Building a mid grade computer... need some advice

[imported_Smurf]

As those of you who hang out in the For Sale section know, I've decided to build a new rig. (Thanks for all the great deals!)

Let's see what I've accumulated so far:
(UPDATED)
Mobo: Biostar Tforce 965PT ($99) Anandtech
CPU: Intel E6400 Core 2 Duo ($192) eBay
Vid: POWERCOLOR X1950 PRO Extreme 256MB PCI-E ($220 - 40MIR) NewEgg
RAM: OCZ 1GB PC2-6400 Platinum ($100 - $25MIR) ClubIT
HDD: 2 x WD360 Raptor 10k 36gb ($100) Anandtech
Case: Ultra Wizard Black Mid Tower Case ($40 - $40MIR) Fry's
PSU: XION Supernova 600W Modular ($119 - $30MIR) eBay
WCS: COOLER MASTER RL-HUC-E8U1 Liquid Cooling System ($62 - $35MIR) NewEgg
Optl: Sata Raid controller PCI-e ($40) eBay

Now... some questions I hope someone would be kind enough to answer:

First:
I need to get a heatsink for the processor. I could spend 30 dollars on a noisy, yet efficient fan.... or:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835103006
For $37.62 (after MIR) I could purchase a low end water cooling system with decent reviews.

I don't expect anything stellar, but it couldn't be WORSE than a $30 active cooling system... does anyone have experience with this water cooler?

I'm going for QUIET, but efficent, cooling.

Second:
I purchased two WD360's (Western Digital Raptor 10krpm, 36.7gb, SATA) from a generous member here, and I would like to run them at optimal performance.

The motherboard I purchased, (from another generous member, here), supports sata, but not raid. I purchased a SATA RAID controller to fit one of my PCI-e sockets which has two sata sockets. I plan on running the 10k drives in raid 0, and installing XP and Counter Strike: Source on the "drive." (CS:S is the only game I play... it's the only reason I'm upgrading my computer) Will I reap any benefit from doing this, or did I just burn $40 on a useless pci-e sata raid controller?

I have a 250gb and 74gb, both wd 8mb cache 7200rpm, in for other storage.

Third:
A cheap power supply:
Ultra V-Series 500W PSU
$38 SHIPPED

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...&viewitem=&item=130085517478&rd=1&rd=1

Should I be afraid of a cheap power supply? It has a lifetime warranty, I'm not afraid of it crapping out, as long as it doesn't take my mobo/cpu/vidcard/etc with it. I've always had cheap psu's, and I've never had a problem. Also, this board isn't SLi/Crossfire, so this should be more than enough power, don't you think?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[Cheezeit]

I don't think Raid 0 is really worth it, I would just run it as master and slave for extra storage. If you're going for Quiet, you basically blew it with those raptors, have fun listening to them seek .

Whatever you do don't get that Ultra. You put together a fine rig, but don't want to risk blowing those components with a cheap PSU. Ultra is horrific, do a little bit of research and you'll see what I mean. For 70 dollars, you can get the Enhance 500w from E wiz, its a pretty highly reccommended PSU around here. I went the extra 20 dollars and got a Corsair 520HX, made by seasonic for a little more quiet, modular cables, and sleeved main cables.

Also wondering, where did you get that E6400 for 192? Just a one time bid on Ebay?

 

[jkresh]

that watercooling kit is not likley to be quiet (at 2000 rpm it will be but at load with an overlcocked e6400 it wont be spinning at 2000rpm and at 4600 rpm I would suspect it gets quite loud). If you want quiet yet efficient cooling look for the cheapest hsf with a 120mm fan, it will be better then a watercooling rig with an 80mm fan.

 

[imported_Smurf]

Originally posted by: Cheezeit
...
Also wondering, where did you get that E6400 for 192? Just a one time bid on Ebay?

Thanks for the input!

About the E6400 -->
I've been researching the market on e6300 and e6400 through eBay for two weeks, and I've let some great deals slip through my fingers (for three days, there were e6400 processors going for about $160 + shipping).

I saw an auction go up for 200 + shipping BIN, but the "best offer" option was open too. I told him what I'd seen over the past few weeks, and asked him if he'd sell it to me for 180. He agreed, and I paid $12 shipping.

Just watch the market! You've got to catch them quickly! Don't bother getting into bidding wars. People bid like they gamble... impulsively, and they bid far too close to retail. BIN, (Buy It Now), prices are usually the best for items with as much traffic as a core 2 duo processor, at this time.

BTW, an e6300 is a great bargain if you can find them going for about 155 shipped (seen a few BIN's go for that in the past week). They're strong overclockers.

 

[Cheezeit]

Yeah, I had seen the Buy it now E6400s go for 175. However, the feedback on the seller seemed pretty shady. A few people from Hard OCP apparently bought some, so I will be paying attention as to what happened.
Your E6400 is the retail one right? Not OEM?

