Advice on M-ATX build

[jozi]

It's been a long time since i builth a new pc and haven't really been keeping up with the latest greatest new technologies.

A friend asked me to do this build for him.
He wants a case smaller than the one he has now (antec p160 i think) hence going for m-atx.
He also wants to still play games so there's a good cooler required for the gfx and cpu.

I'm still reading up a little on motherboards and gfx cards so these to can be changed to what ever is best value for money.

Here's what we have come up with: Edited to reflect upto date parts chosen, so far

*Antec NSK3480-EC Micro ATX Tower, 92mm fans, 380W PSU
*Asus P5E-VM SE SKT-775 MATX
*Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Wolfdale Skt1775 1333FSB : BX80570E8200
*Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU-Cooler, Socket 775/AM2/939/940 Might change this depending on what the shop I order from has
*Corsair HX520W 520w Modular PSU
*GeIL 4gb Black Dragon DDR2 PC2-6400 (5-5-5-15) Dual Channel kit (2x2GB) - GB24GB6400C5DC
*Palit 1GB Radeon HD 4870 Sonic PCI-E 2.0
*Samsung Spin Point F1 1tb SATA2 7200rpm 32mb cache HD103UJ
*Samsung 32gb Sata2 SLC 2.5" Solid State Drive
*Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7200S DVD±RW/DL 20x6x20x8 S-ATA - Black OEM
*Nexus PWM Series 92x92x25mm Quiet Case Fan will change these for non-transparent
*Nexus PWM Series 120x120x25 Quiet Case Fan will change these for non-transparent
*Logitech G15 Keyboard
*Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
Total 945.00 GBP = 1,177.56 EUR excluding case and cpu cooler which is about the most he wants to pay, cooler is +/-50Euro, case 75Euro.


I've no idea (yet) on which coolers are good/best for cpu and gfx as well as case fans, last build papst and nexus where good.

Jozi

EDIT: Been looking at coolers for the gfx card:
• Accelero S1 rev.2
• Accelero TWIN TURBO

How many slots do these take up? There might be a soundcard or wifi card going into the bottom pci slot

Edit: Parts list updated

[Strid]

First think that strikes me, is that you don't need a 650W PSU ... the 380W should do fine!!

You probably want to replace the fans as the first think. Get a good 120 mm for the rear exhaust and consider a 80 mm for a fan swap in the PSU. Nexus, Scythe and Noctua seem to be the fans of choice at the moment. Papst is considered old school.

Accelero with a twin turbo is three slots total IIRC (might wanna get a second opinion on this one, I'm not 100% sure), including the graphics, so you should be able to fit a GFX card in the PCIe x16 slot and a PCIe x1 Wifi or sound card in the uppermost slot.

Don't get the OCZ Core SSD. They have a bugged controller and will stall for seconds at random writes (= VERY OFTEN). Which is also why they are so cheap. Consider a WD Velociraptor 150 GB or something similar for OS drive.

I like the Scythe Ninja alot, but there are also the Xigmatek and Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120, which is pretty cool also.

If you're going with a discrete graphics card, consider a Intel G33 chipset motherboard. While not as fancy as the 9300, they're much cheaper and have exactly the same functionality as you want from the 9300.

Okay that's my two cents.

[jozi]

Them papst fans in my rig give you an idea how long ago it's been since I done a build

Thanks for the advice!

We're changing the SSD to a Samsung one, much more expensive but my mate doesn't mind.

The PSU from the case is going, changing the above to something modular. I've got a Corsair 520watt in my pc, recommended here which is why i got it, will be getting the same one for this build. It should keep things a little tidier.

Can anyone recommend a SFF case? Some one suggested one but they look so small and cramped, maybe a little restricting in cooler choice also.

I never realised the mobo had onboard gfx, we wont be using this, was pointed in the direction of a Asus P5E-VM SE SKT-775 MATX instead of the one i had.
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... t=0&page=1

A mate of mine has a XpertVision 1GB Radeon HD 4870 Sonic
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... 930&page=1
which he said was very quiet at idle and still quiet enough under stress.

Now for fans....
How does this Nexus D12SL-12BW perform?
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... 885&page=1
There was also this Nexus D12SL-12, is this a better fan than the above?
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... 885&page=1
Are the Noctua fans worth the extra 10pounds?

