Good advice.
I like the Fan Mate 2.

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:45 pm

donu wrote:Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
I've got some more research to do now.

2 responses mentioned the Corsair 520HX PSU.
I like the Zalman ZALMAN ZM460B-APS based on this review:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/ ... -psu6.html

A few responses:

where?wolf:
- Why flip the PSU upside down when mounting?
- Some forum comments regarding Scythe Ninja and Asus P5B Deluxe installation issues have scared me off the Ninja. I'm looking at Noctua NH-U12F and Noctua NH-U9F for CPU cooling. Leaning towards the NH-U9F (it's lighter) as I'm not planning on overclocking.
- I'll get some Arctic Silver 5.
- I'll get Noctua NF-S12 120mm fans.

vincentfox:
- I already own 2 Dell 2007FP (1600 x 1200).
- I'd like to add a 3rd monitor, and it'll likely be 1920 X 1200.

stromgald:
- I've since read many other recommendations to go with E6600 instead of the E6700. Thanks!

DeltaForce:
- Thanks for the Zalman Fan Mate tip.
- Despite being a first time builder, these reviews
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article254-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article255-page1.html
make me think I can handle the Antec P180.

NeilBlanchard:
- Yes, I've installed Ubuntu on a Windows system.

Thanks again! SPCR rocks.

Having focused on AMD,I'd tend toward the Brisbane X2 3600 maybe the X2 4000. The more overkill you have in terms of CPU,the more it takes to cool it.

Gigabyte's top of the line M95S has EVERY sweet thing a mobo can have. I've been smitten with compu-lust for it. Dual Bios,mucho SATA,slots for THREE VID CARDS heatpipes to cool south+north bridges plus the little caps and such,primo sound,giga lan....cheaper than it's twin Intel version.

Stick a Ninja on it,and a pair of 800 rpm case fans is all you need. Quiet

If the onboard Aud (one of the better onboards) is not sufficient, the Chaintech soundcard with the Via Envy24 chip is great for playback especially. It's a remarkable $25,the chip is the same as my M Audio which runs about $80,and other soundcards twice that price. The M Audio records Analog to Digital better. Has a slightly better SN ratio

That Gigabyte board has all solid capacitors for more stability and longer life...but they also will mean less hum coming through the audio.

Samsung's P series HD's were the silent champ,Western came out with improved drives that closed the gap-but Samsung re-grabbed the lead with the T series..even quieter. Unless you hear mouse-farts at some distance,it will do well-especially enclosed or suspended. T series uses less watts-run a bit cooler.

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:56 pm

Oh...Antec cases tend to bottom mount the PSU and invert the Mobo so the door's on the other side. Thus-the single large fan is aimed inward (up) where as it's usually aimed down. I think some Antec boxes do leave the Mobo rightside up,have a top case fan,let the PSU below cool mostly itself.

As for me,I'd mickey whatever case,cover with wood+ceramic tile,use foam,relocate stuff,make ducts..so many possibilities. 140 mm floor mount fan at 500 rpm would be way cool.

First time builder seeks comments on proposed configuration

First time builder seeks comments on proposed configuration

Re: First time builder seeks comments on proposed configurat