Building Custom Gaming Comp - Need MAJOR HELP

[yourdeardaniel]

good choice for CPU. Ultra-D doesn't support SLI unless you mod it for SLI (then you still have to buy SLI bridge for $20 ish), i suggest u just get the SLI board if you plan on using SLI in the now or in the future.

AMD-compatible Motherboards
Update DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR
$198.00 $198.00

this is a good 600watt PSU with 24pin and should be more than enough for your needs.

Update ENERMAX All in One Noisetaker Series EG701AX-VE SFMA(24P) ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: EG701AX-VE SFMA(24P)
$179.99 -$30.00 Instant
$149.99

best air cooling for cpu is thermalright XP-90 w/ some 92mm Panaflo fan.

you only need 1 DVD burner. 3540 is good choice.
you might want additional DVD drive for reading. get the Lite-On LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SBLK - Retail $19.99

 

[daftpunkit]

only reason I suggest the Scythe ninja vs. Thermalright XP-90 is cause it seems almost ideal for the P180 http://www.silentpcreview.com/article251-page5.html but I do like the XP-90 also.

 

[Arye]

My list is nearly complete after listening to many suggestions. Please say yes or no for each item and if you say no then give a reason and list a replacement part.

Case - Antec P180

Mobo - Epox NF4 Ultra

DVD Drives - NEC Black IDE DVD Burner and LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive

GPU - Leadtek 7800GT (Should I Get A Better GPU If Budget Alows It?)

PSU - Seasonic S12-600 600w (Cost Tad Bit More, But It's Enough Power)

CPU - AMD 64 X2 4400+ Toledo (Budget Supports It)

RAM - Patriot 2GB PC3200

COOLING - THERMALRIGHT XP-90 Heatsink (Still Confused About Cooling. Is This Fine? Do I Need Anything More For Cooling?)

So again this is what I have.

 

[KoolDrew]

The case looks like it may be fine, but you did specify you wanted something quiet. In that case I would suggest getting something like an Antec P180. Also you not need a second DVD-ROM drive. The DVD Burner can also read DVD's. I actually do prefer having two drives for disc-to-disc copieing, but I am not sure if you were aware it is not needed. The eVGA 7800GT is only like $10 more and it comes with BF2, so I think that is a better choice. You can buy the Seasonic PSu cheaper here. I also suggest searching for best prices on the other parts. The RAM is great, but you could save some money by getting Value RAM or something. I wouldn't even bother with the XP-90C. It costs twice as much as the XP-90, weighs twice as much and only cools slightly better.

Also, again I highly suggest checking out SilentPCreview's site and forums for help since you said you wanted a quiet system.

 

[coomar]

sigh

the patriots i linked to are the same as the ocz's

ram companies buy from the 3-4 ram manufactors (off the top of my head crucial, winbond and samsung)

but they're 70 bucks cheaper

the xp-90c is pretty heavy, it might be a concern if you plan on moving the computer around a lot (then go with the xp-90) but if not its a great heatsink

everything else is fine

 

[w00t]

wow... just wow that is all.

 

[coomar]

ram overclocking

from this the patriots low latency,corsair c2 v1.2, mushkin hi-perf blue and ocz performance are all using infineon be-5 ic's

ocz pc4000 are using samsung uccc

crucial ballistix are using Micron -5B D

 

[daftpunkit]

yeh if you get the XP-90, don't get the copper one. Just get a XP-90 with a nice 90mm or 92mm fan. Panaflo is good.

 

[Arye]

Originally posted by: w00t
wow... just wow that is all.

hope thats a good wow.........

 

[Arye]

My list with few concerns on bottom of the page.

Case - Antec P180

Mobo - Epox NF4 Ultra

DVD Drive - NEC Black IDE DVD Burner

GPU - eVGA 7800GT

PSU - Seasonic S12-600

CPU - AMD 64 X2 4400+ Toledo

RAM - Patriot 2GB PC3200

COOLING - THERMALRIGHT XP-90 Heatsink

-----------CONCERNS-------------

--Is the Seasonic S12-600 PSU worth it for the extra $40 or so or should I just get the 500?

--Someone help me choose the best fan for my system. Someone suggested a 90mm or a 92mm. Need a specific item because I don't want to buy junk.

--Should I have another drive? (non-DVD) or do I just need one drive?

--NEED AUDIO CARD!! Suggestions? Not too expensive but must be good for gaming.

 

[daftpunkit]

500W should be plenty. Just browse around and see if the cables are long enough to go around the inside of the P180. It seems to be the only real concern people have when building in the P180.

The P180 comes with 3x120mm fans already. You can put one more 120mm in. The 90-92mm (both will fit) was for being a HSF (heatsink fan) to accompany the XP-90.

If you plan to do dvd to dvd burns (copying dvds, like movies, games)(Pirating is bad, mmmkay.) 2 drives is ideal for that situation then.

SB Audigy 2 ZS was about $50 a few days ago, great deal, also came with Halo, SW: Jedi Academy, etc. Not sure if it is still there. But SB X-Fi is soon to be out and will retail for about the same price in the low end, which is still > then Audigy 2, which will be low 100$.

