I'm about to do my first complete self-build (have moved an existing comp to a new case before but that's all), and am planning a reasonably high end (but stock clocked) machine with the empahsis on good thermal and acoustic performance. I have pretty much settled on the following components, at least as viewed independently of one another:
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe (primarily for 8 phase power)
Antec P180 (acoustic and thermal properties)
Antec TPII-550 (seems to have good rep. with long cables!)
Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo
XFX GeForce 7800GTX (450MHz)
74G Raptor (2 of in RAID 0)
Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU
For a complete list see Newegg wish list
However, I have a number of concerns/questions about the combination as a whole:
1) Does this MOBO, PSU, case combo work ok? - I know the Antec case is a little odd and the result is that PSU cables can be a bit of a stretch (but I believe the TPII has long cables). Other than PSU cable issues is there anything else I should be concerned with about this combo?
2) I am a total neophyte with regard to fans - Is the Zalman going to work ok with this MOBO, or will it interfere with the heat pipes?
3) The (long term) intention is to shove a second 7800GTX in (or at least have the possibility of doing so). I know that things can get a little crowded with 2 of them so are there issues here relating to case. Also will this PSU really have the grunt for 2 of them?
Also a couple of general questions on PSUs:
4) Modern PSUs have 2 12V lines, the idea (I believe) being to isolate noisy components like fans. In general how should one split the components requiring 12V supply between the PSU's 2 lines? (recommendations)
5) Regarding the auxiliary power adapter on the video card - is this a combo plug that takes various lines (5V, 12V??) or a number of seperate feeds (i.e. - one connector or several)? Any recommendations on which PSU lines to use here (back to the 12V question), or is this a dedicated cable from this PSU anyway since it's an SLI certified PSU?
Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions!
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe (primarily for 8 phase power)
Antec P180 (acoustic and thermal properties)
Antec TPII-550 (seems to have good rep. with long cables!)
Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo
XFX GeForce 7800GTX (450MHz)
74G Raptor (2 of in RAID 0)
Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU
For a complete list see Newegg wish list
However, I have a number of concerns/questions about the combination as a whole:
1) Does this MOBO, PSU, case combo work ok? - I know the Antec case is a little odd and the result is that PSU cables can be a bit of a stretch (but I believe the TPII has long cables). Other than PSU cable issues is there anything else I should be concerned with about this combo?
2) I am a total neophyte with regard to fans - Is the Zalman going to work ok with this MOBO, or will it interfere with the heat pipes?
3) The (long term) intention is to shove a second 7800GTX in (or at least have the possibility of doing so). I know that things can get a little crowded with 2 of them so are there issues here relating to case. Also will this PSU really have the grunt for 2 of them?
Also a couple of general questions on PSUs:
4) Modern PSUs have 2 12V lines, the idea (I believe) being to isolate noisy components like fans. In general how should one split the components requiring 12V supply between the PSU's 2 lines? (recommendations)
5) Regarding the auxiliary power adapter on the video card - is this a combo plug that takes various lines (5V, 12V??) or a number of seperate feeds (i.e. - one connector or several)? Any recommendations on which PSU lines to use here (back to the 12V question), or is this a dedicated cable from this PSU anyway since it's an SLI certified PSU?
Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions!
