New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling

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nwrigley
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New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling

Post by nwrigley » Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:39 pm

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€

Konnetikut
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Re: New Superbad System Build - $1,200 ceiling

Post by Konnetikut » Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:20 pm

nwrigley wrote:Antec SOLO Quiet Mid Tower
great.
nwrigley wrote:GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R
great.
nwrigley wrote:BFG Tech BFGR79256GSOCE GeForce 7900GS 256MB - known to be quiet, backed by a good company/warranty and has a decent rebate.
known to be quiet from what source?
nwrigley wrote:CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W - Seems to be the PSU of choice at the moment.
You are correct.
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?
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:OCZ Platinum OCZ2P800R22GK 4GB (4 X 1GB ) 800MHz DDR2
seems you are set on 4GB.
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.
WD SE16 series should be quite quiet, especially if you suspend it in your SOLO.
nwrigley wrote:SAMSUNG SH-203B Black SATA 20X DVD±R Burner
OK.

Lawrence Lee
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Post by Lawrence Lee » Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:57 pm

Don't spend more than $25 for an Arctic Freezer - I can't believe Newegg charges that much. Get a Ninja instead for ~$35.

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.

mexell
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Post by mexell » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:23 am

In the Solo, you could duct a front-to-back-airflow PSU to the front, making it even quieter with just a cardboard duct. A suitable PSU for that would be maybe a NeoHE 430.

nwrigley
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Post by nwrigley » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:03 pm

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.
known to be quiet from what source?
I got this from customer responses on newegg and other retailers sites
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)
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?

I really appreciate the help.

nwrigley
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Post by nwrigley » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:06 pm

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.
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.

Konnetikut
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Post by Konnetikut » Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:27 pm

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.

Max Slowik
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Post by Max Slowik » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:08 pm

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.

jackylman
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Post by jackylman » Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:36 pm

-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.

seemingly.random
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Post by seemingly.random » Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:51 am

Corsair 520 at buy.com for price - have had trouble with Corsair rebate redemption.

Ditto on the Spinpoint 500gb.

Another video alternative: ASUS 1950pro (very quiet at idle) if you don't require 8800 power or DX10 - not as media capable as 2600xt.

nwrigley
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Post by nwrigley » Sat Aug 25, 2007 10:06 am

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.

coylh
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Post by coylh » Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:47 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125063

You can get a modern, fanless, DX10 for $170.

paulka
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Post by paulka » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:31 am

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.

Drexl
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Post by Drexl » Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:36 pm

Sorry if this is obvious, but I just want to let you know that the rebate on the memory is one per household. You'll have to get a friend or someone else to order for you to get a second rebate.

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