Building a quiet and cool AthlonXP based PC.

[Jeff7181]

Got a few ideas already... here's a list of stuff I'm thinking of going with...

Antec Solution Series case
8RDA+ (price/performance is great)
a Mobile AthlonXP 2000 - 2500 (haven't decided yet)
some type of Seagate Barracuda hard drive, in the 80-120 GB range
planning on a single 256 MB stick of RAM (2100 or 2700 according to CPU choice)
a CDRW drive in the $20-30 price range... possibly one of the $10 ones after rebates from office max or somethin
DVD-ROM drive
floppy drive
looking for a high high high quality heatsink, with a very quiet fan for it... need suggestions... thinking SLK-800 with a large 80mm low speed fan.

... the computer will not be used for games or much multi-media other than family photos taken with a digital camera. So it needs to be quiet and cool and reliable... not a speed demon.

 

[Excelsior]

Gonna get the Antec Sonata? Either that or the SLK-3700 (Just built a comp using it...and its pretty damn quiet, even the PSU is). You could spring for the SLK900 and get a 92mm panaflo.

 

[Jeff7181]

Antec Sonata? SLK-3700? Haven't heard of either of those. Got links to them?

 

[Jeff7181]

Also considering an XPC to save some space... any thoughts on those?

 

[Corporate Thug]

antec sonata is a case, EVERYWHERE has them (even staples)
i have never heard of slk3700. he prolly meant slk800.
i would get an sk7 cuz if you arent gonna OC or anything, the slk800 is a bit too much $$$. put on a panaflo on that sucker and it'll be real quite.

btw, are you sure you dont want 512 ram?

 

[Jeff7181]

Positive... computer's not for me... for my aunt... basically all she does is e-mail, web browsing, store pictures, and Word and Excel work. Gonna put Windows 2000 on it.

 

[MasterFlash]

Antec SLK3700AMB is a similar case as the Sonata for less $$$. And the SK-7 hs is fine unless you're a super-mad-power overclocker.

 

[jsbush]

Big price difference between the SK-7 and the SLK-800, whtas the diff between the two? How do they compare?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

The SLK-800 has the option of a four-bolt mounting setup, which is more secure than the typical retention clip. You'll be fine with either one though.

Don't see what your aunt's usage will require an 80GB for though. I'd say she'd barely use 20GB, let alone a modest 40. She just wants her IntArweb and Digit-All Pict-Ures, right?

Edit - BTW, if you're going to go nF2 with the 8RDA+, why not use an IGP solution and save money on the GPU?

- M4H

 

[mechBgon]

I used an SK-7 for quite a while with a Panaflo L1A 80mm fan. It was very quiet and cooled my Palomino 1700+ compotently. The clip engages three lugs per end, so there's not much to fear despite the weight of the unit. Overclockers.com found that the SK-7 wasn't far behind the SLK-800 in cooling, either! :Q

If you do get the SK-7, make sure to slide the heatsink as far away from the raised, solid-plastic end of the CPU socket as the clip permits. Here's a photo showing why you need to do that: even then, there ain't much room

 

[Jeff7181]

I have an SK-7 in my rig.

My aunt is a grandmother and takes TONS of pictures. She's also very involved with church stuff and takes lots of pictures there too... as of now, she has six 700 MB CD's full of pictures from her 5 MP camera. I intend to set aside a 3-5 GB partition to back up the computer in the condition I give it to her so if there's ever a problem she can restore it to that condition. I know she'll probably never use 40 GB... but I'd rather give her too much space, than have her run out later should she get a digital camcorder.

I imagine the heatpipe in those XPC's would keep a mobile AthlonXP cool enough? I think that might be what she decides she wants since desk space is an issue. And with dogs and little grand kids running around, the floor, or even near the floor on a shelf isn't a very good option.

 

[magomago]

Why not just a 1700+ then? Doesn't seem like anything intensive and I doubt she'll notice the difference between it and a 2500+


And since we are on the topic of heatsink why not SLK-900 ?

And I would say get a 120 gig HDD in case she does get a digital camcorder or something....better safe than sorry even if it means 60 or 70 unused gigs

as for a CDRW head over to bestbuy or circuit city b/c they always have those 9.99 cdrw deals

And I was thinking that if she always browses through her photos and puts it into "thumbnail mode" it would chew through ram so maybe just have 512 anyway as a nice buffer...

and just like m4h said - definitely go onboard because it'll esaily satisfy what she needs

 

[Jeff7181]

Yeah, that's why I'm thinking Shuttle XPC... comes with onboard video... I'm thinking the heatpipe should cool a mobile Athlon XP with no trouble. Now it's just a question of whether she's willing to pay an extra $100 for the smaller XPC.

But then again... she wants an LCD... so I was thinking a cheapo GF4MX440 with DVI would be nice.

 

[m1ke101]

All I have to say is, get a slk 800 or 900. I have a 900 on a 1700+ and its overclocked to 2.3ghz at 1.7v. I'm getting 35c idle and about 40c full load. Thing is my case is super quiet because I undervolted all my fans and used my rheobus to turn everything down, including the smart fan 2 on the slk-900. Hell I can even hear the smart fan.

 

[Lonyo]

Instead of a mobile Athlon, why not get something like a 2500+ or 1700+ and just underclock/volt it?

