How Cool/Loud Do You Think My Config Will Be?

[IkeEisenhower]

Caution: I tend to ramble, so this will probably be a long post. Get a cup of coffee.

I'm kicking around some ideas in my head for a new system, and thus far I've selected most of the components having to do with cooling/noise and I was wondering how well I've chosen. You guys seem to be the web's best go-to group for cooling/fan questions, so I thought I'd give you my breakdown of noisemaking/cooling components and ask you to throw me a few guesses back as far as what the total noise might be and how effective the cooling will be for my needs. I truly would appreciate any suggestions for improvement as far as cooling/noise goes, and I'm not terribly picky; I'd much rather have a balanced system leaning toward noisy than a quiet one leaning toward thermal self-annihilation.

Here's the short version of my rig's components, I'll try to list only those parts that will figure in... I'll be running a stock P4 3.4EE with the stock HSF (though I want to know more about heatpipe HS units coming out) on an Asus P4C800-E, OCZ 3700 Gold Rev.2 clocked along with the mobo to an effective speed of DDR500 (1000MHz), let's see, an Albatron FX5950UV (the triple-fan system only uses one fan at a claimed 25dBA, unless GPU temp goes over 56°C), overclocked by about 25%, two WD JB-series hard disks, stuffed inside an Enermax CS-5189AL-03. The Enermax has room for the following fans: One 80mm low front intake, dual 60mm high rear exhausts, and on the side panel, two 120s and two more 80s (seven fans!). Thus far, I plan on using Vantec Stealth 80s and 120s (for lack of info about best 120s) and I have no idea what for the 60s. My idea is to go ahead and fill all the fan slots, but have maybe one of the 80s and one of the 120s on the side panel activated in an auxilliary manner (can I do this with a fan controller?) for noise's sake. This thing will be sitting on the ground under me, and I tend to always have some kind of audio going, but I don't want to not be able to hear myself think, and rattles really bug me. I plan on cossetting the fans with some sort of buffer for vibration, and I wondered if anyone has tried Dynamat for these purposes. The Vantec 80s produce 27CFM @ 21 dBA, and the 120s do 58 CFM @ 28dBA. Combine that with the Albatron, HDD noise, and a high-quality PS (haven't picked yet, thinking Antec True480), two optical drives, what kind of noise am I really looking at? Would you consider this a loud rig? How cool is that setup going to keep the inside? Should I do anything different? Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[Peter D]

Don't get a 3.4EE unless you're some rich biznatch with the money burning a hole in your pocket. Get a 2.8/3.0C Northwood. Maybe change out the video card for a 9800 Pro and get a VGA Silencer.

My guess would be that CPU temps would be around the ~40's? No idea. Noise would probably be 30-40dBA with all those fans (especially 60mm fans).

Although the case looks like it would have a lot of airflow, my gripe would be with the 60mm fans in the traditional 'exhaust' area. There should be at least 80mm's there. The Antec/Chenming/Chieftec clones would be good since they're big and have great airflow. The Antec Sonata and SLK3700 series use 120mm fans which provide great airflow at low dBA's. Just my opinion/suggestions.

Welcome to AnandTech, BTW

 

[Cheetah8799]

I agree about the 60mm fans being too loud for the output, 80 or 92mm fans will provide more airflow and less noise for that amount of airflow. You may be able to run the 60mm fans via a fanbus to keep them quieter and still get the airflow out of them.

I'm not a big Intel guy, so others will have more info there.

The Arctic Cooler VGA Silencer is an awesome cooler for the Radeon 9800 Pro cards. Very quiet, and cools very well. I highly recommend it.

The WD JB hard drives are noisy little bastards. Swap for some Seagate drives if you want to get rid of some of the noise there.

 

[Cerb]

1. Save yourself and don't get a EE!
2. Get a video card, get the Zalman HP-80C and the fan for it. It will do a good, quiet job.
3. Do you have the case? If not, don't go there! 1 80mm or better exhaust will be what you need. 2 60mm will ruin any noise AND cooling advantage you might get elsewhere.
3. Stealths are not as quiet as, say, Panaflo Ls, and push similar air. If you have them, just put them on a fan controller. Otherwise, I'd say get Panaflos (and put THEM on a fan controller).
4. Filling all the fan mounts with fans is also bad for noise. An intake isn't bad, especially for the HDs, run at low speed. Then have a solid exhaust fan and you're set. Given the cooling you'll need, maybe a120mm or 2x 80mm exhaust (with a fan controller that can go as low as 5v--or even less--you can do very well with multiple fans running slowly, comapred to one running faster).
That case looks nice, but will be loud for several reasons (60mm fans, with very little area to actually exhaust, aluminum, and support bits in the way because of having a mobo tray--not noise there, I'll grant you), and is insanely expensive.
Have you considered the CS-10181-B? 2 80mm exhausts on the back, one for top (you might want to close it due to a direct path for noise to come out, though).
What attracts you to that case, BTW? The look is kinda nice, but it seems poor in every other respect, AFAICT. I might be able to suggest a few more cases if I knew what about that one you liked.

