Could use some help building next PC

[lozina]

I think it's time to retire my Athlon 3200 XP+. It has served me well but I am tired of it's heat and noise output.

I'm setting aside a $1k budget towards aPC to replace it. Ideally I'd like a medium performance PC that runs cool and quiet.

This includes CPU, CPU fan, Mobo, RAM, Hard Drive, PSU and case (with option to keep current Antec Solution SLK3700).

I will keep my current video card since it has already replaced the nVidia 6800 which was originally in this machine. It is a EVGA nVidia 7950GT w/ Zalman fan.

I will keep my current Dell 20" monitor since it's relatively new and runs great

I will keep my current sound card- Audigy2 ZS it still runs good

I will keep current DVD rom- a Plextor SATA dvd burner.

What would you recommend for me? It's been years since I have followed the news with hardware so I don't really know what's currently available. I assume one of the core 2 Duo family might be a good choice for me because they were supposed to be great performance with low heat and great prices. Not sure if that has changed...

 

[rudder]

As far as CPUs are concered I have both a 65W Am2 cpu and a core2duo... both seem to be about equal as far as heat output.

My core2duo rig is my quiet one. After the review on Anandtech of the zerotherm BFT90, I bought it along with an nvidia 7900 with a zalman cooler on it. The only thing I hear from my case now it the raptor hard drive reading and writing. Not sure how to dampen that noise. The CPU stays in the low 30's with the fan spinning about 1000rpms. The room is warm anyway so I can't complain.

Oh and I also use an enermax noisetaker II powersupply which is also a nice, quiet, and reliable PS.

The AMD system is in a noiser environment and I just use the stock fan so I can't really tell how quiet it is overall.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: rudder
As far as CPUs are concered I have both a 65W Am2 cpu and a core2duo... both seem to be about equal as far as heat output.

My core2duo rig is my quiet one. After the review on Anandtech of the zerotherm BFT90, I bought it along with an nvidia 7900 with a zalman cooler on it. The only thing I hear from my case now it the raptor hard drive reading and writing. Not sure how to dampen that noise. The CPU stays in the low 30's with the fan spinning about 1000rpms. The room is warm anyway so I can't complain.

That sounds very promising!

Does your case have any of those rubber grommets or anything to try and dampen the HD noises? those raptors sure are nice... But I can't wait until solid state HDs become mainstream...

If you leave that core2 duo pc on in its room for a while does it noticeably raise the ambient temp? I have this PC in my bedroom and it really does raise the ambient temps in the room quite noticeably. Its a small room but still... seems too excessive.

thanks for your input!

 

[lozina]

How's this sound:

Core 2 Duo E6600 w/ Zalman 9500
ASUS P5WDG2-WS Pro Mobo
2 Gb Crucial PC2-4200 DDR2
WesternDigital 150Gb Raptor
ENERMAX Noisetaker II 420W

Cost- ~$900

I know the Raptor is not the right chocie for cool n quiet but I feel compelled to buy a good performance HD... hoping that I can minimize the noise with rubber grommets and add sound insulation to the inside of the case.

 

[rudder]

My core2duo sits in my bonus room which is above an uninsulated garage. It gets the bulk of afternoon sun so it can get a little warm in there in the summer. But even in winter I do not notice it warming the room. I have 90mm pulling air from the case in addition to the power supply fan. The air exiting is slightly warm... but overall temps stay cool. It is a midsize ATX case. After a little gaming I am sure it heats up between the video card and cpu.



No rubber grommets. The sounds I hear are what I beleive to be the heads. Not sure if a grommet would help. Despite it being a 10K rpm drive... I do not hear any type of whine from it. I do run a HD cooler on the raptor which may muffle some of the sound. Very pleaseed with the raptor. Performace is awesome and no louder than the seagate barracuda it replaced.