Then stick on a decent heatsink with a fairly low rpm 92/80mm fan.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: m1ke101
All I have to say is, get a slk 800 or 900. I have a 900 on a 1700+ and its overclocked to 2.3ghz at 1.7v. I'm getting 35c idle and about 40c full load. Thing is my case is super quiet because I undervolted all my fans and used my rheobus to turn everything down, including the smart fan 2 on the slk-900. Hell I can even hear the smart fan.

why would he get a slk800/900 if he isnt gonna OC? heck, i would just get the retail CPU and use the stock HSF

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: shady06

Originally posted by: m1ke101
All I have to say is, get a slk 800 or 900. I have a 900 on a 1700+ and its overclocked to 2.3ghz at 1.7v. I'm getting 35c idle and about 40c full load. Thing is my case is super quiet because I undervolted all my fans and used my rheobus to turn everything down, including the smart fan 2 on the slk-900. Hell I can even hear the smart fan.

why would he get a slk800/900 if he isnt gonna OC? heck, i would just get the retail CPU and use the stock HSF

The SLK will cool better than the stock heatsink, so he'll be able to use a low cfm/undervolted fan to help cut down noise while still maintaining good cooling, whereas the stock HS/F would probably be noticeable in terms of noise without cooling as well.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: shady06

Originally posted by: m1ke101
All I have to say is, get a slk 800 or 900. I have a 900 on a 1700+ and its overclocked to 2.3ghz at 1.7v. I'm getting 35c idle and about 40c full load. Thing is my case is super quiet because I undervolted all my fans and used my rheobus to turn everything down, including the smart fan 2 on the slk-900. Hell I can even hear the smart fan.

why would he get a slk800/900 if he isnt gonna OC? heck, i would just get the retail CPU and use the stock HSF

because the slk series performs very well even using a very low rpm fan thanks to its narrow base not providing resistence against air

 

[yhelothar]

nahh i would recommend against the thermalright heatsinks.... dust will build up fast in there because the fins are so small... the thermalright heatsinks needs to be cleaned every few months...

if anything... i would just get one of those SK6+ for like $8. no need to get SK7 or SLK800...
why do you want a mobile CPU?
just get a 2500+ and undervolt it.... it'll easily run undervolted.. very cool and quiet

 

[chocoruacal]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
nahh i would recommend against the thermalright heatsinks.... dust will build up fast in there because the fins are so small... the thermalright heatsinks needs to be cleaned every few months...

if anything... i would just get one of those SK6+ for like $8. no need to get SK7 or SLK800...
why do you want a mobile CPU?
just get a 2500+ and undervolt it.... it'll easily run undervolted.. very cool and quiet

Pay attention everyone....this is by far the worst post I've seen this month on this board. Congrats virtualgames, for giving horrible advice.

1. Thermalright makes awesome sinks...arguably the best you can get right now.

2. virtualgames must live in desert....I have 3 Thermalright sinks and I don't have any peculiar dust buildup

3. Yes, go for the SK7 or SLK800. The whole point here is a quiet PC...this is much easier to do with a nice 80mm fan. The SK6 is a fine sink...but 60mm fans are a waste of time and money these days.

4. Underclocking?!?! LMAO...thats like telling him/her to buy a C3 instead...nice and cool

The Quiet PC is so easy to accomplish, yet there are sooo many posts about it. Grab an SK7 or SLK800 and a 80mm NMB fan. Or better yet, get a YS Tech adjustable. Then pickup the biggest fan you can mount in the back of your case, and 7-volt it. Voila. Silence, assuming you have a decent power supply as well. You do not need a mobile CPU. You do not need 3+ case fans. You do not need fancy fan controllers That is silly.

 

[afzan]

undervolting is not the same as underclocking..

 

[Jeff7181]

Lets assume I go with an XPC... will the cooling setup those have be effective and not too loud?

 

[MasterFlash]

Here's a review by overclockercafe.com showing the diff in cooling btw the SK-7 and SLK-800. Not a big deal to anyone but O/C'ers. SK-7 vs SLK-800 Also, another good SK-7 review by furioustech.com

 

[magomago]

hrmmm would a alk800 or slk900 even fit in an XPC? Either way considering you want quiet I would definitely say those. If you got those an a nice fan (YS Tech 80 mm Adjustable anyone?) you wouldn't have to underclock a 1700+ and it'd still be cool.

And why do you keep mentioning mobile? Do the XPCs only take mobile or something? If anything Get a 1700+ considering they can be had for a mere 50 dollars and probably outpreform the mobile versions since those are built to try to conserve battery power

 

[mechBgon]

I lean towards industry-standard hardware for ease of replacing parts if something goes wrong, so I would lean towards maybe an Antec Plus660AMG with the quiet, high-quality TruePower 330 PSU, and pair that up with black CD-RW and floppy drives, looks sharp (in fact, it looks like this ). If she doesn't need USB 2.0 or Firewire, then consider the good old Asus A7N266-VM with a 266MHz-based processor such as a 2400+, and some Crucial PC2100. Onboard LAN, onboard video, full Soundstorm audio with dual S/PDIF-out, very reliable.

For the record, AMD's retail HSF units seem to be making strides in quietness :Q I had one on my workbench today, and even with the side of the case off, it was blending into the background there at the office. If you go the industry-standard route, consider buying a retail-boxed unit and try out the HSF it comes with