 

[GnomeCop]

I like how he asks about cooling and the first thing people answer is to not get the p4 EE

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: GnomeCop
I like how he asks about cooling and the first thing people answer is to not get the p4 EE

Well, we do have an obligation to keep people from wasting money. Cold cathodes, dremel bits, vinyl dye...that at least gives you something you can see and feel...not the EE (well, unless you pay cash--then you feel a thinner wallet).

 

[wetcat007]

EE and quiet cooling not possible

 

[IkeEisenhower]

Originally posted by: Cerb
1. Save yourself and don't get a EE!

I hate to be the one bucking the trend here so early, but I'm an Intel enthusiast, and currently, the 3.4EE leads the Intel pack by a nose for performance. I won't be building this system for several months (unless I get lucky), and by then, assuredly there will be a new king of the proc hill. But for example's sake, let's say I already have the processor, memory, mobo and VGA card and focus on the best way to keep it cool and reasonably quiet.

Originally posted by: Cerb
3. Do you have the case? If not, don't go there! 1 80mm or better exhaust will be what you need. 2 60mm will ruin any noise AND cooling advantage you might get elsewhere.

I don't have the case yet, and after I looked over the noise numbers of some 60mm fans, my teeth are gritted at this bit of information you guys brought up. I may have to abandon this case (arg, see below) after all that hemming and hawing... How about hacking up the dual 60mm grates and jamming a 120 in there, just for kicks?

Originally posted by: Cerb
3. Stealths are not as quiet as, say, Panaflo Ls, and push similar air. If you have them, just put them on a fan controller. Otherwise, I'd say get Panaflos (and put THEM on a fan controller).
4. Filling all the fan mounts with fans is also bad for noise. An intake isn't bad, especially for the HDs, run at low speed. Then have a solid exhaust fan and you're set. Given the cooling you'll need, maybe a120mm or 2x 80mm exhaust (with a fan controller that can go as low as 5v--or even less--you can do very well with multiple fans running slowly, comapred to one running faster).

Damn, I thought I could trust the numbers. I remember you were involved, if not the actual referrer of, the Panaflows in the first place when I broached a similar question to this forum lo, so many months ago. Time passed and on a whim I browsed around, looking for a new 80 for my current plastic-ensconced POS heatbox-of-death case, and I stumbled on Vantec's claim that the Stealth pushed three or four more cubes a minute at the same 21dBA. Thanks for the advice, will switch back to the L1As for current config. As to the seven fan mounts, I kinda expected to hear this.

Originally posted by: Cerb
That case looks nice, but will be loud for several reasons (60mm fans, with very little area to actually exhaust, aluminum, and support bits in the way because of having a mobo tray--not noise there, I'll grant you), and is insanely expensive.
Have you considered the CS-10181-B? 2 80mm exhausts on the back, one for top (you might want to close it due to a direct path for noise to come out, though).
What attracts you to that case, BTW? The look is kinda nice, but it seems poor in every other respect, AFAICT. I might be able to suggest a few more cases if I knew what about that one you liked.

This is the point I'm most at conflict with internally. Long story short, one day I decided to just nail down a case for this dream rig (back when it was a 3.06) and pored over practically every major-name case I could find bits about, and the Enermax hit on every single point I wanted covered, and to my eyes, it was perfect-looking: no gaudy windows or neon signs, plenty of fan spots, blue anodized aluminum, just the right amount of bays, meticulously machined and folded, comes with a great backup PS to keep as a spare, mobo tray, in fact, it had everything I had wanted except the blowhole (which I don't really want anymore). Expense is not a factor in these calculations, this is my 'dream pc', and therefore I simply selected what I considered to be the best components for my needs, if not over and above, and decided that should I go ahead and build it, I won't have the "wish I did"s about anything (until a month later, of course, but that notwithstanding). I'll take a look at the 10181-B, and if you have any suggestions you think might appeal to me, by all means, please mention them. Remember, I don't care if they're expensive, as long as they're among the highest quality in terms of construction, materials, fit, finish, innovation, and so forth. I mean, I'm not looking at a machined-platinum case or exotic hardwoods or anything, but I'm really stuck on the Enermax, and now I'm frustrated by the exhaust situation. I do appreciate everyone's information, wholeheartedly, and if anyone has anything more to add, please do. Thanks again and enjoy your day!

