Final thoughts before I finally buy

[Vesper8]

Hiyas! Well I haven't upgraded my system in nearly 4 years and after shopping around and reading forums and reviews left and right for the last 3 months I think I'm finally ready to buy. Here is the complete list of what I'm getting.

I'd really appreciate it if you experienced OCers and techies could take a look at the list and tell me if you see anything odd or incompatible. Or if you'd advise something different or better.

Thanks a lot

Ok so here it is :

Case : Coolermaster Stacker + Crossflow Fan

PSU : OCZ OCZ52012U-520W MODSTREAM PCI-E READY

MB : ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939
MB extra : ZALMAN NB47J FANLESS NORTHBRIDGE CHIPSET COOLER to replace noisy chipset fan

CPU : AMD ATHLON 64 3500+ PROCESSOR S939 VENICE 2.2GHZ 512K L2 CACHE 90NM
CPU extra : XP-120 + Nexus 120mm real silent fan orange (will need to have corners trimmed to be installed on XP-120)

RAM : KINGSTON HYPERX 1024MB DUAL CHANNEL KIT PC3200 2X512MB DDR 400MHZ 184PIN ULTRA LOW LATENCY CL2-2-2-5

Video : Leadtek Winfast PX6600 pci-e (this is alraedy bought so can't change this)

Sound : Audigy 2 Platinum ZS /w front panel

HD #1 : WD RAPTOR 74GB HARD DRIVE SATA 10000RPM
HD #2 : SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 200GB SATA

DVD : PIONEER DVR-109 DVD-RW 16X6X16

Misc.

Front Panels I'm considering for now :

VANTEC NEXUS BLACK FRONT PANEL FAN CONTROLLER 4 FAN W/ BLUE LEDS
COOLERMASTER AEROGATE III 5.25 TEMP. DISPLAY & FAN CONTROLLER BLACK
AEROCOOL GATEWATCH FAN CONTROLLER W/ LCD DISPLAY BLACK

Speakers : LOGITECH X-530 5.1 SPEAKER SYSTEM BLACK 70W RMS 140W W/FDD2 (cheap I know but I hear it's great for the price)

So there you have it. Please make your comments about this setup. And especially about front panels since I'm not at all sure which to get at this point. And btw I'm not an experienced OCer but I am learning and this will be my first machine I'll be OCing on. I think I got the right parts to do a good bit of OCing without going into hardcore OCing.

Thanks for all the replies in advance. Much appreciated!

 

[KoolDrew]

Don't go for the Modstream. Get an OCZ Powerstream. Also since you mentioned overclocking I would really get a DFI Ultra-D. I don't know if the XP-120 fits on the DFI. If it doesn't get yourself a XP-90 wih this fan.
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/pa92ulhisp.html

If you go DFI (which would be a wise choice) I would suggest getting OCZ Value VX. The DFI can supply the voltages needed to oc that RAM really well. It's price is great too. With enough voltage you will be able to reach nice speeds with tight timings.

I don't know much about sound cards, but I always use onboard sound. If you want to save money get rid of the Raptor. The NEC DVD burner is highly recommended too. The Vantec Nexus is a very nice Fan controller too.

 

[Vesper8]

thanks for the advice KoolDrew

The reason I don't wanna get the DFI is because I've read a few bad things about it I don't like. Such as it's pickyness with RAM and the fact that you can't remove the chipset fan which happens to be loud (which is a big turn off for me). I've done my research as far as motherboards and I've heard the DFI is #1 for overclocking but I've also read the Asus will overclock fine and keep in mind I ain't gonna be overclocking that much either.

As for the powersupply. I'm having a hard time seeing what the difference is between the OCZ modstream 520w and the OCZ powerstream 520w ... Could you tell me what's the difference and why the powerstream is better? I know it's about 30$ more expensive and that means 170$ CDN for me which is a bit much but if you know something I don't please let me know.

Also I'd appreciate more advice from other users on my soon-to-be future system

Thanks!