I know the e6300s are nice if you have great overclocking ram. I got the D9GMH Buffalo firestix, and apparently they can hit 500mhz. 500 x the 7 multiplier would give me 3.5 ghz oc max. However, I think the e6400s offer a bit more headroom because of the 8 multiplier, so I get a little more to play with timings. I'd also rather OC the e6400 and back off a little than keep the e6300 at its max at 3.5.

I'll definately look into the pricing regularly, although at the rate I'm buying components it will be April when I get my CPU and the lower prices will be out with the 4mb cache. :/ Got discouraged by the people trying to sell e6400s for 250 or that one guy who sells oc'd e6300s for 200-300 :roll:

 

[Roguestar]

Raid 0 10K raptors... for CS:S? That's a criminal waste of performance .

 

[imported_Smurf]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Raid 0 10K raptors... for CS:S? That's a criminal waste of performance .

Well, I also do a LOT of compressing and uncompressing very large files for movie / television series rips, various apps, etc.

This isn't a warez forum, so I assume no one is interested in that.

 

[Atheus]

Please don't buy a cheap power supply, you don't want a fire.

 

[KayKay]

one site did a review of that power supply, it seemed alright but i would be careful, cuz a power supply blowing up is not fun

 

[herbiehancock]

When you said cheap power supply, you weren't kidding!!!

You want best bang-for-the-buck?

Try one of these two:


Enhance ENP-5140GH, 400W for $57.

Enhcance ENP-5150GH 500W for $69.


Never heard of Enhance? Big OEM supplier of power supplies to "manufacturers" like Silverstone. Heard of the Silverstone Strider series? Rebadged Enhances.

SilverStone Strider ST85F review at Jonnyguru.com....

As Jonny said in the review, "What makes the unit a "Strider" is that it's modular and is OEM Enhance.


JonnyGuru review of the Enhance ENP-5140GH power supply.

A few select quotes from the review:

"...under the most stress (407 watts out of a 400W unit) the 12V rail only exhibited a 30mV ripple. That's fantastic!

"During the autopsy, we see a very clean PCB. Despite the excellent efficiency, we can see that Enhance takes good measure to ensure that all components are effectively cooled.

"Cooling duties are performed by an ADDA AD1212MB-A71 120MM ball bearing fan. No reason to swap this puppy out. It moves air and it's quiet and it will probably out live the rest of your computer.

"Overall, the Enhance ENP-5140GH gets a score a "9" Simply put, I really liked this power supply and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone that wasn't trying to run a power hungry system with a pair of high end video cards. That said, with 28A on the combined 12V rails, I would say this power supply could probably outperform a number of the so-called "500W" power supplies out there.

"Having a < $100 budget is really tough when shopping for a power supply. You RARELY get enough power, almost never get active PFC, don't see 80% and up efficiency.. Enhance is breaking that cycle with this unit. It offers so much in a small package, it's a hard one to pass up.

The Good....

* 80%+ efficiency
* Active PFC
* Solid rails with only a .1V drop over a 12A load on the 12V rail and less than 50mV of ripple!
* Very low price

The Bad....

* Nothing bad to say!



The 5150GH made JG's recommended list of efficient sub-$150 power supplies, too.


Link to list.



Really, really consider a good power supply, especially when a good one can be had for under $70.





About that Cooler Master water cooling system...... 1/4" ID hoses? They've got to be kidding. 3/8" is generally the accepted smallest diameter to be truly effective and most water cooling "experts" go for 1/2" internal diameter. The flow rate on 1/4" hose must be horrible!

Spend your money more wisely. Read Anandtech's review of the Thermalright Ultra 120....using a Scythe S-Flex fan, it was almost inaudible and had incredible cooling. You and your cpu will be glad you did.

Here's a link to the review.

 

[Roguestar]

You're cramming watercooling and RAID-0 raptors into a "mid-range" system, to the detriment of your power supply. I won't be too long before you post a "my PSU blew up, is my mobo dead?!" thread we get every so often.

 

[imported_Smurf]

Alright, I've ordered the final parts for my system... this is what I've ended up with:

Mobo: Biostar Tforce 965PT ($99) Anandtech
CPU: Intel E6400 Core 2 Duo ($192) eBay
Vid: POWERCOLOR X1950 PRO Extreme 256MB PCI-E ($220 - 40MIR) NewEgg
RAM: OCZ 1GB PC2-6400 Platinum ($100 - $25MIR) ClubIT
HDD: 2 x WD360 Raptor 10k 36gb ($100) Anandtech
Case: Ultra Wizard Black Mid Tower Case ($40 - $40MIR) Fry's
PSU: XION Supernova 600W Modular ($119 - $30MIR) eBay
WCS: COOLER MASTER RL-HUC-E8U1 Liquid Cooling System ($62 - $35MIR) NewEgg
Optl: Sata Raid controller PCI-e ($40) eBay
-----
SUBTOTAL: $972
-REBATES: $170
-----
TOTAL: $802

I have yet to recieve the first piece of this system at my door step, but I am already pleased to know that I was able to build this powerful of a system for such a low price.

