Quiet and light gaming: E6750 / Solo / 8600GT?

[SevenFour]

I have tried patching my old computer bought in 2001 to make it faster and more importantly more quiet. Lately it has been giving me trouble, hanging, shutting down because of heat problems (at least that is what I think). Rather than finding the reason for that I would like to do a total upgrade. My goals for the new build is to make it quiet, not necessarily silent.

I am on a budget although that budget is not firmly set. I generally prefer to spend a little extra to get me that extra oomph for the bucks. That being said, I would like to keep the costs down a bit and that means for starters that I have decided to keep my monitor and old hard drives. I know that Seagate is not recommended anymore, but they will do until I can scramble money for a bigger quieter drive. I will also keep running XP until I hit applications that will require Vista.

Old system
AMD Athlon 2400+ 512MB RAM running XP SP2
Asus A7V8X-X mobo
MSI Geforce FX5600
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160GB ST3160023A
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 120GB ST3120026A
NEC DVD-RW ND-3550A
Hitachi 17" LCD CML17SXW

Proposed new system
Case: Antec Solo -- purchased
MB: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R -- purchased
CPU: Intel core2duo e6750 -- purchased
RAM: Corsair Twin2X 6400C4 DDR2, 2048MB CL4 -- purchased
PSU: Seasonic S12-II 430W -- purchased older version Seasonic S12-430W
GPU: Asus Geforce 8600GT silent 256MB PCI-E -- purchased Powercolor x1950pro SCS3 instead
HDD: I will keep my old ones for now, Seagate 7200.7 160/120GB -- decided to purchase Samsung 500GB HD501LJ and keep my old DVD-RW
Cpu cooler: Thermalright Ultra-120 -- purchased
Fans: 2 Scythe S-flex E (1200rpm), 2 Nexus 92mm fans for front. -- purchased
Fan controller: 2 Zalman fan mate 2 -- purchased

Uses and reasoning
I play poker and backgammon (and analyse the matches). I edit occasional home recording movies. My wife edits audio for her baton twirling classes. We use the computer to feed our 32" CRT via S-video. I am a computer programmer so I know my ways around a computer, but I seldom use my home computer for programming.

I do not game much (I have a Wii for gaming). But I do want to be able to play the occasional adventure game that comes along, such as Fahrenheit and Heroes of might and magic. I will not play WoW, FPSs and the likes.

Gpu reasoning 1: The reasoning behind the 8600GT is partly because of the dx10 suppport should the upcoming games require it, and that an adventure game might not need more power than that of the 8600gt. A 8800 card seem to expensive to me without the specific need.

Gpu reasoning 2: I want to keep the option of TV-out via S-video. I do want to update my TV to a LCD but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

General: I realise that the system exceeds my requirements by a fair bit but given that I do not upgrade that often the above is what I came up with. I did a system with e4300/965 MB/7XXX GPU but the price difference did not make me want to switch.

SLI: No plans.

Overclocking: I have never overclocked a system but if it is relatively easy I might give it a go. I tried searching for a FAQ/article on the subject on this site but did not find any.

Final thoughts
I initially planned to keep the DVD-RW as well but a friend who knows more about this stuff than me told me that the motherboard I have selected only had 2 IDE slots, and they will be occupied by my hard drives.

Any other imcompabilities? Will the 8600GT fit in the case without modifications? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Edit: purchased all parts, thanks to everyone who helped me out!

[christopher3393]

Hi. I have the same graphics card. Fit should be no problem, just allow for 2 slots. 3 would be ideal for airflow aroung GPU heatsink. This card was an upgrade from a GeForce 6800. 2D applications seem a little faster. Significant improvement in 3D Mark score, but still a bit slow. I'm not a gamer, however.

[thejamppa]

Seasonic PSU's have been good, but new S12II-series leaves a lot to hope in acoustic perspective. Many users have complain that new S12II-series is noisier than old S12 series.

[SevenFour]

Many users have complain that new S12II-series is noisier than old S12 series.

Doh. And a quick read in the power supplies section made it no easier.

I see that Corsairs new model 450w will hit the market in time for my order, but according to the review I read it will have the same fan as the S12-II. Any recommendations?