 

[imported_Kensai]

Get something else. Maybe an Antec TruePower 2 550W or a NeoPower 480W.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I 2nd the NEC burner. I also like the antec PSUs. Dropping back to a 3200+ processor might save you some dough since the venice core is probably going to be fantastic overclocker.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Vesper8
Case : Coolermaster Stacker + Crossflow Fan

PSU : OCZ OCZ52012U-520W MODSTREAM PCI-E READY

MB : ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939
MB extra : ZALMAN NB47J FANLESS NORTHBRIDGE CHIPSET COOLER to replace noisy chipset fan
CPU : AMD ATHLON 64 3500+ PROCESSOR S939 VENICE 2.2GHZ 512K L2 CACHE 90NM
CPU extra : XP-120 + Nexus 120mm real silent fan orange (will need to have corners trimmed to be installed on XP-120)

Seeing as you are replacing a noisy NB fan and using a quiet CPU heatsink, Are you trying to build a quiet PC?

If you are, I suggest the following changes to your config to maximize quietness:

1) Get a Seasonic S12 PSU. OCZs, Antecs, Fortrons, etc. are all reliable PSUs, but none of them can touch a Seasonic in terms of quietness. Since you are not running an SLI rig, the Seasonic S12-430 is the perfect PSU for you.

2) Get more than just 1 Nexus 120mm fan. You will need another for the case fan.

3) Get rubber washers to mount the fans and drives.

4) Get a quiet graphics card heatsink if that 6600 is not passively cooled. Either a Zalman VF700 or an Arctic Silencer.

HTH.

 

[Vesper8]

ok i've looked around and yea it seems the nec burner is better than the pioneer although they both seem and both have received comments saying one is better than the other and vice versa ;p very confusing but i figure I can't go wrong.. gonna get the NEC anyway since it's slightly faster. Do you know if the black front plate of the NEC is as black as the pioneer's? it looks like a dark grey on the picture so not sure.

And about the PSUs! so much confusion.. all the ones mentionned look good on paper and reviews.. I like the modstream because it has a blue led.. it's reportedly quiet and 520w sounds like more than I'm EVER gonna need.. Remember I'm not an hardcore OCer here. Unless someone can tell me why it's a bad psu.. I think I'm gonna stick with it. It just looks great and should do what I want it to do and more.

 

[Vesper8]

thanks wisdomtooth! that sounds like great advice. Yes I am trying to build a quiet rig.. but I hear with the thickness of the Stacker's iron casing that noise shouldn't be escaping that easily.

And hell my current 4 year old rig is SO noisy.. anything will be a blessing compared to that ;p

Gonna look into all the parts you mentionned right away. Thanks for warning me about needing another fan for my Stacker. I knew I'd be short on fans but wasn't sure which to get untill I actually see the case.

 

[l Xes l]

check out some benchmarks.. see if u still want A8N..
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=118&type=expert&pid=9

I'd go with DFI lanparty..
good choice on DVD burner... my dvr-108 is awesome..

 

[Vesper8]

I think I might go with a SEASONIC 430w. I'm hearing really good things about that company and it's PSUs.

I have two concerns though

#1 Is a seasonic 430 going to deliver enough power for the system I'm thinking of building? (I think so probably yea.. I won't be OCing much and 430 sounds like a lot, then again I'll have like 6 fans running and 3 HDs.. what do you think?)

#2 will a seasonic 430 fit nicely in my CM Stacker?

(btw does anyone know if the modstream 520 fits nicely in the stacker? I've heard it doesn't but maybe that person was wrong)

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Vesper8
I think I might go with a SEASONIC 430w. I'm hearing really good things about that company and it's PSUs.

I have two concerns though

#1 Is a seasonic 430 going to deliver enough power for the system I'm thinking of building? (I think so probably yea.. I won't be OCing much and 430 sounds like a lot, then again I'll have like 6 fans running and 3 HDs.. what do you think?)

#2 will a seasonic 430 fit nicely in my CM Stacker?

(btw does anyone know if the modstream 520 fits nicely in the stacker? I've heard it doesn't but maybe that person was wrong)

Right now I'm running 6 HDDs with it... rest of system = 3200+, 9800pro, etc.

I'm not sure about fitting in that specific case, but it's not any larger than my other PSUs (2 enermax, 1 fortron source)