New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling
Let me give you some background on this build.
My current system is getting old and is also loud. I want a machine that is going to be reasonably quiet. I don’t need “whisper quietâ€
My current system is getting old and is also loud. I want a machine that is going to be reasonably quiet. I don’t need “whisper quietâ€
-
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:14 pm
- Location: Vancouver
- Contact:
Re: New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling
great.nwrigley wrote:Antec SOLO Quiet Mid Tower
great.nwrigley wrote:GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
known to be quiet from what source?nwrigley wrote:BFG Tech BFGR79256GSOCE GeForce 7900GS 256MB - known to be quiet, backed by a good company/warranty and has a decent rebate.
You are correct.nwrigley wrote:CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W - Seems to be the PSU of choice at the moment.
It is an improvement over the stock Intel. You do not need it to overclock, but it will help. Yes it will make it noticeably quieter. Even better, get a Scythe Ninja or Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme for quiet performance (if it is in your budget)nwrigley wrote:Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 / ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 - Is the necessary over the stock HSF? Do I need it to overclock? Will it make my system noticeably quieter?
seems you are set on 4GB.nwrigley wrote:OCZ Platinum OCZ2P800R22GK 4GB (4 X 1GB ) 800MHz DDR2
WD SE16 series should be quite quiet, especially if you suspend it in your SOLO.nwrigley wrote:WESTERN DIGITAL WD7500AAKS 750GB - Anandtech review had this as being fast and quiet. I use a lot of space, but a 500 gig model would also work for me.
OK.nwrigley wrote:SAMSUNG SH-203B Black SATA 20X DVD±R Burner
-
- SPCR Reviewer
- Posts: 1115
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:07 pm
- Location: Vancouver
Konnetikut: thanks for the reply
nwrigley wrote:
BFG Tech BFGR79256GSOCE GeForce 7900GS 256MB - known to be quiet, backed by a good company/warranty and has a decent rebate.
I really appreciate the help.
nwrigley wrote:
BFG Tech BFGR79256GSOCE GeForce 7900GS 256MB - known to be quiet, backed by a good company/warranty and has a decent rebate.
I got this from customer responses on newegg and other retailers sitesknown to be quiet from what source?
Which ninja do you recommend? The SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" or the "NINJA PLUS Rev.B"? Are you suggesting that I use these coolers with or without a fan?It is an improvement over the stock Intel. You do not need it to overclock, but it will help. Yes it will make it noticeably quieter. Even better, get a Scythe Ninja or Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme for quiet performance (if it is in your budget)
I really appreciate the help.
Thanks for the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 suggestion, I had never heard of it before. I think it's a bit extreme at this point as I would rather not spend that much and I plan on upgrading the video card in the not-to-distant future. Also, I figure that I can always add it later if I find the fan to be too loud.Amourek wrote: The 7900GS is not quiet, at least not SPCR-quiet. Put an Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 on it and you'll be able to run it without a fan.
-
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:14 pm
- Location: Vancouver
- Contact:
I'm recommending the regular ninja (Ninja Plus Rev. B). Since you aren't overclocking very much, you can run it fanless with decent airflow, or with a nexus 120mm fan.
As for the 7900GS, reviews on newegg are not of the same caliber as on spcr. Basically, any video cards with those mini fans are too loud for spcr standards. You are probably better off with a passive solution.
As for the 7900GS, reviews on newegg are not of the same caliber as on spcr. Basically, any video cards with those mini fans are too loud for spcr standards. You are probably better off with a passive solution.
-
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:39 pm
- Location: Denver, Colorado USA
- Contact:
If you're going to be gaming I'd get an 8800GTS 320; drop a couple of gigs of RAM. You won't notice having less memory but you WILL notice the gaming improvement.
If you're NOT gaming, I'd get an HD 2600 card, since they really are the best video-accelerating cards on the market. And gaming is on par with a 7900GS, and Gigabyte makes them passive.
Newer cards have longer warranties, too.
If you're NOT gaming, I'd get an HD 2600 card, since they really are the best video-accelerating cards on the market. And gaming is on par with a 7900GS, and Gigabyte makes them passive.
Newer cards have longer warranties, too.
-If you're focused on gaming, shift money from the CPU (a dual core instead of the quad, it'll be easier to cool quietly as well) to a better video card (8800 GTS as Max suggested)
-Keep the 4GB of memory if you plan on running Vista.
-If you can make do with 500GB, the Samsung SpinPoint 501LJ would be a good way to free up some of your budget and dedicate it to a better video card/cooling.
-Keep the 4GB of memory if you plan on running Vista.
-If you can make do with 500GB, the Samsung SpinPoint 501LJ would be a good way to free up some of your budget and dedicate it to a better video card/cooling.
-
- Posts: 176
- Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:51 am
- Location: Southeast, USA
I'm not "focused on gaming" though gaming is one of the things I will use this PC for. I'm also into Photoshop, video editing, DVD encoding.
I don't see the value of spending $250 on a 8800GTS since there aren't any DX10 games to play and I can get adequate performance for half the price.