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: wetcat007
EE and quiet cooling not possible

...why shouldn't it be possible? A normal 3.2 can be done quietly (albeit very expensively).

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: IkeEisenhower

Originally posted by: Cerb
1. Save yourself and don't get a EE!

I hate to be the one bucking the trend here so early, but I'm an Intel enthusiast, and currently, the 3.4EE leads the Intel pack by a nose for performance. I won't be building this system for several months (unless I get lucky), and by then, assuredly there will be a new king of the proc hill. But for example's sake, let's say I already have the processor, memory, mobo and VGA card and focus on the best way to keep it cool and reasonably quiet.

Originally posted by: Cerb
3. Do you have the case? If not, don't go there! 1 80mm or better exhaust will be what you need. 2 60mm will ruin any noise AND cooling advantage you might get elsewhere.

I don't have the case yet, and after I looked over the noise numbers of some 60mm fans, my teeth are gritted at this bit of information you guys brought up. I may have to abandon this case (arg, see below) after all that hemming and hawing... How about hacking up the dual 60mm grates and jamming a 120 in there, just for kicks?

Well, the mobo tray isn't high enough for that, so it would be odd...

Originally posted by: Cerb
3. Stealths are not as quiet as, say, Panaflo Ls, and push similar air. If you have them, just put them on a fan controller. Otherwise, I'd say get Panaflos (and put THEM on a fan controller).
4. Filling all the fan mounts with fans is also bad for noise. An intake isn't bad, especially for the HDs, run at low speed. Then have a solid exhaust fan and you're set. Given the cooling you'll need, maybe a120mm or 2x 80mm exhaust (with a fan controller that can go as low as 5v--or even less--you can do very well with multiple fans running slowly, comapred to one running faster).

Damn, I thought I could trust the numbers. I remember you were involved, if not the actual referrer of, the Panaflows in the first place when I broached a similar question to this forum lo, so many months ago. Time passed and on a whim I browsed around, looking for a new 80 for my current plastic-ensconced POS heatbox-of-death case, and I stumbled on Vantec's claim that the Stealth pushed three or four more cubes a minute at the same 21dBA. Thanks for the advice, will switch back to the L1As for current config. As to the seven fan mounts, I kinda expected to hear this.

They really aren't bad fans, just nowhere near as quiet as they say.

Originally posted by: Cerb
That case looks nice, but will be loud for several reasons (60mm fans, with very little area to actually exhaust, aluminum, and support bits in the way because of having a mobo tray--not noise there, I'll grant you), and is insanely expensive.
Have you considered the CS-10181-B? 2 80mm exhausts on the back, one for top (you might want to close it due to a direct path for noise to come out, though).
What attracts you to that case, BTW? The look is kinda nice, but it seems poor in every other respect, AFAICT. I might be able to suggest a few more cases if I knew what about that one you liked.

This is the point I'm most at conflict with internally. Long story short, one day I decided to just nail down a case for this dream rig (back when it was a 3.06) and pored over practically every major-name case I could find bits about, and the Enermax hit on every single point I wanted covered, and to my eyes, it was perfect-looking: no gaudy windows or neon signs, plenty of fan spots, blue anodized aluminum, just the right amount of bays, meticulously machined and folded, comes with a great backup PS to keep as a spare, mobo tray, in fact, it had everything I had wanted except the blowhole (which I don't really want anymore). Expense is not a factor in these calculations, this is my 'dream pc', and therefore I simply selected what I considered to be the best components for my needs, if not over and above, and decided that should I go ahead and build it, I won't have the "wish I did"s about anything (until a month later, of course, but that notwithstanding). I'll take a look at the 10181-B, and if you have any suggestions you think might appeal to me, by all means, please mention them. Remember, I don't care if they're expensive, as long as they're among the highest quality in terms of construction, materials, fit, finish, innovation, and so forth. I mean, I'm not looking at a machined-platinum case or exotic hardwoods or anything, but I'm really stuck on the Enermax, and now I'm frustrated by the exhaust situation. I do appreciate everyone's information, wholeheartedly, and if anyone has anything more to add, please do. Thanks again and enjoy your day!