I took two risks with this system. First, I decided to go with a low end water cooling system soley (sp?) out of curiosity. $25AR for a water cooling system is just too hard to turn down. Second, I purchased a no name PSU. (Not a cheap psu, mind you) I've tried searching for reviews for anything XION for maybe 10 minutes, and couldn't dig up one article. It's 600 watts (my rig will probably not even use 60% of this), and it has a 120mm fan (quiet), so I doubt I will be disappointed. As long as it all fits in the case, of course.

So, who would like to <strike>scold me</strike> comment about this setup?

 

[KayKay]

Hmm...I'm interested as to your rationale behind purchasing the no-name PSU, despite have the budget and (hopefully) having read the advice of the people in this thread

 

[Roguestar]

Your PSU might supply the watts you need, but what about amps? If you're wanting to power a mid/high range graphics card you'll need to make sure it has enough amps on the 12V rail.

 

[yh125d]

You spent that much on a PSU, but still bought a no-name brand?? /slap

 

[imported_Smurf]

Honestly, XION's components don't look very cheap, and while there is an absence of reviews out there... that's neither here nor there.

It's "nVidia SLi ready" (SLi certified) so I doubt it will have trouble running one x1950pro.

Rumor is XION is a reboxed Cooler Master psu.

Also, it's pretty. Try finding another "pretty" PSU that puts out this much power for less than $100. (Of course... there's one in the For Sale / Trade section on these forums for $70, but that wasn't available before I placed this order) By pretty, I mean it's modular (allowing for a clean box), it's shiny, and it has LEDs. :roll:

Also, the 140mm ceramic bearing (blue LED) Fan should be very quiet.

 

[engiNURD]

Heh, the FAR 500W Ultra isn't bad for a low end/midrange system (cpu/mobo/ram/1xhdd/1xoptical/2xfans/7600gs/nC'ing). What you have there is NOT a low end/midrange system. I still wouldn't trust that XION with what you're planning on building (4x hdds, high end gpu, oc'ing).

 

[GeeFizzleDizzle]

If you're willing to drop $100+ on a PSU, why are you buying a no-name crap one when you could get a more reliable name brand one for pretty much the same cost?

Talk about stupid. I wonder what the over/under would be on the time it takes for the OP to be back on here whining that his system is borked and he can't figure out why.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: GeeFizzleDizzle
If you're willing to drop $100+ on a PSU, why are you buying a no-name crap one when you could get a more reliable name brand one for pretty much the same cost?

Talk about stupid. I wonder what the over/under would be on the time it takes for the OP to be back on here whining that his system is borked and he can't figure out why.

In my experience, 5 months or less.

 

[imported_Smurf]

My $50 550W no name PSU (Lead Power) has lasted me three years of 3 internal hard drives, 1 external drive, 4 lights, 4 case fans, 2 cd/dvd burners, a super powerful thermaltake heatsink/fan, constantly overclocked 2.4ghz P4, 2x512mb of PC2700 ram, an ATI X800 XL (before that, a radeon 9800 pro), a pci wifi card, and a pci Sound Blaster Live! sound card.

Forgive me if I don't seem phased by unconstructive warnings against sub-100 dollar psu's. (Not directed at KayKay, Roguestar, herbiehancock, Cheezeit, jkresh, and engiNURD)

 

[imported_Smurf]

Originally posted by: Atheus
Please don't buy a cheap power supply, you don't want a fire.

What do you think I got the <strike>fire sprinkler</strike> water cooling for? :laugh:

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Smurf
Forgive me if I don't seem phased by unconstructive warnings against sub-100 dollar psu's. (Not directed at KayKay, Roguestar, herbiehancock, Cheezeit, jkresh, and engiNURD)

Message received and understood, but I still think it's better to be safe than sorry. For years I had used just the PSU that came with my no-name case, then a no-name PSU when that broke, but when I put this current system together I got a crappy brand PSU (NorthQ) and despite having the watts to power everything, it was too limp-wristed in the amps to turn on my graphics card and I didn't even get any display until I bought a better one!

 

[KayKay]

I can understand if you go for the cheap one (the Ultra), you save a buck or whatever, and you dont care about getting a cheap PSU, thats fine. But when you're spending in the range of something good why get something that is not a good one?

 

[Acanthus]

All PSUs die, cheaper ones die sooner than later, and like to take friends with them.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: KayKay
I can understand if you go for the cheap one (the Ultra), you save a buck or whatever, and you dont care about getting a cheap PSU, thats fine. But when you're spending in the range of something good why get something that is not a good one?

he is a pirate by his own admission:

quote from Smurf - Well, I also do a LOT of compressing and uncompressing very large files for movie / television series rips, various apps, etc.

This isn't a warez forum, so I assume no one is interested in that.

they are impressed with bling and have no reasoning skills - what do you expect?