[merlin]

Your build looks perfectly fine to me. I'd recommend 1 92mm fan at least, it certainly keeps the hd temps down, especially at load. When I had no front fans in a test for my solo build, the hdd temps hovered between 45-50, with a fan, the temps are down to 39-43C. Also the psu looks fine, unless you want to either get the current Corsair or the older generation S12 to try to get a quieter fan. I don't think it would make sense to get the 450W new corsair unless it is quieter.

[walle]

Purchasing the old version (S12) would make your system perfect (IMHO), apart from the hard drives (which you do plan to replace anyway) your build looks good.

I do find the cooling fins inferior in the new Corsair, it could mean increased heat and a ramped up fan, only a speculation / observation...at best.


Cheers

[Max Slowik]

You're getting a motherboard that's going to get Crossfire shortly (if not already) so why not get an ATI 2600 XT? You won't notice the difference in gaming, but it has better DX10 drivers and video playback. Not to mention the video transcoder, which NVIDIA doesn't have at all.

It also, in my tests, draws just a little less power.

Another thing that I wonder is why are you getting such a powerful processor for a computer that's going to be doing most everything casually?

[SevenFour]

Purchasing the old version (S12) would make your system perfect (IMHO)

You would not happen to know a store in Sweden that still have them for sale ?

so why not get an ATI 2600 XT?

The only fanless version I can find in my usual online stores is the following (prel. release September 1): HIS Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3, iSilence III. I have never heard of that brand before, are they any good?

In my current computer the Gfx card is one of the louder components (that has a continous sound). I believe MSI claims it is 28dB but I have no concept of how loud that is other than that I can hear it when sitting next to my computer.

[thejamppa]

Purchasing the old version (S12) would make your system perfect (IMHO)

so why not get an ATI 2600 XT?

The only fanless version I can find in my usual online stores is the following (prel. release September 1): HIS Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3, iSilence III. I have never heard of that brand before, are they any good?

HIS is very good brand. They tweak their cards work in slightly higher frequencies and their one brand is using Arctic Coolings silent coolers to cool their cards quietly. I've had HIS Ati 9800 pro IceQ version and I was very happy with it. Then power surge fried it:P

[ryboto]

You're getting a motherboard that's going to get Crossfire shortly (if not already) so why not get an ATI 2600 XT? You won't notice the difference in gaming, but it has better DX10 drivers and video playback. Not to mention the video transcoder, which NVIDIA doesn't have at all.

It also, in my tests, draws just a little less power.

Another thing that I wonder is why are you getting such a powerful processor for a computer that's going to be doing most everything casually?

The motherboard isn't crossfire ready, it only has 1pcie slot. I just assembled a system for a friend with the same board. Very good futureproofing for the money. As for the CPU and video card, personally, if you're not going to be doing much, I would also recommend dropping the CPU down a notch or two. You'll save money, and power costs. C2D's are massive overclockers, if, in the future, you need more power, just overclock the thing a little. As for the video card, I'm not sure what to suggest. If you haven't played anything visually intensive, then I might suggest not getting one at all. Look for a board with tv-out. My roomate can play FFXI perfectly fine on the integrated video in his laptop, Radeon x1150 i believe.

[SevenFour]

As for the video card, I'm not sure what to suggest. If you haven't played anything visually intensive, then I might suggest not getting one at all.

Is there a decent motherboard out there that has both AGP and PCI-E slots? If so I guess one option would be to keep my current card but still have the option to get a new PCI-E one later.

[ryboto]

Is there a decent motherboard out there that has both AGP and PCI-E slots? If so I guess one option would be to keep my current card but still have the option to get a new PCI-E one later.

There was an ASrock board that could. Though, integrated video may even be up to par with that 5600. You'd have to check the motherboard reviews and see what they get for gaming/synthetic benchmarks.

[walle]

You would not happen to know a store in Sweden that still have them for sale ?

A friend of mine purchased his unit from pixmania receiving the rev "1â€

[Max Slowik]

Oops, sorry, I mis-read it as the DS3P. It costs less, too.

[merlin]

Is there a decent motherboard out there that has both AGP and PCI-E slots? If so I guess one option would be to keep my current card but still have the option to get a new PCI-E one later.

There was an ASrock board that could. Though, integrated video may even be up to par with that 5600. You'd have to check the motherboard reviews and see what they get for gaming/synthetic benchmarks.