Evercase E4252: quite possibly the best cooling available. Very corporate looking (almost looks like a rogue IBM designer made the trim). Easy to cut down on HDD vibrations transfered to the case. Also one of several cases Intel tested and approved for use w/ their hot chips (including the Chenbro towers, as well). One of the best cases to work with, but in looks, even the black version lacks a bit.
Antec SLK-3700-AMB, -BQE, Sonata: almost as nice for cooling, and also good for HDDs, and comes with grommets. Oh, and the Antec versions actually look pretty good.

Coolermaster PAC-T01, while hardly the best for quiet, is an awesome case in every other way.
If the Coolermaster STC-T01 "CM Stacker" was for sale, I'd up and recommend that without a second thought. It looks slick and there's plenty of room to work with.

If you're stuck on the EE...
Thermalright SP-94 heatsink and a Panaflo 92mm L or M.
I'm also still sticking with the Zalman + fan suggestion...I haven't used the ZM-80C, but the ZM-80 was (is?) awesome. And with a fan in the ZM-80C's bracket, you've taken out any case air flow worries, and possibly added a bit more safety to OCing. The VGA Silencer is a good option, too.

 

[0roo0roo]

since u got the money http://www.voodoopc.com/systems/f50.aspx Silence AND power

 

[IkeEisenhower]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
since u got the money http://www.voodoopc.com/systems/f50.aspx Silence AND power

Ouch. I guess I asked for that one, but it still stings. I used to think Voodoo was going to end up with my money, but a couple of things happened rather simultaneously to but the nix on that eventuality; first, I realized that I'd not only be getting shafted to the tune of almost five grand over a system I could have actual fun immersing myself in and learning something from otherwise, and second, Voodoo went all Flash-crazy, destroyed what used to be a decent inventory (come on, replacing the Logitech Trackman Optical with that Microsoft thumb-munching crappy CTS-beacon? I actually wrote to them on that note, and to my surprise, was treated personally and symapathetically, but that's another story...), screwed up their corporate image, and generally started turning away from the clientele I would have represented. But okay, we're not in this forum to talk about Voodoo. At least I'm not. Let me explain:

I'm not made of money, but I just can't get into the mentality of the penny-pinching geek (excuse any insult given by the term) who is driven to OC a Celeron or Duron using a dubious but workable watercooler composed of plumber's abortions and junk auto parts as much out of necessity as challenge. Don't get me wrong, I realize and respect that this sort of upbringing and education is prevalent, if not vital, to the OCing/modding/enthusiast community (again, no offence intended by the word) and the sages in this forum from whom I somewhat vapidly seek advice. I don't disapprove. But I'm an ultraist (not an elitist, mind you), and thus, paired with several other unappealing-to-me factors, never could stand to even hitch a ride on the AMD bandwagon, among other things. This rig I'm contemplating is as much to pop my system-building/OCing/assembly/planning/playing cherry as it is my chance to see a dream (PC) brought to life. I'm sure you're wondering, if you've stuck with me to this point, what the hell all this has to do with your comment or my questions to the forum in general. I'm just in a conversative mood and thought some background would help colour your collective advice, should you be (and as you have) kind enough to give it to me. On to specifics:

I'm not trying to build the fastest machine on earth, but I'd like it to be very, very powerful, and to comprise the absolute best components. I've told you I'm an Intel fan, and as of right now, I tend to favour the Nvidia top-end chipsets over ATI's offering, tempting though it may be, and I've never been so pleased with a company for its products than I am with Albatron (I have their 4200P-Turbo, just an awesome card in every respect, running like a 4600 with nary a complaint). I decided that for this, my first time building totally from scratch, I didn't want to try my hand at the intricacies of watercooling or phase-change cooling platforms, and I realized I didn't really have any desire to screw with my processor's core frequency at all. I do want to run what is essentially 2.7V, 466MHz memory at 2.85V, 500MHz, and that extra heat will be spread (ideally) over four DIMMS, which, in my (what? ignorance?), I assume to be a large, radiating heat source I need to treat briskly. I'm not worried about the northbridge or the tough Asus mobo at 1GHz bus, but the Predator-style faux-IR picture I have stuck in my head positively screams out that the resulting four or five inch square area of sizzling system memory is going to be nothing but bad for the rig. I don't like Thermaltake's dubious memory cooling system, and I've yet to find another vendor (besides the clip-onto-heatshield 40mm-fan plastic frames I think Antec peddles) that sells a memory-exclusive cooling solution, so I figured I ought to have a hole in the side of my case either sucking that heat out (can I get 80/92/120mm ventilation ducting that I could route directly from fan to the memory??) or puffing 'fresh' air at the heatspreaders, or both, if that's possible. Am I going wrong here? Is the normal case-fan airflow going to be sufficient or targeted enough to do the job? Is the heat we're talking about only a couple of degrees at best, and not anything to lose sleep over? I don't know these things, and I can't just ask all my questions of you guys at once.

