Quiet i7 System

[redfoxtx]

Hi Guys,
This is my first post on the forum, but I've been reading Anandtech for longer than I care to admit.

I've been putting up with a 3 year old Dell laptop for a while and I've finally had enough and decided to get a new Desktop. I used to be quite into the self build scene a while back (say 2000 or so), and things seemed to have moved on a bit. I've been reading reviews from left right and center all over this inter-web thing, and trying to put together a pretty good (but not ridiculously good), good value, and close-to-silent (significant other issues) system.

Here's what I have at the moment:

CASE ~ £67
NZXT HUSH ATX case
Seems reasonably nice to work with, pretty stylish and quiet

PSU ~ £73
Corsair 520W
Got a good rating on a recent Anandtech review

MOBO ~ £205
Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4
Cheapest X58 I could find

CPU ~ £250
i7 920

CPU Cooler ~ £52
Noctua NH-U12P
Although, at the moment I'm not sure if the 1337 adapter is available.
This one I'm really not sure about and I'm very open to other suggestions for coolers for the i7

RAM ~ £117
Corsair XMS3 3GB DDR3 PC3-10666
Still thinking about moving up to 6GB. Anyone think I'll see a big difference there?

HDD ~ £115
Western Digital 1 TB SATA II Caviar Green
Looks to be a good price point and low power

OPTICAL ~ £66
LG GGC-H20L Blu Ray Reader
I might drop this for a normal DVD drive, don't see myself buying any BluRay any time soon

GRAPHICS ~ £250
Asus GTX 260 896 mb
GTX 260 looks to be a nice price/performance point and is from nVidia (I've had enough of ATI)
Supposed to be exceptionally quiet, although has an unfortunately garish camouflage decoration.

MONITOR ~ £200
HP 22" Wide TFT W2228h

SPEAKERS ~ £27
Logitech X-240
Comes with an iPod dock, though not sure it's compatible with my iPhone.
Anyone got any other suggestions here?

OS ~ £74
Vista 64-bit Home Premium
Unless anyone things this config might be better with 32-bit.


Which brings me to a grand total of ~ £1500

What do you guys think?
I'd be appreciative of any suggestions/queries/comments on what I've got.

Thanks a lot,

Andrew

 

[gramboh]

I'm assuming the 3GB ram kits is 3x1GB sticks? I wouldn't go with that, since then you are limited to 6GB total (by adding another 3x1) unless you wanted to try different size DIMMs (3x2GB later) which I think could be a problem (I haven't really looked into X58's handling of memory channels though).

I'd go 3x2GB off the bar, or even just 2x2GB as 4GB is definitely adequate for now, then upgrade later on when DDR3 prices drop.

Definitely go Vista 64.

 

[nyker96]

I like your setup list, just few suggestions. I like Noctua, but for that price, I'd get a TRUE. Why not just a nice and simpler Xigmatec S1283? both will perform on par if not better than Noc. The HD department, the new WD Black is very well made give it a look. the green models people complain 5400rpm is bit slow sometimes, I would use it as storage not main drive.

 

[kopanitsa]

An i7 adaptor for Noctura heat sinks is available free from Noctura. You have to send proof of purchase of both the heatsink and the CPU or motherboard.
See http://www.noctua.at/main.php?...&products_id=23&lng=en

 

[exar333]

Originally posted by: gramboh
I'm assuming the 3GB ram kits is 3x1GB sticks? I wouldn't go with that, since then you are limited to 6GB total (by adding another 3x1) unless you wanted to try different size DIMMs (3x2GB later) which I think could be a problem (I haven't really looked into X58's handling of memory channels though).

I'd go 3x2GB off the bar, or even just 2x2GB as 4GB is definitely adequate for now, then upgrade later on when DDR3 prices drop.

Definitely go Vista 64.

+1. Just noticed on Newegg that 6GB kits can be had for 150-175; thats around 50-60 less than I got my kit for at launch. Prices on triple-channel kits have come down pretty well in the last 1.5 months. Go for 6GB.

 

[Tarrant64]

Looks like you've done your research and have come out with a good build. I also suggest going with 6GB. Seems to be the next standard for triple-channel setups now. If you plan to hold onto your new desktop for awhile, more is always better.

 

[exar333]

I noticed the 22" Monitor; why not go up to a 24" panel? Your computer will run 1920x1200 great, and why not have a great display to go with a great computer?

Nice build selection.

 

[anindrew]

Your setup seems pretty good. I would also suggest going with a 3x2GB setup to have 6GB of RAM total. I have the GA-EX58-UD5 which is similar to the UD4. The difference is that the UD5 supports 3-way SLI and Crossfire. There is also a UD4(P) that appears to support 3-way SLI/Crossfire if that is a concern at all. Finally, since I have the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366, I can confirm that it certainly does come with the 1366 adapter. In fact, the SE1366 version ONLY comes with that adapter. It also comes with TWO 120mm fans, so you can create a great push/pull system. It lines up perfectly with the exhaust fan in my Antec 900. Newegg, quietpcusa.com, and moddersmart all carry the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366. Here's a link to where I got mine: http://www.quietpcusa.com/Noct...CPU-Cooler-P506C0.aspx

Also, is a 520W PSU enough wattage for your system? I would imagine it is, but if you ever think you might add a second graphics card, you would probably want something more along the lines of a 750W unit.

I agree with ExarKun333. I realize it's easy to spend someone else's money, but a 24" monitor is such a nice treat. I use a Gateway FHP2400, which I can highly recommend. I believe it was replaced by the FHP2401, which anandtech.com recommended highly in their recent LCD holiday buyer's guide.