New computer - Lots of questions

[Yensen]

I've got some questions regarding some of the components, and any replies or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

I live in Finland, so OCZ, Corsair, and a lot of other stuff is a little hard to get... The prices may be odd too.
The price search I used: http://www.mbnet.fi/hintaseuranta/haku.aspx

Enclosure + PSU - Antec Sonata II - 113€

CPU - AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice (boxed) - 152€
--- Should I go with boxed or bulk? I can get Bulk for 119€ and buy a decent cpu cooler.

RAM - 2 x Transcend Jetram 512MB DDR 400MHz CL2.5 - 98€

MOBO - DFI NF4 Infinity Socket 939 - 100€
--- Does anyone know if this is Sonata II-friendly? (I know it's a little smaller than a normal ATX board)

Monitor - Hyundai ImageQuest V773 - 116€
--- Cheapo 17" crt. I'm only gonna use it for typing and stuff. For gaming and movies I'm gonna connect the comp to the TV and amp/sub/speaker system.

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250GB - 121€

GPU - CLUB 3D GF 6600GT PCI-E 128MB - 155€
--- I had a lot of problem selecting a decent GPU (as you can see if you check out the price search), but this is ok, right?

Optical Drives - 16/52X DVD-ROM & NEC ND-3540 - 20€+41€

Floppy - 3.5" 1.44MB - 8€

Soundcard - X-fi Platinum - 175€
--- I think the amp/sub/speaker system will do the X-fi justice. (Dantax speakers / Marantz amp)

Mouse - Logitech MX510 Optical Mouse Red - 37€

Keyboard - Logitech Deluxe Access Keyboard - 13€

There we go. All in all, about 1200€ with shipping. I'm only home weekends (and some mondays), but I'll try to check this thread as much as possible. thx

 

[supremelawfirm]

We've spent a lot of time thinking about cooling,
and discussed the topic with a local system
builder in San Diego, California. His limited
experiments reported a CPU temp 30 degrees LOWER (F.)
by adding a cheap duct and fan to the side panel of the
case, positioned right over the CPU heatsink and fan.

After we had that conversation, I've notice that
Antec has re-designed their latest cases to permit
two (2) intake vents on the side panel: one right
over the CPU heatsink and fan, and one right over
the video card. And, of course, their new P180 was
engineered from the start with quiet cooling in mind.

If a room is air-conditioned, it only makes sense
to place a case on the floor, where cooler air
congregates, and to duct ambient air straight
into the CPU's heatsink and fan. Hot air rises,
cold air falls, yes?

This is Occam's Razor: the simplest solution
is always the best solution.

I suspect that some people are confused by thinking
that the speed of the intake air is the important factor:
if that were true, then a hand-held hair dryer would do.

That's a fallacious idea because it is the temperature
of the intake air that most affects the amount of
cooling a CPU heatsink achieves. And this is one
reason why cars overheat in the hot desert sun.


Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

 

[Yensen]

Thx for the replies guys. I think I'm gonna go with a quieter, but just as effective cooling as a stock heatsink/fan. (i.e. the Nexus AOP-6400. It's cheaper as well.)

Gonna take this comp with me and leave the old one at home. So a new mouse and stuff is needed.

Also thinking about getting the Asus A8N-E nf4 ultra board instead of the DFI... I know the chipset cooler fan sucks on the A8N-E, so I'm wondering if a Zalman passive chipset cooler will do on a nf4 ultra? Might have to get a few extra quiet fans as well for the sonata 2 or something.

Now I've got a compability question about venice E6 and E3... But I think I'm gonna look around for a different thread where they're already discussing that.

Cheers!

 

[StigHelmer]

You just might want to check out <A HREF="http://www.only4pro.com" target="_new">http://www.only4pro.com</A>, they sell the best stuff you can get your hands on here.. (I live in Turku, btw=p) Superb service, too.. As for the case, I recommend a Silverstone Temjin TJ-06, in black, windowed.

Edit: And they give you a free T-shirt aswell=)
___________________
I'm not really a pro, I just act like one..<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by StigHelmer on 09/22/05 10:30 PM.</EM></FONT></P>