I don't want or need a whisper-quiet machine, either. I always have some kind of racket going, and this machine will whisper or bellow from a huge, powerful, and many-speakered sound system, overlaying even more racket than I'm used to now (which admittedly isn't all that much, but I get rattles now and then, arg), but I'd much rather have effective cooling throughout, as long as it doesn't mean a Dustbuster or two stashed under my desk. I guess it seems I want the best of both worlds, but it's not that way, really. I want a Maserati, not a Lamborghini. I don't care for flashing lights or to have a window. I want to just have the utmost confidence in the power and capability of the fine components, thoughtfully arranged within, without having to blow my clutch every time some kid pulls up next to me in a riceburner, so to speak. Anyway, if you've read this far, thanks. It means something to me. Whether or not I've clarified my position I can't even tell, but at least I've given some background to my plight. If you feel like helping me out in whatever way possible, drop me a post about it. I'm trying to focus on cooling and, now, cases. Before I end this rambling mess, I have to stick in my latest discovery in the chonology of my unhealthy obsession (is it that? nah) with the Enermax CS-5189AL-03 (posessed of two nasty little 60mm exhausts). While browsing their website, I noticed that the steel Enermax CS-5168(TABS-XX) is a dead ringer for the aforementioned aluminum case, except for the number and size of fans. It turns out that the back panel of this steel case is home to, and can accomodate a twin, 80mm exhaust fan! Now, the tough part: Enermax claims that the steel case is 43cm in height, but the aluminum I want to put it in is 42cm. Could this be a simple measurement conflict resulting from the way the cases are put together? Or is there a chance that I could hack apart the steel case, take the rear panel from it, rip the aluminum rear panel off, and replace it with the one from the steel case, without creating an enormous headache?? Are the sides spot-welded together? Screwed? In the case of the aluminum version, they can't very well be cast in shape, and neither can they be spot-welded, so, unless there's some voodoo about this I cannot grasp, it's either screws or tongue-and-groove-type construction, leading me to conclude that this may be possible. Is it worth it? Anyone know if it really IS possible? Thanks in advance for any replies, I'll shut up about it now. And thanks for taking your time out to read my idle verbosity.

 

[Cerb]

Unless you're going for 2GB (4x512), why four dimms? RAM as a heat source will be NOTHING compared to that EE (Cool n' Quiet is the feature that makes the A64 superior, IMO ). I wouldn't go to 2.7v or higher, but with good case air flow, it'll be no big worry. Worst case, suspend a fan over the RAM blowing on the banks. It will be easier and more effective than adding heat spreaders and such.
Seriously, SP-94 and Panaflo M 92mm. If that can't cool it, nothing will.
That Enermax (CS-5168) looks OK, but you'd want to cut out the fan grills (forget silence, they block tons of air!). But it still has a pretty restrictive front intake. None of those enermax cases (save server cases) look to have really good room for air.
Do the Coolermaster TAC-T01 (wave) or PAC-T01 (praetorian) look good? Being aluminum, you'll have no worries about noise (aluminum cases give vibration noise like nothing else ), but will be able to cool that EE (if the case air flow isn't good, a good heatsink will be wasted) just fine.
However, once again I'll recommend the Evercase and Antec cases.
check it out. Granted, you're not in for that quiet, but this is a good example of how something very close to that EE's heat can be cooled with relative ease. A big hole in the front (and lots of side vent space) allows for plenty of air to get in, and be exhausted properly even by a meager PSU and fan.
That case (and its newer variants) and the Chenbro (Chieftec, and Antec...) towers give unparalleled cooling potential without resorting to extreme noise. Speaking as the son and apprentice of a sysadmin with a growing fleet of custom PCs (and gradually getting rid of the POSes), these are some of the best cases there are for desktops. The Coolermasters have similar air flow designs, and are nice cases, but I'm a penny-pincher, so I've seen them in use and on the trade floor, but not built upon them. OTOH, I ahve yet to use a coolermaster product that wasn't of excellent quality (when you see some of the other $10 coolers that were around before Speeze and the like made it to normal reseller channels, even those cheapie coolers look good ), and those look to be very good indeed.

