Please Advise on Component Choice.

[Wigwam]

Hi

Decided it was time for a change of machine although in truth my AThlon XP 3200+ with 1gb RAM is doing just fine!

Thought long and hard about X2 vs C2D route:
IMO Intels currently leads the pile no contest but the imminent Barcelona core from AMD is supposed to rock so getting a compatible mobo might be the way to go...on balance I have decided to go C2D.
Next I figure chipset must be P35

So:
-E6750 cpu
-Gigabyte GA P35 DS4? it is £30 les than the DQ6 and only change I can see is 2 eSATA vs 4? What is Dual bios btw??
The Asus P5K series are way more expensive
-2GB Crucial PC6400 RAM
Samsung Spinpoint 500GB hdd
-Gigabyte 8600GTS Silent Heatpipe
-Antec Sonata 3
-[all the usual stuf like dvdrw etc]

As you can see I would like to have a quiet machine. My concern though is cooling. I know I will not be able to resist some o/c [my 3200+ is actually a mobile XP2500]
I understand the Sonata 3 can get pretty hot?
Also it is a mini-sized case and GFx cards just get bigger and bigger.
Is the case okay or do I need to find something else?

 

[jpeyton]

What are you going to use the computer for?

 

[Wigwam]

"general" home use:
browsing/editing family pix/torrenting and streaming to my xbmc. the "usual" stuff.
I am not a gamer really.
there will be some work related use looking at dicom images hence I will be getting a 20" samsung machine

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Wigwam
"general" home use:
browsing/editing family pix/torrenting and streaming to my xbmc. the "usual" stuff.
I am not a gamer really.
there will be some work related use looking at dicom images hence I will be getting a 20" samsung machine

If you're overclocking, look at the E6550. All newer Core 2 Duos overclock equally well, so there's no improvement to be had by paying for the higher end ones.

Get a P35 DS3R; it should be more than enough.

Crucial/Corsair/Kingston DDR2 800 should be good; 2GB at least, 4GB if you can.

Samsung 500GB is great.

An 8600GTS is overkill; a fanless 8500GT should be plenty for your use.

The Sonata 3 is a good case, but the P180 is a little more versatile and quiet. Pair it with a quiet PSU like a Corsair 520HX. Arctic Cooling makes cheap quiet heatsinks; Zalman is good in the mid-range; otherwise any heatpipe heatsink that will let you use any 120mm fan will provide the quietest cooling (with a quiet fan like a Yate-Loon DS12L).

 

[Wigwam]

thanks
I plan to keep using XP Pro at least Vista 64bit is mature or SP1 is out hence the 2GB RAM

The DS3R has no eSATA connections [although it does have 2 DDR3 slots vs the DS4]
Will I come to miss eSATA connections [those are the only differences I can see]?

 

[Wigwam]

If you're overclocking, look at the E6550. All newer Core 2 Duos overclock equally well, so there's no improvement to be had by paying for the higher end ones.
I thought overclocking was done by FSB only and these cpus were multi locked so wouldn't the higher multi of the E6750 over the E6550 be an advantage?

Get a P35 DS3R; it should be more than enough. Thanks. I am a little concerned thogh abotu the number of comments on these forums that the heatpipe on the board gets in the way of any aftermarket cooler for the CPU. I want to get something decent but quiter than the stock cooler (eg a Scythe one?)

Crucial/Corsair/Kingston DDR2 800 should be good; 2GB at least, 4GB if you can.I was planning on 4GB but then realised XP Pro doesn't see more than 3.2GB of it so why waste? Probably will get Crucial so that no module mismatch issues if/when I upgrade

Samsung 500GB is great. Any real benefit (performance wise) of getting 2 in a Raid 0 setup? it is be a fmaily machine and I am wary of always having to be rebuilding raid arrays or something!

An 8600GTS is overkill; a fanless 8500GT should be plenty for your use. and half the price, but figured this would give me more leeway when slapping Vista on?

The Sonata 3 is a good case, but the P180 is a little more versatile and quiet. Pair it with a quiet PSU like a Corsair 520HX. quiet is important but cost was also a consideration. for £80 the AS3 gives a quiet case and 500W silent psu - although I remain a little worried about airflow and heat I confess; also potentially size with long cards...

Arctic Cooling makes cheap quiet heatsinks; Zalman is good in the mid-range; otherwise any heatpipe heatsink that will let you use any 120mm fan will provide the quietest cooling (with a quiet fan like a Yate-Loon DS12L).

Thanks again - all input remains very welcome!

 

[Wigwam]

bump

 

[Wigwam]

okay quick update of new musings and bump for more input:
after reading about the Gigabyte "cold boot" issues I guss I will have to stump up more for the Asus PK series board....ggggrrrrr

Also what advantage of getting the 8600 GTS over the 8600GT [both passive cooled versions]??

Help with comments above also welcomed!

 

[GenHoth]

Originally posted by: Wigwam


Get a P35 DS3R; it should be more than enough. Thanks. I am a little concerned thogh abotu the number of comments on these forums that the heatpipe on the board gets in the way of any aftermarket cooler for the CPU. I want to get something decent but quiter than the stock cooler (eg a Scythe one?) You can always get out the old measuring tape and find out (or do the math straight from the screen, not too tough)

An 8600GTS is overkill; a fanless 8500GT should be plenty for your use. and half the price, but figured this would give me more leeway when slapping Vista on? If you're not gaming then video card looses much of its importance, grab the cheaper card and put the money elsewhere.

The Sonata 3 is a good case, but the P180 is a little more versatile and quiet. Pair it with a quiet PSU like a Corsair 520HX. quiet is important but cost was also a consideration. for £80 the AS3 gives a quiet case and 500W silent psu - although I remain a little worried about airflow and heat I confess; also potentially size with long cards...

Thanks again - all input remains very welcome!

 

[Wigwam]

diff between GTS and GT [apart from clock speeds] is that GTS has HDCP and GT doesn't...

 

[Wigwam]

getting concerned about grumbling of problems with the Gigabyte P35 boards; what about the Abit P35 Pro [cheaper than the Asus P35s]??