 

[Arye]

Ok so move down to a 500w instead of the 600w

i wont be burning dvds and stuff, only cds maybe.

any suggestions on 90mm-92mm fans to go with my heatsink?

and should i wait for the x-fi to come out

 

[Arye]

ah crud, need a Hard Drive as well lol......hmmm dont need too much so ill go browse for a HD lol

if you have suggestions like always i would love to hear

 

[daftpunkit]

I would wait for X-Fi.
You won't need a second drive
and now for my long list:
(I have a spreadsheet, so it's easy for me to pull up this info)
---------------------------------------------------
Fans 90-92mm
Thermaltake SilentCat (90mm)
Size: 90mm
Airflow: 52.24 CFM
Speed: 2500±10% rpm
Noise: 21dBA
$7.49 + 4.99 shipping

is a good try. Haven't heard anyone recommend it on these boards.
People will say:

Panaflo M1A (92mm)
Size: 92mm
Airflow: 48.0 CFM
Speeds: 2450 RPM
Noise: 38.0 dBA
$14.99 +4.99 shipping

or

Nexus Real Silent (92mm)
Size: 92mm
Airflow: 27 CFM
Speed: 1500 RPM
Noise: 19.2dBA
sorry no link

 

[Arye]

Originally posted by: daftpunkit
I would wait for X-Fi.
You won't need a second drive
and now for my long list:
(I have a spreadsheet, so it's easy for me to pull up this info)
---------------------------------------------------
Fans 90-92mm
Thermaltake SilentCat (90mm)
Size: 90mm
Airflow: 52.24 CFM
Speed: 2500±10% rpm
Noise: 21dBA
$7.49 + 4.99 shipping

is a good try. Haven't heard anyone recommend it on these boards.
People will say:
Panaflo M1A (92mm)
Size: 92mm
Airflow: 48.0 CFM
Speeds: 2450 RPM
Noise: 38.0 dBA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835180088">$14.99 +4.99 shipping</a>

or

Nexus Real Silent (92mm)
Size: 92mm
Airflow: 27 CFM
Speed: 1500 RPM
Noise: 19.2dBA
sorry no link

which one is quieter and works well enough with my heatsink?

 

[daftpunkit]

Hard Drives:
Maxtor DiamondMax 10
Model: 6B300S0
Capacity: 300GB
Cache: 16MB
RPM: 7200 RPM
Average Seek Time: 9.3ms
Average Latency: 4.17ms
Interface: Serial ATA150
Form Factor: 3.5"

or

Samsung Spinpoint P Series
Model: SP2504C
Capacity: 250GB
Cache: 8MB
RPM: 7200 RPM
Average Seek Time: 8.9ms
Average Latency: ms
Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s *the newer tech
Form Factor: 3.5"
$115 +2.99 shipping

are my personal preferences.
These are good too however:

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250
Model: 0A31636
Capacity: 250GB
Cache: 8MB
RPM: 7200 RPM
Average Seek Time: 8.5ms
Average Latency: 4.17ms
Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s
Form Factor: 3.5"
$119.00 +2.99 shipping

or

Seagate Baracuda 7200.8
Model: ST3300831AS
Capacity: 300GB
Cache: 8MB
RPM: 7200 RPM
Average Seek Time: 8ms
Average Latency: 4.16ms
Interface: Serial ATA150
Form Factor: 3.5"
$165.25 +2.99 shipping

 

[daftpunkit]

if you want to tryout a fan, go with the Thermaltake Silentcat.

Tried and true, Panaflo's are known to work with that heatsink.

 

[Arye]

I doubt i would use all those gigs.....any good 80 or 120s?

oh and the second fan link you gave me isnt working for me....i tried to type it in as well and nothing came up

 

[daftpunkit]

i fixed that link, and yes, Samsung makes Spinpoint 120s and 80s

I would go 120GB minimum in my eyes. I fill it up easily. Games are around 4gb nowadays, and Movies are 1gb, and MP3s I have bout 10000, and I pretty hold stuff for others on the college network.

120GB should be adequate.

 

[Arye]

will this fan be inside or outside? its a scary white with my black back......so like i said when i made this topic im 14 and im dumb everyone starts from somewhere and learns somehow lol

 

[ElTorrente]

Originally posted by: Arye
I doubt i would use all those gigs.....any good 80 or 120s?

oh and the second fan link you gave me isnt working for me....i tried to type it in as well and nothing came up

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 160GB sataii. These are the smallest sataii drives, and they are only 85bucks or so at Newegg.com.

 

[daftpunkit]

You really don't save much by getting a smaller harddrive...
Price per GB is cheaper at 250GB, but if you want to shave some $$ 80GB go for about $60. Look for a SATA drive vs. IDE or Ultra IDE.

 

[daftpunkit]

Originally posted by: Arye
will this fan be inside or outside? its a scary white with my black back......so like i said when i made this topic im 14 and im dumb everyone starts from somewhere and learns somehow lol

The fan sits with the heatsink basically.
We all start somewhere, I was just a bit younger than you though when I started breaking computers I was a curious 10yr old.:evil:

 

[Arye]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...xPrice=&SubCategory=14&Submit=Property

i came to these 3, is the top one good enough? i was looking at that one. the others cost more and are basically the same thing arent they? so go for the top? or should i go to a different brand? what would you do?

 

[daftpunkit]

the others cost more because they have larger memory caches of 8MB. You would want to get the $78.00 one because it has a larger cache but also is SATA. But as ElTorrente pointed out, Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 160GB SATA II is only like $85 so might as well get the faster drive with 40GB more for only $7 more. Trust me, the more the merrier in space.