I'm getting the quad Q6600 because I don't plan on upgrading the CPU, 4gigs of ram because the prices on DDR2 are not going to get any lower than they are right now.
I have an eye on the future with this build and the videocard is likely to be the first thing I will upgrade (perhaps the only thing I upgrade for the life of this system). I've always felt that videocard price for performance fluctuates more than any other component and is the part most worth buying for the present and upgrading in the future.
Here are the changes to this system since my first post:
videocard: HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDN-R X1950PRO 256MB - $150.83 /$120.83 newegg
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6814161060
This card is $5 cheaper and should perform better then the 7900GS. Also has a decent reputation for being quiet. Again, I'm not looking to spend for a "whisper quiet" system. As long as this card is reasonably quiet at idle I will be happy (I don't mind some noise under load, as I don't really notice while playing a game).
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCNJ-1100P NINJA PLUS Rev.B - $42.96/$42.96 jabtech
http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-NINJA-PL ... -3538.html
Thanks for the advice guys!
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 4GB (4 X 1GB ) 800MHz DDR2 - $229.96/$149.96 newegg
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6820146565
After reading some other users' experiences with the OCZ ram, I decided to go with this slightly more expensive ($10 per 2 gig set) ram instead.
Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint T166 HD501LJ 500GB - $117.79/$117.79 zipzoomfly
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6822152052
Thanks for the advice! I think this is a good cost saving move. I am a little wary of Samsung HDD's, but there reliability seems to have improved over the last couple of years.
I've now dropped the total cost (shipping is included) to: $1,201.05/$1,081.05
Not bad! I hit my $1,200 ceiling even before rebates and this system should only perform better at a cheaper price than my original choices.
More thoughts are welcome, especially if you know of a better deal on a comparable videocard or a better place to buy that cooler. Also, I think I'm going to give Vista 64 a whirl. With an academic discount, I can purchase XP Pro for $10 and Vista Ultimate for $20, so switching back isn't a major concern.
I don't see the value of spending $250 on a 8800GTS since there aren't any DX10 games to play and I can get adequate performance for half the price.
I'm getting the quad Q6600 because I don't plan on upgrading the CPU, 4gigs of ram because the prices on DDR2 are not going to get any lower than they are right now.
I have an eye on the future with this build and the videocard is likely to be the first thing I will upgrade (perhaps the only thing I upgrade for the life of this system). I've always felt that videocard price for performance fluctuates more than any other component and is the part most worth buying for the present and upgrading in the future.
Here are the changes to this system since my first post:
videocard: HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDN-R X1950PRO 256MB - $150.83 /$120.83 newegg
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6814161060
This card is $5 cheaper and should perform better then the 7900GS. Also has a decent reputation for being quiet. Again, I'm not looking to spend for a "whisper quiet" system. As long as this card is reasonably quiet at idle I will be happy (I don't mind some noise under load, as I don't really notice while playing a game).
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCNJ-1100P NINJA PLUS Rev.B - $42.96/$42.96 jabtech
http://www.jab-tech.com/Scythe-NINJA-PL ... -3538.html
Thanks for the advice guys!
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 4GB (4 X 1GB ) 800MHz DDR2 - $229.96/$149.96 newegg
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6820146565
After reading some other users' experiences with the OCZ ram, I decided to go with this slightly more expensive ($10 per 2 gig set) ram instead.
Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint T166 HD501LJ 500GB - $117.79/$117.79 zipzoomfly
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6822152052
Thanks for the advice! I think this is a good cost saving move. I am a little wary of Samsung HDD's, but there reliability seems to have improved over the last couple of years.
I've now dropped the total cost (shipping is included) to: $1,201.05/$1,081.05
Not bad! I hit my $1,200 ceiling even before rebates and this system should only perform better at a cheaper price than my original choices.
More thoughts are welcome, especially if you know of a better deal on a comparable videocard or a better place to buy that cooler. Also, I think I'm going to give Vista 64 a whirl. With an academic discount, I can purchase XP Pro for $10 and Vista Ultimate for $20, so switching back isn't a major concern.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125063
You can get a modern, fanless, DX10 for $170.
You can get a modern, fanless, DX10 for $170.
I recommend to change to tri-cool case fan for a Nexus fan. it is much more quiet.
I actually have an Antec Sonata Designer case, which is basically a SOLO with a PSU.
rear-case fan - Nexus 120mm
front intake - Nexus 92mm
CPU - scythe ninja + with the supplied scythe 120 mm fan installed.
all 3 fans controlled with Q-fan control. Work perfectly.
I already had to check the power led, to see if it was turned on.
So it is quiet.
I actually have an Antec Sonata Designer case, which is basically a SOLO with a PSU.
rear-case fan - Nexus 120mm
front intake - Nexus 92mm
CPU - scythe ninja + with the supplied scythe 120 mm fan installed.
all 3 fans controlled with Q-fan control. Work perfectly.
I already had to check the power led, to see if it was turned on.
So it is quiet.