All I gotta say is...don't get the asrock board unless you want to cheap out. A solid well-build motherboard is worth its weight in gold..especially future-looking. Get the P35 from a good maker

[SevenFour]

I just do not like the idea of an integrated video card.

So even if I can not get crossfire, would the 2600XT card suit my needs better than the 8600GT? Is the video playback better for downloaded video (.avi etc), or is it just better for DVD/BD/HDDVD playback?

[SevenFour]

I managed to get hold of the old version of the Seasonic S12-430w. I believe it is revision A3:


I got it from datorbutiken.com. Their support could not guarantee which version it was, but they claimed that the "Tillv ArtId" should correspond to the Seasonic manufacturer id so I took a shot and ordered it. I will order the rest of the components at the end of the month when I have more cash available.

I found another passive 2600XT, from MSI: MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ/D3. If I select to buy a passive 2600XT, will it matter much which card I choose (Komplett.se has listed the Sapphire 2600XT ultimate edition but with no delivery date)? Will I have any trouble fitting any of them in the configuration I have listed above?

[walle]

Great that you managed to find one. Hmm…what the heck, I mean, I have always been contemplating to get a replacement unit anyways, (just in case) and getting a new- old –S12- version is a no brainer really…processing- executing- order placed.

There will be no problems with fitting either card, I would also suggest that you go for the MSI card which appears to have 512 MB ram whereas the Sapphire appears to only have 256MB ram. I checked the info on the Sapphire and I can’t see what would classify it as an “ultimate editionâ€

[Mats]

SevenFour: I hope you've read the reviews of DX10 games running on midrange GPU's, they just don't work like you would expect.
Yes, ATI HD 2600 and nVidia 8600 are midrange cards, but only for DX9. In DX10 they're just not enough. DX10 is simply much more demanding than DX9.

I suggest you either save some money for a 8800, or get a mobo with integrated graphics for now (GA-G33-DS3R?)and get a better one later on. Get a lower priced CPU if you want to save money, because the GPU will be the true bottleneck in your setup anyway.

[SevenFour]

I hope you've read the reviews of DX10 games running on midrange GPU's

I have read the reviews about dx10 so that is no longer a priority. But even if I disregard dx10, I end up with the same type of cards if I want to have a midrange passive card.

get a mobo with integrated graphics for now (GA-G33-DS3R?)

If I read the specs correctly, this mobo lacks both DVI for my monitor and TV-out?

[Mats]

If I read the specs correctly, this mobo lacks both DVI for my monitor and TV-out?

You're right, I don't know of any 775 mobo that have both connectors. It's strange, because it's so easy to find for AM2.

Look here for more info about overclocking.

[SevenFour]

Component updates:

GPU: MSI HD 2600XT (passive, model no RX2600XT-T2D512EZ)
Fans: 2 Scythe 120mm 1200rpm, 2 Nexus 92mm (one extra scythe to replace case fan right away)
Fan control: 2 Zalman fan mate 2 (adding one for the case fan)
DVD-RW: Asus DRW-1814BLT or Samsung SH-S183L?

I was tempted to switch to the Abit IP35 Pro mobo after reading about its fan control. But then I realized that getting fan mates was cheaper and I doubt I would change the fan settings all that much after finding a decent temperature in my build. Having an external bay fan controller is not an option since I have a 1.5 year old son who loves to play with blinking gadgets (unless there is one that can lock the settings somehow).

I have had a hard time selecting the graphics card. I keep reading how the drivers for the 2600xt are not finished and problems with HD playback. But I figure that by the time I pick up a new LCD-TV the driver problems should have been fixed. I realize that the GPU is the bottle neck of my system. But I will have the possibility to pick up a better (and noisier) card if a new game comes out that requires it, and the rest of my system should be able to handle it.

I have also searched for a SATA DVD burner. There does not seem to be a consensus of which burner that is best from a quiet perspective. The Asus and the Samsung both seem to at least be mentioned for their quiet abilities (of the current available burners). Please leave some feedback on these drives if you own them.

[pputer]

Both AMD/ATI and Nvidia have had major problems with drivers recently. Also, from my research, it seems ATI HD 2000 series cards often give owners problems but I think most of it might be due to the software that you use with it. Nvidia hasn't provided hardware acceleration/H.264 drivers for their 8500/8600 cards yet and although benchmarks show excellent performance with Vista, some people claim it doesn't work very well in Vista either currently. I am tempted to go with Nvidia only because I also use Linux sometimes. If I bought the HD 2600 series, I would be making it a strictly Windows box. Although, it probably will be anyways, I don't like restrictions like that.

