Case and PSU input needed

[uhaulball]

Hey guys im building a new system. First off this is my 1st build and i dont know much at all.

AMD 64 X2 4800+
Asus a8n-sli deluxe or the fatal1ty board
2gb - not sure what brand to get
WD or Seagate 300gb HD
2 * 7800 GT in SLI
No dedicated soundcard. (mobo)

Besides the processor, im open to any suggestions on specific hardware i should get, but i could look into it on my own.

What i really am asking for is a good suggestion(s) on cases and power supplies. I'm willing to shell up to 200 for the case and the same goes for the psu. I'm stuck b/w the lian li pc-60 plus and the v-1000 plus. But i'm also curious as to what is the coolest case for sli and x2, since those lian-li cases are not exactly the NEWEST on the market.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[HardWarrior]

If sound fidelity is important to you, you might want to consider a dedicated card. On-board solutions are getting better, but most still sound like you're wearing a pillow on your head by comparison. I'm buying some memory next week so I'm trying to make a good choice as well. So far I've narrowed it down to either Mushkin XP Black/Redline PC4000 or Corsair XMS Pro PC3500, all three options in 2x1gig DC kits.

As far as the PSU situation, I'm using a PCP&C 510 SLI and been very pleased so far with its performance, and this with a very power hungry rig. If I was in the market for a new unit I'd also consider this unit as well.

 

[Operandi]

The Lian Li V1xxx series is a great case, but due to the motheboard being upside down is not a good choice with motheboards that rely on heatpipes for northbridge cooling. If you like the PC-60 I suggest you take a look at this CoolerMaster; it's a better case in almost every aspect.

As for power supplies the Seasonic S12 is about as good as it gets, the 500 and 600 watt models come ready for SLI.

For the RAM stick to the major brands, Crucial, Corsair, Muskin, ect. Going for the high performance, low latency stuff isn't really worth the money.

 

[McPudd]

Case: Antec P180
PSU: Go here 1st:
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

Then go here
http://www.enermaxusa.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_45

Happy trailz,

 

[uhaulball]

that cooler master praetorian ive looked into already. it has 2 80mm intake fans in front and one 80mm exhaust in rear and one 80 mm exhaust on top. im considering the pc-60 plus version, not there regular. it has a 120mm front intake and 80mm exhaust on top. but it has an additional 80mm intake in the back that has a tube that directs the airflow direclty over the cpu and another special module exhaust dedicated for the pci gfx cards. now that ur aware of this, would u still suggest the praetorian over the pc-60 plus?

 

[Wentelteefje]

A really nice case is the ThermalTake Shark... I have one myself, and I just love it... It's near-perfection, looking aggressive and stylish at the same time... It sports two very silent 120mm fans, has a removable mobo tray... This one is undoubtedly the best one I ever had (having owned a plethora of Antecs and Chieftecs)...

As for the PSU, any high-end offering from companies like Antec (PSU-wise they are just great), Enermax, PC Power and Cooling, Seasonic will not let/power you and your SLI rig down... Antecs are actually very affordable in comparison to the other ones... The TruePower 2.0 TrueControl II 550W can be had for $ 109.99, which is a bargain, considering its massive power...

About the rest of your setup... I suspect you're willing to overclock, or not really...? If so, the Fatal1ty SLI board is about the best there is (next to DFI's LanParty nF4 SLI or maybe even EPoX's EP-9NPA+ SLI), if not, the Asus will do just fine...

Although I'm not a fan of it, the dual 7800GTs will do great... Make sure you pick the eVGA ones, because those have a lifetime warranty, and can be upgraded through eVGA's step-up program...

The hard disk is a matter of which-one's-cheapest, because both manufacturers are very good, maybe a slight nod to Seagate for a more silent operation...

Like HardWarrior stated before, I would invest in a decent sound card for your comp... It will clearly make a difference... Creative SB Audigy2's don't cost that much anymore, so I'd consider one of those...

There are some very good alternatives for your RAM... OCZ, Corsair and G.SKILL Extreme memory sets of 2GB can be had for around $ 210 on Newegg (after Mail-In Rebates), so I would take one of those...

 

[thisbarb]

TrueControls are great PSUs (contrary to what most people believe). I have one and I don't have any problems keeping my rig afloat on a SLI-DR with 7800 GTX

 

[VERTIGGO]

if you have an A8N SLI deluxe, then it has a chipset fan right? not heatpipes? then the V1000 case is the best, because you wont have any problems with the inverted motherboard. I'm getting that one soon.

If you have 200 for a premium PSU, you could go with PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI. It's by far one of the best quality PSUs, rated at higher temperatures than most others, so it actually performs like a 600W.

 

[Nirach]

PSU wise, I never stray too far from Akasa or Enermax. My present one was a scavenged from family member unused
Personally, with your setup, I'd not want to stray below 500 watts, regardless of what any PSU calculators say, due to the initial boot-up surge, that a lot of calculators don't account for.

Case wise, my preference is a load of airspace, as such I went for the TT Armor, Lian Li were too expensive for my budget and the Coolermaster with window put me over the budget shipped

I must say, a lot of people seem to like the Antec p-180, and it does look rather good in both style and reviews, aside from the odd warped door, but Antec replace those either free of charge or dirt cheap, I forget which.

 

[uhaulball]

Originally posted by: Wentelteefje
A really nice case is the ThermalTake Shark... I have one myself, and I just love it... It's near-perfection, looking aggressive and stylish at the same time... It sports two very silent 120mm fans, has a removable mobo tray... This one is undoubtedly the best one I ever had (having owned a plethora of Antecs and Chieftecs)...