With the Antec nsk3480 should I go with 2x92mm front fans? I've got 2 in my solo which run fine. I think the above system will run much hotter than my own, specially with that gfx card.
How is this Nexus DF1209SL-3 PWM
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... 882&page=1
Which looks like the same fans as revied on the site.

Does a cpu cooler such as this Thermalright HR-01 Plus fit in the Antec case? Will this work fanless?
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/cus ... t=0&page=1

I'm sure i'll think of something else which i've missed above....

Jozi

[Gojira-X]

jozi:
1. You haven't specified how much (and what type of) ram the system is going to have.

2.I think you should leave deciding on fans until you have assembled the crucial bits of the pc (psu, motherboard, cpu, ram, hdds, psu, dvdr). After doing that you will find out two things: a) if the parts work together and b)what the areas of the PC build you need to work on.

Remember, treat your friends build as an individual, and approach the silencing methodology from that standpoint. You may encounter different sources of noise in your friends PC. than you have encountered in your own, even if (for arguments sake) you used exactly the same parts.

In general, less fans = less sources of noise. The final decision lies in the cooling requirements of that particular case. IMHO, I don't think you should get that Nexus PWM fan, as it is transparent. Transparent fans tend to be noisier that their opaque counterparts due to the harder plastics used.

3.Any particular reason why you have chosen to source everything from specialtech?
If they are good for rma's, then you could get the Xpertvison, and return it for the Club3D.
I personally shop around and get the best deal from a number of suppliers that I use (Aria/Microdirect/Misco/Scan/KustomPcs/Amazon/Kernable/Novatech).

[jozi]

Here's the complete list of all part which might get ordered, will update 1st post also.

*Antec NSK3480-EC Micro ATX Tower, 92mm fans, 380W PSU
*Asus P5E-VM SE SKT-775 MATX
*Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 Wolfdale Skt1775 1333FSB : BX80570E8200
*Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU-Cooler, Socket 775/AM2/939/940 Might change this depending on what the shop I order from has
*Corsair HX520W 520w Modular PSU
*GeIL 4gb Black Dragon DDR2 PC2-6400 (5-5-5-15) Dual Channel kit (2x2GB) - GB24GB6400C5DC
*Palit 1GB Radeon HD 4870 Sonic PCI-E 2.0
*Samsung Spin Point F1 1tb SATA2 7200rpm 32mb cache HD103UJ
*Samsung 32gb Sata2 SLC 2.5" Solid State Drive
*Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7200S DVD±RW/DL 20x6x20x8 S-ATA - Black OEM
*Nexus PWM Series 92x92x25mm Quiet Case Fan will change these for non-transparent
*Nexus PWM Series 120x120x25 Quiet Case Fan will change these for non-transparent
*Logitech G15 Keyboard
*Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
Total 945.00 GBP = 1,177.56 EUR excluding case and cpu cooler which is about the most he wants to pay, cooler is +/-50Euro, case 75Euro.

I'll change the fans for non transparent ones. I put the fans in the list because since I'm ordering I might as well get all the parts required, aditional orders will only cost more on shipping. But in saying that it's looking like there will be 2 order from different sources, can't find that Antec case at the few places i checked so far, some of the ones you listed haven't been checked (yet). I also want to order a monitor for myself which isn't stocked everywhere, but thats a different thread

Specialtech was recommended to me, they also worked out a little cheaper than komplett. I plan on pricing all the bits at different sources before placing the order. I checked a few places and komplett seem to be the only one stocking the NSK case,

Which Club3d card did you have in mind? This one: http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=387435 It's a little bit more expensive than the one above.
Am i right in saying Palit and Xpertvision are the same? The additional fan is noisy? Would adding a Accelerro S1 Revision 2 be a better option?

He wants a as silent as possible system but i think the gfx card will be the main source of noise. Most of the parts are chosen based on similar builds in the fora and/or recommended on the main site.

I'm getting the feeling i'm getting into this way to much , spent most of my weekend browsing and reading There's so much to read up on and this one is a complete build i'd like to get it right 1st time, not like my own which has under gone a few changes since the initial build. Another reason for this is that my mate isn't the kind of person to mess with pc's and upgrade/swap parts over time to make improvements. (all the research will help me thou when i get to rebuild mine in a few months)

Jozi
Jozi

[Strid]

Looks very solid!! Only think - I feel the SSD is way overpriced and not worth it as such. But definitely cool.

[jozi]

I know what your saying about the SSD, he wants it, it's his money, I wouldn't mind it in my pc