The 8600 and HD 2600 are strictly graphics cards for HTPCs and not for gaming. Everyone claims poor performance in games so if you're only a casual gamer, they might be sufficient cards.

I'm building a system of my own so that's why I know this stuff (or like to think I do). As for a DVD burner, I bought a Samsung SH-S203B version burner after extensive reading and research. People seem to like it.

[SevenFour]

why are you getting such a powerful processor

I would also recommend dropping the CPU down a notch or two

Get a lower priced CPU if you want to save money

I see a theme here, any suggestions? Should I change RAM selection if I change CPU?

[ryboto]

the ram choice is fine, it's just that that CPU is basically wasted power. Are you going to encode? to crunch numbers? If it's just going to idle, get a lower power core2, save money, and it will run cooler.

[SevenFour]

As for a DVD burner, I bought a Samsung SH-S203B version burner after extensive reading and research. People seem to like it.

That seems like a good choice. I will change to that one, thanks.

[kittle]

Final thoughts
I initially planned to keep the DVD-RW as well but a friend who knows more about this stuff than me told me that the motherboard I have selected only had 2 IDE slots, and they will be occupied by my hard drives.

Nothing to worry about here. each IDE slot will handle 2 drives. so put your existing HDDs in the primary slot and the DVD drive in the secondary slot. a 2-connector IDE cable should come with the motherboard or can be purchased for less than $5 at a local computer store.

[Mats]

I see a theme here, any suggestions?

I'd say an E4400, but you can pick an even lower priced CPU as well.

As for GPU, I know that you won't need much power in it, but consider using a last generation card like X1950, 7600 or 7900. Simply more performance for the same price. No DX10, but you won't get that out of a 8600 with playable speeds anyway... nu är jag tjatig..

[angelkiller]

Nothing to worry about here. each IDE slot will handle 2 drives. so put your existing HDDs in the primary slot and the DVD drive in the secondary slot. a 2-connector IDE cable should come with the motherboard or can be purchased for less than $5 at a local computer store.

His motherboard has one IDE slot that supports two devices. His friend was not talking about actual slots, but rather supported devices. So the OP cannot have more than two IDE devices with a P35 chipset. Just some clarification.

I also think the E4400 is a good choice. Its definitely fast, and OC's great. (2.9GHz stable on stock voltage)

[Mats]

I'd keep the DVD-RW I'd save the money for a new HD. Replacing a working DVD-RW with a new DVD-RW will give you nothing new in terms of functionality or performace, just the ability to connect an old 120 GB HD. So in a way you pay 300 SEK for an old 120 GB HD...

Keep the DVD-RW and get a 320 - 500 GB SATA HD instead.

The old 120 GB HD can be a long term backup, not connected to the computer, or with an USB enclosure.

I can't tell you which CPU you should get, but if A64 is good enough for you then you don't have to get a graphics card for now and save money. For instance, the Asus M2A-VM HDMI have both DVI and S-Video (and Firewire, SPDIF, HDMI, DSUB, Composite and YPbPr out).

Part of your system:

MB: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R, 1165 SEK
CPU: Intel core2duo e6750, 1675 SEK
GPU: Asus Geforce 8600GT silent 256MB PCI-E, 1174 SEK
New SATA DVD: 270 SEK

Total: 4284 SEK

My suggested parts:

MB: Asus M2A-VM HDMI, 602 SEK (or equivalent Gigabyte)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+, 574 SEK
GPU: Later (when you know you really need one and not just buying it to get DVI & S-Video)
New HD instead of a DVD: Samsung 320 GB, 650 SEK

Total: 1826 SEK

(lowest prices found)

These parts are not similar in terms of performance, but I have a feeling that my suggestions will give you all you ask for anyway based on your description, and you'll end up with 2450 SEK (= a 8800 GTS) more in your wallet.
I may be wrong though, only you know for sure what you need. You say you don't like integrated graphics but I have no idea why...
The AMD 690G is a very good chipset and it's pretty new. I recently built a PC for a friend with this MB and a X2 3600+, it worked perfectly. I undervolted the CPU from 1.25 to 0.975 V in BIOS. No problems playing older DX9 games on it like Halo.