As for the PSU, any high-end offering from companies like Antec (PSU-wise they are just great), Enermax, PC Power and Cooling, Seasonic will not let/power you and your SLI rig down... Antecs are actually very affordable in comparison to the other ones... The TruePower 2.0 TrueControl II 550W can be had for $ 109.99, which is a bargain, considering its massive power...

About the rest of your setup... I suspect you're willing to overclock, or not really...? If so, the Fatal1ty SLI board is about the best there is (next to DFI's LanParty nF4 SLI or maybe even EPoX's EP-9NPA+ SLI), if not, the Asus will do just fine...

Although I'm not a fan of it, the dual 7800GTs will do great... Make sure you pick the eVGA ones, because those have a lifetime warranty, and can be upgraded through eVGA's step-up program...

The hard disk is a matter of which-one's-cheapest, because both manufacturers are very good, maybe a slight nod to Seagate for a more silent operation...

Like HardWarrior stated before, I would invest in a decent sound card for your comp... It will clearly make a difference... Creative SB Audigy2's don't cost that much anymore, so I'd consider one of those...

There are some very good alternatives for your RAM... OCZ, Corsair and G.SKILL Extreme memory sets of 2GB can be had for around $ 210 on Newegg (after Mail-In Rebates), so I would take one of those...

are u not a fan of sli or the 7800 gt?

is the dfi lanparty better than the fatal1ty? my friend says the fatal1ty is better. i dont know which is better.

 

[uhaulball]

Originally posted by: Nirach
PSU wise, I never stray too far from Akasa or Enermax. My present one was a scavenged from family member unused
Personally, with your setup, I'd not want to stray below 500 watts, regardless of what any PSU calculators say, due to the initial boot-up surge, that a lot of calculators don't account for.

Case wise, my preference is a load of airspace, as such I went for the TT Armor, Lian Li were too expensive for my budget and the Coolermaster with window put me over the budget shipped

I must say, a lot of people seem to like the Antec p-180, and it does look rather good in both style and reviews, aside from the odd warped door, but Antec replace those either free of charge or dirt cheap, I forget which.

i really dont like the p180 cuz i looked at it in a local micro center and it just feels really flimsy (the door). I like the all-aluminum cases, p180 has a lot of plastic.

 

[Nirach]

Originally posted by: uhaulball

Originally posted by: Nirach
PSU wise, I never stray too far from Akasa or Enermax. My present one was a scavenged from family member unused
Personally, with your setup, I'd not want to stray below 500 watts, regardless of what any PSU calculators say, due to the initial boot-up surge, that a lot of calculators don't account for.

Case wise, my preference is a load of airspace, as such I went for the TT Armor, Lian Li were too expensive for my budget and the Coolermaster with window put me over the budget shipped

I must say, a lot of people seem to like the Antec p-180, and it does look rather good in both style and reviews, aside from the odd warped door, but Antec replace those either free of charge or dirt cheap, I forget which.

i really dont like the p180 cuz i looked at it in a local micro center and it just feels really flimsy (the door). I like the all-aluminum cases, p180 has a lot of plastic.

In that case, take a look at some Lian-Li's.

I've got, and am using, a Lian-Li PC-60, and I can vouch for their quality, as I'm sure many users of AT can.

 

[Wentelteefje]

Originally posted by: uhaulball
are u not a fan of sli or the 7800 gt?

is the dfi lanparty better than the fatal1ty? my friend says the fatal1ty is better. i dont know which is better.

I'm not a fan of SLI in general... IMO it's better to buy yourself a single high-end card (X1800XT or 7800GTX) than two "slower" ones... You could as well go with a single 7800GT, but SLI is a wast of your money...

It puts an additional stress on your PSU, it generates quite a bit of heat, you have more noise as well... You are taking two cards built on an "older" architecture (whereas taking a single GT could leave you enough money for a nearly high-end card within some months from now, which will prolly perform much better), so I think it's no good...

You'll have a certain (not under all circumstances) performance crown for some months (now probably only 1 month), but that's all...

IMO it would be even better to just wait a little longer for your comp... The next-gen cards are about to be released (the end of January normally), so if you are willing to spend some $ 600 on a graphics card, that money will buy you a G71 with some 32 pixel pipelines (as claimed and pretty sure)...

The mobo question... Those two boards are clearly targeted at enthusiasts (aka extreme overclockers), so either one of those you take, you'll have a helluva board, but at a helluva price as well... I would personally pick the Fatal1ty, but they are both just great...

 

[halw]

Nirach, just bought a PC-60 Plus. How is it to work with? Looks like you have to take off both side panels to mount optical drives. Did you use the air duct for the 80mm fan and/or the 120mm blower set?

Planning on building an AMD 939 system and using a Zalman CNPS7700 HSF.

 

[JEDIYoda]

PSU wise if I were to stray from PC Power & Cooling I would probably go wiht the Zippy brand or possibly Fortron!!

I understand that Seasonic and OCZ are solid performers also....I am a no bells and whistles kind of guy....
except when it comes to my women..lolol

 

[themusgrat]

I would do the Enermax 500w, since it is $110 at newegg, and has an active PFC, and is SLI certified, and has 80% efficiency. Of course, the DFI board is great. I also like my OCZ RAM, and dedicated sound does make a big difference, especially in gaming. It all has to do with how many voices the sound card can produce, and in something like BF2, there are a lot. I don't care how set you are on the 4800, but it is not the right choice. It won't OC much, and costs a wayyy lot. I would get the Opteron 170, since it will clock past anything, and costs less. Or a 165. A dual core at 2.8 is not to be frowned upon.

 

[gus6464]

I have this enermax:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103512

It is great, sli certified and with native 24 pin and also 8pin eps connector for the new mobos like the dfi expert. It is a great mobo and the price makes it even sweeter.