Cliff's notes:
1. Coolermaster, Eevercase, Antec: yay. Ernermax: er...
2. Air needs area to come in from the front and move towards the back and then out. That's 90% of a good cooling setup. I speak from experience here--building and fixing PCs, including mine. With newer components this is very important. If you overlook it, you have to get by having lots of loud fans that wouldn't be needed if it was done right in the first place; and if it is done right initially, you can add parts all over the place and have no worries.

 

[IkeEisenhower]

Originally posted by: Cerb
Unless you're going for 2GB (4x512), why four dimms? RAM as a heat source will be NOTHING compared to that EE (Cool n' Quiet is the feature that makes the A64 superior, IMO ). I wouldn't go to 2.7v or higher, but with good case air flow, it'll be no big worry. Worst case, suspend a fan over the RAM blowing on the banks. It will be easier and more effective than adding heat spreaders and such.

Well, OCZ seems overly confident in the chips' ability to handle 3v, and about the only thing their techs ever tell people to do on their sparsely-populated support forum is to up the voltage, most of the time to 2.75, but that's given standard clocks. I'm going to run them at DDR500, and I assumed a little boost in voltage wouldn't hurt, especially if they warrant the things to 3v. As for populating all the slots, testing I saw somewhere on this site a while ago compared dual-channel PC3200 as 4 DIMMS versus 2, and found a bit of a performance gain when all the RAM slots are filled. I also figure that this config will give me a better chance should I screw something up and fry a DIMM, I only drop down to 768 until I can replace it. The information is on the level of superstition, but I can't see why I shouldn't at least try it just the same.

Originally posted by: Cerb
Seriously, SP-94 and Panaflo M 92mm. If that can't cool it, nothing will.

Yeah, I like that setup. Heatpipes are nifty.

Originally posted by: Cerb
That Enermax (CS-5168) looks OK, but you'd want to cut out the fan grills (forget silence, they block tons of air!). But it still has a pretty restrictive front intake. None of those enermax cases (save server cases) look to have really good room for air.
Do the Coolermaster TAC-T01 (wave) or PAC-T01 (praetorian) look good? Being aluminum, you'll have no worries about noise (aluminum cases give vibration noise like nothing else ), but will be able to cool that EE (if the case air flow isn't good, a good heatsink will be wasted) just fine.
...
The Coolermasters have similar air flow designs, and are nice cases, but I'm a penny-pincher, so I've seen them in use and on the trade floor, but not built upon them. OTOH, I ahve yet to use a coolermaster product that wasn't of excellent quality (when you see some of the other $10 coolers that were around before Speeze and the like made it to normal reseller channels, even those cheapie coolers look good ), and those look to be very good indeed.

Strange thing happened, I was checking out the Praetorian and happen to like it very much (the Wavemaster has a bay door, and I hate those), I went on a whim to price them used on Ebay, and I found a guy selling the ATC 201C-SX2; essentially the same case, scratch-and-dent, for something like eighty bucks all said and done. His website is hawking them for only a yard, and everyone else wants at least a hundred thirty. I went ahead (ha ha, now, before I have the money, for the system, ha ha ha ha whoops) and put in for the scratched one (front bezel is untouched, it would seem, and that's the only part that I probably won't scratch myself dicking with it) and I suppose I'd better start preparing the shoehorn to get my current system out of its plastic-ensconced, single-fan-plus-crappy-PCI-card-blower-what-rattles Purgatory and safely into this case, which is worth a fair bit more than my processor. Ah, but there's the rub: to upgrade from an 845PT/2.0a/233 in any way would be troublesomely expensive, because I'd have to replace them all in order to fulfill just one rung up the ladder, so old system it will be until I can lay out for this dream rig. Anyway, I may just carry over this Coolermaster onto the upcoming project, unless I get screwed over somehow (as though Ebay itself isn't a screwover of royal magnitude). Anyway, thanks for the recommendation, and I'll be firing off some more questions as soon as I can get them in order. Thanks to everyone for the prompt and informative responces. I'll be around.

 

[Cerb]

Fan over the DIMMs, and it will be fine--assuming you're worried about it. I had my share of overvolting things w/ my old Duron...when you double your speed and still run cooler, it seems like it was such a waste. All should be well.

Well, having the case before you buy could definitely help with some planning, mainly if the need for clearance measurements comes up, and you get the antici...pation.
$80 isn't bad at all. That's a good Staples price on the Antec SLK3700.